Our favorite GM, Mitch Kupchak was on the radio again today. He hinted Smush Parker would not be back next season. He also made a great point about the upcoming free agency class. There's only 3 teams with cap space this summer (Orlando, Milwaukee, & Memphis), so the Lakers have a great shot at adding a key player to their roster with the MLE. The main concern of course will be, which players re-sign with their current teams since those teams can offer more than the MLE. However, with most teams being over the cap already, few will want to pay the luxury tax. The Lakers WILL pay the luxury tax to land the right player. The right player doesn't necessarily have to be a top 20 player either. He mentioned the Lakers have already paid the luxury tax 4 of the last 10 years. He's very confident with the core, and feels the Lakers are just one or two players away from competing for the title. He likes the position the team is in because they are younger than a lot of the elite teams in the West. The trick he said, will be building the team fast enough to take advantage of Kobe's prime. Some encouraging news heading into the playoff race.
Let's just hope he keeps his promises. I do not want to see a Laker team like the one we have now next season.
Fianlly!!!!!!!!!!!! Mitch finally realizes that Kobe is in his prime and that he needs help to complete thier quest to anoter title. Lets just hope he gets the right players and gets rid of Smush
<div class="quote_poster">yodawgsup Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Is there a list out there of upcoming free agents?</div> But of course .. complete 2007 free agent list
guys id like in free agent market: mo williams, gerald wallace, mike sweetney, anderson verjoua(spelling?), jamaal magloire, desagana diop, steve blake, chauncy billups, antonio mcdyess, bonzi wells, quentin ross, jason kapono, ruben patterson and earl boykins. all these guys would be good fits, but i see half of them resigning with their current teams, maybe we hav a shot at mo williams, steve blake or earl boykins for our PG needs, and if not maybe magloire or mcdyess or ruben patterson.
Bobcats should have oodles of cap room, but they're going to likely have to pay out a chunk of change here soon to hold onto Okafor.
<div class="quote_poster">shapecity Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">But of course .. complete 2007 free agent list</div> you rock, thanks man. my god, i would give away a kidney for billups. unfortunately for me, we don't really have a shot at him.
Very deep roster of FA's this season. We better land someone. Billups in the backcourt w/ Bryant. Its over...
We have a good front court. They just haven't been healthy. Kwame, Bynum, Luke, Odom, Mihm, Turiaf, and Cook. I really think our biggest hole is the point guard postion. Smush needs to be taken off the roster. A solid point that can run the triangle and let Kobe play off the ball will do wonders for this team.
Also with frontcourt, we might still have Mihm. The Lakers could likely land him for cheap because of this injury and if we do, that's going to give us some huge help next year. As far as other FAs go, I'm hoping we manage to keep hold of Luke, but outside of that, I don't know. I'd love to get Billups, but I'm more than willing to bet that Detroit gives him a huge offer.
Yeah, but that's just all talk. In the Laker's townhall meeting he mentioned that we are keeping Odom and we are keeping Bynum. How are we going to bring in a great player when all we can trade are a bunch of scrubs?
<div class="quote_poster">Jordan-esque Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Yeah, but that's just all talk. In the Laker's townhall meeting he mentioned that we are keeping Odom and we are keeping Bynum. How are we going to bring in a great player when all we can trade are a bunch of scrubs?</div> Maybe he thinks that he can get a big time free agent.. If he does go after KG or JO, I think trading Odom and/or Bynum is absolutely necesarry, I mean who the heck would want Brian Cook?
<div class="quote_poster">Moo2K4 Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Bobcats should have oodles of cap room, but they're going to likely have to pay out a chunk of change here soon to hold onto Okafor.</div> They also have to decide if they want to keep Wallace. That will cost a chunk of money.
$5,525,000 with a player option for $6,050,000. So you will have to pay more than 6,050,000 to get him and that is more than the MLE.
