I hope the Derek Fisher rumors are false, and he's not going to get the majority of the MLE. A lot of the big name free agents are off the market and teams with cap space have used up their money to spend. So who's left on the market capable of helping out the Lakers next season? - James Posey - Pat Riley became disenchanted with him last year, and Miami is set to sign Mo Williams with their MLE, because they feel PG is their biggest need to address. James Posey is an upgrade on the defensive side of the ball. He's an exceptional man to man defender and a great team defender. Posey understands how to rotate over, takes the charges, and also gives his team a lift on the defensive glass. He's looking for MLE type money. - Mickael Pietrus - He was the odd man out in Golden State last year, because of his inability to make open shots from the perimeter. Pietrus had a lot of high expectations on him after an impressive rookie campaign, but has digressed since then. The one main stay for Pietrus is his defensive contributions. He's not exactly a triangle fit for the Lakers, but he could thrive as a defensive stopper coming off the bench. - Andray Blatche - He has the most upside from the group of free agents I'm listing. Blatche is one of the hybrid forwards slowly taking over the NBA. He's a 7 footer who handles the ball like a guard, and has a beautiful jumper. Blatche is a hard worker, and is looking for a nice pay raise and long term deal. The Wizards are trying to trade Haywood or Etan Thomas to free up money for Blatche, but a lot of teams are competing to steal him away from the Wizards. Not sure what kind of money he's seeking, but the Lakers could always try to work a sign & trade if they can agree on a reasonable deal. - Morris Peterson - If the Lakers want a savvy veteran, they should look at Mo Peterson instead of Fisher. He's younger, bigger, and better on both ends of the court. Right now Utah has the inside track on him, but in LA, Peterson could potentially make the starting five.
My vote is in for James Posey with my second choice being Mo Pete. I loved Posey when he was with Houston, he played great D and was a good spot up shooter from 3. I think having him on defense is going to be great and as a bonus Kobe will have a shooter to look for that he can be confident in to make the shot. With Mo Pete, I'd take him because he is a veteran and for his shooting capability and for some reason he can make buzzer beaters? lol love you guys in a platonic way
Is there any way Francis could sign for the Vet Minimum? Or what about the LLE and the 1 million left over from the MLE? According to his agent, the Lakers are one team that he's considering.
<div class="quote_poster">Mamba Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Is there any way Francis could sign for the Vet Minimum? Or what about the LLE and the 1 million left over from the MLE? According to his agent, the Lakers are one team that he's considering.</div> I don't think Francis is going to settle for the vet minimum to play for the Lakers. If he's willing to sign for a discount contract, he's going to want to play for a team closer to winning a title than LA or he'll sign to play with his BFF Cutino Mobley across the hall from us. Unfortunately, it's going to come down to money and a chance to win for Francis.
