If Jason Kidd was willing to play for the vet minimum I'd take him. I also can't see a sign and trade being done because it would involve the Lakers having to give up a quality player or players to match the $8M to $10M price tag. Actually one player I wouldn't mind going after on the Mavs roster is Gerald Green. He's bounced around and hasn't lived up to his potential, but I think he could really thrive in the right situation. He has incredible athletic ability, has range, good handle, and good size. I think he's capable of eventually replacing Kobe in the Triangle offense if he puts in the commitment. This lineup is loaded with athletes. PG - Brown SG - Green SF - Ariza PF - Gasol C - Bynum In the offseason I hope the Lakers can find a defensive stopper capable of guarding athletic big men on the perimeter and in the post. What's killing us in this series is not having someone to matchup with Carmelo. I wish Odom was able to check him, but he's not very good at lateral movement. Ariza can check Melo on the perimeter, but Melo kills him in the post because Ariza is to light in the backside. If you look at the teams left all of them have ballhandling big men who can inside or outside. Denver - Carmel Anthony Cleveland - LeBron James Orlando - Shard Lewis & Hedo Turkoglu We need a defensive player capable of matching up with these guys. It's ridiculous to have Kobe trying to defend a player with a 25 to 30lb weight advantage on him.
Excellent post Shape, but I think it would help if Phil trusted Bynum. He's a big body you just can't score on at will. He'll struggle with rotations but we need his strength in the post on D.
Yeah a big body helps negate those easy looks around the rim, but Orlando is killing the Cavs with pick & roll and drive & kicks. Even a rangy defender like Varejao is having a tough time keeping up with Hedo & Shard. Last night Mike Brown finally made an adjusment using LeBron and Pavlovic on those two, but then Hedo just went to work in the post against Pavlovic drawing fouls and of course making that go ahead basket that almost sealed the game. Bynum is limited in his ability to defend the pick and roll. We need a defensive minded mobile big man to complete this roster.
Which defensive-minded big man can we still get? Is anyone available in the draft that fits that mold? Kobe having to guard Melo is crazy, you can se ehow much Kobe struggles cause of the huge weight and power difference, that is where we need Bynum, problem is, if they put Kleiza in, we have a tought time defending cause neither bynum nor Pau are used to defending out on the perimeter. But if they strut a frontcourt of Melo-Martin-Nene, then we absolutely have to have Bynum in the floor rather than odom.
Gerald really has talent. Coming into the league, he looked like a potential scoring champion down the road. Still did after his rookie year. Problem is, he's lazy, he's dumb as a brick, and he is truly horrific on defense.
Fisher ($5M) and Farmar ($2M) for Kidd (if Kidd agrees to at least $8M). Triangle or no triangle, if any coach can make good use of Kidd, it's Phil. I don't think Phil will pull an "Avery" and be stubborn with his coaching. Phil needed the triangle simply because he didn't have the point guard he wanted. Obviously, he did a great job. 9 titles from three 3-peats. If the above trade presents itself, It should be a no-brainer for LA to pull the trigger. Fisher isn't just working anymore. He's been looking for his own shots rather than letting the shots come to him. For those who will again say that Kidd can't shoot, well 34% from the field and 23% from 3's isn't saying great shooter either for Fisher. As with Farmar, the kid has potential, but right now, that's all it is. For now, he's a good back up. Dallas would be good place for him to find his game. Dallas could be his New Jersey, just look at Harris.
Fish - Farmar for Kidd is easy to say Hell I'll throw in a 1st while we're at it. But it takes two sides to get the deal done, and I don't see the Mavs agreeing. Why would they? They're basically handing us the ship at that point.
farmar just needs to get better, and we need to make one move to get a different point guard as apposed to shannon or fisher. fisher is going to stay on the team, we need him here, but he also needs to come off the bench because he is just not starting material anymore. we should package some of our expiring contracts, a pick, and go for a PG out there who is starting material, say kirk hinrich, ramon sessions, mike conley, raymond felton. personaly i WANT ramon sessions on this team, i love that guy, completely underrated, put him in the starting lineup and he would average 12ppg, 4rpg and 7asg. he is 6'3", 190 so he isnt exactly small for a point guard. The Bucks are a desperate team because they suck and need improvement, plus ramon is their backup point only starting 39 games last season. we could sign and trade for him.
Better than Kidd just walking. Kidd can easily say no to a sign and trade and just deal with the teams that are interested in him. Kidd agreeing to a sign and trade will at least not leave the Mavs empty handed.
Kidd would help the Lakers because what is the biggest lament right now? Lack of hustle/D and lack of entry passes. Those are the best things that Kidd can bring to the team. He does not penetrate as well as he used to and does not even fast break as much (Barea did all those things) but he does pass well in the halfcourt and can still defend so long as its not Parker/Paul.
With regards to the whole Kidd has problems with Paul and Parker, how many point guards out there can deal with them? Here's another thing, Paul has problems with Parker and vice versa. Kidd's D is being magnified for the simple fact that he is known to be a great defender. Kidd has been on the all defensive first team a number of times and everyone expects him to be that player even at 36. Any slip ups are being magnified. Fact is, Kidd still can defend better than most. Kidd will still make a big impact for the Lakers, or any team out there. One big factor to look at, is Kobe will be a happy man. A happy star will only translate to more wins.
