Ok let us all take a moment and look at the whole picture here. Lets say the Lakers don't make the playoffs this year, which looks like a hugggge possibility, my question is what next!!! They get Phil Jackson back but still have the same team. They cannot sign any great players until Grant and his 14 plus million dollar contract is gone in 2 more years after this season and, I can't see them pulling off a big trade without losing a big player like Butler or Odom and we wouldn't get anything that would help us out much in return. Phil Jackson can't take this same laker team all the way to the championship or even the playoffs. Lets face it we need a miracle Laker fans!!!!! I would like to hear some ideas of what the Lakers can do to change this team around and possibly a move that can take them to the playoffs. I don't want to hear Phil jackson is going to do everything in order to take this team all the way cause he won't, we obviously need alot more then just Phil. Phil is just a start and a good start to turn this team back to what they once were. I also don't want to hear the Bulls theory, this team is alot like the Bulls caue we're not anything like the Bulls. Odom ain't no pippen and Kobe ain't no Jordan and we have no great power forward center or point. Just a guard and 2 SF (Caron and Odom). Ok my idea is why not trade Kobe. There were rumors earlier in the season saying that Garnett wants out of Minnesota, so my idea is trade Kobe for Garnett straight up. You might all call me crazy but I think it will work. Guards are always easier to find then great power forwards. I know Kobe has a no trade clause in his contract but maybe when he sees Phil coming back and Lakers making big changes he might just agree to the trade. Trade Kobe for Garnett then trade off Odom for a another player that could help us out and a trade that is very possible. Odom, George and Cook for Artest and Austin Croshere. Idianna doesn't want artest on their team after the detroit incident so why not trade him to the lakers for odom. Lakers can then use croshere for a center and artest can help the lakers out with his defense and excellent playing skills, lets not forget we're getting rid of George is contract as well. So the lakers new starting lineup would be Croshere Garnett Artest Butler and possibly go a for a good pg in the draft or start Brown. Maybe Mitch can find a good trade for pg as well (even though Mitch is hands down the worst general manager in the history of the lakers organization) possibly an Eric Snow type pg, not great but very decent. Any other IDEAS for a change for the better!!!!!
THink your jumping the gun. The Lakers team is young and new. they haven't even had a year together and your already shooting them down. Yes, the SF position is overloaded and we need to unload. But trade Kobe? No way. I agree that Odom needs to be moved. He is not meshing well with Kobe. But Kobe is the man, and we need someone who can really compliment him. I really hoped the BOozer trade was true, but that didn't happen. I also think that if Karl played with the Lakers this year moving Odom to the SF spot it would have made a huge difference. Guards? Easy to find? Not one with Kobe's Caliber. He is clutch, can post one on one with anyone, and has been on the first team on Defense. He is an all around guard. What the Lakers need is some bangers in the paint and a reliable center that can put up 10 pts, 15 reb, and 2-3 blocks on every given night. Consistency is key right now. That what the Lakers are lacking. Lets look to the Lottery and FA before deciding to unload what barely has even started. Your saying to unload the core of the Lakers, and I just aint buying that as the reason the team is failing to win games. KG has players like Spree and Cassel around him and he is still not winning games even though his play is consistent. The team has to play as a unit and thats the problem right now. Kobe is the only consistent player right now. We see good play from Odom one night, and nothing the next. Same goes with Atkins, Caron, and the rest. We need consistentcy, we need a inside presence, and we need time! I have love for Kobe and the Lakers. LAker faithful till I DIE@!!!!!
Firstly if your changes happen the same thing as what happenned to us this year will happen. We'll take over half a season to get together and start playing as a team and lose many easily winnable matches. This is noticeable not only from this years experience as the Laker team but also from my experience as a player on my school team. My coach slowly subbed on different players on and off instead of subbing the whole team off at a go. This is to let us ply together and get our playing styles. Also the other thing is the trades you propose just won't be done. As you said great guards are easier to find than great forwards so what makes you think the Timberwolves would rather have Kobe than garnett play with Cassell and Sprewell? Anyway Kobe's one of those GREAT players not very good players. When i say great I mean better than the very good guards etc. and next year will be the year where Kobe will probably be playing at his best. yeah I agree that we have too many sf's so I'd rather get rid of Odom since he hasn't proven himself and Caron is still very young and I believe he could be like a case of when the Bulls traded Artest if Caron gets traded. Anyways 2 things that are definitely possible that will in my view benefit the Lakers is us trading Odom for a decent pg and us getting Phil back to coach.
I agree the Lakers need some work...but you can't get rid of Kobe. After the Lakers dumped everyone and kept Kobe..it just wouldnt make sense. The team has been through a lot this year. Granted, they could have learned how to play defense...but that is a mute point now. Regarding Odom, he is playing out of position. He is not a PF, and he is trying to do it in the West, were there are huge leviathan-type PF. His scoring might not be there consistently, but he has the highest rebounding average of all the Lakers... I'd just like to see him at SF, and get some more touches. If Odom can be more productive at SF scoring wise, and the Lakers can get a true PF and a nice PG from the draft, I think the Lakers will be OK. Keep in mind all that has happened to the Lakers this year. Losing a coach...learning a complicated offense without much practice time...which Phil Jackson said takes 2 years to be comfortable in... and injuries as well. Kobe missed time during a stretch of the season where they would have won enough games to be in the playoffs now. If Odom is still hurting, put him on the IL. This way he doesnt get hurt worse... you can either keep him or trade him completely healthy. Let Devean George play if he his healthy enough. If he has a good showing, you can keep him or have a better chance of getting a better player for him on the trading block. And unload Mitch Kupcake!
Trade Kobe? ....lmao, no thanks ...we already traded the best center ever. RON ARTEST! I want this guy to be a laker in the worst way! And my best friend is a Indy fan and loves butlers game. Perhaps a LA/INDY trade could be worked out, as i do not see artest remaining in a pacers uni. Maybe a George/Butler/Cook or something for Ron Artest and James Jones or one of their bigs. Or just straight up for artest alone, id take that in a second. Artest is the reigning defensive player of the year and trust me... a Kobe/Artest/Odom lineup would be real nice. HOWEVER... i dont think LA wants to keep Lamar at the 4 spot, hes a natural 3 and artest is a 3/2 so i dunno. Maybe trade lamar, i wouldnt be sad by that at all, not for a artest in return. Either way the Center and PG positions MUST BE ADRESSED!!! at seasons end.
No playoff then wait for the next year and get back in playoff. I don't know Kobe very well but do have this feeling that he's gonna come back next year with so many new stuff to show and even be better and more aggressive next year. I don't think a team like Lakers will be out of playoff for many years and think they'll be back in the playoff next year. Lakers almost got to playoffs(well they still have a chance tho) only with Kobe so one more star will mean a definite sign for back in playoffs. I don't know what moves they'll make in offseason but a normal fan like me know that the Lakers need PG and a big man inside so they'll get them i think.
George is finally playing in his first game of the season today. Lakers are playing semi defense. which is why they are still within striking distance
I can't find the game on, but how are the Lakers losing to the Nuggets when Camby, Nene, and K-Mart are all out?
As a fan of teams who commonly miss the post-season, it's actually more fun when you don't make the playoffs in terms of drafting, and looking to improve the team. Their's a lot of things out there for the Lakers to do, draft, look to add some solid big men, better fill the PG position, and just fill holes all around the team. It will be interesting to see how their off-season goes.
Screw that Now we all get to watch Big Shaq talk trash and watch his heat win and him do that ugly smile and make wise cracks on how lakers didnt make it. And Atkins and T. Brown both suck, I personally would not notice the diffrence if Slava played the point
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting og15:</div><div class="quote_post">As a fan of teams who commonly miss the post-season, it's actually more fun when you don't make the playoffs in terms of drafting, and looking to improve the team. Their's a lot of things out there for the Lakers to do, draft, look to add some solid big men, better fill the PG position, and just fill holes all around the team. It will be interesting to see how their off-season goes.</div> I wish I could share your enthusiasm, but you forget who our GM is. The decisions Kupchak has gone through with make no sense at all. In trading Shaq, he wanted to build a young team around Kobe. He gets Odom and Butler, who play the same position as Walton, George, and JJ. Then he also takes on Brian Grant's enormous contract. His contract prevents the Lakers from being a factor in free agency and they will be handcuffed in cap space for another two years because of Grant. So I guess Kupchak's plan was to wait 3 years when Kobe is 29 or 30 before the Lakers can actually build around him. Great planning!
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting shapecity:</div><div class="quote_post">I wish I could share your enthusiasm, but you forget who our GM is. The decisions Kupchak has gone through with make no sense at all. In trading Shaq, he wanted to build a young team around Kobe. He gets Odom and Butler, who play the same position as Walton, George, and JJ. Then he also takes on Brian Grant's enormous contract. His contract prevents the Lakers from being a factor in free agency and they will be handcuffed in cap space for another two years because of Grant. So I guess Kupchak's plan was to wait 3 years when Kobe is 29 or 30 before the Lakers can actually build around him. Great planning! </div> Ok then why not dump Mitch Kupchak!!!!! I'm surprised he didn't do anything before the trade deadline. Let all laker fans rally against Mitch Kupchak.
screw that, Atleast w/ Kupchak we have something to cheer for in JUNE and for the 1st time in like 8 years the draft will actually have a meaning for lakers GO SALIM STADEMIRE i bet he could beat out chucky and brown for the pg spot wearing a blindfold. Also in offseason send Tierre Brown to the NBDL he's trash. And send Chucky to the European league it would fit his style shooting but not playing D!
Salim Stoudamire isn't what this team needs. Sure he would be great off of the bench, but thats about it. We need a PG like Felton, who can score, dish, has great court vision, good d, and isn't concerned about scoring. He is unselfish, he is the perfect fit for this Laker team.
Ok we obviously need a pg but lets not forget we also need a big man center or Power forwar. I think Andrew Bogut would be the perfect pick for the Lakers in the draft.
One thing though is that the Lakers team needs to build an identity. What I mean by that is, whether they'll be a running team, defensive team, half court team, etc etc... With a guy like Bogut, it likely make the Lakers have to be a halfcourt team because I don't think you can run a high paced game with someone like him. So with drafting, just hope your GM drafts to fit the team, not just picking players out of nowhere.
Bogut is good, but unless we trade up to the 1 or 2 pick, get him out of your heads. I would love to have him though, but I think a PG would help just as much as a big man right now.
We need a pg and a big man One of Two will only get us 35 wins With a new pg and a quality big man we might go .500 or maybe a little better and reach the play-off as a lower seed!
