Source: http://aol.nba.com/features/2005_moves_lal.html <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Lakers look to regroup after disappointing season Hollywood Makeover By Brad Friedman August 8 -- It's not a phrase a town as image-driven as Hollywood would want to pin on a team featuring Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson, but one has to wonder: Are the Lakers "rebuilding"? For a franchise that has averaged at least one Finals every 2.5 seasons, last season was a humbling one for the Lakers, who were defending Western Conference champs. After a much of the internal squabbling became public during the 2003-04 season, Jackson left soon after the Lakers' Game 5 Finals loss to the Pistons and Shaquille O'Neal was traded to Miami. The Lakers sank to fourth in the Pacific Division with a 34-48 record. Even the Clippers -- the Lakers' little L.A. brother -- finished ahead of the purple and gold in the standings. As the 2004-05 season wound down, not many of the Lakers faithful could bear to watch. Now, it's easy to understand why Los Angeles was willing to make Jackson, who spent most of last season in Australia, snorkeling, traveling, relaxing, the highest-paid NBA coach ever in a deal signed in June. Given the agreement, it appeared the Lakers were trying to re-group and get back into the playoffs quickly. Yet, the club's subsequent maneuvers suggested a different strategy. With the 10th pick in the Draft, the Lakers passed up more polished college forwards such as Sean May, Danny Granger and Hakim Warrick in favor of 17-year-old New Jersey high school center Andrew Bynum. Although the 7-foot teenager has considerable upside, he's a long way from being ready to contribute now. The most telling sign of Los Angeles' newfound patience, however, came when they traded their second-leading scorer and starting point guard for a former No. 1 pick who's considered by some as a bust. That player, Kwame Brown, who's still only 23, shouldn't be written off just yet, according to Los Angeles general manager Mitch Kupchak. "You have to look at the package, his four years in Washington," Kupchak told the Associated Press. "Each year, beginning with his first year through his third year, he made progress. And then the fourth year did not go well. It just didn't. It didn't go well on the court, it didn't go well off the court. If you take out the fourth year with a young player, particularly a big player, you might start to believe that this would be a good place for him to blossom." With a change of scenery, the Lakers are hoping Brown taps into the considerable talent that made him the No. 1 selection in 2001. If anything, some have said it's Brown's attitude not his ability that has prevented him from becoming a productive NBA player. Consequently, there's no better coach to guide him than Jackson, who's psychological approach to coaching has earned him the nickname "The Zen Master." Even Jackson, however, could have trouble getting this group of Lakers on a winning path next season. In acquiring Brown via sign-and-trade, Los Angeles gave up Chucky Atkins, who filled in admirably at point guard after last summer's departure of starter Derek Fisher, and Caron Butler, a solid complementary scorer. The Lakers now find themselves without an established point guard to man the offense and Devean George, whom will replace Butler in the lineup, has only started 61 games in six seasons. To make matters worse, reports have surfaced that center Vlade Divac will retire, and second-round pick Ronny Turiaf, who played so well in NBA summer league, will be sidelined for the season after undergoing heart surgery. The Lakers are trying to build another championship team, however, not a quick fix, so if Brown comes anywhere close to reaching his potential, the trade will pay off down the road. Atkins can surely be replaced by a free agent in the future, and Butler probably wasn't going to get any better with the lack of touches he received playing alongside Bryant. Bryant needs help from difference-makers, not fillers, if he is to return to the NBA Finals. Last summer the Lakers tried to patch up the loss of Shaq by adding players, who when combined, didn't match Shaq's production. It resulted in a season to forget. Kupchak knew what he had to do this summer, and the result was the aforementioned moves. In Hollywood terms, it might be called a "facelift." To those in any other NBA city, it's simply known as "rebuilding." </div>
