Report Card:  Smush Parker's first season as a Laker starter was a roller coaster, so it's only fitting that the guy who eventually took William Henry's job during an inaugural (and rookie) year would experience a similar ride.  Jordan Farmar's day one presence in the rotation as Parker's backup surprised some and his solid second unit play (combined with Smush's early struggles) led to mid-season lineup switch speculation.  But instead of joining the first unit, Farmar proceeded to struggle, eventually finding himself glued to the bench or donning a D-Fenders uni.  But the junior circuit success actually bolstered his confidence and when Smush suffered an April meltdown, Farmar found himself a playoff starter.  From there, it was up and down all over again. 

But during all the trials and tribulations, Farmar displayed a nice combo of promise, smarts and work ethic, plus an iron will when in over his head (which was occasionally the case).  He also has a tendency to telegraph passes, get burnt defensively and generally try to do too much, which is why I'm not sure the front office is convinced he's ready for full-time work running the '08 show.  But whether he starts or plays off the pine, it's reasonable to think Farmar can improve upon a nice foundation built during his rookie campaign.  Final grade: B-

-AK

Jordan Farmar's Exit interview is below the jump.   

Report Card: There are moves Mitch Kupchak made that deserve questioning and moves that deserve praise.  The 2006 draft day trade of a late second round pick for Maurice Evans definitely falls into the latter category.  Before a knee injury took a visible toll, Evans did a nice job as the Lakers' best bench asset, providing serious energy, solid D and some scoring (albeit the type that's often more than a little streaky and sometimes featured some shot-happiness).  Were his passing and ball handling skills merely "decent" as opposed to "often shaky" Evans might have had a shot at displacing Smush Parker as a defensive "point guard in name only" starter.  Unfortunately, once Mo's knee done swole up, his quickness and shot were never quite the same.   But all in all, Evans delivered what you expect from a role player.  Quality minutes and a willingness to do what's asked.  Assuming he can remain healthy, he's a good guy to have around as the Purple and Gold look to regroup.  Final Grade: B

-AK

Maurice Evans' exit interview is below the jump.

  More out of necessity than design, Andrew Bynum jumped from 46 games averaging 7:24 minutes a night in '05-'06 to 82/21:53 this season.  Not surprisingly, considering he's still, like, eleven years old, the quality of those increased minutes were all over the map.  Month to month, game to game, quarter to quarter, possession to possession, he wasn't often the same player, mixing in moments of great promise with stretches that would have Laker fans worrying about his future the same way some might fret over social security benefits.  When the day comes to collect, will the goods be there?  When he was good (during a relatively strong January, for example) Bynum showed soft hands inside, quick feet, and a nose for rebounding and blocking shots.  There's no question that athletically, he's got the stuff.  And even when he wasn't producing offensively, he still tended to stay aggressive on the boards and in shot blocking (his per 48 rebounding numbers led the team).  I liked that he started using a short face-up jumper from the high post later in the year.  Didn't generally go in, but he showed the confidence to try.  I do think he tired out as the season went on, evidenced not just by high profile stats, but the serious drop off in his FT% in the second half.  That's indicative of physical and mental fatigue, both understandable, given his age. 

Report Card: We'll begin on a positive note. Vlad's shaggy mane and ever-changing facial hair styles provided some giggles, along with a nickname that allowed me to amuse myself ("Cat Stevens").  For that matter, he inspired quality nicknames from Kobe ("Halfpipe," "Slalom") and Phil Jackson ("Igor," "Count Dracula"), too.  Unfortunately, that's pretty much the highlight of Radmanovic's season.  The pre-season hand injury may have hurt any chances of a flying start, but he still spent of lot of time freelancing instead of trying to work within the offense.  And he capped everything with a beyond stupid off the court injury (and an even stupider explanation).  Vlad is the first to say his play and season were awful, so I don't feel bad agreeing with him.  He does seem fairly determined to play better for the Lakers.  Which works out fantastic, because with his trade value now just slightly higher than Darius Miles' and Mike Dunleavy's, he'll be a Laker for a while.  Final Grade: F

-AK

Vlad Radmanovic's exit interview is below the jump.

Report Card:  Brian Cook became the Laker equivalent of a third down back or a situational lefty.  A limited player whose role is almost entirely defined by circumstances.  If you need scoring (and hopefully in a hurry), he plays.  If you need anything other than scoring (especially D), he usually sits.  Such irregularity  explains in part why Cook's stats dropped in almost every category.  Ultimately, he gives you exactly what's expected, but little more (and really, my biggest issue with Brian Cook is that he's not Josh Howard, although that's more Mitch Kupchak's fault).  It'll be interesting to see what happens with Cook.  He just inked a three-year extension, but it's reasonably priced, which means he could be a part of a swap.  Lotta teams can use a 6'10" guy with three-point range. Then again, until Vlad Radmanovic starts hitting shots, so do the Lakers. Final grade: C-

-AK

Brian Cook's exit interview is located below the jump.

Report Card: I'm not gonna waste much time with analysis, considering the guy may not have actually taken part in a scrimmage, much less played a minute of regulation '06-'07 PT.  That's about as "Inc." as they come.  A crummy year for Chris Mihm, who's been busting ass to rehab one mofo of an ankle injury.  But it sounds like things are finally moving at a promising pace.  And given the Lakers' limited financial resources (which make a "Bird Rights" 7-footer appealing), that Mihm will obviously take a pay cut no matter where he goes (and if he's looking to showcase himself for a bigger contract, it would help to play in a familiar system) and he likes it here, I wouldn't be shocked to see Mihm on the roster next season, health provided.  Final Grade: Inc.

-AK

Mihm's exit interview is below the jump.

Report Card: When Shammond Williams was signed during the off-season, I wasn't convinced he'd end up getting much run, despite the lack of quality point guard competition.  And he didn't, in part because getting hurt during training camp quickly put him behind the 8 ball, which led to Jordan Farmar snagging Smush Parker's back up role.  But as a reasonably solid series against Phoenix showed, it might not have killed Phil Jackson to play him a little more.  Granted, I don't think Williams would have ultimately made much, if any, difference, but as Bluto put it when Pinto asked why that was his pledge name, "Why not?"  (Make sure to use Belushi's drunken voice for the full effect.)  Either way, Shammond did a decent job during his limited minutes, but he didn't really make much of an impact.  Good interview, though.  Dude's very thoughtful and has a voice made for radio.  Final Grade: D+ 

-AK

The exit interview is below the jump.

As some of you may remember, BK and I doled out "report cards" at the end of last season for each player.  We also provided the transcripts from last year's exit interviews.  This year, we decided to try something new and combine them, providing each player's grade with their "adios" copy.  Some will contain "teacher evals" from both K Brothers, some just one K Bro.  First up:  Aaron McKie.

Report Card: I don't think it necessarily qualifies as "going out on a limb" to say the front office would likely take a "do over" when it comes to last season's signing of Aaron McKie.  Unless, of course, him playing 24 games over two seasons was part of some master plan (and if that's the case, I admire Mitch Kupchak's bold "outside the box" thinking, but advise another drawing board session).  Fortunately, McKie took the disappointment of what may be his final NBA stop like a pro's pro, always working hard and trying to add a positive veteran presence.  As I've said before, it bummed me out to see McKie's career wind down like this.  Sympathy won't lead to grading his play on a curve, but I respected how he tried to make lemonade out of seriously tart lemons.  Final Grade:  F/Inc.

-AK

Hit the jump to read McKie's exit interview.