You da (Rad)Man(ovic)!

I am glad the Lakes did this, we really needed an outside shooting threat more than a PF. My only question now that the MLE is gone, how will we get a veteran PG worth anything? Perhaps we will be making a trade involving Mihm

In short, great signing for the Lakers. Go Rad Vlad!

In short, terrible signing for the Clippers. Why did they jump on signing him like that?

Ugh.

GO LAKERS!

Now that was one hell of a signing. And we still have Mihm...this is going to get interesting.

mike

Man, now I'm excited! We are not messing around.

mike

Damn, this is sweet! Tim Thomas out of Phoenix, too. LOL!

mike

(which keeps things interesting for the Lakers)

what does this mean can they possibly still sign cassel i dont know how they will get a point guard smush does not cut it

How come the blog wasn't on this from the get go?? Good job Mitch.

I wonder if Vlade Divac had something to do with this?

mike

Yeah? Why wasn't the blog in on this?

mike

I think this will spell the end of chris mihm as a laker. With vlad they can have him or odom play the 3 or the 4, move kwame to the 5 and say bye bye the chris

Mike T and Rocky,

Because it just happened today and apparently was pretty out of left field. Sounds like the only people more surprised than you guys were the Clips.

AK

Seriously, I solid, disciplined point guard and this team is ON next year!

GO LAKERS!

I mean, we all went through all the free agent lists. Yet, Vlad never came up in any discussions.

Shows what we know.

Hey, I was saying MONTHS ago! Months ago in possibly 15 different posts that the Lakers should sign Rad Vlad!

Can someone give me a witness? Say, "Hell yeah!"

YES!

GO LAKERS!

Rocky,

Yeah, you're right. But I thought he was staying with the Lakers for sure. With that mid-level contract everyone thought it would sure go to a veteran point guard. Wow! I'm surprised. More than plesantly surprised.

mike

Rocky,

I hear ya, man. This stuff can be flat out unpredictable. While I had read before that the Lakers were interested, it never sounded like anything close to actually happening. From most of what I read or heard, the Clips seemed pretty serious and confident about bringing Vlad back. And that talk must have had some legs, since he apparently was on board then changed his mind. And the money was reportedly the same from both teams, so who knows what caused the flip flop? I'll try to find out, but for now, it's a rather pleasant mystery.

Need another example of why a crystal ball doesn't always see things coming? Two words: Renaldo Balkman. haha

AK

AK,

"And the money was reportedly the same from both teams, so who knows what caused the flip flop?"

I think it might have been Vlade Divac earning his money.

mike

Mike T,

That's as good and logical a guess as any.

AK

Either way this is a great signing for the Lakers. We have a true outside threat to keep defenses honest.

Devean who?

Props Jon K,

I remember that.

i just want to start out by saying...I'm against this, our team does not need another Cookie Monster, soft jumpshooter, no D.

psych! just kidding...I think it's good. The next best thing to resigning JJ...who I think we should have given a chance during the playoffs...a sharp shooter to relieve the double/triple teams.

It's so weird...cause I was just reading earlier today that we're going after him and Cassell...but Rad was more of a teaser to get Elgin to overpay...but looks like it's for real. (At least for now lol). I am however seriously not happy (not mad or against it exactly)...but I don't like it that we've now spent our full midlevel exception. I really thought that would have been better served for a Claxton...of course he's a guard...and with the recent influx of guards...we do need a F.

If this deal goes through, you have to give Mitch his props. Jerry West said Mitch would be a great GM and no one believed him. After all, he studied under West for like 12 years! Your going to learn something during that time. I think Mitch and the Lakers are proving how serious they are about building another winner.
About the offer being the same as the Clips: Its not necessarily Vlade. I think I would rather play for the Lakers too! If you had a choice between the Clips and Lakers for the same money, most people would choose the Lakers!! It just shows you that people still have respect for the Laker Organization to build a winner. We are a decent point guard away from at least the WCF!

I guess Marcus Banks is no longer an option for us. :(

Wally,

They made trade Mihm for a decent guard.

Things are cooking, baby! The need for Cook has just become non-existant. We have a team option. We might not pick it up for cap space purposes unless there's a trade in the mix.

mike

man im getting hella excited now, mitch is stepping it up, i could see this team turning into something great, just a couple more pieces

Good Job Mitch...

Go Lakers

Wally,

That may be true, but if you have to choose spending the entire MLE in a long term deal between Banks and Vlad, Vlad is a no brainer. He's way more proven and still young. For that matter, if I had to choose between Vlad and Speedy for a long term deal, I'd take Vlad. Speedy is definitely a good player, but he's hurt a lot and pretty small. They can (and will, if I had to guess) get a PG through trade.

AK

Vlad was a great pick up. I still think Mihm is on the block with a package including a guard. Don't be surprised to see Fish come back. Mihm & Parker to Golden State.....dollars almost match up. I don't think Sam will be in a Laker uniform...and I agree...very bad pick up for the Clippers. Thomas was in a contract year....of course this lazy guy will get up and play 12 of the best games of his life!!!!

with evans and now vlad the lakers are looking better. not sure who well start but if those two come of the bench this team could have some depth.

good job mitch. there is hope!

First off,
if Mike T. can reap a heapin of credit for crapshooting that we would get Jordan Farmar, then Jon K. should get it for Vlad!

I do remember Jon K. on the Vlad Vlad Vlad bandwagon (even though you really need to ease up on the clips love! j/k)

Lakes vs. Clips it's no choice for Vlad! Why?
Because he has a chance at starting for the Lake Show and starting now!

The Clips have Magette, Livingston, Brand, Ross, and Kaman in the starting lineup. That means Vlad is forever the scorer off the bench. With the Lake Show he can play major minutes if he works hard on D.

I have faith Phil Jackson and Vlade Divac will work the psychology to make him play harder on D. Although I never think he will be a great defender, he can be a credible one!

Wow, Mitch. I did not know you had the cajones. Way to attempt to earn your money. Now, the only thing is these moves better work out because as soon as the Lakes go on a loosing streak or Vlad gets on a mult-game cold spell bloggers and fans will be like: Why did you sign Vlad Radmanovic! He's terrible!

Ahhh, the life of Mitch K. Wouldnt you want that? Nope!

I'm glad the clips got Tim Thomas!

They didnt realize that Tim Thomas is a system player! He was perfect for Phoenix! He could shoot 3s and play soft at will. Now Dunleavy will be fed up with Tim Thomas after training camp, lol...

If Chicago manages to get Ben Wallace out of Detroit, the Laker's finally have a trade option for Kwame. Detroit will need somebody to guard O'Neal if they want to make a run for the finals again.

Jon K,

Hell yeah! I'll witness that.

could this mean sasha is on the block? since we picked up a 3 point specialist. maybe they'll use him in a package to grab a PG

well see

Go Lakers

So now we can really go to work in trades. We got peices:

Mihm, Cook, S. Parker, Vujacic all are bait. Plus next year's draft picks dont sound so bad as trading now (because we will be so good!).

I sign and trade deal that sends Cook and Parker or Mihm and Parker to Minnesota for Mr. Banks.

And we can still get Bobby Jax on the cheap!!!

If we do, I want my props for calling that in earlier blogs!

Think about this scenario, we keep EVERYONE we have on the roster now, add Bobby Jackson and see how the team plays up to the midway point of the season.

If we really need help in certain areas, then move Mihm and Evans or Mihm and Parker for whoever we need. Throw in Cook in there too. Although I really like Evans he may be tradeable if he doesnt pick up the triangle well.

Wow, ABC 7 sports just said that the L.A. Kings are bring Rob Blake back with a 2 year contract. But they didn't say anything about the Lakers intention of signing Vlad Rad. Man, I'm trying to catch the local L.A. news to spill it.

mike

I think if it took putting Sasha into a deal to get a guard, they would have done it yesterday. And today. And tomorrow. He doesn't really have a ton of value, so if he were to be dealt, it would probably be to match salaries, etc. I doubt Mitch's phone is ringing off the hook to pick up Sasha straight up.

BK

By the way, I really like the signing. He fills a need: shooter. There are plenty of other needs. At this point, with the money they have left over, I'd give serious thought to finding the best defenders at whatever positions are available. Evans will be a help in that regard, as well. Hopefully Mihm can be moved for a guard, but even if this is the only major improvement they can make this summer, it's pretty good. They only had one big chip to play, and did a good job with it.

BK

Jon K,

Props for the Vlad to LA thing.

We've definitely got psychics in this blog lol...jk

P.S. Say it isn't so with my man Sasha! lol
But I do agree, this certainly gives us options (though it isn't definite yet I caution).

I think with the combination of Brian Cook and Chris Mihm we have something to bargin away for the likes of a decent guard and maybe a draft pick.

mike

"At the same time, the Lakers and numerous other teams called just after 12 midnight Eastern time to express to Vladimir their strong interest in getting his services."

Among the callers, according to Bauman, were Lakers star Kobe Bryant and coach Phil Jackson.

"When Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson call your number at 6 o'clock on the morning of free agency, and you've got Vlade Divac, who's one of his idols, and Magic Johnson on standby, you tend to perk up and listen real hard and clear."

"At the end of the day, Vladimir decided that the playing situation and the team makeup of the Lakers was the best fit for him. Vlade knows he's going to vastly improve the Lakers' outside shooting. He's looking forward to working with the Lakers and getting them to the promised land next year."

Keep in mind, too. Assuming Profit heals up okay, I'd actually be pretty surprised if he's not on the roster. Dude lived in the locker room during after he was waived and I know they're interested. He would another pretty good defender (with Evans) to shore things up, even if they don't manage to get a lockdown PG everyone's hoping for. The overall effect would still be an improvement.

AK

What's the status of AMcKie? I wonder if he is still in the Lakers' plans. Maybe that's why no deal for a point guard. If so, I won't be pleased.

Rdlee,

"What's the status of AMcKie? I wonder if he is still in the Lakers' plans. Maybe that's why no deal for a point guard."

I would hardly call myself the definitive "insider," per say. But I feel 100% confident in saying that McKie's status will in no way affect if/when they get a PG. Unless they've fitted the guy with a new bionic body, of course. haha

AK

Wow!

Guess Mitch wasn't kidding when he said "We aren't done yet." More great moves by the fabulous Kupchak. This should end to the "Cupcake" jokes.

My immediate observations:

(1) What a pleasure seeing a player take the same contract to be with the Lakers rather than the Clippers. Do you think the Lakers legendary team history, Vlade Divac, and the chance to play with Kobe made the difference? Or maybe it was the chance to play for a championship caliber team?

(2) I love the addition by subtraction benefit that we get for taking him away from the Clippers, with whom we not only are competing for playoffs spots but also for the hearts and souls of every fan in Los Angeles.

(3) I also love that Clippers turned around and took Tim Thomas away from the Spurs, which can only weaken them and help us in the scramble in the Western Conference. The question now is will Donald pony up the money to resign Sam-I-am now?

(4) Six years for the full MLE means that Lakers management has formally abandoned the 2007/8 cap space strategy that only allowed us to offer 2 years to free agents last year. What this really means Laker fans is that management believes we can win now.

(5) Sory to see you go, Chris, but it now seems like a sure bet that you will be traded for an experienced point guard that can start. I also think this means that the Lakers think Bynum is ready to play some big minutes next year as Kwame's only backup. (Mike T. is right that Mihm's presence does hold up Drew's growth.)

The only remaining question is who that will be. Let's see, who needs a good, inexpensive, young center that can score? And who would be a good player that can defend and man the point until Farmar is ready?

(6) I am guessing from the Lakers standpoint that Vlad will play the 3 and Lamar will stay at the 4, which really gives us a pretty potent lineup.

1 - Mihm Trade | Jodan Farmar | Smush Parker
2 - Kobe Bryant | Maurice Evans | Sasha Vujacic
3 - Vlad Radmanovic | Luke Walton
4 - Lamar Odom | Ronny Turiaff
5 - Kwame Brown | Andrew Bynum

Traded - Chris Mihm | Aaron McKie

Inacive - Laron Profit | J.R. Pinnock | Von Wafer

LakerTom,
nice Lineup! I think Smush Parker is ahead of Jordan Farmar for at least this year unless Smush reverts to last year.

Why? PJ doesnt like rookies and Smush at least has the edge running the triangle.

I was just asking where the Lakers would get there scoring from in a earlier blog.

Now, we look like a real formiddable team. Go ahead double Kobe, who you gon leave open?

Lamar? he'll be close to the basket, that's a layup
Kwame? he'll dunk it (unless he fumbles first)
radmanovic? ha! you'll be drinking three-bombs instead of jager bombs

that only leaves our starting PG to pull their weight.

If we can hold on and keep Vlad we will already have made big steps for next year.(i want to see the ink on the paper. Who remembers the Kendall Gill or Lorenzen Wright rumors back in the day?)

55 wins or bust!

Solid signing, fills a need. Finally, Mitch can get some credit for the worl he is doing.

People need to stop this "lol" thing. Its tired.

I don't know but I think with another PG, we might not see Smush Parker with the Lakers next year. I think Laker Tom is right that Lakers are going for it NOW!

mike

Is it just me or do the lakers now have like 20 players?

With the right trade I don't see Vlad Radmanovic as the starter at the 3 spot.

mike

way to go lakers
from charlotte life long fan

Kurt Thomas signing with the Clips and the loss of V. Rad makes the LA rivalry a bit more jucier. I'm starting to get goosebumps. Is it a bit to early to envision a parade on Figueroa? One above average point guard away. I'm feeling that line up laker tom. Don't forget B. Cook, he's the appetizer..GYEAH..

fanball.com thinks the signing of VRadmanovic means LOdom will be traded. Let's hope not.

Seriously this is the best we could do? A tall, slow, no defense playing big man? We keep getting beat by quick, and fast athletes, that fly to the basket, and this is our signing. Yes outside game improves. I'm just not a fan of slow one trick ponys. Tim Thomas is the kind of guy we needed. Then I'd be celebrating. Not sure why u think he's gonna tank admin on the Clips.

GREAT NEWS, thank you AK/BK for the info on Cool "Rad", we just got back to the beach when I read this latest verbal agreement. Yup Mike T. this is a payback coming from Vlade. And I told ya all, many NBA players and international players would like to wear the Purple and Gold, the pinnacle of a success as a NBA player. Europeans are close-knit family especially Serbians or Yugoslavs and they communicate each other, even if they belonged to different teams. They value the good deeds the Lakers have done to the slavs when we took Vlade in 1989, Peja wants to be a Laker in '05 but his huge contract prevented us from getting him, so I'm sure they talked among each other and convinced Vladimir to bolt out of Clippers and go with the best LA team. The image of Vladimir in Serbia-Montenegro has just risen by another notch as a result of his joining the Lakers. Being a family oriented group, pride and image are important accomplishments especially if they are now in LA-Hollywood.

Now here are my questions, can anyone provide the answer?

1. When we used our MLE guaranteed for five, then we can't use MLE till 2011? Can we replace or interchange our MLE with our salary cap, when time comes that we fall below the max?

2. Sam the oldie was offered 7.5M one year deal, how can we sign him this time for 5.5m two years without any trades involved? Where is the money coming from? (See No. 3)

3. If we used our MLE, then Banks' deal is overcome by this deal, right? Laron Profit will be on BAE,right? we really have to make hard sell in offering: Mihm $4.2; Cook $1.5; Von Wafer 0.6; McKie 2.7 Total $ 9.0M to open salary cap spaces for other signing, is that right? Can we retain Cook and Von Wafer in the D'League?

Well, this will be the worries of Mitch K. Congratulations "Miracle Mitch" that's two-in-a-row surprise us again but this time it was a good pick on first day of FA. Cupcake outwitted the opinionated Lakers Blog. LOL!

My lakers are on the move. I wanted Vlad so bad on our team and we're close to getting the second third fourth best pure shooter in the league. Mitch just make one more move to get Banks and we on our way. I thought Vlad would be almost impossible to get, but Kobe too can recruit so Shaq can shut his a** up about being a GM. All superstars can prey in players they want, don't forget if the Lakers were to go for Garnett, Garnett will come for one person, Kobe, vice versa for both players. For all I care, our lakers are looking pretty good.

What is going on with Kwame's case? Hope it won't linger into the season.

I think Sasha is going to be much improved over the off season and i can see him starting 1/4 way into the season over Smush. Can we get Ben Wallace? I know, I know, I didn't think so before, but the Lakers have a lot more options to offer now with Vlad Rad, Evans. Ahh I'm probably way off. Vlad Rad and Mihm and McKie or Smushy for Benny? Is it to late for Detroit to trade? Is he a restricted FA or unrestricted. Ahh i think he's unrestricted. I think we could do it, but it take luck and more steps, and the LOGO a'int here!

This is a great signing by the Lakers.....not so much that Radmanovic is a great player but because his skills compliment Kobe Bryant so well.

It is also funny that nobody mentions in this blog that that is probably why Radmanovic signed.....he understands that playing with Kobe who draws double and sometimes triple teams that it will leave him wide open shots on numerous occasions.

Radmanovic is a spot shooter similar to Steve Kerr and Jim Paxson in Chicago with Michael Jordan.

It really doesn't even matter what offense you run....triangle or no triangle as long as the ball winds up in Kobe's hands so the defense can adjust to him thus leaving Radmanovic with open shots.

Maybe players do want to play with Kobe!

wooooohooooooo! i'm still smiling over here... great news, especially when i didn't even expect it

makes me even happier to know that kobe and phil were working the phones and vlad listened... we got pull, baby!

kobe and vlad are going to outrageous together! when kobe kicks it out, finally(!) we'll have somebody out there who can drain the 3 consistently... kobe just got a weight lifted off his offensive shoulders...and lamar (bless him) is still the toughest man to guard and with vlad out there, he'll be even tougher. who can take that man one-on-one? great day, laker nation... take that, frankie muniz!

korey, you stole my thoughts... tim thomas thrived in that free-wheeling, d'antoni mess-of-an-NBA-offense... unless the clips are moving to the italian league, i don't think tim "hot hands" thomas can play legit, half court ball

he's got the body of an Adonis and the defense of a baby goddess

BK,

Sasha is the best player on our squad, and we would be stupid to let him go. LOL, I'm surprised I was even able to type that. In all seriousness though, who on our team has a better name than Sasha Vujacic? It was great to hear the opposing teams announcer struggle to get it right lol.

I'm glad we made this deal but I don't know about giving him the full MLE. I really hope this doesn't hurt our chances of getting a good pg. Yeah, we can trade for one, but then we have to find a team willing to trade with us, and they have to have the pg we want. Well I'll put my faith in Mitch and see what happens.

PS: I am glad to see that Mitch is on his job though.

Laker Tom,

You're right, they must be giving up on the 2008 plan (which I think was stupid anyway) and having trust in this team. It feels good to know that the front office believes in our guys. I don't know about the rest of y'all but I can't wait for the season to start!!!!!

Faith,

You're right too, we should be cautious. He just pulled out of a deal with the Clips, and reportedly did the same thing to Seattle, so we all should just hope that this actually happens.

AK,

What are the chances that the Lakers are willing to go over the salary cap?

Could it be possible that they are now thinking is now and not tomorrow?

I mean Carmelo agreed to a contract today and I'm pretty sure Lebron, D-Wade, Bosh, etc will sign a 5 year extension with their current teams. So why wait, make moves right now and see what happens.

mark my words: Al Harrington in a S&T for Mihm, Smush, Mckie, and/or Cook/Future 07' 2nd rounder. Atl is trying to find an expiring contract and Mihm is that and Smush maybe the short term answer to their PG needs. Its in the works. DO IT MITCH!!!
Starting 5: ANY PG/KOBE/HARRINGTON/ODOM/KWAME. BACKUPS: PROFIT/FARMAR/SASHA/EVANS/VLAD/TURIAF/BYNUM. We might need another PF or C.

Get off the Kupchack bandwagon... this guy single-handidly ruined a dynasty. Radmanovic is the next Isiah Rider. The next good move Mitch (short for Michelle) makes, will be his first. He tossed away Chamberlain/Jabbar for a bag of chips and his best acquisition has been Aaaron McKie. Call for his firing, instead of these ludicrous praises for a mid-level signing. He inherited a dynasty, as has assembled a first-round collapse. Give me back Shaq, Fisher and even Caron Butler.

I signing radmanovic is a very good idea but the fact that the signing will take place in july 12. So, a lot of things can still happen within the week. Vlade Divac definitely has something to do with this because they're both from serbia. Why not Peja? I think lakers can release aaron mckie, jim jackson and devean george then try to sign up Peja. Tell vlade divac to convince peja to sign with the lakers with a lesser pay check. Good point right? do you have kupchack's email address? I'm just gonna convince him to do this.

wow what great moves by the lakers get the stopper in evans and the 3 pt shooter in radmonovic kobe now has zero excuses lakers 06-07 champions forget dwade and the referees please no more moves i think we have the team if kobe shoots 48% markit down my dreams come true

I like the Vlad signing. But I still think the Lakers need to get one or two hard nosed defensive minded players at the PG and/or SF positions. Turiaf will hopefully develop into that for the PF spot. But it won't hurt to pick up another tough minded big guy. There's not really much toughness after Kwame Brown in the Lakers frontcourt.

Without Devean George, the SF spot will be manned by Vlad, LO or Luke Walton, which leads to the question, who will keep up with the athletic swingmen of the leagues like T-Mac, Lebron, Vince Carter, Richard Jeffereson, etc. Maybe the hustling Maurice Evans? But he's only 6'5.

I suppose (and I really hope) that the Lakers are finally trying to build a winner NOW...at least that's what it feels like with the Vlad signing. And by building a winner, I definately mean building a championship contender. And any championship caliber team has defensive stoppers and hard nosed guys (often veterans) at multiple positions. The Spurs have Duncan, Bowen, Ginobili...the Mavs have Josh Howard, Adrian Griffin, Devin Harris...the Heat have James Posey, Wade, Haslem, Alonzo Mourning...the Pistons, well, the starting five.

So, for the Lakers to get into that championship caliber level, they really need to stock up on a few defensive minded, hard nosed, tough guy kind of players at multiple positions. Right now, they have Kobe at SG and Kwame at C showing a bit of defensive toughness but other then that, the rest are average at best. Sasha can develop into a pesky defender. Marice Evans will add some hustle. Turiaf can also step it up on the defensive end. But to get better NOW, the Lakers do need to address this issue of defensive toughness through free agency and/or trades.

I think it'd be great if the Lakers can somehow keep D. George. He's 6'8, 240 lbs, plays preety good defense, decent shooter and knows the Triangle. We need a D. George type to chase around the Lebrons and the T-Macs of the league.

Anyways, lets hope for the best with this off-season.

RG

harper/paxson=parker/vujacic
jordan/brown=bryant/evans
pippen/kukoc=odom/walton
rodman/caffey=brown/radmonovic
longley/wennington=mihm/bynum
we have it better let it be please

Iello. This guy other than every thing else is a great rebounder. He'll get shots and he'll be happy with the LAKERS. Here the Lakers got their Tony Kokuc too.

great start for the offseason acquisitions. i just hope that at the end of the day we won't be the 06-07 version of the 05-06 Houston Rockets.

Radmanovic plans on signing with Lakers
/ Associated Press
Posted: 14 minutes ago

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Unrestricted free agent Vladimir Radmanovic of Bonsia-Herzegovina plans to sign a long-term contract with the Los Angeles Lakers, his agent said Saturday.

The 6-foot-10 (2.08-meter) forward played 4 1/2 seasons with the Seattle SuperSonics before being traded to the Los Angeles Clippers last February for Chris Wilcox.
The Clippers had said they hoped to re-sign Radmanovic, but it didn't take long for the 25-year-old sharpshooter to make another choice.

"The decision was obviously a tough one for Vlade," agent David Bauman said from Bethesda, Md. "On the one hand, he had strong interest from the Clippers to entice him to remain. (Coach) Mike Dunleavy, (general manager) Elgin Baylor and (executive) Andy Roeser did everything conceivable to make Vladimir feel comfortable and convince him to return.

"At the same time, the Lakers and numerous other teams called just after 12 midnight Eastern time to express to Vladimir their strong interest in getting his services."

Among the callers, according to Bauman, were Lakers star Kobe Bryant and coach Phil Jackson.

"When Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson call your number at 6 o'clock on the morning of free agency, and you've got Vlade Divac, who's one of his idols, and Magic Johnson on standby, you tend to perk up and listen real hard and clear."

Bauman said it was around 9:00 Friday night in California and 6 a.m. Saturday in Belgrade, Serbia, where Radmanovic lives, when the phone rang.

Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak confirmed the plan, saying: "At the conclusion of the moratorium period, the Lakers intend to enter into a contract with Vladimir Radmanovic."

Kupchak wouldn't comment further.

Teams were allowed to begin speaking with free agents at 12:01 a.m. (EDT) on Saturday, but can't sign them until July 12.

"He's ecstatic," Bauman said of Radmanovic. "He's looking forward to playing with Kobe and helping the Lakers move closer to a championship. He hates to lose, as does Kobe.

"At the end of the day, Vladimir decided that the playing situation and the team makeup of the Lakers was the best fit for him. Vlade knows he's going to vastly improve the Lakers' outside shooting. He's looking forward to working with the Lakers and getting them to the promised land next year."

Bauman said it's unclear what the exact contract terms will be for his client, but the deal will be about $31 million (?24.4 million) over five years.

"It's the full midlevel exception," Bauman said. "He can't sign until July 12. The NBA will tell us at that time what the salary cap is."

Radmanovic averaged 9.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 77 games last season, playing 25.6 minutes per game. Among other things, he shot 138-of-354 from 3-point range.

Lakers take Radman from Clips but thats ok for the Clips because they keep Cassell and pick up Tim Thomas. Clips took one from those b@$t@rd phoenix suns. Sorry Lakers and Suns looks like you'll be finishing behind the Clippers next season for sure. HAHA!!!

If Vlad Radmonovic provide the Lakers with a go-to scorer, this is a remarkable pick-up for the price. The Lakers are in dire need of a scorer other than Kobe.

Lamar has been too inconsistent - not a go-to scorer. Hopefully, Lamar can improve on his game this coming year. I would like him to be the third scoring threat.

I don't think we have a potent line-up yet until we have proven go-to scorers. Kobe cannot be the only one.

When the Lakers won their championships, we had three proven scorers - players you can count on to score day-in/day-out.

These days, you need three scorers. If you have only two, you get beaten too easily or win inconsistently.

If you look at the Lakers as LakerTom has them, who can you count on to score? It's still one - Kobe. You can't reach the championship with one player. Vlad Radmanovic still has to prove himself. Lamar has to improve so that he can be a consistent scorer.

1 - Mihm Trade | Jodan Farmar | Smush Parker
2 - Kobe Bryant | Maurice Evans | Sasha Vujacic
3 - Vlad Radmanovic | Luke Walton
4 - Lamar Odom | Ronny Turiaff
5 - Kwame Brown | Andrew Bynum

Traded - Chris Mihm | Aaron McKie

Inacive - Laron Profit | J.R. Pinnock | Von Wafer

Posted by: LakerTom | July 01, 2006 at 07:07 PM

This is exactly the lineup I see as well. Re: trading Mihm, let's hope Detroit resigns Big Ben. This is the reason...If Detroit resigns Ben, Chicago's 2nd option is Pryzbilla from Portland. I think we can offer Mihm and/or some of our "expendables" to Chicago in exchange for Duhon. Mihm's a far more complete player than Pryzbilla. Also, Mihm's contract (4 mill and change) roughly matches Duhon's (3 mill and change). Chicago fills a need for a big man and we fill our need for a point guard. Thus, our lineup is...

1 - Duhon| Jordan Farmar | Smush Parker
2 - Kobe Bryant | Maurice Evans | Sasha
3 - Vlad Radmanovic | Luke Walton
4 - Lamar Odom | Ronny Turiaff
5 - Kwame Brown | Andrew Bynum

I LIKE IT...I LIKE IT A LOT.

maxed out who is best lets see it in 0607 kobe40/6/6 48/88/40
wade 31/6/6 50/80/25

Message to the rest of the NBA...

"THE CHAMP IS HERE!"

a la Muhammad Ali.

wow.

I'm not sure if Vlad is that great of a defender.
He seemed to disappear for a few games after the trade (although the games immediately after the trade he was on FIRE).

Kinda sorry if we're calling him a sharpshooter and he's only putting the ball up at ~40% (3 point shooting percentage is virtually the same). Now if he was putting it up at 50% I could understand, but the league's standards have gone down a lot.

All in all, it appears that we now have a player in the mold of Brian Cook, but for a lot more money. his averages are .469 fg% (much higher than Vlad's numberes, close to 7 points higher) and .396 3p%.

FYI: I had to pull up the NBA head to head comparisons for this one. I still don't get it.

IF vlad was a defensive specialist and was putting the same numbers up as Brian Cook, I'd say it was a steal, but for the same numbers? c'mon man, I REALLLLLY hope there's something that I don't know about.

Someone please educate me and make me feel better about doling out the entire MLE for a redundant player.

My concerns about Radmanovic:

1. Can he improve? As a 25 year-old big, he is not yet at the peak of his career. So there is hope.

2. I'm not impressed with his career stats: 27 minutes/game, 10 points, 41% field goals, 38% 3-point field goals, 4.5 rebounds.

3. Can he be a 20-point, 10 rebound forward? If not, I would be concerned that the Lakers have a long-term contract with a soft player.

4. Aside from Kobe, the Lakers are full of soft players - players you cannot count on to play every day of the season, players you cannot count on to score, to play hard defense, inconsistent players.

5. You need at least 3 hard-core players to win the championship - players you can count on to play hard and consistently every day, you can count on to score.

At first I thought was "no way!" but then I was like "hell yes" but then were going to pay him alot which was weird but I guess when you sign a guy for serious money, he will understand what is expected from him (unless you are Tim Thomas). So great move by managment, I think Phil will definately try to make this guy legitamate on defense too.

The next thing I thought about was you Jon K, Hell yeah, you called it.

We dont have to trade Mihm, I mean we would be DEEP if he stayed, we definately got peices with Devean George with a sign in trade, it may or may not be enough, but Kupchak has surprised us.

I cant wait to see this team play!!

I'm Speechless, I never expected this from Kupchak...this summer is really starting out good for us in Laker Land. Two good guards, a 3-Point shooter, what's going to happen next? Hopefully we can get one more guy to help us out and I truely think we can win 50+ easily this next season.

Laker Tom...

I, for one, just don't feel comfortable with turning the full time back up center position to Baby quite yet and that would be the case if the team traded Chris Mihm for a point guard alone. Perhaps if Drew shows considerable improvement in the summer league and during training camp, the time would be right for such a move. Part of the reason that the Lake Show was unable to get past Phx. was a lack of depth at center because of Chris Mihm's injury. PJ simply did not feel confident with Bynum playing meaningful minutes. I can't see that changing much overnight. I think that Mihm is a valuable piece for us and should be traded only in a no brainer situation (such as for your man Thabo). Just MHO!

AK...

I agree with you wholeheartedly about Tim Thomas. The Laker's biggest mistake was running into this dude during a contract year. This guy has been hibernating since his last contract drive a few years back with the Bucks. It won't be long before he's back to his underachieving and overpaid self.

I'm not so sure this is such a great deal for the Lakers. Last year when Radman was with seattle I thought he would be a good fit for the lakers. But now, as I take a closer look at his stats they are not overly impressive. He shoots just .435 from 2pt. range and .414 overall, which means that he has zero midrange game. He is strickly a 3pt. specialist(he will be the Lakers new Toni Kukoc). In fact, comparing him to Cookie; Cookie has better numbers across the board. Cookie is a better career shooter from both 2pt. and 3pt. range(.500 & .396 respectively)Check them for yourself:
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/3522/career;_ylt=AtDkweX6TBbnaPfvMJV4lGakvLYF
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/3727/career;_ylt=Ak6jhNNHgyPhmDiWzEmYeYqkvLYF

The best thing about Radman is that he can no longer kill the Lakers with his 3pt. shooting. He always seemed to have a career game against the Lakers. I remember a 7 3pt. game to help the Clips beat the Lakers last year.

Maybe getting wide open 3s playing alongside of Kobe will raise his numbers to the level of Cookie's. Maybe the chemistry of the team will be better. I look for Radman to start at small forward for the Lakers. I will be taking a "wait and see" position on this one.

I think this means that the Lakers will now look to trade Mihm and Cookie to get a PG. What do y'all think of Salim Stoudamire in Atlanta? or maybe we can pry one of the numerous PG away from Portland. They have 5 PGs on that team(Blake, Dickau, Dixon, Jack and now Roy). I'm sure the Lakers are not done dealing, something else is in the works.

dymandave

Lot of crack smoking on this blog! Chris Mihm, Sasha, Aaron McKie and Brian Cooke have ZERO trade value! These guys all suck. You would be lucky to get some nachos and cold cheese for Chris Mihm!

You know, i might be in the minority, but I'm seeing Sasha as the starting PG next year keeping the spot warm for Farmar. Sasha showed some toughness last year vs. Nash in the play-offs, and his outside shooting should improve by next year and be more consistant. He can physically stay in front of the fast PG's and is the size that Phil prefers in the triangle. We've got McKie/Shaw to show Farmar the ropes. If Sasha can't defend certain guards, at least Jordan could be used for that. We've always said that Smush would be a great back-up, so giving him 15-18 minutes each night should work against back-up guards on other teams. I really don't think Sam I Am will come down the hallway to play for the purple and gold...plus I'd hate to see a repeat of an old "Glove" on our team. If Mihm/Cookie/Smush can bring us an above avg. pt. (Heinrich, S. Blake, M. James, A. Miller), then that's one thing. By the way, V. Rad playing the 3 or 4?

Chris Mihm and Smush or McKie to the Warriors for Derek Fisher. Fish can be a mentor to Farmar and Smush (if he stays)... plus he proved with Golden State that he can shoot lights out if given the chance. Mr. 0.4 come back home!

good move....i like the off-season moves so far...hats off to mitch for bringing in solid depth (evans, radmanovic) to this team.

glad to see management is being proactive about winning more than just the first round of the playoffs.

GO LAKERS!!!!!!!!

WOW! Mitch has a spark of Westian greatness at last. I see Vlad as a young Peja - hopefully his shooting develops even more as he gets the outside shots left by the Kobe double teams.

NOW its REALLY time for the trade I suggested a couple of days ago. Mihm and Sacha to Golden State for Derek (Mr 0:04) Fischer and one of their glut of unproven big men. They need a solid reliable center baaad (look at their draft). And Fish is PERFECT for us - can run the triangle better than ANYONE, another great 3-ball shooter, and the IDEAL mentor for Farmar.

What a team that gives us - Kobe and Derek in the backcourt again - with LO, Vlad, and Kwame up front. Plus Smush, Luke, Evans, and a vastly improving Bynum coming off the bench. With PJ masterminding it all. Do I hear home court in the first round - at least!!

1 Sasha/Farmar/Smush
2 Kobe/Evans/Profit
3 Radmanovic/Luke
4 Lamar/Turiaf/Cook
5 Bynum/Mihm

I thought Sasha grew up a lot in the playoffs. He was putting 3s better than the reg season. With Vujacic and Radmanovic, how can they triple team the Kobeman! Kobe becomes unstoppable...

Kwame... just gave up to many easy lay ups for Steve Nash and company in the playoffs! It's playoff basketball and you back pedal from a small guard, what the HECK is that? Mihm would atleast try to stop it and get a foul.

Mihm is a solid back up at center.

Is there any Kwame taker at 8M? Solid body, good post defender, that's it to be honest with you. Ahh six rebounds per game, added bonus.

Looking for an athletic young small forward at 6'9" with great upside to trade for Kwame Brown.

I just can't stand Kwame loosing the ball anymore. NO! NO! NO!... NO MORE! How can Kwame play in a Championship game? You really think he has the nerve for it? Think AGAIN!

Our starting five should be assembled for NBA Finals. Only the ones with nerve of steel should be given the time and effort going to training camp.

I've had it with Kwame and Smush to tell you the truth... The nervousness of Kwame was just not to himself anymore, in playoff basketball it sure rubbed to Smush and Luke as well. I was surprised with Sasha and Lamar, they resisted the contamination and fought back. Even the mighty KOBE can not counter the Kwame effect to his teammates! When Phoenix specially Steve Nash saw that, they took advantage of it, that's when they took Kwame, Smush and Luke for a Sushi dinner alive.

I am not a Kwame hater, I gave him a chance for the whole season, but really it was in the playoff when I made my decision he can not withstand pressure. Therefore, we can not rely on him in the NBA Finals. So I quit on him, while it is still early!

Yea, I think we have a 50-win team next year. With all the new guards we are pretty sure to have one of them develop into a solid competitor over the next couple years. Every other position looks good now. We look deep and talented. The only thing I fear is us not being quick enough to keep up with the new run and gun wanna-be Suns styles which are sure to come out. Like Phil was saying, Jordan never got the kinda calls Wade got in the Finals and Nowitzki sure as hell wasn't getting them. With the touch fouls being called as it suits the refs I hope we can stay on their good side. Kobe sure as hell wasn't getting the calls Wade got when Bell was on him, fouling almost every play and wondering why he got elbowed in the face when he was reaching in. Regardless, Vlad will help us stretch the floor and make teams pay for doubling up on Kobe and Lamar. If Kwame and Bynum provide a solid inside presence then we will be a significant force for some years to come. Vlad never really scored a lot of points, but at 41+ percent from 3-point range last year he should crush people with all the open shots Kobe dishes out all night long. Our problem so far hasn't been Kobe being unwilling to pass; the people around him haven't been willing or able to capitalize on the opportunities they are presented with.

Looks like the Lakers are finally going for 'win now' instead of 'win later'. I love it!

Me likey the trade...

The Rad Vad will have alot of open shots. He will however be in the awkward position of having to guard the the SF of other teams which will make him earn his minutes...But in the long run he's young and already a proven he's got a very good jumpshot.

I have to say I remember hearing Phil last week (I think the interview has been posted/quoted here as well) say he wanted a good three point shooter, and he wasn't lying. Vlad reminds me of what Glen Rice gave to the Lakers in his championship season , only he is entering the prime off his playing career. Granted those teams had Shaq in his prime. But Shaq is no longer in his prime and although noone can take away Miamis title, I see the NBA being wide open. The Lakers are now being built more like the teams Phil coached (sorry Mike T) to six titles. They have the best perimeter player in the game. Combine that with Lamar Odom, a servicable center (and I hope Bynum will be more than that in a year or two), Rad Vlad, and a good defending point guard--an what do you get--

More rings...

Huge moves! Lots of Love for the Laker Staff- Upchuk may have finally pulled off a beauty or,...who knows.
I am happy for a lot of the dreamers and I am worried for Phil Jackson and what he requires from big men. The rebounding and boards may be all Odom and Kwame now. Radmonivic, he's a clutch shooter and a great off the bench scorer and he must have come here under the impression he was going to be a big part of the offense. Because there's No "D" in this Vlade. Scary move, I still had hopes of Bonzi or Cabarkapa and Monte Ellis from Golden State- damn there is a guy Pittsnogle (WV) that went untouched - basically same game as Radmonivic, Cook, Cabarkapa, Tim Thomas maybe even a better passer in the college level. But that’s college and college isn’t the pros. We needed immediate help and this was a great pick-up.
I am very impressed with the action taken and getting Evans was a steal, unlimited potential. I watched him play in Sacramento and he was instant action and only got better playing all year in Detroit, running after Chauncey and Rip.
Big pieces, and we still have Mihm, ...hmmmmm. Someone is going somewhere, there's got too be talk about a point guard. Banks? too much money I think and really inconsistent. Maybe its Evans, Smush and him can battle all year. Farmar can be an exciting player if we can run a little and his shooting was pretty clutch in the tournament. I just hope Phil will play him. LakerTom and Mike T are all over the fact that the management now has to implement Bynum, or at least I hope. Somehow someway, Monte Ellis is waiting to go wild, I see shades of Gus Williams and quickness of Kevin Porter in this kid, loads of confidence and GS has always made the most horrible trades or sacrifices in the league. He might be young but he's going to blow up I just know it. He wouldn't break our payroll either. We need a fast guy to stop these Parkers, Terry's and Nash's. Bobby Jackson just never can stay healthy, love the game but he can’t stay on the court. I hope the Laker name still carries some weight and we can land another good piece.
AI and a dream? Poor guy, he may be the best player in the league, still alone and like Kobe he just hasn’t found out how to make everyone better on the court with him. He has to want to win badly by now, but then say goodbye to Bynum and who else? Now or another year in developmental waiting. I guess we overachieved last year what’s wrong with hoping for it again.
Can't wait for the games to begin.

I suppose that the VladRad signing is decent.

Peer into his game log from last year and be prepared for some remarkable inconsistency.

Just scan down the FG column:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/gamelog?statsId=3522

Bio-Chrono Readings for Rad Vlad and Jordan Farmar are a'comin'!

GO LAKERS!

Now that Rad is here, we have to step up the pressure on the PG oldie with a grin, Sam Cassell. He has to come aboard to start our voyage to Championship '08 (the '07 will be up to Western Conference only, the newly assembled group has to mature and learn each other moves.) C'mon Mitch, let's woo Sam some more to the Lakers. Any in the blog who have connections with Donald Sterling, please tell him to release Sam to the Lakers. Don will always prefer a young team and will always work what is good for Los Angeles. He has too many investments in this area and cannot afford to make its fellow Los Angelenos feel miserable and angry at him. "He's not Al Davis." Let's work on our hall-of-famer, Don Baylor, GM Clippers to cover his tracks by finding a replacement for SamIam with a funny grin. Immediately, he found Tim Thomas(the Laker Heartbreaker) which is not a bad choice to replace Rad. How about an exchange of Smush to Clippers or convince Marcus Banks to go the Clippers istead?

Don't trade Sasha Vujacic? Now that Rad is here, you will see the blossoming of Sasha Vujacic. I can see it from my crytall ball that Sasha and Rad will be playing H-O-R-S-E on who makes the most threes in a game in the course of the season not to jeopardize the game but to win them. Sasha will no longer be a lost east european but a mentor and a happy teammate. I guarantee it.

Guys, who are suggesting other marquee players like Harrington, Wallace, Jefferson, Bonzi and Jeffries. We cannot afford the auction sale against four or five other teams. Any further acquisition will only occupy so much of our salary cap that we cannot afford to maintain the escalating salaries of our own team in '08.

Let's concentrate on PG's alone:

Priority ONE: Sam Cassell

Priority TWO: Trade Mihm/Smush or Cook for DaFish + GS player

I am very surprised. Nice that we finally have a guy who can really heat up on the perimeter. However, the MLE is now gone and we still have not picked up a PG who can do anything to defend Nash, Parker, Terry, etc. This deal only makes sense to me if they have Banks in pocket at $3.25 mil for 2 years. If that happens, OK, we have had a pretty good offseason. If not, we just added another guy who can't defend to a team full of guys who don't defend.

Staples 24,

I emphatize with you on your comments on Kwame. I have the same feeling that you felt during the playoffs. I almost threw the tv remote by just watching the glaring blunders of Kwame. They surrendered early the three game advantage.

However, we have no alternative at this time but to swallow the pill of Kwame Brown or else we'll throw away $8M. If we don't trade Mihm, my suggestion is to let Mihm and Kwame COMPETE for the position of 5 if nothing comes out, let's unload ONE or BOTH of them by All Stars. However, if we have to trade Mihm now to get the PG we wanted, let's do it immediately. Let's stay POSITIVE ON KWAME until February '07, I really wish he will improve.

Special Message to Kwame:

KWAME, while you're enjoying your 4th of July weekend, consider cutting your vacation time by going back to work starting next week and practice with the new guys and Kobe. Join the Summer Leagues, you're a grown-up guy now after the #1 draft pick but you're not really a star yet. Frankly, you need a lot games to play to familiarize with basketball fundamentals.

The Lakers may be your last stand.

MITCH you finally WOKE UP!!!...GOOD JOB....GO LAKERS!!!!!!.....All we need left is PG...Mitch you get us a good PG and you no longer will be a "Kupcake" in my eyes....

Ok. I want to Beleive!!!!

Your overwhelming consensus is that Vlad was a great/good trade. What bothers me is that some have questioned the trade pointing to Vlad's stats compared to Cookie.

Cookie is soft on defense. Is Vlad better?

What are your thoughts?
Baywood

I definitely feel like Mitch has improved our team with drafting Farmar, trading for Evans, and signing Vlade all wihtout giving up anyone on the current roster.

Just remember that when Mitch was interviewed shortly after picking up Farmer, he had mentioned that he didn't expect Farmer to play significant minutes and that the Lakers would be looking to add someone to their back-court. Now let's see Mitch really earn his stripes by working a trade to bring in a PG.
By the way, why is there so much hype on Banks? I will admit that I havent followed Banks much but it seems like most of the bloggers really like this kid.

Let's hope that Lamar will be able to concentrate on driving to the lane more and that Kwame and Bynum can be the current version of the twin towers down low. That would leave Kobe to do his thing with Vlade knocking down 3's. I just hope that if we do trade for a PG, we get someone who is defensive minded to handle the wes's top guards like Nash, Parker, Chris Paul. Not sure who that person is.

Awesome start to the summer. GO LAKERS!

socallife has it right, I need someone to explain to me why this is such a great signing. He's slow, can't defend, has no mid-range game. His shooting % doesn't even top Cooks. They guy was freakin' terrible with the Sonics before he was traded to the Clips. He was bitching and complaining about contract crap after he was a dumbass and didn't agree to their first large offer. Maybe he, like Spree, has a family to feed. I'm not enturely bummed about the signing, but by no means do I think he warrants the excitement I am seeing on this blog. I agree he can hit the 3 and will space the floor, but I just can't get that excited about a guy who can't play D, especially when he's purely a shooter and his shooting % isn't that impressive. So please, someone explain why this is such a great pick up. It's always fun to get the news of a new signing, but the reality of this signing doesn't seem that remarkable...especially for the money we gave him.

IF, this does happen (remember we've got to hold on for awhile here), it should really be a good pick up. In the triangle you need a guy like this. With Vlade the need for a spot on shooter at point isn't as important. So even if we don't pick up a point we should be ok. I think Smush and Sasha may continue to surprise. Compare Sasha the previous season to the Sasha we saw in the latter half of last season. With some playing time and more confidence and if he doesn't hesitate or defer to Kobe he can be a spot on shooter. Defense isn't bad either but he just needs to learn when to pressure and when not to pressure.

Monte Ellis - and this team will be scary. GS may be happy to take Mihm for him.
Radmonivic I hope he can blow up this year- sure wish it was Bonzi- Nice to see Mitch working hard though.

Hi, I agree with a few of the posters regarding Chris Mihm. First of all, I don't think signing Vlade Radmanovic means anything regarding Chris Mihm. Vlade is a finesse perimeter player and Chris Mihm is a post player. I have long liked Chris Mihm as a player and was happy when the Lakers acquired him and am still happy with him, although he hasn't been healthy too much. That's the key with Chris--he needs to be healthy if he's going to be effective and back problems make it difficult to jump and be effective. When healthy, he is a force on the court and provides the Lakers with their only big post-up threat and consistent shot blocker. Although Kwame Brown and Andrew Bynum have potential at center, neither is proven at that position.

I do like the signing of Vlade Radmanovic a great deal. And I don't understand why people have been on Mitch Kupchak's case. I think he has been fantastic as general manager. If you blame him for Shaq leaving, he had nothing to do with it. Shaq didn't want to play for the money Jerry Buss wanted to pay him and that was it--end of story. Also, getting Caron Butler (turning into Kwame Brown, and Lamar Odom was great for an aging player who would only play relatively big come playoff time.

Corretion on my previous post...

The fast moving events change our focus on PG's. SamIam is back to the Clips for $ 13M two year as reported by LA Times. So we should focus now on the latest PG on the F/A. We have only $ 3.5M with a PROMISE(like Fox's deal) increase on multi-year contract.

Priority ONE - Speedy Claxton

Priority TWO - Trade Mihm + player with Da'Fish + GS player

Priority THREE - Eddie House

If worse will come to worst, we could not get any PG, let's use all our available resources by starting with:

Evans/Smush/Farmar
Kobe/Sasha/Profit
Radmanovic/Luke/Cook
Odom/Mihm/Turiaf
Kwame/Bynum/

Send Pinnock, Von Wafer to D'League

When comparing head to head statistics, it is really important to remember not to ONLY look at shooting %, but also the number of shots per game.

See, that is the big difference between B. Cook and Vlad. Vlad takes a little over five three pointers per game (on average, with the clippers), and STILL, makes about 42% of those shots. Cookie takes about one three point attempt on average per game... Additionally, Vlad takes more two point shots per game than Cookie...which as we have seen with other players, the more you shoot, the harder it is to keep your numbers up. It is true though that Vlad does get more PT....

I don't know what this means in the grand scheme of things, but I do think it is REALLY important to consider that statistics are NOT giving you the full picture. Especially when you consider that the reason cook shoots so well or gets such open looks is due to none other than Mr. 24. Think about now what a proven NBA shooter can do with open looks, on a consistent basis?

I wasn't sure what to think about this trade at first, b/c I just remember being so frustrated about our defense last year and yelling at the TV far more than usual, when Tony Parker, AI, insert small quick guard name here would continually use us up. BUT, I think, when we consider the totality of the moves this summer, if we can add a bit more (after acqusition evans) then addressing the inconsistent shooting was also extremely necessary.

I'm expecting big things from this team next year, but we all have to be willing to be patient. It might take some time for our chemistry to develop, and the new guys still have to get used to the triangle. I'm just saying this because I know if we have a bad couple games at the beginning of next season soooo many people on the blog will want to trade away somebody. Just give our guys time to develop together and we'll be fine.

Dymandave,

I agree. I hope they do try to make a trade with Portland. They need a center, and we need a point guard, so I don't see why either side would be against it. I think I like Blake the most out of all their guards. He has a nice jumpshot, good size, and is a solid defender so I think he would fit perfectly. I wouldn't mind doing a deal with Chicago though to get Duhon (or Hinrich depending on how much we're offering and how much they're smoking). He's a proven winner, and has been well coached (coach K, and Skiles) so he would be a good addition to our squad.

I a little concerned about Vlad Rad's defense, too. Some say he'll start at the 3 spot. I don't know but the only way he'll work as a starter is if the Lakers are playing excellent ball and are blowing teams away early. In other words: getting big leads, which would mask Rad defensive shortcomings. I like the idea of keeping Sasha around. I think this will be Sasha's year as far as being a reliable 3 points shooter. With both Rad and Sasha being reliable it might make for an effective bench.

mike

The first thing that drew me away from Vlad was like a couple of bloggers have already said on here: he's nothing more than a European Brian Cook. But from watching a couple of the games last year (including the Clippers/Phoenix series), the difference between him and Cook is that he has better ability to put the ball on the floor than Cookie has, which actually makes him a better option in the triangle offense than Cook. Cook can't put the ball on the floor at all and has minimal ability at best to drive to the basket. Vlad is a better option in transition, and has more ability to create his shot (something we didn't have last year other than Kobe and Odom). On D, Cook and Rad are pretty much a push, but Vlad seems to have better potential to be a decent help defender than Cook does (is it just me or did it always seem that Cook is always stuck in cement on both sides of the floor?).
But all in all, don't let the stats fool you. Vlad is better at creating his own shot, which makes him more of an option in any offense, let alone the triangle.

Here is an interview Kobe did with Jeff Garcia from power 106. They played the interview on Friday.

http://media.power106.com/av/kobejeff.mp3

While Radmonovic is the best aquisition of the Kupchak era, he meets a secondary need. We don't get to the next level without a quick point guard who can defend the likes of Nash, Parker and Terry. Perhaps Banks meets that need, but I don't see how the T-Wolves would accept a sign and trade for the likes of Mihm and Smush. Speaking of Mihm, am I the only one who thinks we should keep him and deal Kwame (aka "hands of stone")? After all, on Kwame's best nights, he played up to Mihm's level. Vlad is a good start, but it isn't enough.

Just went to the Phoenix Suns-Los Angeles Clippers boxscores for their series. Checked on what Vlad Rad did. Not too impressive.

Game 7 = 0 points in 10 minutes (Lose)
Game 6 = 2 points in 9 minutes (Win)
Game 5 = 13 points in 36 minutes (Lose)
Game 4 = 13 points in 24 minutes (Win)
Game 3 = 18 points in 21 minutes (Lose)
Game 2 = 10 points in 29 minutes (Win)
Game 1 = 5 points in 19 minutes (Lose)

Interesting! I'm happy about the Lakers aggression about spending and signing but I don't think this guy should be starting. Although, from what I saw, Rad does have more mobility than Brian Cook. That can't be bad.

I mean Seattle offer him 40 million for 6 years, which he turned down. The Clips offered 31 million over 5 years. These teams obviously see something in him. With the Lakers playing the tri-angle he should be able to sit on the 3 point line and fire away. But if you remember Glen Rice had a lot of problems with the tri-angle. He became very disgruntled with the whole situation. By the end of the year PJ and Glen Rice were at odds with each other. I remember Glen Rice's wife getting into the mix, which only implies that Rice was talking about his problems, with PJ, to his wife.

I mean, most of us are happy right now, but this could get frustrating if Rad goes through a Glen Rice phase of "finding his spots" in the tri-angle. That's what PJ mentioned what Rice needed to do.

I really don't like the idea of Odom playing the 4 spot. I like Odom in the 3 spot.

mike

With the soon to be signing of Vlade, the Lakers have lost their chance to get Marcus Banks who has been quarted by other teams. If the Lakers are still in pursuit of Banks, they're going to have to make a trade for future draft picks in order to dump salary or do some kind of sign and trade with the Wolves. I think they still need a defensive-minded PG with speed. If they get that, they are set for the next season. If Vlade, plays to his skill level, he can be a cost-saving version of Peja. Maybe not to Peja's caliber but enough to make teams think twice about double teaming Kobe and Lamar. Go Lakers!

Deepak - Not sure who a "defensive minded point guard" we can get is?

How 'bout D-FISH!!! He knows how to run the triangle, has a better 3-point average than ANYONE on the Lakers, and is better at getting a charge call than anyone in the LEAGUE.

No we don't need Monte Ellis - with Bynum, Farmar, and even Vlad we have enough young players not at their peak yet. We need a proven VETERAN (a la Ron Harper when PJ first got here) who can stabalize the team and teach the triangle from the floor. And with Ellis developing, D-Fish becomes expendable up there - where Chris Mihm is EXACTLY what THEY need.

C'mon MITCH - make the trade and take us to the Conference finals!

Thinking from the lakers perspective, we can guess the lakers wanted a good young shooter who is going to be around for a long time. I think this is a pick for the future who can play now. Perhaps he can be a kukoc type player. Remember he'll be in his prime in two years. In the future, to have a key piece of the team at 6 million is a steal. If you look at the best teams in the league they are filled with a bunch of players whom they got at a good price.

It's funny that it appears outside shooting was more important to the lakers than solid point guard play. banks is most likely out of the picture due to salary cap. Banks is potentially a dangerous person to give a large contract to due to his only half season of solid play. Kind of a big gamble. The knock on him was his outside shooting which he improved for that half season just before his contract was up. Prior is shooting was miserable.

Guys, we can't trade Mihm. Mihm is our only serious back up center. What has bynum done to make everybody in the forum think he can be a back up center. In addition, if kwame goes down, what makes you guys think he can give us 35 minutes of solid play time as our starting center. Remember back up center should be able to be adequate as a starter if there are injuries. Mihm may be a middle of the season trade if bynum can show some serious growth but not an offseason trade.

So that leaves the lakers with trying to sign a veteran point gaurd for the minimum. All we have to offer a potential free agent is a solid team that can go deep into the playoffs and a starting pg position. Bobby Jackson may be the best fit but he has got a lot of suitors. I don't think many teams can offer Bobby a starting job on a good playoff team

Now Mitch just have to trade Mihm for defensive minded PG...

Rumor from The Riverside Press-Enterprise is that the Lakers are going after Shammond Williams.

This mignt be a smoke screen, but interesting that this would be their target.

http://www.pe.com/sports/basketball/breakout/stories/PE_Sports_Local_S_lakers_02.22ed10b.html

"And the Lakers likely aren't done dealing.

They hope to use their bi-annual exception of $1.7 million on point guard Shammond Williams, who last played in the NBA in the 2003-04 season, with New Orleans, and played in Spain last year."

Not exactly PJ's prototype PG. This could signal that Mihm may not be on the block and the lakers are just going to use the bi-annual on a servicable guard.

Perhaps Farmer will be D-league material for the next year. After all he is 19 years old.

That would leave us:
PG - Shammond/Smush/Farmer(D-league)

I agree that it might be the Lakers intention to keep Mihm one more year. After all Bynum is only 19.

I think that this might be the way to go. I would love to see a better guard, but perhaps this is the best we can do this year?

When Phil and Kobe call at 6AM, I have to think Rad's worth the $. Readin' blogs and watchin' games ain't the same as mixing it up on the court, so I'm guessin' they've seen something they like about Rad that fits what the new Lakes are trying to do. I just hope it's not a memory of what he did in his best years that's perked their interest.

Phil has mentioned multiple times how much he liked Mihm's upside. He likes 3 centers, we may keep 3 centers. I agree that Profit will be back unless he's just not 100%. As Kbros reported, when Kobe likes you, you'll probably get the nod.

I'm with the majority of the Blog dawgs that want defensive toughness. I would have loved the doberman duo of Bonzi and Kobe. We can put the ball in the basket now, let's get stoppers. We look good but so does the West. Time to D up.

Picking up Hinrich would be KILLER, but yeah that would depend on how much chicago's been smoking.

I'm still not convinced about the Radman's signing. I'll have to see it before I believe it.

Elyse:
I understand your argument, but still, a .413 fg% is quite mediocre for a "sharp shooter" regardless of the amount of shots taken. It could be said that Cook should be making less shots because he's not on the floor enough to get into the flow of the offense, which would skew the numbers even more.

-Stojakovic is a .461 shooter (.400 3point) and he takes a lot of shots, averaging 35 minutes a game. He shot 445-1,018 this past season. Whereas Valdman shot 262-643.
-Glen Rice shot .457 career with .400 3pt and in his prime he took about ~1300 shots a game

There are an abundance of other examples.

I just can't accept your argument because a good shooter will have a good percentage regardless of the amount of shots he takes.

Now, I can't say for a fact regarding either Peja or Vlad, BUT I know for a fact that Kobe only shoots .450 because he has about 5 bailout shots per game. I think his career is .450, but the lower numbers in his earlier years come from prima donna antics. He's really polished his game since then and should be shooting .480 if not for the bailout shots.

All the old stars in the league, they're all very impressive shooters. The game has changed a lot and the quality of shooters has been downgraded tremendously.

I'm just still unconvinced, because we're talking about guys clanging it off the rim last year....

Here are their percentages last season:

player fg%/3p% 3pt attempts/3pt makes

Smush .447/.366 120/328
Cook .511/.429 36/84
Sasha .346/.343 59/172
Lamar .481/.372 80/215
George .400/.313 50/160
Walton .412/.327 18/55

> .407/.390 138/354

Smush's numbers are pretty damn close 3-point wise (shots per game).

If Radman can play better D than Cook and picks up his rebounding to about 10 a game, 15-20 ppg ... while improving the team's play, I'll take everything back, but right now he still looks like a chump with a nice sized contract.

Radman looks just like one of the other guys if you ask me, but he's getting paid more (all but LO).

PG is obviously where our focus needs to be now, here are the options I see.

Mihm + Mckie/sasha/or cook = Dfish + andris biedrins

Mihm = Chris Duhon

Mihm = Marcus Banks (sign and trade)

Bobby Jackson/Banks/Claxton somehow agree to the vet exeception for 2 years (unlikely)

I think my fav would be if we were able to get Dfish back to be a vet leader while also getting a young F/C prosect for insurance.

Vman,

Ever wonder why PJ likes Chris Mihm so much? Check this out about PJ as a player.

"New York Knicks
In 1967, Jackson was drafted by the New York Knicks as a player. He found that the skills that had served him well at the small-college level (The University of North Dakota) were all but useless in the NBA.

While he was a good all-around athlete, with unusually long arms, he was limited as a shooter and did not have great speed. He compensated for his physical limitations with sheer intelligence and extremely hard work, especially on defense, and eventually established himself as a fan favorite and one of the NBA's leading substitutes.

He was a top reserve on the Knicks team that won the NBA title in 1973 (Jackson missed being part of New York's 1970 championship season due to spinal fusion surgery).

Soon after the second title, several key starters of the championship teams retired, eventually forcing Jackson into the starting lineup, where his limitations were exposed. He retired from play in 1980."

You see? Mihm reminds PJ of himself. That's why he likes him. He sees the same qualities he possess in Mihm. I'm thinking in terms of "He compensated for his physical limitations with sheer intelligence and extremely hard work."

The only problem with that is what the piece mentions about PJ as a starter. "Soon after the second title, several key starters of the championship teams retired, eventually forcing Jackson into the starting lineup, where his limitations were exposed."

That is Chris Mihm. Force into the starting line-up because Shaq left. Only, like PJ, Mihm's limitations were exposed."

I know PJ has a lot of heart for Mihm but the Lakers need to trade Mihm just to get him out of PJ system.

mike

Tim Thomas and Cassell re-signed to the Clips is a lot better than Vlad Rad guys I hate to tell you. Thomas is the guy the Lakers wanted mid-season, but he went to the Suns. Vlad Rad is a one trick pony. TT can get his own shot and can post guys up. Vlad Rad can just shoot open threes. Uggh! We need athletes that can play D not slow tall white guys that instead of posting up eating glass are out by the three line casting off errant threes. I'm not satisfied.

I forgot to add this link for my last post:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Jackson

mike

We all love D Fish, but you guys are nuts if you think we should give up so much to get him. D Fish can still score at a nice clip, but he can't defend these uber athlete pg's that keep destroying the Lakes year after year.

Korey:

I'll take your back right now on 55 wins, Bro. Bring on next season!

Tom

Mike:

YESSSSS, the Lakers AREEEEE going for it now.

For 5 years and $31M, Vlade will start. The Times said in this morning's article that having to share floor time with Corey Maggette was one of the reasons he choose to sign with the Lakers.

Tom

fkillah:

I did forget about Cookie, didn't I? I think you may be right, however, that he is the appetizer to the meal that is Chris Mihm. And maybe Smush and McKie are the salad and dessert.

Before everybody gets into a fit on the Vlad signing, ask yourself this...

Are the Lakers a better team than last year?
Do we have a significantly better chance at going farther in the playoffs?
Do we still have flexibility to make moves in the future?

The answer to all those ?s is yes. We got Farmar, Evans, and Radmanovic to provide defense, athletic ability, and shooting. We have Brian Grant off the books next year and we have tradeable contracts and peices so we can make a move as needed. You neva know, KG may be a trade away.

But Look: Rome, New York, and the Lakers werent built in a day!!!

As a true fan, you have to appreciate the journey to a title, not just the point to where we win the championship.

That's why you love these moments where the Lakers continue to strengthen themselves and acquire more talent.

That's why you loved when Kobe scored 81.

That's why you loved when the Lakers went up 3 - 1 on the Suns and that's why it hurt so much when they gave up the series lead in heartbreaking fashion.

But when the Lakers do ascend to the top again, I will remember all of these intermediate moments and cherish all of the twists and turns we had to do to get there.

That's called being a true laker fan, not a bandwagon.

So in 2000, when we won I remembered Sedale Threatt, Vlade Divac, Elden Campbell ... give way to Nick Van Exel, Eddie Jones, Cedric Ceballos, give way to Glen Rice, George McCloud (ouch!), and J.R. Reid (double-ouch!). We even tried Dennis Rodman! I remember Shaq going gonzo on his bday, Kobe getting crazy better every year and you could just sense the title getting real close. Those Damn Jazz, Greg Ostertag, Hornacek, Malone, and Stockton constantly torturing and tormenting us with their precision and cheating (yes, I said that) style of offense. Eventually we broke through and it was like dring an ice-cold strawberry lemonade on a 100 degree day. Refreshing!

The point is this: Appreciate what is brewing here Lakers fans. Mr. Buss o