Good morning, Charles, Mamba24, Faith, Edwin, Pig, Ex, HmrHed, and the rest of the loyal faithful.

This Lakers squad definitely doesn't need a major shake-up. Hell, you don't make it to the Finals only to "rebuild" the very next season. (Unless it's '04, but thankfully it's not.) We just need a bit of veteran tweaking. As many have already stated, the Lakers need to get tougher, to get "nastier," as Odom says. I love sportsmanship in basketball, but for the love of Buddha you DON'T help up a guy on the opposing team when they're kicking your ass.

Maybe Memphis wants to take Radmanovic off our hands in exchange for Mike Miller? Hey, they already gave us one gift, why not another? Kobe would love to play with Miller, and maybe he can give Radmanovic an elbow as he drives down the lane for all those bricked 3-pointers and bone-headed passes.

Gotta sign Turiaf. He'll get a whole lot better in the off-season, and he's an energy guy who gels well with the team. Teach Sasha to dunk in the off-season and it's ON next year!

Go Lake Show!

"It happens every year, at literally the very minute purple and gold play comes to a conclusion"

Oh, it doesn't wait until play comes to a conclusion!

All short-sighted, reactionary fan, who are victims to the moment say it with me: TRADE 'EM ALL. From Kobe down to Mbenga!

In the midst of all the madness that is bound to ensure- i.e. trade speculation- I am glad to know that Mitch is not one to bow down to public pressure. My gut (and hope) is he keeps the core together (and that includes Odom), makes a few tweaks (another defensive minded/banger big man to come off the bench, or even defensive minded asst coach) and lets next year roll. If we come out of the gate weak, we have until Feb to make a deal. As BK/AK said yesterday, let's at least see how the Bynum/Gasol/Odom front line works. If LO dedicates himself to working on his shot (and he used to have a pretty good shot back in college and early in his career) then I say that is a scary awesome front line. From their, everyone needs to make a commitment to D starting @ training camp, and there's no reason to beleive they won't-- especially after seeing what Boston's D just did to them.

Good morning, Charles, Mamba, Jon K, Outlaw, Toad et al.

Here are my thoughts:

1. It's simply amazing how far we got with NO CENTER. Simply amazing.

2. One thing about not winning a championship is that it thankfully squashed all the trade Bynum BS.

3. On LO: Second tear players benefit tremendously from finals experience. I would never trade that experience to another team at this point, and I don't believe the lakers will either.

4. I find it hard to believe any team would take Lukamir Waltmanovich, but since someone took Roberto Duran, anything is possible.

I think that the Times' article sums things up nicely. Maybe we should see how good this team is after camp, and try to get David Lee next season (09-10) to bolster our roster for a second championship run.

A guy can dream, can't he?

Repost:

Lakafo0,

"Stop with the bitterness and be more realistic."

We are the real fans here. We support the team so we ask for improvement to another level. You said stop the bitterness and be more realistic. We crossed that bridge, you're the one who is bitter on our suggestions for team's improvement.

With regards to possible or impossible, I remember one time Jerry West trading the rights of Peeler, Lynch and Vlade to open cap space for Shaq and acquired the 13th draft pick, Kobe. If I were a fan acting as a GM, can I ever imagine that thing is possible? Not going too far, who would imagine that Orlando would absorb our garbage in Cookie and shed in sacrificing the lost of a small SG draft pick to gain the slashing 3 Trevor Ariza. I applaud Mitch for that superb trade. He followed it again with another brilliancy in resurrecting the rights of McKie package with Kwame's 9m plus a rookie and couple draft picks to gain Pau Gasol. Because of that trade, we topped the West and competed in the Finals. IMO, it was enough we can still be better if we try. Who am I to judge what is possible and impossible? I look at it from a business point of view i.e. I want to be in that arena or place, let my men and managers think of ways how to get there.

I think on Sasha it is a good call on the free market. I would not pay him more than the 4 mil he is making now. If he can find a big raise somewhere else, good for him.

One of the keys next year will be Vlad since the Lakers have him on contact for a few more years. If he can be more consistent he would fit in the 3 spot. That being said a good outside shooter/defender for the 3 should be priority number 1.

Looks like we will have Mimh off the bench but if we can get a good power forward/center at the vet minimum that would be number 2 for me.

I really like Lamar but at 14 million and given Gasol and Bynum there might be a better fit for him with another team, especially if he wants an extension.

Good news is the Lakers are good with the potential to win a slew of championships the next 5 years. That should make any close decision for a free agent between the Lakers and other teams go our way. Without big changes to make the Lakers can be choosy.

Mitch has shown a good eye for unloading the right players...Cook and Kwame. I have mixed feelings about Turiaf. If he was just a bit bigger to match his heart he would be a very good keep.

Also last thought...number 58 in the draft. You never know. Given a world talent market...we could get some help there as well.

Jesterguru,

Don't be so sure! Odom is in his contract year and a lot of teams want to clear space. Odom is not going to be re-signed for what he makes now, so it's a possibility you might want to trade him or potentially lose him.

I'd love to unload the albatross that is Lukamir Waltmonovic, but at ~5+ mil a year for either of those Turkeys, we're not likely to get rid of either until they're in the final year of their respective deals.

So another 3 years of Vlade (wish we dumped him after snowboard-gate, don't you?), and 5, COUNT 'EM, 5 more years of Luke. In that 5th year, he won't be able to get past a turtle, much less a quality defender. Luke might wind up being bought out, but it's not like it clears any cap space for us.

If Mitch can get rid of either, EOY is a lock. Dump 'em both, and we should retire his Jersey.

I don't think it's possible. But I also didn't think Riley would be able to unload Shaq's nightmare deal either.

Dear Bro Outlaw,

I think you share our thinking of tweaking the team, is it via Walton who is impossible to be moved with the size of multiple year contract or via Vlady who has also multiple year contract, the latter could be improved if he enters into a rigid regimen of being a physical player. The former, hard to imagine to be like his Dad. He is the oldest among the rookies and never got out of rookie season, year after year, he helps in one area and breaks down in other area. His gameplan every year follows the concept of Chairman Mao who once said: "One Step Forward and Two Steps Backward. Now we go with Lamar, Sasha, Trevor......we want them all. Unfortunately, they will all become expensive. Lamar contract is a ticking bomb, it can be a long term advantage but also a disadvantage that could miss a lot of qualified F/A's. We can pick only one either Trevor or Sasha. Both have agents looking for their interest in the free market, each of them could command between 5-8M per year, can the team afford them all? Indeed, it would be a sad event to lose Sasha and Trevor and retain Walton and Vlady!!! For that matter, we're not only the team that is in quandary at this time of the year, the bigger markets like Boston, NY, Philadelphia, Mavericks, Chicago and many more are unloading players. It is up to the imagination of the GM and Coaches to provide inputs. We, in the Lakers have legion of fan around the world, there a thousand more voices acting as GM providing ideas. Isn't that great to be a Laker fan? We are not only fans joining bandwagon professing "I believe" we are also thinking fan suggesting ways to make impossible, possible. Not all team have that unique priviledges to have mild mannered fans during games but active in the wheelin' and dealin' after season.

By the way, as reported in LA Times, the contract of Lamar is being dangled with Jefferson (Nets), Nacioni (Bulls), Artest (Kings) and Miller (Grizzlies). Under those scenarios, those are major tweaking.

Zen,

You're right about Odom being in a contract year and that he makes a VERY nice chip on the block. But shouldn't we at least SEE what we can do with the whole team together for a few months before we kiss him goodby? I believe this is the view the FO will take. I hope so, at least. Like BK said, the devil we have is pretty damn good and we have little idea how another piece or pieces would mesh. Artest? Good Lord, please not Artest. From a basketball standpoint, sure, he's a force defensively. he also beats up women and forgets to feed his dog. For weeks.

First of all, I don't think anyone on this blog knows how much Jerry Buss is willing to pay in salaries.
So to assume the Lakers can't afford some players' salary is a fruitless exercise.
The Lakers don't even have the highest payroll in the NBA.
We don't know how much money the Lakers are taking in, in terms of revenues, so an improvement in revenues can pay for more salaries. The more often the Lakers get to the Finals the more revenues they take in. And I just have this feeling that the Lakers are not maximizing their revenue opportunities because they are like a family run business, no different or more professional than a simple mom-and-pop store on the street corner.

Logically, you can expect the Lakers to give the current lineup a chance to play with Andrew Bynum back in the mix before making important changes like trading LO. If the 08-09 regular season shows the chemistry isn't there, then the Lakers won't have a problem trading LO since he is a good player and will have one of the fattest expiring contracts.

Of course, if someone like Artest is willing to sign for the MLE, you can bet that the Lakers would jump on the chance and figure out how to use LO as a sixth man that comes off the bench to play either SF or PF.

The Lakers also haven't seen how a full year with Ariza would work. In the Celtics series clearly Ariza did not have his game timing and explosion back yet. He could be the answer as our starting SF next season.

I think Mitch will be working to get Radmanovic traded in the off season. He clearly hasn't played to expectations in terms of his offense and he is a typically weak Euro player in defense. I can't remember if I ever saw him take a charge even once. I can remember how many times he just let a guard make a layup in front of him w/out attempting a block or a hard foul. Even though he is a starter, I don't consider getting rid of him as a major change for the Lakers since he is clearly headed to the bench next year when Bynum comes back. And he might be playing behind Ariza in the rotation off the bench.

Since Vujajic and Turiaf are FAs, resigning them will depend on how much money other teams are willing to throw at them. They gained a lot of needed experience this year and will be better players for that in the future. But if they cost much more money, it will probably be better to look for some vets with Finals experience to replace them. Miami is going to be in rebuilding mode. So will Detroit. I wonder if they have any vets w/rings that the Lakers can sign or trade for. Udonis Haslem was a tough guy for the Heat in their championship year and might be the front court banger PJ is asking for.

The Lakers had a great year and will be the second favorite to win it all , next to the Celtics next year, even with zero changes to the lineup. The Celtics will be the favorites next year because they are the champs and have the best defense in the league. Their Big 3 have a few more years left, and their young players like Rondo, Perkins, Powe and Davis also gained a lot of valuable experience this year. I predict though that the Lakers will be dominant because Andrew Bynum will come back healthy and will raise his game another level. Ariza will be a high quality SF either starting or off the bench. By mid-season Lakers will have the best record in the league and will be favorites once again, and will be more hungry than the Celtics. Boston will slack off a bit since it is really difficult for teams to repeat in this league (just look at how the spurs were never able to do it). But summer of 09 will be the rematch.

Thank you for the Lakers.

Although Phil Jackson has 9 championships... he can actually learn something from Doc Rivers. The first words he should say to the entire team during training camp should be "DEFENSE"... or maybe a better word would be "TOUGHNESS".

Toughness is a commitment to play defense (individual and team) and bang bodies.... and thats the mentallity they need.... or at least a few players that can lock down and grind it out... and spread that to throughout the entire team.

Everyone on the Lakers has that drive, but not everyone is consistent at it. If they get a player or two that can have that on all the time... then this team will be very, very tough to beat... even in the Western Conference.

I read that Posey may opt out... so he is an option. Artest won't opt out... but maybe a trade could be worked out.

Any one of these two (or someone close) I think is all we need.... and maybe a shooter... just in case Vucucic disappears from time to time.

They have almost everyone under contract for next season, so I don't know how they would create the roster space unless they acquire an all-star... and give up either Odom or Radmanovic plus someone else or a draft pick.

OH, NO!

THE FANS WANT CHANGES!

SOMEBODY DO SOMETHING!

The Lakers have to get Kobe some offensive help. The Lakers may have the number 1 offense but not when we needed it.

Too much pressure for Kobe to do it all.

In the regular season against Boston Kobe shot just 15 made with 46 misses.

In the playoffs against Boston Kobe shot just 53 made with 131 misses.

You can't count on Sasha. Get a big name better shooter and break up the Bynum, Odom, Gasol log jam. They all play a different style.

My general thought is keep most of the team, but add a couple
of tougher role players. The Celtics had Posey and PJ Brown
who came in and out-toughed and out-hustled the Lakers
backups for the most part.

The Lakers could let go of Mbenga and Newble to make
room for a couple of tough veterans who want to win a
ring.

WRT defense... When Bynum and Ariza were both healthy
this season, the Lakers had the 2nd highest ranked defense
in the league, and the HIGHEST ranked defense against
3-point shooting. With Drew guarding the rim, the wing
defenders could play Pierce and Allen close and have
confidence that if they get beat that Bynum has their
back.

Some people here keep (unreasonably) whining for the
Lakers to waive Rad or Luke or both. It's not going to happen.
Both of those guys have contracts that last for several years,
so here's the way it works: the Lakers can pay them to play
or they can pay them not to play. They don't get cap space
or anything else if they waive them. And each of them
contributed to the success of the team. If you could trade
one of the two for a small forward who's more defensively
skilled (I suggested Shane Battier in a previous thread),
then that might be useful, but otherwise keep them and
have them work on the weak parts of their game over the
summer.

Other people unreasonably want to get rid of Lamar. If
the Lakers could trade Lamar for Elton Brand, I'd do it in
a hot minute. But I doubt the Clippers would agree to that
trade even if it meant letting Brand walk away for nothing.
Yes Lamar is inconsistent, but I can't really see a trade
they could make that would get them a better player.

This team was good enough to get to the NBA finals without
two of their best defensive players. I say reincorporate those
players, focus on defense during the offseason, and come
back next year and start the new Dynasty.

Think of this year's playoffs as a trailer for the new
Laker dynasty. You know in movie trailers they always
show the big predicament the heroes get into but they
never show how they fight through to win in the end.
That's like this year's playoffs. Stay tuned for the next
exciting episode.

LakerinBC

>>>We don't know how much money the Lakers are taking
>>> in, in terms of revenues,...

Actually we do. I posted a link this summer to an article
(in Forbes?) that talked about the revenues of each NBA
team. I did the math and estimated that if you take into
account luxury tax, the break-even point for the Lakers would
be about 85 million in salaries. That makes several assumptions
which could be wrong, but were best guess estimates based
on all the information available (and they assumed the
Lakers making it at least to the Western Conference Finals).

So far the Lakers are at a little over 75 million in salaries
for next season not counting salaries for Sasha, Ronny,
and/or Coby Karl. Basically, whatever they offer Sasha
and Ronny next year, they will have to pay double. If
they offer Sasha 4 million, they'll be paying 8 to keep him.

But in theory, they could pay Sasha and Ronny anything
up to about the MLE each and still break even. Whether
or not Buss is willing to do that, we'll see. Also bear in
mind that Sasha and Ronny might both be willing to take
slightly less than other teams are offering to stay with
the Lakers

Next summer, Lamar's big paycheck drops off the ledgers,
but they'll have to re-sign Bynum, so they'll be right back
in the luxury till, even if Lamar re-signs for a more modest
salary.

This will officially be my first post EVER.  I've been a fan of the Lakers for god knows how long through the thick and lean years.  They did a great job this year despite all the obstacles!  Making it to the Finals on a yearly basis is NEVER a guarantee (ie. injuries to key players,  consistent team chemistry, etc.). Those of you a bash Kobe as a bad team leader should take a look at the number of rings and finals he has been to as a body of his total work. 3 out of 5 Finals in a span of 8 years isn't bad at all.  Some of the greatest players to put on a NBA uniform could only wish they had the opportunity to win and compete for a championship.  There are too many of them to mention.      The exit interviews performed in the next few days will be important from the standpoint of management and player decisions/commitments during the offseason.Face the facts, we were a team that nobody expected to be in the Finals this year.  The reality is that we do not need to change our team that much.  RELAX my fellow Laker fans.  I really feel that if EVERY Laker commits (making sacrafices for the good of all) to learning individual and team defense concepts (with the exception of Kobe since he ALWAYS guard the other team's best perimeter player) as well as improving their offensive game from now till training camp, improvement will happen.  Coaches should also take note of improving their gameplanning as well.  That individual growth from all will be vital to the Lakers success this upcoming year.  After all, the team did improve a lot this past year internally, especially the young players.  That's what got us far this year.  It should not end there though.  Adding a few veterans with savvy will certainly add to the Laker recipe called "success."  I think that the addition of Caron Butler and Baron Davis (if possible) will help out with their team toughness defensively and allow Kobe to make plays even more within the flow of the offense, whether the triangle or pick and roll.  No longer will teams only focus on stopping Kobe, especially the Celtics. What about promoting some our D-Fenders players in the developmental league like Jelani McCoy and others who want to win badly at all costs.  If I recall, didn't they have a great year as well.   After all, look how the Celtics created a winning recipe.  It's called the three-amigos stew with ingredients that include a full tank of "defense," "desire," and endless amount of "commitment."  Think about it?  Since when did Ray Allen and Paul Pierce ever commit to playing defense in their long careers.  Hmm?  The main reason:  KG!  There you go, the three amigos stew (BTW, they had 3 all-stars to our one.  Something to ponder about).     Our own stew can be improved without a doubt.  The recipe for success lies with the entire Lakers organization.  Most of all, we should appreciate and never take for granted our Lakers journey this year.  At least now, we have a blueprint to go by.  It's time to WORK! Peace!

This will officially be my first post EVER.  I've been a fan of the Lakers for god knows how long through the thick and lean years.  They did a great job this year despite all the obstacles!  Making it to the Finals on a yearly basis is NEVER a guarantee (ie. injuries to key players,  consistent team chemistry, etc.). Those of you a bash Kobe as a bad team leader should take a look at the number of rings and finals he has been to as a body of his total work. 3 out of 5 Finals in a span of 8 years isn't bad at all.  Some of the greatest players to put on a NBA uniform could only wish they had the opportunity to win and compete for a championship.  There are too many of them to mention.      The exit interviews performed in the next few days will be important from the standpoint of management and player decisions/commitments during the offseason. Face the facts, we were a team that nobody expected to be in the Finals this year.  The reality is that we do not need to change our team that much.  RELAX my fellow Laker fans.  I really feel that if EVERY Laker commits (making sacrafices for the good of all) to learning individual and team defense concepts (with the exception of Kobe since he ALWAYS guard the other team's best perimeter player) as well as improving their offensive game from now till training camp, improvement will happen.  Coaches should also take note of improving their gameplanning as well.  That individual growth from all will be vital to the Lakers success this upcoming year.  After all, the team did improve a lot this past year internally, especially the young players.  That's what got us far this year.  It should not end there though.  Adding a few veterans with savvy will certainly add to the Laker recipe called "success."  I think that the addition of Caron Butler and Baron Davis (if possible) will help out with their team toughness defensively and allow Kobe to make plays even more within the flow of the offense, whether the triangle or pick and roll.  No longer will teams only focus on stopping Kobe, especially the Celtics. What about promoting some our D-Fenders players in the developmental league like Jelani McCoy and others who want to win badly at all costs.  If I recall, didn't they have a great year as well.   After all, look how the Celtics created a winning recipe.  It's called the three-amigos stew with ingredients that include a full tank of "defense," "desire," and endless amount of "commitment."  Think about it?  Since when did Ray Allen and Paul Pierce ever commit to playing defense in their long careers.  Hmm?  The main reason:  KG!  There you go, the three amigos stew (BTW, they had 3 all-stars to our one.  Something to ponder about).     Our own stew can be improved without a doubt.  The recipe for success lies with the entire Lakers organization, especially Kobe. He needs to continue to strengthen the bond with his teammates this offseason to keep the fire burning and be the example just like KG (pay for the meals as well).  Most of all, we should appreciate and never take for granted our Lakers journey this year.  At least now, we have a blueprint to go by.  It's time to WORK! Peace!

LAKERS WOULD HAVE WON WITH BYNUM…

Had Andrew Bynum never been injured, the Lakers would have won the 2008 NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics but might not have made the great trade for Pau Gasol. You could even go so far as to say that the Lakers sacrificed the championship this year to increase the number of championships that they will win over the next 10 years.

Forget all of those fast-talking national sports prognosticators who have suddenly jumped off the Lakers bandwagon and are again questioning whether the Lakers are for real and forecasting the domination of the NBA by the rugged Celtics and the Eastern Conference. The truth is that the Lakers would have swept the Celtics if Andrew Bynum played.

Bynum would have given the Lakers the strong inside presence and mental and physical toughness that Gasol was not able to provide. The play where KG flattened Pau in the post and threw down a two-handed dunk with him flat on his back reminded me greatly of Shaq’s pancaking of Drew his rookie year. We all know how Drew responded.

All of you doubters out there need to go back and watch some game film of the Lakers during the two weeks before Drew was injured. Andrew Bynum will be the dominant center in the NBA next year and will lead the Lakers to the best record in team history and home court through the playoffs. His power game on offense and shot blocking on defense will dominate other teams. Next year, we enter the Era of the Beast.

Let’s be honest. Next year is the year that we all have really been waiting for, isn’t it? Come on, admit it? The Lakers won’t but they know it, too. The Celtics? Don’t kid yourself. They know they were lucky that Andrew Bynum was not available. The rest of the league? The reason Phoenix and Dallas made the trades that they did was not because the Lakers traded for Pau Gasol. It was because the Lakers had Andrew Bynum.

That’s not to say that the Beast will cure all of the Lakers roster woes. The Lakers could use a tough low post player who can defend, another dependable 3-point shooter, and a guard who can defend against penetration: like Ron Artest, Mike Miller, and Chris Paul. They will probably pick a player to stock overseas with their only draft pick in the 2nd round, much like they did last year with Marc Gasol and Sun Yue.

I would like to congratulate the Lakers for a tremendous season and for making being a Laker fan once again a pleasurable and joyous experience. I for one have nothing but love and pride for this team and what they have accomplished. You can complain all you want but this team came within two wins of the NBA Championship in a season where they were counted them out before they started. This was a tremendous season.

I also want to thank the great bloggers – Edwin, Kiwi, Caliphilosopher, Purple & Gold Reign, Mamba, Shekobe, karyanr, Long Time Laker Fan, Michael H, ex, et al – who refuse to call to trade players just because they had a bad series, which included every player. All we need is Drew and a couple of tweaks. The Era of the Beast begins.

Tom

James Posey looked like a very tough defender who plays with an edge. He has 2 rings with the Celtics and Heat that prove his value. He would look good off the bench.

Let's see what to do for next year re: the lakers??????..........SELL THE FREAKIN TEAM AND SEND THEM TO ST.LOUIS LIKE THE RAMS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.....lakers are so far away from another title it's hillarious to suggest otherwise......please stop it...don't bring up winning a title again for at least ten years......don't do that to yourselves....you'll just get too stressed out, arteries will clog...it really could be a nightmare.

CelticRob and Greg...

What's life all about if you spend your time pounding down ideas and thoughts about teams that aren't even your "favorite" team. Positive energy and thoughts. Go relish your victory, because in the next 15 years....I'd say the Lakers willl win at least 6 championships and the Celtics...will find ONE.

That was alot of class exhibited by Boston fans:

from LA Times:

"Gasol also said he would remember the team's hectic exit from TD Banknorth Garden after the Game 6 loss.

A mob of Celtics fans pounded the Lakers' bus with their fists and shouted out expletives. Some revelers threw rocks and chased the bus down the street.

"It's something that I'm going to keep in mind all year long until we get there again," Gasol said."

Maybe LA fans should do the equal and taunt Garnett at his Malibu home...I got news for you, we don't act like animals.

Is that normal??? I guess those Boston fans felt it was ok...It's time to move on and plan for next year. Go to YouTube and review Bynum's last game before his injury.The light bulb was on.