Aloha Edwin

just curious. If we traded for Okafor who would you bench, Pau or Bynum? And since at least for now Lamar is slated for the SF slot, who would you play there, trevor? Leave Vlade? Luke? Just wondering.

MH

Bynum/Kwame
Gasol/Mihm
Odom/Ariza
Kobe/Sasha
Fisher/Farmar

Bynum
Odom
Ariza
Sasha
Farmar

Bynum
Gasol
Kobe
Sasha
Sunyue

Bynum
Gasol
Ariza
Kobe
Odom

Bynum
Gasol
Odom
Kobe
Sunyue

Bynum
Odom
Ariza
Kobe
Sasha

LAkers defensive team
Bynum
Gasol
Ariza
Kobe
Sunyue

Lakers offensive team
Bynum
Gasol
Odom
Kobe
Sasha

Kwame gets signed 1 MIL to be a locker room guy and sits in the bench.

Lakers Tom

In my rotations I forgot about Mihm who now is a true center.

Center - AB - Pau - Mihm

That looks pretty good to me, even if Mihm is limited.

P Forward - Pau - LO - Radman (Rad would be desperation time, if someone gets hurt)

So we just need insurance from a Vet Big. like you said. My take, I think Mitch is done with stuff, once he signs Sasha and Sun Yue. Crawford could be on the outside looking in since we really need a big.

Mitch told the SL guys 1-2 may make the team. That may be true for some lucky big to earn a spot. 3 of them looked promising. Mata-Real, Medly, and ?????

Staples 24

I looked at each of your combos and was really impressed with one thing. The versatility and the tools PJ has to build a Champion.

Each of those combos can compete well with almost any NBA team.

It left me thinking. No excuses PJ, you have an awsome team to compete with.

Hey, why no love for Luke and Rad? lol

Jon K.,

Appreciate the post. I may be overreacting. I'd guess I probably am.

I'm just trying to not be easily manipulated by the media and one good year when so many bad years preceded it.

I don't really do faith without a good track record which in a sense isn't really faith at all.

I think I'm still really bothered by the fact that we almost didn't trade for Gasol and wanted to do a lot of standing pat. That strikes me as very conservative and overly optimistic in approach, not the approach of a team seriously vying for a championship. We were going to keep Kwame Brown if Bynum stayed healthy? Are you kidding me?

Everyone else's memory is so short. I don't work that way and this offseason gave me too many hints that maybe this same stand pat conservative approach is the engine behind our operations.

I'm also very cynical toward corporate rhetoric as I've had bad experiences working for and interacting with corporations. Kupchak is the poster boy for corporate rhetoric in the NBA world. As such I do not feel he can be trusted.

We held onto the following players too long:

Smush Parker, Kwame Brown, Brian Cook.

We blew it by giving up Caron Butler (which wasn't horrible because you can expect maybe Phil could get the best out of Kwame, more than MJ calling him a fag could).

We infuriated our franchise player by lying to him about our intentions and almost lost him.

Then we almost didn't trade Kwame and change for Gasol? It took Bynum's injury to make it happen?

We also passed up on Baron Davis, Ron Artest, and Shawn Marion in trades that would have improved our team and were actually viable.

That's just what we know about.

There are many SERIOUS missteps here. Two good trades and a solid B+ drafting history simply doesn't make up for it.

Now, this is a whole front office thing, not just a Kupchak thing.

I'm not a panicky guy. I don't search for things to worry about. I have given this situation considerable thought.

All evidence before me suggests there really is something to worry about until it's proven to me otherwise. I expect around 80 percent of that worry to be removed by the start of the season, but until then I will not be happy.

Actions speak. I will root for the Lakers, but that doesn't mean I have to stand by what I see as conservative, scared, prevaricating, profit-focused management.

I realize my goals of positioning for multiple championships over the next decade may not be those same goals that the management has (profit) and that's okay. It doesn't mean I have to be happy about it.

It's easy enough to deduce...IP addresses.

And knowing Fatty (he is a friend), and having blogged here since almost the blog's inception, I can honestly say he is an individual. Unmatch by most. You get to learn signatures here, I am known for my "lol" and Sasha love...not that Cbuck won't fight me to the death for him lol.

Now if you were to say "trolls" then you would have an argument. Sometimes I think they belong to a club in which only share one brain.

Go Lakers!

NOTICE TO LAKER-NATION : KWAME IS NOT COMING BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHEN HE LEARNS TO CATCH A BALL, WE WILL GIVE HIM A CALL! HAVE YOU SEEN HIM PLAY?

Aloha Michael H

Still surfing while blogging there in Waikiki.

Okafor will start in the 2nd string when Pau is resting or can also sub for Bynum in the 3rd Q.

Here is my theory. I don't give so much credit for starters like others here. When I was young I used to watch coaches who used the bench warmers as the guys to start the game to warm up, then the veterans or the stars get into the flow gradually as everybody is warmed up. After a generation, the flow has changed as well as perception that if you are not a starter then you are not a stellar player. In the Boston series, our weakest link was our bench that is the portion when our margin of lead disappear because defensively there was something lacking in the 2nd string, not as good as the starters. Therefore, Okafor will be the 4th piston in the Laker engine running while the three pistons are on rest position. He sustains the lead by helping in rebounds and defense as he let the offensive players handle the attack. Emeka loves those rebound and follow ups in the low post.

Of course, Lamar can do those tasks as well but defensively I see Emeka with the edge. As they say, let us meet change with change. As you can see last season when Ariza arrived to the scene, he brought along new energy and change in defensive strategies compared to the time of cookie and evans. Afterwards, a change for the better with Pau Gasol, the offense became more aggressive. I wonder whether Emeka will change the defensive philosophy of the Lakers.

>>>Fisher/Farmar/Lue

I think you mean Yue. Tyronn Lue plays for some other team

A couple of things. I did not see any video from the Sparks game but Rick Mahorn pushing Lisa Leslie to the ground is classless. Just aweful. Also, who do the Lakers go after now for a reserve big man? Brian Skinner may not be bad. Mourning would be nice but I would be suprised if he came to LA.

Benjamin,

You would do well to remember just how hard it is to create a top level basketball team...and just how many teams fail, panic and deepen the hole.

Although you claim not to listen to the media you are opperating from a number of assumptions.

Kwame Brown was traded at the height of his value basically - half a season before his contract expired.

The reason we got Gasol,tyhe reason we contended last year was becasue the lakers never gave into the pressure and did something hasty.It takes time for the right deal...not one of the deals suggested in the previous two years were the right deal...Jason Kidd?

And Kobe basically felt we should trade Bynum and a poihnt where his value was basically low...so how much did the lakers irritate Kobe...he was frustrated becasue the team was getting to an elite level fast enough but if youa re going to create somethign out of nothing in a trade then the key ingredient is patience.Ive never seen thelakers aas 'lying ' to Kobe but more of a misunderstanding as to what constitutes a 'commitment to winning now'

Kobe felt it meant trading your assests away for the best possible thing RIGHT NOW....anyone who knows a thing about business knows this is a recipie for disaster in the medium and longer term.

As Jon K says...All execs will make mistakes becasue theres always an elemtn of gamble involved.The one thing the lakers have not done and that is add players to keep fans interested in the short term while knowing that it will never constitute a winning team.

And do you really know the ins and outs of the so called 'missed deals'?

Artest /Marion hmmm debateable if we actually want them both have serious character issues.

Do you really know we nearly didnt make the trade for Gasol?...or were they asking for Lamar or Bynum or Farmar until the deadline? You simply dont know.You are making alot of assumptions - alot of them media driven.

Remember sometimes the best deal are the ones you dont make.

I have full faith in the lakers...they've handled things briliiantly in recent years even if sometimes a good decision is somewhat disguised

One name. Six syllables. Infinite entertainment. :

Sla-va Med-ve-den-ko.

Make it work Mitch.

...

-bozz-

Bench

Good point Edwin. Didn't it just make you sick to your stomach to see those big leads the starters got a couple of games in the 1st evaporate in the 2nd with the bench on the floor.

All year long they talked about what a great bench we had.

As long as the bench was scoring, they did okay. But let them stop scoring, and bamn, their defense vanishes.

It's making more sense to let Lamar lead that bench next year as the 6th man. I would think we'll need a "tough" guy to throw in there too.

John

Ex,

That's the theory i have too. I think Phil will try starting LO at the 3, but Ariza's natural fit on the perimeter and better shot will eventually force LO to the bench.

But, that's a good thing. If either Gasol or Bynum pick up early fouls, we don't have much drop off. Also, consider the new and improved BENCH MOB... Farmar, Sasha, Rad, LO and (fill in the blank). That's a group of guys that can put up points in a hurry.

john_in_houston,

Actually, if I'm not mistaken, didn't the bench usually hold, and occasionally extend, the leads that the starters gave them during the course of the season? I remember Farmar and AB tearing it up when they'd play together, just two young guys having a ball. I think we just ran into a defensive beast in the Celtics, an older and more experienced team who knew how to handle the younger kids of LA.

And I think it was LO that ran the 2nd unit most of the time last year, so making him the 6th man really wouldn't do much to change that, I think.

-bozz-

Here is another news from Sam Amick of Sacto Bee on Mr. Bill:

http://www.sacbee.com/static/
weblogs/sports/kings/archives/014018.html

Sam has a mole inside the Kings organization, he's aware of what's going on or maybe he has tapped their phones and computers. I wish the KBros will be this active in the Lakers inner circle.

With regards to Bozz remarks on Emeka as a 2nd stringer, I think as a professional player you have to accept any task given to you as long as it is respectable. If you are a sub or 6th man, it doesn't mean you get less graces and indulgence from the Coach. The objective is to win not to massage the ego. If you watch again the six games against the Celtics, we really lost it due to lack of defense and weak mob bench. We were no match against the Celtics. You mentioned Farmar, was he inconsistent with his defense remembered for that one block the same with his offense. He was effective in some games but could not penetrate the low post in other games. Not his fault or lack of heart, he's too small and not yet ready to become Ray Allen stopper. Rajon Rondo was faster than him. Of course, it doesn't mean he cannot improve this year. I wish Okafor can be taken w/o exchanging LO but it doesn't work that way in NBA, in fact even with LO it'll be hard to convince MJ to that proposition.

Time is ticking on LO. Lakers wanted him but the price is just to high to maintain 4 high salaried individuals namely Kobe, Pau, soon Bynum and LO. Laker defense is what is lacking last season. People say Bynum is the solution, well true but after that long rest that knee is dicey, you need an insurance to go over the hump if it comes back or hopefully no more surprises in the offing w/ Dr Altchek. We lost Ronny Turiaf, the energy man not necessarily a player with lot of skills but a great motivator. Who will replace Ronny Turiaf?

MO Evans going to the Warriors. Wow, Chris Mullin is collecting scraps and gathering them to jump strt the Warriors. It appears that Stephen Jackson, Monta Ellis and Al Harrington as Biedrins have a mountain to climb to integrate the newcomers to the flow. They have now Ronny Turiaf, Maggette, Evans and Marcus Williams in replacing Davis, Barnes, Pietrus and possibly Azubuike. Will that bring them to the playoffs? Well maybe if Marco Bellinelli shine in this season.

Our team in the Summer League has a luckluster performance w/ 2W and 4 losses. Well choose 2 players out of the many to join the Lakers line up aside from Coby Karl. I think Joe Crawford is one although we have lots of guards in the Lakers line up today but that's a good insurance if we trade some of them in the future or possible lost of Sasha. The second one will be a toss up between Nik Caner-Medly, Sharrod Ford, Bryant Dunston and longshot, Lorenzo Mata-Real. See for yourself and make the choice from their individual stats.

http://www.nba.com/summerleague2008/team/index.jsp?team=lakers

Center and Power Forward

I just thought about something when I posted those potential starting and bench lineups. What happens if Bynum AND Mihm go down again to injury?

It could happen. Mihm hasn't had a healthy year since I don't know when. And everyone knows Bynum could get injured again. What if they both go down for the season again?

We have Gasol to play center again? Yes he did a superb job last year. But we got caught with not enough defense and toughness down low in the finals. We are definitey going to need to pick up a center or power forward that play very tough defense, or both. Both to be safe.

John

ALL-

I've been thinking lately, and although I know that's a risky way to spend time, I want to get some momentum going to encourage Staples Center to bring back the KILL BILL MUSIC for Kobe Bryant's hot streaks.

I hope some of you can get on the bandwagon and create a buzz around Laker Nation.

BRING BACK THE KILL BILL MUSIC FOR THE BLACK MAMBA!!!

Chldress overseas:

http://www.ajc.com/blogs/content
/shared-blogs/ajc/hawks/entries/
2008/07/23/childress_leave.html?
cxntfid=blogs_hawks

Word is Pistons interested in Ron Ron for Prince. Cross another 2 names off the list. Haven't posted in a while....just lurking alot. I'm sure Mitch is working the phones to the best of his ability. But remember 2 things-luxury tax is handcuffing him, and no one really wants to trade with us to help us get better. We were DARN lucky to get Pau for the price we paid. That was a gift. I don't think getting Kwamee on the cheap is such a bad thing-he knows the system (I guess!!). A bigs roatation of Drew/Pau/Kwamee wouldn't be bad. A 4's rotation of Pau/Radman/LO is pretty good. I think with the flexibility we'd be a match-up nightmare. I bet if Mitch could get rid of the Space Cadet or Luke, he'd do it in a NY minute. Ron Ron on the cheap isn't going to happen-Petrie is a pretty good GM and will stick it out. Okafor won't be anyones' 6th man-plus he'd be expensive. The only trade that'd get me excited is maybe the Matrix for LO. We wouldn't need to take back a bad contract, a better "3" fit for the team, and the perimeter defender we'd need to guard Pierce etc. Just my 3 cents.

We have been discussing Artest, Okafor, Kwame and Bynum and has taken for granted that this could be the last year of the great one, Kobe. That's a possibility isn't it? Right now, he's not happy with what happened with the departure of his friend, Ronny but he could understand the ramifications of contract offers, he was hoping that Lakers will seal the deal with Sasha but it has taken so long to get an agreement. Why so long? Long negotiations are not healthy when teams are in dire need to improve their line up. While it is true that there are no offers to Sasha in NBA, that could change in the next few days and that Khimki Moscow has been active in pirating disgruntled NBA players with their powerful Euro.

http://www.boston.com/sports
/basketball/articles/2008/07/23/
nba_king_kobe_looks_to_follow_jordans_path/

Boston.com gave Kobe all the props, that is something different than our lakers blog, we take him for granted and prop up Bynum who is not played since January.

John,

What will boston do if Peirce and Garnett go down with injuries they reaggravated from last year? Those are things you can't predict......but I do agree that they will likely get another big, don't be surprised if they just re-sign "tacos" to the minimum

I think we should all panic.

Who's with me?