Back to the motherland? Or at least the mother continent?
Those Sasha Vujacic negotiations aren't going all that well, it seems, and the LAT's Steve Springer reports that Sasha is prepared to take a deal in Europe if the Lakers won't pony up. How much of this is posturing, it's hard to say- I'm not in the room in which negotiations are taking place- but it's a credible threat, given Vujacic's roots and the recent decision by former Hawks forward Josh Childress to play in Greece.
Having lost Ronny Turiaf, to then lose Sasha would do some serious damage to the team's depth, a strength last season for sure. The pair would also need to be replaced, meaning they'll have to pay someone (with the unavoidable luxury tax penalties), and looking over the free agent lists, the possibilities aren't enticing. I'd encourage them not to get too stuck on a few million here, especially on a player who fills some very specific needs (outside shooting, aggressive-if-not-always-intelligent play defensively) and unlike Turiaf, played a lot of important fourth quarter minutes last season.
More from Janis Carr of the OC Register.
Stay tuned.
BK
>>>You're crazy! Karl isn't ready to step into Sasha's role.
And for the second season in a row I'm called crazy for my
comments about Sahsa.
:-)
Posted by: Long Time Laker Fan | July 25, 2008 at 10:56 AM
An L.A. Times thought from Jerry Crowe:
"The Lakers, in danger of losing Sasha Vujacic, probably wish they could get back the money they lavished on Luke Walton, who signed a six-year, $30-million contract last summer and then rarely lived up to it last season. ...
Brent Barry, who owns a home in Hermosa Beach, would have been a great Plan B should Vujacic bolt, but the Houston Rockets signed him two weeks ago. ...
Mitch Kupchak and the Lakers, by the way, still have as many as five roster spots to fill -- they have 10 players under contract -- and already are on the hook for $75.1 million next season, about $4 million over the luxury-tax threshold. ..."
_______________
I think that pretty much says it all. I would have been nice to sign Sasha at 5 million for, at the most, 3 seasons but with Walton on the books for 5 more seasons...it doesn't make sense, especially with up to 5 more roster spots to fill and already being 4 million in luxuary taxes.
mike tl
Posted by: Michael C. Teniente | July 25, 2008 at 10:58 AM
Bruno: Letting go of Sasha is a NICHT-NICHT.
Posted by: ninotchka | July 25, 2008 at 11:00 AM
Charles,
I never heard of the package of Gordon and Deng. Who would you trade those two for?
Posted by: Multi Posting Stormer | July 25, 2008 at 11:02 AM
Jamie Sweet,
>>>I think anyone who is predicting that Coby Karl will
>>>have break out year and contribute as much as Sasha
>>>did last year is deluding themselves.
This is SUCH a deja vu from last summer.
Coby's not going to be as good as Sasha was last year, but
he will be good enough if Sasha goes for the big bucks instead
of the NBA Championship.
Oh, BTW, I'm not predicting a breakout season for Coby. I think
he'll be somewhere between where Sasha was last season
and where Sasha was the year before... but I AM predicting
a breakout season for Luke Walton.
(he said, waiting for his fellow bloggers to send the men in
white coats after him)
Posted by: Long Time Laker Fan | July 25, 2008 at 11:02 AM
Mike T. is a troglodyte who wishes for players he thinks take playing time from Kwame Brown to get hurt.
You're a troglodyte Mike T.
Posted by: "Pig" Miller | July 25, 2008 at 11:05 AM
Mike T,
>>>Do you keep the 2.6 million in luxuary tax
You're very confused here. If Sasha doesn't sign with the
Lakers, the qualifying offer counts toward the salary cap,
but NOT towards the luxury tax. Only salaries that are actually
paid count toward the luxury tax.
Posted by: Long Time Laker Fan | July 25, 2008 at 11:08 AM
Mike T,
"That qualifing offer the Lakers made to Sasha stays on the books even if Sasha goes to Europe. It would be better if Sasha got an offer from an NBA team. That way Sasha comes off the Lakers books. So here's the question. Do you keep the 2.6 million in luxuary tax and watch Sasha go to Europe? Or do you up the offer another 2.4 million and keep Sasha? 2.6 plus 2.4 is 5 million. We're 4 million into luxury tax right now with the qualifing offer. Now we're saying up that to 6 million in luxuary taxes with only 11 players on the roster. And we haven't even addressed the defensive ends of the team. We have 4 or 5 more roster spots to fill. How much luxuary tax are the Lakers going to pay?"
Just an FYI. I checked around to clarify, and a qualifying offer to Sasha would count against the Laker salary cap, but won't actually count towards the luxury tax. It doesn't "double," the way Ronny's salary would have if the Lakers had matched Golden State. In other words, it's just 2.6 on their payroll and limits their cap space, but that doesn't really matter, since the Lakers wouldn't have the cap space to do anything anyway, save MLE, vet min, etc.
AK
Posted by: Andrew Kamenetzky | July 25, 2008 at 11:09 AM
Charles,
>>>Elton Brown replacement for Turiaf?
Not quite. Elton Brown is only 6'7", so he's not going to be
backing up center any time soon. But he wouldn't be a bad
guy to have at minimum salary as a backup PF.
Posted by: Long Time Laker Fan | July 25, 2008 at 11:10 AM
Well I'm a long time reader first time poster and here is my take on whats going on.
Did Sasha give the Lakers one heck of a year? Indeed he did.
Is the Lakers' F/O afraid of getting burned again ala' Luke and Rado? Indeed they are.
Am I hoping they resign him? Absolutley. After years of catching crap from the rest of my friends by backing Sasha, it was kinda nice to be finally vindicated this season.
Oh and on a side note L.A. Daily News has this up on Bynum.....so at least there is some good news there.
http://www.dailynews.com/ci_9987372?source=rss
Posted by: The Infamous El Guapo | July 25, 2008 at 11:13 AM
Laker management, if you read blogger posts please listen up. Sasha is the 5th most important guy on the team (and this past year he was the 4th best). Kobe,Gasol,Bynum, and Odom are your consistent stat fillers on the team clearly. Fish is the intangible piece that every team needs.
But Sasha is the guy that provides the spacing on the floor. Vlade should be doing it but he's not. Fish should be doing it but he's not. Walton, well don't get me started. Point is, Sasha jacks that shot up quicker than anyone I've ever seen play the game. That makes the other team have to stay close to him, no sagging off. And the way he made those shots last year, plus factor in the fact he's improving every year- he is soooo important to this team that its not even funny.
Mitch and the Buss family let me say this now. Come the beginning of the season, Steven A, and every other loud mouth with airtime is going to understand why you let Turiaf go. 8 million for a backup who will barely play (considering everybody is healthy) doesn't make financial sense. However, they will ALL say that the Lakers are going to struggle without Sasha because defense is going to sag off of perimeter players. Double teaming big men, making them ineffective. Clogging up the lane making Kobe take jumpers. All the advantages the Lakers have will be cancelled out because of NO OUTSIDE SHOOTING THREAT.
So what's the solution if our salary cap is going to look like the knicks in 5 years? I know the alternative. Look Vlade and Luke miight be good again and they might not. And realisticly, Sasha could turn into a Walton once he gets his money. But the truth is all three of these guys know the triangle. They are all good guys (well vlade im not too sure about yet). And they know that to get playing time, YOU GOTTA PLAY. The incentive is there.
The solution- buy Sasha for 4 million for 4 years or something like that. But 2.6 for 1 year is an insult. Throw a better deal out there NOW. Sasha wants to be a Laker. But he doesn't want to be a fool. Treat him like he's valuable and show the man some respect. You asked him to get better and he did. We know finances are tight, and that you don't want your budget to look like the knicks in 5 years, but let's face it- you have quality people. And Mitch, you did a great job last year. I luv u man. Keep up the good work. Keep Sasha and worry bout the rest later, because if you get a ring next year- its all good.
Posted by: johnnyboy | July 25, 2008 at 11:13 AM
Benny Blanca
"the other" Elton played for our summer league team last year.
Slip up. I did mean summer league-e. I would have loved for us to have him during the Las Vegas games.
Posted by: Charles | July 25, 2008 at 11:13 AM
Does anyone think that Kobe has any say about Kwame coming back?
Kwame is a nice guy but a terrible basketball player. He is emotionally soft and cannot perform under pressure. If changes are coming why revisit the past.
While it was blatanly obvious that the Lakers couldn't stop anyone in the finals, let's keep it in perspective.
1. The NBA is fixed and
2. The Celtics have 3 franchise players in their starting line up.
In this league, you need intense, focused, hardworking and disciplined players on your roster before David Stern awards you a championship.
Posted by: MJCMAN32 | July 25, 2008 at 11:15 AM
"Just an FYI. I checked around to clarify, and a qualifying offer to Sasha would count against the Laker salary cap, but won't actually count towards the luxury tax. it doesn't "double," the way Ronny's salary would have if the Lakers had matched Golden State. In other words, it's just 2.6 on their payroll and limits their cap space, but that doesn't really matter, since the Lakers wouldn't have the cap space to do anything anyway, save MLE, vet min, etc."
It's still money on the books the Lakers have to deal with. The way they're over the luxuary tax anyway it just causes problems to have 2.6 million on the books in anyway shape or form.
mike
Posted by: Michael C. Teniente | July 25, 2008 at 11:16 AM
Long Time Laker Fan,
I meant for Turiaf and Elton Brown to be a PF. With Gasol- Bynum-Mihm, I would have never assumed either player would have be playing in the 5 spot.
Thanks
Posted by: Charles | July 25, 2008 at 11:17 AM
Making room for Artest and....
Posted by: MJCMAN32 | July 25, 2008 at 11:18 AM
WHERE IS SASHA GOING?
I have only read the links above, which neither article states or mentions WHICH euro team has an offer for Sasha...Does anyone know where he is potentialy going and for what price?
I mean, what are the lakers going up against ?
Posted by: ninotchka | July 25, 2008 at 11:19 AM
mike t,
reading too deep into the darius mile situation. lakers taking their time and staying tight lipped on bynum because of his immense potential. rushing bynum back is the worse thing they could do, even worse than the luke and vlad deals...
______________________
kwame brown is not coming back.
coby karl might be asked to try to fill the role of sasha (pretty much catch and shoot), should sasha bounce to europe.
why is everybody acting like sasha is a playmaker or facilitator? he's a catch and shoot euro. he's hyper on defense, but to no avail...he's a smaller version of radmanovic. point blank.
asking coby karl to catch & shoot isn't that difficult. it will all come down to karl's ability to make jumpshots consistently.
what do you think brent barry is? catch & shoot.
_________________
only way lakers re-sign sasha is if vlad or luke are traded in the next week...but who's gonna take those guys? maybe the knicks???
_________________
ideal move: trade vlad & farmar for ronny artest. let lamar and his inflated salary walk after next summer...and re-sign artest...
the nba. where b.s. trades can happen...
Posted by: tha show | July 25, 2008 at 11:21 AM
humanomaly,
You got be kidding compare Rodman with Kwame. Tell me you're kidding, right? One of the best rebounder in the history of NBA with someone who who can not hold the in his hands for 1 sec?
Posted by: LAL_Fan | July 25, 2008 at 11:21 AM
Mike T,
I'm just giving you (and anyone else who might read it) the correct information for how qualifying offers work. There's a big difference between having to pay under 3 mil (no tax) and over five (with it), should the Lakers decide it's worth paying the former to retain Sasha's rights, either for themselves or to work a trade down the road. And again, aside from actually paying the 2.6, this doesn't really hurt their cap situation much, since they won't have a ton of space for a while as it is.
AK
Posted by: Andrew Kamenetzky | July 25, 2008 at 11:23 AM
puddle,
>>>Losing Sasha would hurt because there is nothing out
>>>there, no free agents, that would or could replace him.
Uh, okay, let's address that one.
How about JR Smith.
Restricted free agent for Denver.
6'6" shooting guard
22 years old
hit 40% of his 3-pointers and 46% overall last season
PER of 18.15 (higher than Sasha's)
Not quite as good a defender as Sasha, though he's more athletic.
Denver just dumped Camby and they're still in the luxury
tax. If the Lakers offered Smith anywhere near the MLE,
or maybe even the amount they're offering Sasha, I'm not
sure Denver would match.
Posted by: Long Time Laker Fan | July 25, 2008 at 11:24 AM
We need to showcase Luke and Vlad. Some wannabe playoff team will make the trade for one of them during the season.
In the meantime, get Sasha signed.
Posted by: Rocky | July 25, 2008 at 11:27 AM
Infamous El Guapo,
>>>Oh and on a side note L.A. Daily News has this up on
>>>Bynum.....so at least there is some good news there.
>>>http://www.dailynews.com/ci_9987372?source=rss
Bynum's agent saying he is completely healthy is useless.
Mihm's agent said he was completely healthy last summer.
An agent will say whatever it takes (including lying) to get
the maximum amount of money he can get for his client.
The Lakers aren't so easily persuaded. They're waiting to
see how Andrew does in the pre-season before offering an
extension.
And by the way, Andrew doesn't seem to be insulted by that.
Posted by: Long Time Laker Fan | July 25, 2008 at 11:28 AM
Good apology Mike T.
Posted by: puddle | July 25, 2008 at 11:30 AM
Mike T,
>>>It's still money on the books the Lakers have to deal
>>>with. The way they're over the luxuary tax anyway it
>>>just causes problems to have 2.6 million on the books in
>>>anyway shape or form.
huh?
It's not on any "books" unless Sasha accepts it. It's what's
called a "cap hold". The only way it would possibly have
any impact on the Lakers situation is if they became under
the salary cap. Do you expect them to do that any time soon?
The only way it will happen is if they let both Lamar and
Drew walk. I know you WANT that to happen, but it won't.
And even if they did get under the salary cap and wanted
the extra 2.6 million in cap space, they can waive the offer
at any time.
With the Lakers current salary situation, there is no negative
aspect of keeping the qualifying offer out there for Sasha.
Posted by: Long Time Laker Fan | July 25, 2008 at 11:32 AM
puddle,
"You're crazy! Karl isn't ready to step into Sasha's role. You can't go from being a D-Leaguer to a huge contributer (the 6th man, in fact) in one season
Sasha did this. He didn't hang out in the D-League, but he should have. He sucked before this season.
Posted by: Andrew Z | July 25, 2008 at 11:33 AM
LOL!
OK, AK. I see your points.
mike t.
Posted by: Michael C. Teniente | July 25, 2008 at 11:33 AM
Charles,
>>>>>Laker Tom - Dave M, I do believe Ding How is a racial pundit.
>>>>>But how do you deal with it on this blog? I have fun with it.
I agree. That’s what Dave and I do also. Just have fun with it. It’s like Edwin said, if we don’t have a enough sense of humor to laugh at ourselves, it’s going to be a long day.
Tom
Posted by: LakerTom | July 25, 2008 at 11:35 AM
Once again Mike T. ignores everything but what supports his argument.
"Lakers center Andrew Bynum was in Los Angeles earlier this week, working for the Lakers team doctors and was cleared for everything, according to his agent David Lee."
The Lakers aren't hiding anything, and neither is Bynum. Lakers team doctors have seen Bynum and cleared him for everything.
Your pipe dream about Kwame coming back to the Lakers and Andrew being injured again so that Kwame can start is nothing but the lunacy of an obsessed imbecile. Bynum will be the starter and one of the top centers in the league by the end of next year Mike. He'll be bigger, and stronger, and faster, and better than Kwame will ever be because he works hard and doesn't suck at basketball.
Twirp.
Posted by: "Pig" Miller | July 25, 2008 at 11:35 AM
Mike T,
No worries. And you may be right that they decide it's not worth the money at all. I'm just saying, it's not quite as grave financially to keep extending the qualifying offers as you originally thought.
AK
Posted by: Andrew Kamenetzky | July 25, 2008 at 11:36 AM
I think this is the type of situation where Kobe ought to call Dr. Buss and compel him to sign Sasha. Considering what we're paying Walton and Rad, 5mil per year for 4-5 years is totally reasonable. There's no reason to be cheap with a player that would be perfectly comfortable playing in Europe. 1 extra mil per year is hardly going to break the Lakers back. It's ridiculous that it's held up things that far.
I can't believe someone suggested signing Evans for the full MLE instead of signing Sasha who is asking for less. Do team in their right minds would offer Evans anywhere near that much.
So Kobe, please, make the call. The organization bends over backward when they think you're unhappy. You need to make this happen.
Finally, if he can be had for cheap, I favor bringing in Kwame to take Turiaf's role. We can use the extra muscle so long as he isn't expected to score or even touch the ball on offense. Mihm may never be able to be productive in the league again so if Kwame can be had for cheap, I say get him.
Posted by: bum | July 25, 2008 at 11:37 AM
I see some things never change on this board....which is why I have been gone so long. I see that Mike T is still trying to shove Kwame Brown down everybody's throats.
He is using as his main argument, an article on the internet which quotes Tex Winter while also saying that the coaching staff thought more of Kwame Brown than the fans did. He is also using the Finals as a strong part of his argument. Well, for the sake of getting back into the swing of things on here, I would like to offer a comment concerning what Mike T has said and thinks.
First, Phil Jackson nor Tex Winter make the decisions for the team. If they did, the roster would look much different right now....including not having Kobe Bryant on it. To act as if the coaching staff is in charge of the decisions shows an ignorant approach to viewing how the Lakers organization is run and always has been run. Plus, although the article does cite Tex's comments and mentions some feelings from teh coaching staff, there is not nearly enough there to conclude that the Lakers are strongly seeking the return of Kwame. They have talked more favorable about others in the past that haven't been acquired.
Secondly, I would just like to state that a major reason why Kwame would not be a wise pickup has little to do with the Finals this past year and more to do with the earlier rounds. Kwame has yet to consistently demonstrate an effectiveness against any of the West power teams. With him on the squad getting significant minutes, it is quite possible that the Lakers won't even be around for the Finals. He has had ENOUGH time to prove his worth and hasn't done it yet!!! Plus, while some are suggesting the necessity of using the Celtics as the measuring stick, I have doubts that they will even be in the Finals themselves next season. If the Lakers structure their whole team around the Celtics and the Celtiics don't return....what might that mean? The team they might meet instead could be totally different and cause them different problems because they have structured themselves for the Celtics.
Posted by: JJ | July 25, 2008 at 11:38 AM
Posted by: Long Time Laker Fan
How about JR Smith.
Problem is then you're really rolling the dice. Remember, Denver has 7 days to match; so the LAkers hands will be tied for all 7 days. If the Lakers made Smith an offer, Sasha would without a doubt sign overseas that same day. Then if Denver matches, you're left with nobody. And who knows how many other FA two guards will be taken in a week as well.
Posted by: | July 25, 2008 at 11:42 AM
whoa... revisionist history going on here. Everybody said Sasha was lights out in practice years before he broke out this year and figured out how to translate that to games. I've NEVER heard how Coby Karl was "lights out" during practice. You guys can bag on Sasha's defense but... the dude was a absolute pest, just very annoying for guys to play against. I don't see how you think you can just plug Coby Karl into Sasha's slot and think you will get anything more than 25% of what Sasha used to do.
However... I'm not going to fall down and weep if we lose Sasha, there's other guys out there who could fill his slot, like I've said, we were looking at Luther Head as a backup PG last year, he could fill in as we will now have Ariza who could play against the other team's SG/SF, possibly even against PG's.
Odom's contract is the bigger issue here. Everybody knows it, everybody likes Lamar but... you can't pay somebody $14m/season to come off the bench and expect to keep everybody else. Something has to give here. You would think the Lakers are going to make sure Bynum is ok before doing anything with Odom so... there's your big holdup.
Posted by: Kwaminus as Anne Hathaway in the Princess Diaries | July 25, 2008 at 11:43 AM
LAL-Fan,
Sorry, I wasn't kidding, but I wasn't thinking, I was only thinking of Brown as the 15th man, not the 3rd man, I am the greatest fan of Rodman's to this day!!!! I apologize to you and to anyone else who read my post. I was only thinking of Brown as filler material, as a guy to give a foul, we all know he can't hold a ball. When I said Rodman didn't play offense, I used that to justify why Brown could be used, "Just stay outa the way".....but Rodman was always there for his rebounds. As in my previous post. I believe they could have used him in the year of 4 hall of famers, but his previous stint made mitch keep him out while PJ was probably interested. I apologize, and will go to my corner and stay there for a while as punishment. And I retract, there is better filler out there than Brown....we don't need him, we don't need to revisit history, or we may get Aaron McKie back....who we don't need, just as we don't need Rush. I'm off to the penalty box.......
Posted by: humanomaly | July 25, 2008 at 11:43 AM
Sasha is worth every penny the Lakers don't give. Does that make sense?
Posted by: Fire32 | July 25, 2008 at 11:44 AM
We've seen Kwame Brown play terrible, but we've also seen him go 20 and 10. In the playoffs versus the Suns, he was fairly effective.
Whereas in the past we've been forced to rely on his play good or bad, now with Bynum and Gasol we've got the ability to sit him indefinately when he's stinking up the join. Or, reward him with extra minutes when he shows up. What kind of Kwame will show up with no expectations and little pressure?
Posted by: bum | July 25, 2008 at 11:48 AM
LTLF,
I was thinking the same thing about JR Smith. I liked how he got into it with Kobe during the Denver series, it showed some guts (even though he got torched). He also just put on the USA Olympic Select Team, which is a pretty big honor. If Sasha walks, I go after Smith, I doubt Denver matches.
It sure would be nice to have someone who could create their own shot off the dribble, that's for sure. Dude would be up for 6th Man of the Year.
Posted by: Andrew Z | July 25, 2008 at 11:49 AM
Long Time,
>>>>> And by the way, Andrew doesn't seem to be insulted by that.
Why should he be? Nobody on the blog, even me, thinks there is anything wrong with the Lakers wanting to make sure Drew is fully recovered before signing an extension. In fact, Drew’s agent basically agreed with this. I know you were just pulling my chain but I can’t just post about Kwame any more. It’s too crazy. Like you said, we’re together on Drew signing this summer but just differ on the amount. That’s good for me, too.
Thanks for the link. Here is the content to make it easier on everyone to relax a little about Drew:
>>>>>
Lakers center Andrew Bynum was in Los Angeles earlier this week, working for the Lakers team doctors and was cleared for everything, according to his agent David Lee.
Bynum is now down in Atlanta working out with his personal trainer. The Lakers, Lee said, have a standing invitation to drop in on Bynum down in Atlanta and see his progress.
"He's absolutely fine, he's going to come in as a beast," Lee said. "He's got no atrophy anywhere. The kid's in great shape. Maybe it comes with being 20 years of age."
As for the negotiations on Bynum's contract status, Lee said that the discussions have been tabled until September.
"We aren't going to talk again until September until they have a chance to see what they're getting," Lee said.
"But I don't have any concerns about it." Lee said that once negotiations begin, it was "very important" that the extension be completed by the time the season starts. Lee will be seeking a max (five year, $80 million) extension for his young center. "I know what we want, I know what the rest of the league thinks of Andrew. I just hope the Lakers are on the same page," Lee said.
>>>>>>>
http://www.dailynews.com/ci_9987372?source=rss
Tom
Posted by: LakerTom | July 25, 2008 at 11:52 AM
Gino,
I don't know if Coby Karl's defense is as good as Sasha's.
GO LAKERS!
Posted by: Jon K. | July 25, 2008 at 11:52 AM
SASHA versus COBY:
>> Experience - Sasha
>> Footspeed - Coby
>> Length - Sasha
>> Athleticism - Even
>> Shooting - Sasha - Coby just needs the minutes.
>> Release - Sasha's is quicker.
>> Work Ethic - Slight edge to Coby.
>> Basketball IQ - Coby.
>> Defense - Coby - Yes, I'm serious. Coby's anticipation on defense is better than Sasha's.
>> Compensation - Coby
>> Competitiveness - Even
>> Hair - Sasha
>> Nickname - Sasha
>> Annoyance Factor - Sasha - One of the best in the league. Unfortunately, he annoys his teamates as well.
>> Leadership - N/A
>> Potential - Even
FINAL SCORE - 7 to 5 - SASHA
Posted by: LAKER TRUTH | July 25, 2008 at 11:53 AM
"Lakers center Andrew Bynum was in Los Angeles earlier this week, working for the Lakers team doctors and was cleared for everything, according to his agent David Lee."
You keep ingnoring the fact that this information is coming from Bynum's agent.
I mean don't you get a little suspicious when you read:
"Bynum is now down in Atlanta working out with his personal trainer. The Lakers, Lee said, have a standing invitation to drop in on Bynum down in Atlanta and see his progress."
Why would the Lakers need an "open invitation" to see Bynum's progress when they have their own team doctors? Why would the Lakers need to go to Atlanta when Bynum is a Lakers' employee and could have him just come to Los Angeles for a full work-out?
Why give an "open invitation"? That's suspicious to me. Then you combine that with the HIPAA privacy rule and it just seems like there's a lot that's not being said.
I mean for the Lakers to be toying with the idea of bring Kwame Brown back, knowing how they would react, says there are concerns.
If you can't see that...explaining stuff like this to you is kind of like paying Sasha 5 million a year when one no else in the NBA is offering that type of money. It just doesn't make sense.
mike t.
Posted by: Michael C. Teniente | July 25, 2008 at 11:53 AM
JJ!
Great to see you posting.
Don't let Michael T. and all the Kwame talk dissuade you. Your insight is appreciated.
GO LAKERS!
Posted by: Jon K. | July 25, 2008 at 11:54 AM
and again I would say that you are holding Kwame Brown to an outrageous standard vs any other crappy backup in the league.
I see people saying they would take DJ MBenga or Jamaal Magloire or Brian Skinner over Kwame! LOL! You guys still hold the #1 pick thing along with all the other high expectations against Kwame. The very NAME Kwame Brown drives you into a frenzy.
And the thing that really cracks me up is, you guys can NEVER name a better backup that is available. Oh, Kwame this, Kwame that... yet... you can't come up with anybody better BECAUSE THERE ISN'T ANYBODY BETTER AVAILABLE!
Hello? That IS the whole point of what the "pro" Kwame group has been saying. There ain't nobody else BETTER available. Would you seriously take Brian Skinner over Kwame? You'd regret it after game ONE.
LOL!
Posted by: Kwaminus I don't fit in a Toyota Yaris Brownicus | July 25, 2008 at 11:55 AM
does some have phone for me to make phone call at los angeles lakers mitch k. i cannot get feedback from kementskis brothers. no feedback on los angeles times lakers blogs background colors. no feedback on image next to blogs names. as spokes person for los angeles times lakers blogs i will use my schedule to attempt phone call.
ding how in prattville ok
Posted by: ding how in prattville | July 25, 2008 at 11:56 AM
If David Lee screws up the Lakers keeping Bynum, I better never see him in a dark alley.
GO LAKERS!
Posted by: Jon K. | July 25, 2008 at 11:58 AM
"Once again Mike T. ignores everything but what supports his argument.
"Lakers center Andrew Bynum was in Los Angeles earlier this week, working for the Lakers team doctors and was cleared for everything, according to his agent David Lee."
Are you IGNORING that what you posted as your support for your argument is coming from Bynum's agent?
Are you IGNORING the fact that it's a player's agent's job to paint a rosey scenario to get the most for his client?
mike t.
Posted by: Michael C. Teniente | July 25, 2008 at 11:59 AM
Denver gave up camby, if they lose smith they would lose
The NBA team with the most tattoos per square inch title. Don't think they're willing to do that.
Posted by: Fire32 | July 25, 2008 at 12:02 PM
Sign Sasha!
At least he has a little fire in the belly vs some of the other players we have on the team.
If not,
I better see Artest in a Laker uniform to offset my anger!
BD
Posted by: BD | July 25, 2008 at 12:08 PM
For Faith's sake, sign Sasha!
Sonnybelfast
Posted by: Sonnybelfast | July 25, 2008 at 12:10 PM