Is Shannon Brown really the answer at the point?

The Lakers have reportedly agreed to terms with free agent guard Shannon Brown. The contract is worth $4.2 million over two years, with a player option on second year.

Apparently his agent told the LA Times that Brown turned down more money from the Indiana Pacers to come back to Los Angeles.

Brown was a self-described "throw-in" in the February trade that sent space-cadet Vladimir Radmanovich to the Charlotte Bobcats in exchange for Adam "cry baby" Morrison and the unknown Shannon Brown.

At the time, this was a deal that was strictly financial, as Adam Morrison had battled injuries all year and wasn't very ineffective in his role with the Bobcats. No one really knew that Shannon Brown would soon become a favorite among the Lakers fans.

In his first game donning the purple and gold, Shannon Brown amazed fans with his hops as he snatched a sure dunk from Mario West of the Atlanta Hawks.

The play resulted in a horrendous personal foul call, but people took notice of his athleticism. Mitch Kupchak actually saw something in Shannon Brown almost a month before the transaction as he put up 14 pts in 22 minutes against the Lakers, while with the Bobcats.

Brown would only put up 3.2 ppg in limited play but he shot 52% and shot very well from the three-point line, after it was thought he was only a slasher/athletic type who couldn't shoot. He also scored nearly 5 ppg in 13 minutes of play in the playoffs.

After all, Shannon was forced to shoot after his first Lakers practice. According to the OCRegister's Kevin Ding, Kobe found a wide open Brown in the corner, but he elected not to shoot. Immediately after Kobe told him to "Shoot the ****ng ball!"

This deal is a win-win situation for both parties. The Lakers get to see if Shannon Brown can become the point guard of the future, while Brown can decide to test the market out again after one year.

It's clear how much Phil Jackson liked Brown. He gave him a chance to guard the bigger point guards in the West in Deron Williams and Chauncey Billups, and Brown held his own. He's a good defensive guard, who can jump out of the gym, and does whatever is asked of him.

The real question is whether Mitch Kupchak can find a taker for Jordan Farmar. He's been a guy that Phil has clashed with on numerous occasions, and his absence would mean more playing time for Shannon Brown.

I'm not quite sure if Shannon Brown will be a permanent fixture for the Lakers at the point. It depends how long the triangle offense will be in effect, and if brown can develop a three point jump shot. I actually think he will, (Ariza only shot 31% last year from three) and I'm excited to see him back.

Thanks for reading, I'm Jonathan Khamis.

Great stuff again from Jonathan.

I think Shannon Brown at 4.2 million over 2 years is a GREAT deal. The Lakers desperately needed a reliable, explosively athletic, defensive-minded guard to backup Fisher and I firmly believe Shannon Brown can fill that role. If Brown continues to shoot the 3 pointer at a solid percentage, he'll be an invaluable asset off the bench.

I think Shannon fits in well with a second unit that includes (HOPEFULLY) Lamar, Walton, and Josh Powell. With Brown now committed to the 2nd unit, I think our guys can play with ANY bench squad in the league. With busts like Vujacic and Farmar still stealing paychecks from the team, I'm thrilled that the Lakers signed a guy who has proven to be capable on the defensive end, and at least has enough athleticism to make up for any deficiencies in his overall skill level. Again, 2.1 million per year is a great deal for a guy with as much upside as Shannon Brown. I like this move a lot.

Is he a point guard at all? How are his ball handling skills? Anyways I like the guy and glad he signed. Now we have a full year to see what he can do

Shannon Brown has adequate ball handling skills, even if he really is just an undersized 2 guard. One must remember that a traditional point guard really isn't necessary in the Triangle offense. We just need a player who's quick and strong enough to defend opposing teams' point guards and hit the open jump shot. Thus far Shannon Brown has proven that he can do these things.

I mean, when it really comes down to it, who do you want guarding guys like Chauncey Billups, Jameer Nelson, Deron Williams, or Tony Parker? Jordan "matador defense" Farmar or the athletic Shannon Brown? Remember, Shannon has a reputation as a defender. Farmar never will.

I want to see a lineup with Brown, Kobe, Artest, Gasol, and Bynum or Brown, Kobe, Artest, Odom, Gasol on the floor. Talk about lock-down defense! Woo!

Yup, but if he's angling for the point position he needs to have good ball handling/protection abilities. Unlike Farmar who is careless with the ball. There's time to work on that.

Yup, but if he's angling for the point position he needs to have good ball handling/protection abilities. Unlike Farmar who is careless with the ball. There's time to work on that.

Adequate ball handling skills is sufficient enough for the triangle offense. Anything extra is a bonus. During crunch time, who is that usually brings the ball up? Kobe or LO. This kid can jump through the roof if you need him to, play excellent defence and knock down the occasional three pointer and basically is a human highlight reel.

For $4.2 mill over 2 years, this was an excellent signing by the FO. Now all we need is LO to commit.

I love Brown...i think he has what it takes to take over for Fish when he leaves, now we need to focus on LO!!!

We need Heinrich at the point.

Shannon Brown can handle the ball well enough - like Lakerbloke said, in crunch time Kobe, LO, or Fisher end up bringing the ball up the court. He proved for a short period of time that he fits the triangle quite well. Yes he is still learning and should only improve with more minutes next season. Not sure where all the Hinrich talk is coming from - Does anyone watch the majority of the Bulls games??? He and Ray Felton seem to play well against LA, but not so well against the rest of the league - I have cursed Hinrich many nights watching the Bulls. He is under contract for 3 more years and 26.5 million...... Do you really think he is worth that - Artest, Ariza...approx 6mill a year and Lamar will probably sign for approx 25 mill for 3 years.....No way is Hinrich worth 8-9 mill a year.... Ramon Sessions or Jarrett Jack are way better options for LA.

bholland,

Hinrich is a PERFECT fit for the Lakers. He's a young, hard working, defensive-minded, 3 point shooting point guard who plays under control and can facilitate the offense. Sure, he's had some bad years with Chicago, but playing alongside guys like Kobe, Gasol, Odom, and Artest, a guy like Hinrich would be absolutely INCREDIBLE. You have to remember, some players just need to be in the right system to flourish. Many of us here on the LTB forums believe that Hinrich would be spectacular in Phil's system. For the last few years, that's why we've been desperately craving for the Lakers to acquire him.

Well, we were calling for Artest for a few years before we got him. Maybe next season you'll get your wish and the big move will be Hienrich. I don't know much about the guy myself. So other than this I cannot comment further. But I respect the opinions of those of you who are lobbying for him to come to LA. So I'll take that to be a good indication he should be here and therefore support your idea.

i see your point about the right guy in the right system. I don't feel Hinrich would be good for LA, especially making 9 million a year. He is under contract anyway for 3 more seasons. I guess i have just watched too many bulls games, but playing next to Kobe, Pau, and Lamar would make things easier for sure.

For the Triangle, YES he is the answer at the point for this Laker team?

Ray Felton, G (25)

PER: 13.80

Felton has been a 14/7 guy the last three seasons, but his shooting (41% from the field, 29% from long range) is fairly brutal. He’s a pretty good playmaker and his overall efficiency would benefit if he focused more on distribution than scoring. He spent much of last season playing out of position alongside D.J. Augustin in the backcourt, but given the right situation and the right guidance, he has the potential to be a very good point guard. His rep is bigger than his game right now, which might lead to a wake up call when it’s time to talk turkey.

Value: $4.5 - $5.5 million per year

I'm thinking, as the pple you mention are not signable without big bucks or major moves, the Lakers will probably just try to shore up the bench a bit and see how things go with what they have. They know now they are going to the playoffs so they dont have to panic. If they need to do something then they have time before the trade deadline. However keep one other thing in mind. THe only time the Lakers get good trades or help is when we get lucky enough to receive a gift like Pau and Artest. Most teams won't deal good players to us because they do not want to help LA in any way. So it's probably not as easy as we think to pull these deals off. Our best ploy is going after unrestricted free agents, which is what we got in Artest.

Ramon Sessions (Bucks) or Ronnie Price or Tyronne Lue

The way Brandon Jennings asserted himself into this league with more off-court scandals than Ricky Rubio the Bucks are likely to deal him over Ramon Sessions. In my opinion. Ronnie Price might take peanuts and a Laker-T, hes got fire in him. Wouldn't mind having him. Tyronne Lue had his 15 minutes of fame already.

On the topic, Brown has long arms, big hands, and a low center of gravity for guys his size. Who else has those attributes? Lamar Odom, and he can definitely handle the rock with relative ease when asked to. Brown is an incredibly undervalued asset to have.

maybe a sign and trade for Sessions? The Lakers trade Farmar and Morrison. Wishful thinking

Guys we might already have our man in Brown, with Farmar as the distant 3rd option if they don't trade him, for garbage time. They may know more about that than we do and have already planned to move Brown into that position. If that's the case it might be better to set sights on a better back up center and forget the PG for now. Whaddya think?

^I...think...you may be on to something.

Anything more in the paint would be taking quality minutes from one of our impact Big men, thats bad unless we are banking on a freak injury. Could happen for sure.

Fisher's 5mil will be off the books after this year, so look at it like we get a 5mil discount on whatever PG we choose to make moves on ala Hinrich/Duhon/Udrih next season.

unless Fish signs on again for a few more years

Hinrich should be target A for the Lakers, where as Duhon could be a distant target B. I absolutely DETEST Udrih's game and I don't see him as a starter for the Lakers. I see little to no defense from that guy and a streaky offensive game. Avoid Udrih like the plague! Let the Kings put their hopes in that guy because I think he's garbage.

Shepherd is right. With Farmar in the doghouse, I see Brown getting a REAL opportunity to show his stuff this year. Brown could be the answer as the future starting point guard, and if he isn't, we've got all year and next summer to find one.

ummmm...it was Shepherd (me) who said that. But thanks for agreeing with me. Seems right to me whoever says it

Sorry, Shepherd. You're right, you said that about Brown being our guy. My fault. Corrected.

With Artest in place, I would concider getting rid of LO and bringing in Heinrich at the point.

i dont think the bulls are willing to let go of hinrich now tho esp with gordon gone.

Well, I don't think Shannon Brown is a pg. But if he improves his game, who knows, he could be our next Derek Fisher. I'm not a fan of him playing pg, but I would love to be wrong. We'll get to really see what he's about this year.

wow, really? I like Hinrich, but I would definitely put more value in LO than him. The pg problem is not so bad that I'd ever consider needing to give up Odom for one. We have this entire year to figure things out, and if Jordan and Brown suck this season, then we can freak out over the pg issue. As of right now, I think we're fine with what we've got.

I'll gotta go with you there Sammi.