The Official 2013 Lakers Offseason Thread (P. 2)

You need to have young cheap players on your team. Also, these guys need to develop we just can't let them walk.

I am going to stay on a positive note.

From the night we got the decision regarding Phil Jackson/D'Antoni, we knew we were in trouble. Old guys and a coach who (1) doesn't substitute players on his team during a game, and (2) runs the old guys too much for their age, resulting in an outcome we all knew was likely - an injured team that bombed - when compared with our expectations (which are probably unreal anyway).

So the number one question is, who will coach the team next year? Did D'Antoni make such a good impression, based on anything he did this season, to justify him remaining as Head Coach? How much influence does Jeanne have over the Board of Directors? Can Phil become the President of Basketball Talent Selection for the Lakers? Will Jim Buss remain, in spite of his results this season? Stay tuned. This should be real interesting.

The first question we need to ask, is whether Jim Buss and Mike D'Antoni will remain in their present positions. I'm trying to figure out how D'Antoni is going to blame the results this season on Gary Vitti.

@DwightHoward: Im still upset about tonights game and the way this season ended. Im mad I lost my cool. Im sorry for letting my team and our fans down when they needed me the most. If there’s one thing I’ve learned this year its that I need to be more responsible for my actions and learn to “breathe”! (Maybe I will take up yoga and come back calmer or @charliesheen can help me with my anger management) But despite our tough season, it is an honor being a member of a team with this amazing history & the best fans in the league! I hope I get the chance to make it up to you!” Thank u la.

https://twitter.com/dwighthoward/status/328777310587203584

Howard's comment is serious evidence of the maturity he has gained this year. Looks like we probably won't go through what Orlando did last year.

Dwight needs to work on his freethrows in the offseason, and come back a seriously consistent 80% FT shooter. That is the weakpoint in his game. As a human being, I like the guy. And he really is talented. Just still somewhat raw talent. This season was so bizzare that I doubt he learned anything on the floor this year. BUT, next year he will be ready to go, without the back problem.

In my perfect world, Phil Jackson works with Mitch to create a new superteam with young talent surrounding Dwight. Because of the CBA, they almost have to get rid of almost everyone. Kobe's got another contract coming up. We haven't been told the nature of his injury. I have a Doctor friend who told me there are 2 kinds of Achilles injuries - one is where the tendon just pulls away from the bone, but it remains in good shape. Those are fixed fairly easily and recovery is very good. The other kind of Achilles injury is where the tendon actually shreads because of the loads on it. The fibers come apart. Those are devastating injuries that last a long time and are never right later. But we haven't been told which kind of tear Kobe has. That would have an impact on everything, because his salary will seriously impact the remaining players, because of the lower salary cap, and what Kobe will demand in salary if he returns to the Lakers. It is very possible that Kobe is done in LA. But if it is the kind of injury where the tendon just pulls away from the bone, he may be back very strong next season (but he will have to really work in rehab to get back to the condition he was in this year.

It's going to be very interesting to see how this all plays out this year.

1.) Dwight re-signs with the Lakers 2.) If priority #1 works out, trade Gasol for smaller more affordable pieces and depth. 3.) MWP either opts out or is amnestied 4.) Sell high on Steve Blake (draft pick, cap space, depth for another position 5.) Aggressively chase free agents/players that fit the system and compliment Dwight (stop waiting on 2014) 6.) If all else fails, tank and draft Andrew Wiggins. My vision for the offseason: Dwight re-signs for max (20M) Gasol is traded for Brandon Jennings who signs and gets traded for (10M - 3 years) and Ersan Ilyasove (8M - 4 years) MWP opts out - or amnesty him (amnesty Kobe if Kobe is out for the entire year; highly unlikely) With these moves, Lakers will be below luxury tax and can offer OJ Mayo the full MLE (5-6M 1 year/2 years) and get Chase Budinger/Dorell Wright (1.8M/2 years) with the bi-annual exception Trade Blake to shore up any depth weaknesses Waive Duhon (only 1.5M guaranteed), let go of Morris and Ebanks Re-sign Goudelock, Jamison, Clark Hopefully our team would look like this: Jennings - Nash - Goudelock Mayo - Meeks - Bryant Budinger - Clark Ilyasova - Jamison Howard - Hill - Sacre Now, if Kobe gets back we could with this line-up: Jennings - Mayo - Bryant - Ilyasova - Howard We surround Dwight with shooters and young energetic athletic players. Sacrifice defense, but should be a bit better with younger and more athletic guys. *this goes completely against the plans for 2014, but the Lakers shouldn't sit back and waste a season. Not really sure we could trade Gasol for Jennings since Jennings is a RFA and we can't do sign-and-trades because we're over the tax, but it's a possibility. Ilyasova is priced greatly at 8M, although for a while, with the way the CBA is structured, Ilyasova is a perfect compliment to Dwight and is priced greatly. *If Nash retires....

id say keep him. from what im seeing he really looks guilty on his own part for disappearing this last part of the season. he has a chip on his shoulder and his very humble to do so.

i like this thread here we go!!!!!

Please let Dwight go unless we can get CP3! Bc Dwight cannot carry a team! Go after Greg Oden if they guy can stay healthy he'll be serviceable. But don't blow a ton of money on a center who has no heart...

anytime we dont win the trophy and LeBron james does, it hurts my soul. Plain & Simple. I hope this Laker org can get our swag back like quickfast!

Mitch has got his work cut out for him this season!

I'd rather let Howard leave and sign Chris Paul and play pau at center ... Never Gona happen but that's how much this clown is worthless.

No way in hell Howard should get 20Mil a year or even 15 a year...

Shaq is the top 10 centers of all time.. Used to get paid 15mil a year and did much more work then Howard's pussie self, everything shaq says is a 110% right, Howard can't carry a team like shaq did, not even in the same league as shaq, if Bynum was athletic and healthy and mature, he would be better....

I just don't see where the lakers are goin with Howard.....

Howard leaving does not open a door for Chris Paul to be a laker, financially. The lakers would have to amnesty Kobe, trade pau, and let Dwight walk to even have enough cap space to sign cp3.

And not only that; who says that CP3 even still wants to come here. Fans opinion on Howard can be what it is, but to say let Gasol be the center and we will be OK....is not OK.

even if you trade pau and amnesty kobe that doesn't free up enough cap space. the amnesty is only for luxury tax purposes.why its so hard for people to understand the cap situation when it has been explained ad nauseam is beyond me.

even if it did. would you want to play with a team with no Howard,kobe or gasol. and no cap space to sign any good players? I wouldn't either.

You are wrong. The amnesty is not solely for luxury tax purposes - it removes the player's salary from the team salary. In the technically possible scenario where the Lakers amnesty Kobe, trade Gasol for draft picks, and waive Howard's Bird Rights, the Lakers will have enough cap space to sign Chris Paul.

There is just so many things wrong with this.. Carmelo is just a ball hog and my dad is a Knicks fan so I watch him a lot and I would not want him on this team. OJ Mayo isn't wanted on the Mavs anymore for a reason and because he is way too streaky and isn't even a clutch player. Jennings is just a loser, he said they will beat Miami in 6 and they got swept. He is just a delusional player who has problems. I don't like any of these guys except Ilyasova because he's a guy who knows his role.

Mayo is going to either the Bulls or Pacers IMO. We can't offer Jennings enough money. More than likely he will be a Maverick.

I want to see this.

Brian Shaw as our Head Coach

Phil as our GM

Jeanie Buss running the show

Nash/ Hill

Kobe/ Meeks

Webster/ Wright or Brewer

Ryan Anderson/ Earl Clark

Dwight/ Jason Smith

Lakers, Pelicans and Pacers 3 team trade

http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=chmlubu

I can't see the Lakers trading Pau if remaining flexible for 2014 is the main goal. Trading Pau likely means bringing back contracts that run past 2014.

^^^Also by doing that the Pelicans get a couple veterans w expiring contracts and they can sign a guy like Eric Bledsoe and a couple solid players plus they have a lottery pick

^^^ I agree with you about the Pacers being a likely destination for Mayo. That being said, I don't see why they would want Gordon. I also think they like G. Hill and don't want to part with him. What if we traded Pau for Granger, Mahinmi and Stephenson? We could also probably get Toronto to do a Nash and MWP for Lowry and Fields deal. Re-sign Dwight and Clark. Get an injured player exception for Kobe and use it on a one year deal for a restricted guy like Tyreke Evans or maybe a pure scorer like Monta Ellis. Try to land a mid level guy like Dorrel Wright or Budinger and we would be looking pretty good.

Hypothetical line up

Pg Lowry/Blake

Sg Evans/Stephenson

Sf Granger/ Fields/ Wright

Pf Clark/Hill/(Granger or Wright as a stretch)

C Howard/ Mahinmi

We still maintain cap flexibility for 2014 as Granger and Lowry are FA's and Field and Mahinmi only make about a million more than Nash combined. This lineup would be an upgrade defensively and more flexible.

NO Shaw. WAY TOO SOFT.

^^Lowry staying in Toronto. I believe he is under contract. I think Pacers resign West and they want a guard to be able to play next to Paul George. I see them trying to land Gordon if he is available, but don't see them partying w Hill unless the deal is real sweet.

Exactly, Mr. Zip.

And spot-on, as usual.

Do you recall our exchanges on this very board, on that fateful day???

I do believe that we called it, to a tee.

I would like the Lakers to get Korver great 3 pt shooter, more consistent than Meeks, and has playoffs experience but I do think he will ask for a lot of money and he says he would like to go to the Nuggets.

For those that want Brandon Jennings he's going to want A LOT of money money the Lakers don't have.

Nate Robinson would be a good energy spark off the bench just look at what he is doing in Chicago, but I do think he is going to resign with them in the off season.

Back up Power Forwards do the Lakers keep Jamison or do they let him go, same with Clark, Does D'Antoni (if the Lakers don't fire him) play Hill at PF or does he play him at C.

There are going to be a lot of things that the Lakers FO is going to have to address this summer so I'm going to buckle up my seat belt and hope this ride is a good one for next season.

Chandler Parsons anyone?

http://www.hoopsworld.com/2013-nba-free-agents

Korver will demand more money we can give him, Oj Mayo will demand more money than Korver, so forget those two, sadly.

Jennings will get his payday too, plus I don't think he fits into the team. He lacks defense, plays too fast for our old legs and especially demands the ball too much in his hand and would therefore be the same fit issue as with Nash/Kobe. He isn't a deadly shooter like Nash, so he wouldn't live up to anything he can actually do. It's not a coincidence that the best games we had Nash was out and Kobe controlled the ball/tempo.

I don't see the Bulls resigning Nate Robinson, they will likely re-sign Bellinelli for a backup SG and run Rose/Hinrich at the PG with Teague as a Reserve. Anyway, I wouldn't want him either, too inconsistent and volume shooter. Plus, lacks defense too.

I'd take Chandler Parsons every time, but I don't see how we could get him.

From the FA list, the realistic targets I see and would want on the team for either the MLE, BAE or VET MIN are:

Devin Harris

Ronnie Brewer

Mike Dunleavy

Chase Budinger

Stephen Jackson (altough he might lose his mind again under D'antoni)

Al Harrington (he will likely be dropped from the Magic, even if they use the Amnesty on Hedo)

well groomed, Corey Brewer could accept the 5 million, but don't think he'll even leave the mountains.

JJ Hickson will likely get overpaid, but we could use him.

pipe dream longshot David West? I can't even fool myself on this one.

Tony Allen would be one of the players I'd want the most and would like him here long-term, but he won't leave the Grizzlies, they have the money to keep him.

Keep in mind that if we were to trade pau, we should trade him to an eastern team or a lottery team in the west. You don't want to trade a guy like pau to a team like the rockets then come playoff time when you're fighting for a seed, they get in your way. Or possibly even get paired with them in the playoffs. Also, if we trade him to a contender in the east and make that team better, I'm sure we will all be happy because then there is hope that Miami won't keep winning lol.

If the Lakers are going to trade Pau and if they still want that 2014 cap space they are going to trade him for expiring deals.

Devin Harris is the answer. He can start split time with Nash. Nash will only teach him. He's fallen off the radar enough that he will only get the MLE. And if push comes to shove with Howard he's going to want his 5 years. So do a sign and trade with Brooklyn and get brook Lopez. A healthy gasol and brook Lopez down low. Gasol rebounds Lopez blocks shots. Perfect Blend.

Keep in mind that if we were to trade pau, we should trade him to an eastern team or a lottery team in the west. You don't want to trade a guy like pau to a team like the rockets then come playoff time when you're fighting for a seed, they get in your way. Or possibly even get paired with them in the playoffs. Also, if we trade him to a contender in the east and make that team better, I'm sure we will all be happy because then there is hope that Miami won't keep winning lol.

My statement doesn't go against yours in anyway. Contenders can have expiring contracts. So can lottery teams.

I think Mayo wants to come here and I think he would take less money

We need help on the perimeter , we should try to get a couple of these perimeter players. OJ Mayo, Wesley Johnson, Dorell Wright, Nick Young, Daniel Gibson, and Nate Robinson.

Like many of the names already mentioned, Harris, Mayo, Wright, Budinger, Blatche.

Knowing us and free agents, we'll probably just sign Cunningham and Gibson.

But their are a ton of role players we could use.

Harris

Beverly

Mo Williams

Brooks

Mayo

Redick

Shannon Brown

Foye

Young

Wright

Johnson

Pietrus

Ariza

Budinger

Tolliver

Blatche

Wright

Hickson

Speights

Looks like Jamison won't be back. There was a story in the LA Times about him having wrist surgery and not coming back to the team. It's bitter sweet, because I liked Jamison and I think his time here was marred by coaches who didn't give him a proper role. But we need to get younger and I hope he finds a contender that can use his talents. So it looks like the first salvo, though quiet has started. If you look on Hoopshype it should have the link.

I know it´s a pipe dream and I also know that it might never come true, but this morning I woke up and in my half-awake state of mind I had the incredible idea of Kevin Love playing for the Lakers. He could really provide the exact lift we´d need if we keep Howard on this team. I know it´s not very realistiv, though.

As for role players, I´d like to have Mo Williams, Randy Foye or Trevor Ariza on the team. I also really like Patrick Beverly and Dorell Wright. I´d love to have Jarret Jack on the team, but he´s already inclined planning on resigning with the Warriors.

I think even Mitch dreams about Love Howard as the next generation core.

Amnesty Metta, sign defensive stoppers Corey Brewer, Tony Allen (both unrestricted free agents), possibly Al Farouq Aminu (young and hustles), Ronnie Brewer, Dorrell Wright, and or Kyle Korver. Move Nash to the bench and sign any point guard that has relatively floor spacing and can guard on the ball (make a hard push for bledsoe, but unlikely). I also wouldnt mind Kris Humphries, hard to imagine but just last sesason he averaged 13/11. thats big

We're the ones who drafted Patrick Beverly in the first place, we should have kept him haha

Yeah, he'll probably sign a one or two year deal with the Bobcats and help out mentoring some of their young players. They can use him and he doesn't have to live up to anything there if he's not healthy.

Add Stephen Curry!! I want him on this team so bad. He's going to be very special!

Corey Brewer > OJ Mayo

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/2013/04/30/pau-gasol-los-angeles-lakers/2124637/

All reports Indicate that Pau is pretty much gone the only thing is for who and when.. I do believe a K love trade is possible seeing as he wants out of Minnesota and they have always wanted to pair Rubio up with Pau.

Our PG situation is pretty precarious .... Nash is a shell of his former self and Blake should probably not be a starting PG. (He really cannot pass the ball) Even though the fans do not like him Darius Morris already has a Qualifying Offer for next season (which will probably be picked up) and he has a lot of upside so I believe he will be back next season. Again he is not a starter so I really do not know how to shore up the PG position. Brandon Jennings is a free agent but he is largely overhyped and a shoot first PG.... The only PG I can see Us landing with our limited funds would be Jarrett Jack and I highly doubt he wants to come here..

Kobe is out until sometime around all star break next year so that leaves a gaping hole at the SG position... JR Smith is going to be available this off season but he is going to come with a hefty price tag that we simply cannot afford. Then there is Shannon Brown... He has a player option but with the way he has been treated in Phoenix he will probably bolt at the first chance. JJ Redick and Jinobli are available also but I cannot see us signing Redick and Jinobli is not leaving San Antonio ..

At Small forward we are in desperate need of help...MWP needs to be amnestied the second the option is available .... Matt barnes,Lamar Odom and Trevor Ariza are all going to be available and likely for little to no money and could all be decent coming off the bench. As far as a starter is concerned I have no clue what to do about this position. All of the SF that are good will more than likely be retained by their respective teams.

The Center position is the easiest to address, resign Dwight.

Know you guys wont like it but like i have been saying Brandon Jennings should be our choice this summer. It would be difficult to get him because Pau contact is 19 while Brandons i think is only 3 maybe 4 million. The bucks already have Monta in their future so im pretty sure that one of them would have to go eventually in the future.

If we re-sign Howard, He does not have alot of a offense game like Shaq had in his prime. SO we are going to need the extra help for Howard. Mo Willams also would be great to see. Mo is good enough to be the number 2 guy and not a role player. We need the wing help but a guy like Brandon or Mo will make our future look a little bit better.

Bucks will likely take Jennings over Monta Ellis, plus they don't want Pau even if they'd s&t Brandon + someone for Pau, we would end up with Gooden or something which is unthinkable to me.

When I posted earlier I forgot about Calderon, he will 90% stay with the Pistons, but he is more than good for every team in the NBA. If the Pistons decide they want to go with Knight+ Monroe + Drummond + whoever they get in the lottery this year as the young core, Jose might not fit their plans and they'll likely pick someone up who is younger or just re-sign Will Bynum for less. He might be ideal for the MLE is they let him go.

Players that can help us: Lamar Odom, Will Bynum, AL Farouq Aminu, and Corey Brewer.

If KLove is to be traded do u think they would take Pau? I think they would but we would need to take Roy and Barea's contracts.

Pau, Hill, and Blake for Love, Roy , and Barea.

That is a possibility but I think there are teams with better assets to build around. But Love also has 4 yrs left. So I doubt he is traded anytime soon.

I do believe Howard must be signed

-resign Howard, Clark, GLock and Morris

-cut Duhon, Ebanks, Metta, and Jamison

-trade Pau for athletic shooting 3 and PF depth.

-trade Blake for a 2nd rd pick

I like a 3 way deal between LA, BOS, and IND.

-LA gets Danny Granger and Tyler Hansbrough

-IND gets Pau Gasol and Courtney Lee

-BOS get Ian Mahinmi

This gives Indy a 3 headed monster with Pau, Hibbert, and West.. They also get that SG who can shoot, slash, and defend. George is a natural SF, he plays better without Granger.

Boston needs a true center, Mahinmi is a good scoring big with a nice mid range and can rebound. Rondo will make him a true center.

And with the injury exception from Kobe ? Do we have one ? I'm not too sure how its used. Can we split it up on 2 players or just 1? Ill say 1 but i'll go and sign Mo Williams. who can play both PG and SG. he would be a big spark off the bench. Then give the MLE to Dorrell Wright and vet contract to Anthony Morrow.We would also need to sign reserves in case of injuries like Joel Pryzbilla and Keith Bogans or players along there line.

Nash / Williams / Morris

Morrow / Meeks / Glocke

Granger / Wright / Bogans

Clark / Hansbrough

Howard / Hill / Pryzbilla

We lacked consistent shooting and are bench was poor. we also lacked a 6th man. I think this is the kinda team Howard would like to work around. Morrow is also his best friend.

I think Monta Ellis will opt out and leave the Bucks this offseason