The 2015 Lakers Plan by WWL

First off, I'd like to say a quick Hi/Hello to the fellas here that still know of me. Its been awhile since my last post and most regulars here might not recognize me anymore. I'll simply post as a newbie sharing my idea.

For all the hullabaloo about landing a big name in free agency, its become real hard nowadays to sell the Lakers as a destination simply by name. We'd have to first become a team that's interesting enough, and we'd have to know who to target. For that to happen, we'd have to have the slightest idea and flexibility within the team. A team built around 36-yo Kobe, a PG like Lin that can't really showcase his skills, role players that are asked to be starters like Ronnie Price and Wes Johnson, well all that is NOT the recipe for success.

I understand flexibility, I understand not paying the tax, I understand hunting for superstars. But why not hunt for the next one? as opposed to hunting for someone that is already a star and striking out instead? So get this, we're set to sign 12 players, not just 5. We need a "team" to win, especially in the tough western conference... so we need to concoct a formula of a group of guys that "fit" and whose situations are "right" for them and us.

So lets focus on the words "situation is right" and lets try to see who is available. Before going through "my" plan, lets examine the top free agents of 2015:

Marc Gasol - 20ppg 8rpg 1.7bpg, former DPOY and leading his Grizzlies to a top-3 seed in the Wild West. His brother played for 7 seasons as a Laker, won 2 championships. He is now in Chicago, seeking a contending team for the twilight of his career.

Pro: We need a Center of his caliber so bad.

Con: He lives in Memphis, his parents are in Memphis. Memphis can (and will) pay him the most money.

Verdict: Obvious No. He will not only leave for lesser money, but for an inferior team as well. Memphis is a great organization and has new ownership.

LaMarcus Aldridge - 23ppg 11rpg. Sure his defense is suspect but his 18-footer is also money. He explicitly said he doesn't want to be part of a rebuilding team, and that's what we are. The team he will be leaving is contending. So you think he will be leaving Portland for LA? Less money and a lesser team makes me say NO.

Pro: Back to the basket PF that has great range.

Con: He cannot accomplish what we lack as a team defensively.

Verdict: Obvious No. Same reasons as Marc Gasol, no reason to leave for an inferior offer and an inferior team.

Jimmy Butler - 22ppg 6rpg 3apg. This is only his 4th season, he will be a restricted free agent in 2015 and he will get paid regardless. The Bulls will be hard-pressed to let him go esp since he is also the team's best defender alongside Joakim Noah. Same reason as the two mentioned ahead of him, NO chance.

Pro: He is a top defender in the entire league and he just added his offensive game.

Con: He plays the same position as Kobe.

Verdict: Obvious No. He is in a very good place, he is developing into a legitimate star, on a good team plus he is a restricted free agent.

Other possible targets:

Rajon Rondo - he is not the same player he was in 2008, but he is still top flight. Question is, would you pay him $20 million per season? Is he enough to make the Lakers contender overnight? Couple that with his new situation in Dallas, Mark Cuban would not make the same mistake he did to Tyson Chandler. He didn't trade for Rondo to let him go the year after.

Monta Ellis (P) - he has a player option, he is paid less than what he deserves so there is a chance he opts out, but his situation in Dallas is so good, he and Mark Cuban can always work something out in 2016 if he forgoes FA for another year.

Roy Hibbert (P) - a top flight big man, but the kind of mess he's in mentally he might want to explore getting his groove back before opting out.

DeAndre Jordan - he will only be 27 come July and he is a great defensive player. His offense requires a good setter like Chris Paul to succeed. So the only reason he would leave is if the Clippers lowball him and the Lakers max him. That would've happened with Sterling owning the team, but now w/ Ballmer and Doc, don't think so.

Omer Asik - kind of 1-dimensional player, has no offense, would really depend on his asking price. If he asks for 15M annually would he really be an ideal fit?

Goran Dragic (P) - So there's our need for a PG like him, he not only improved on his own but he also made his teammates better. He would be 29 come July and arguably one of the better/realistic targets for us. Will Phoenix deny him his payday? Admittedly they already have his replacement in Isiah Thomas ready.

My choice: STARTERS

PG - Reggie Jackson, 4yrs 44 million. Even though he's a restricted FA and OKC can take him back, what they cannot do is pay everyone north of 10 million. KD max, Westy max and Ibaka with 12.5M annually, will Presti pay RJ 11M per season? It would bring their payroll to 11M and they still have to think about Perkins and Collison. He will only be 25 years old by July.

** This means you're either letting Lin walk as a free agent or you have traded him during the year.

SF/PF - Draymond Green, 4yrs 44 million. Same with RJ, the Warriors are contending but are capped out. With Iguodala, Bogut, Curry, Thompson, Livingston and 77.5M in commitments, will ownership be willing to sport a 90M payroll? I don't think so. He will only be 25 years old by July.

CE - Ed Davis, 4yrs 20 million. With a breakout year this year, he looks like a good enough prospect to become our next starter. Known more for his defense, I like what I see in his offense to make me think he'd consistently give 14ppg and 11rpg along with 2bpg. He will only be 26 years old by July.

** This means you have placated Ed Davis into the starting five, honed his talents for #teamfuture and you would be actively trying to move Jordan Hill for assets before the deadline.

Projected starting 5: Reggie Jackson - Kobe Bryant - Draymond Green - Julius Randle - Ed Davis

For Bench:

PG - CJ Watson, 2yrs 4 million. A solid backup guard all his career, he would be 31 and going to be an older acquisition. He would provide solid minutes behind Reggie Jackson and would be a good rangy shooter from the outside.

SF - Wesley Johnson, 3yrs 10 million. He has proven to be healthy, versatile and a team player. Improving day by day, we need his defensive contributions as he continues to develop his offense. He will be 28.

PF - Carlos Boozer, 2yrs 8 million. With only 3.9M starting salary offer, we tell Booz that he is a former all-star that can make use of the remainder of his career as a bench scorer for us. His role this year would warrant him the midlevel of 5M per year but a discounted rate of 8M/2 might convince him to stay.

Projected Bench: CJ Watson - Nick Young - Wesley Johnson - Carlos Boozer - Robert Sacre

Now I tell ya, THAT's a 50-win TEAM in the West. We would also be setting up for a big time signing in 2016 when Kobe comes off the books.

Regards,

WWL

I wouldn't give Green 11 million, I don't want Sacre or Boozer back.

WW, I think you are dead on with your plan. Finding the next stars, rather than overpaying for current ones is where we need to go. A few possibilities to consider. Draymond Green is a stud and I would love to have him for the price mentioned, but GS might be willing to match that if they can find a taker for Iguadala. A cheaper alternative, with a lot of upside might be KJ McDaniels. I really like what Ed Davis is bringing and if we could get him on a 4/20 contract its a steal(the f.o. screwed up by not signing Hill to 4 years, $22 mil and Ed to 4/16 last summer). My concern is that he is a bit undersized at the center position. Hopefully we can get a good sized center in the draft and Davis can play some pf, eliminating the need for Boozer. jackson is absolutely the right decision at point guard, I just would like to see Clarkson develop to the point where he can be the backup. Our best course would be to try and use Hill or Lin to try and land Jackson this year so we have his rights. If Philadelphia would take Houston's pick and Ellington for McDaniels I'd pull that trigger as well.

Love green, think jackson is over rated but he's better than what we have now. Hope we can do better than having to have Davis play the 5. But want him back at right price.

Big side note: RIP Stuart Scott, you were one of the best!

this would be a good start but I don't see that team getting anywear above 40-45 wins. Too inexperienced starting 5 except from Kobe. I would also don't like Boozer and Sacre back next year. Have to agree though that this is a realistic scenario in terms of acquirements

Not bad.

I think I might still like Lin as the backup point, if his price is low enough.

Also would live for Hill to stay instead of Sacre, but again his price will prob determine that. I definitely agree that Davis needs to be retained for 4yrs. And I can definitely see the positives with Boozer, offensively. His defense drives me nuts, but the team needs to have vets mixed with youth.

I understand where you're coming from with this premise but I think you're missing the point as far as rebuilding this team goes. Instead of giving away cap space to players who aren't going to make the team that much better, it might be worth it to just take the "hit-or-miss" approach that the front office is probably taking. We do have a young player to look forward to watching in Julius Randle. However, giving away $22 million dollars to both Reggie Jackson and Draymond green doesn't seem too promising. I don't think that starting 5 is capable of winning 50+ games in the West. I'm not in love with Jackson and I feel like developing Lin might be a better investment then paying Reggie Jackson that amount. Draymond Green's improved his play a lot but to pay him that amount and to expect playoff results is far fetched, in my opinion. I love the Davis signing. He reminds me of a less polished Tyson Chandler. He brings a certain level of toughness that we've been lacking on this team for a little while now. Once Randle comes back, we'll have a much tougher front court but we also have to remember that Randle is basically going to be a rookie again as far as his on court NBA experience goes. Our front office should try relentless to acquire either Butler or Leonard. A wing player who can contribute on both ends of the floor is something we've been missing for a long time now and it would be a great compliment to Kobe in this stage of his career.

Hey Warren great to read your post! I think your analysis is spot on, and certainly that is a much improved roster. I have some doubts about that being a 50 win team, mainly because of how Green will fit, & how Randle will perform post the serious injury, but I think that roster could get into the playoffs as an 8th seed. The bench sounds nice, though I'm not sure about Sacre as a second string backup center. But overall it is a much more competitive team.

PG= Knight, wroten (trade), Clarkson

SG= Butler, Young

SF = Kobe, wes johnson, Derrick williams

PF = Davis, Randle, Kelly

C= Chandler, !st rd pick, ????

Boozer's value is questionable - he gives away as many points in fouls, as he scores. Sacre is not up to Lakers standards when it comes to locking down the paint and banging with the other bigs in the league. I agree that these guys should not be part of the plan going forward.

We need enforcers for the Center and Power Forward positions. Right now, that can't be said.

I definitely remember you warren.

Here's my two cents. I'm not the biggest Reggie Jackson fan. He's a streaky shooter who is more of a combo guard IMO. I haven't seen him do anything to show me that he's in charge, creating the tempo and getting guys in position. I wouldn't mind the Lakers somehow trying to acquire Shroder from Atlanta or the fourth pg in Phoenix who was a first rounder last season in Tyler Ennis.

Jimmy Butler is very interesting to me. I have seen him improve every season and I'm starting to wonder if this kid may be worth the max over four years? Will he improve even more? Butler is very intriguing and if a team like us can throw the max at him while he's restricted then Chicago may not be able to match. Jimmy is a swing man and can play the 3 during Kobe's last season and then slide over to the 2. He can still stay at the 3 if the Lakers get a 2-guard. I'd rather see the Lakers gamble on a kid like Butler as opposed to a Melo who showed signs of slowing down last season, however we were trying to offer him the max. That would have been a disaster.

I appreciate everyone's comments, both positive and negative. Shout-out to Dave who also went out of his way to "welcome" me or atleast it feels that way. As for the topic itself, the Warriors paid 2 draft picks to acquire/sign Iguodala 2 years ago. Are they going to use another pick or two to dump him again? Coz no team other than a contending team with cap space (no such thing) will accept Iguodala. Although his game fits the Spurs but I'm guessing they wait for him to be bought out rather than paying him those dollars. Jackson is someone who's only budding as a player. He's young, he's hungry and he definitely has that attitude that I like in a player. He doesn't back down, he has this swagger that makes me comfortable about paying him big money (more than any team would) ... and his situation next season reminds me so much of James Harden's... look how that panned out. Jeremy Lin, well I thought it would work out for him too. I thought he'd be 19ppg beside Kobe as he takes over games with Kobe getting as much rest as possible. I thought we'd have two teams: slow and methodical with Kobe; fast and furious with Lin. But I am wrong and nothing I've seen or heard so far makes me think this is happening. The best thing for us to do is trade Lin and Hill while other teams see them as valuable adds, and while we have a chance to correct everything we have. Of course I am playing this roster without the promise of a top 5 pick, just the 29-30 million of cap space that we have if we declined Hill's option or traded him away. Everyone agrees with me on Ed Davis so atleast I got....

I'm there with you on green and Davis, although I don't want davis at the 5 spot. Jackson, just can't see giving big deal too. There's a few pg's I would want before I went for him. But that's just me!

PG. Cory Joseph, Clarkson I like how San Antonio developed the Joseph. He Is befoming a great defender and his offense is improving. He got the best of Wall the other day. He Is a RF but with Leonard being a free agent I don't see then being able to keep both if Joseph keeps progressing.

SG. Kobe Bryant, Joe Harris (Trade Sacre to Cavs for Harris)

SF. Wes, Young

Pf. Randal, Kelly

C. Asik, Draft pick

Thst would be a good mix of offense and defense

What would we be accomplishing by having this line up next year? Another lottery team?

If Mitch is truly in the hot-seat then we can replace him with you Warren.