By Eric Pincus
for HOOPSWORLD.com
Feb 10, 2006, 01:23
Two weeks from the trade deadline, the Los Angeles Lakers sit with the eighth best record in the Western Conference. On their heels are the Utah Jazz, Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves and Sacramento Kings. The highest the Lakers seem capable of climbing is to the sixth seed, which would entail leapfrogging the Memphis Grizzlies and New Orleans\Oklahoma City Hornets. The sixth seed has the advantage of playing the winner of the weaker Midwest Division.
Since division winners are guaranteed a top three seed, should the Lakers finish with a better record than say the Denver Nuggets (currently atop the Midwest), the Lakers could actually head into the first round with home court advantage over the higher seed. Although it's certainly possible one of the top four teams in the conference may slide (Dallas Mavericks, San Antonio Spurs, Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Clippers), they're likely out of reach.
The 2007 Plan Dead?
After making a stab at Ron Artest, the Lakers have appeared to be quiet on the trade front. A rebuffed inquiry to the New York Knicks on Channing Frye aside, LA has been said to be offering no more than Devean George, Slava Medvedenko and the Miami 2006 pick to any inquiring suitor.
The plan from the moment Shaquille O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat was to attain cap room in 2007 to pursue a top free agent. Unfortunately for the Lakers, names like Yao Ming and Amare Stoudemire inked long term extensions with their existing teams. The hope of acquiring LeBron James may be nothing more than a fantasy.
Still, all of the team's moves over the last year or so have seemingly been geared towards maintaining their cap flexibility in 2007.
Or have they?
This summer, the Lakers traded Caron Butler and Chucky Atkins to the Washington Wizards for Kwame Brown. The deal was a sign and trade which had Brown's contract guaranteed for two seasons. The third season was originally $9.075 million in non-guaranteed money at the Lakers' discretion, thus fitting into the 2007 plan.
BUT
After a number of inquiries to sources within and around the NBA, the Lakers have already GUARANTEED Brown's third year.
Why would they do so? The answer can only be speculative, but whatever the reason may be the 2007 plan is now defunct.
Unless the Lakers are able to clear Kwame Brown's contract off their books before then, the Lakers will have nearly $45 million in guaranteed salaries heading into the summer of 2007 with just Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom, Andrew Bynum and Brown on the roster. A reasonable projection is that the salary cap in 2007 will be near $53 million dollars, but with the complex rules of the collective bargaining agreement, the Lakers will have no more to offer than that summer's mid-level exception. In other words, the waiting will have been for nothing.
Perhaps the 2007 plan has been cast by the wayside for 2008 when players like LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Kevin Garnett may be unrestricted free agents (Garnett has an early termination option in 2008, not in 2007 as recently misreported by ESPN Insider).
Is wasting three years of Kobe Bryant's prime worth the sacrifice? Will the player the Lakers ultimately attain be that special?
The plan clearly must have shifted at some point in time, which now reframes the issue:
Heading into the February 23rd trade deadline, are the Lakers a player?
24
Watching the Lakers season has been more stressful than the weekly dose of 24 on Fox. Certainly one can see parallels between Kobe Bryant and the protagonist Jack Bauer. Will Bryant evade the gauntlet of double and triple teams thrown recently at him night in and night out, with his cohorts falling at his side (Lamar Odom out for two games, Chris Mihm still on the shelf)? Maybe he should change his jersey number to 24 . . .
Ronny Turiaf
Ronny Turiaf officially beat Utah Jazz forward Carlos Boozer back to the floor. Turiaf had open-heart surgery. Boozer tweaked his hamstring. Not to belittle any players injury, but it's an interesting comparison. Had the Lakers made that "alleged" trade at the deadline of last season, Boozer could have become the Lakers' problem instead of the Jazz.
Something to think about for those clamoring for the Lakers to make every deal . . . Keith Bogans to the Houston Rockets? Why isn't Laker GM Mitch Kupchak doing his job? He should have landing Bogans AND Lonny Baxter, etc. That sort of thing.
Frankly the Lakers have not done a brilliant job rebuilding. They've wasted their last two mid-level exceptions (Vlade Divac and Aaron McKie). They traded for Kwame Brown, who has not lived up to expectations. They have but Lamar Odom to show for the Shaquille O'Neal trade.
It's easy to be pessimistic, but the Lakers are not that far off from putting together a winner. It's going to take some brilliance from the front office (that we have yet to see and unfortunately may not be there), but keep in mind that it took Jerry West from 1988 to 2000 to bring a champion back to Los Angeles.
The Trade Deadline
Kobe Bryant is not going to be traded in the coming weeks. The Lakers also aren't moving Andrew Bynum. They view him to be a cornerstone piece in a year or so.
They don't appear to have plans to move Odom. His role as the team's initiator and most prolific rebounder makes him difficult to replace. He may not be a consistent scorer, but the Lakers would have too many holes to fill should they move him for a more steady second option.
Unless a Tracy McGrady, Ray Allen, or Tayshaun Prince (in addition to a capable rebounder) suddenly become available for Odom, don't expect the Lakers to trade him at the deadline.
Although the team would aim to keep Smush Parker, Ronny Turiaf and even Luke Walton, for the right deal just about anyone should be expendable . . .
Could the Lakers make a run at the list of players allegedly on the block: Carlos Boozer (even with the injuries?), Kelvin Cato, Jamal Crawford, Reggie Evans, Dan Gadzuric, Drew Gooden, Steven Hunter, Marc Jackson, Brevin Knight, Kenyon Martin, Ronald Murray, Ruben Patterson, Vladimir Radmanovic, Theo Ratliff, Quentin Richardson and/or Earl Watson? Any stand out as a player that can immediately make the Lakers a better team?
Frankly most don't, but perhaps two or three . . . although one in particular has recently been rumored as a possible Laker acquisition.
Big names like Paul Pierce, Steve Francis, Stephon Marbury and Rashard Lewis seem unattainable for what the Lakers have to offer. After some reflection, all but one look appealing as fits in the triangle offense (and he isn't a guard).
The Bottom Line
The Lakers have a very favorable schedule to finish the season. No team in the league has played as many road games (29). Kobe Bryant has been playing some of the best basketball of his career.
The roster around him has a number of bright spots, but it simply lacks adequate talent to support a quality playoff run. Certainly the Lakers may luck into the sixth seed, catch an easy draw and stumble to the Western Conference Finals.
Just as easily they could miss the playoffs with their draft pick headed to the Phoenix Suns unless it's in the top ten. The Laker pick was originally traded to the Boston Celtics who sent it to the Atlanta Hawks . . . who then in turn passed it on to Phoenix in the Joe Johnson trade. Perhaps the possibility of losing a lottery pick gives the Lakers further motivation to get a deal done before it's too late.
On local radio, Magic Johnson said he felt the Lakers were two players away: a good one . . . and a role player.
Will the Lakers do what it takes to bolster the Laker cause here and now, or will they let their ending contracts expire and hope for the best?
The clock is ticking
