Brazil
02-04-2010, 08:16 PM
didn't see posted.
some interesting stuff
Jose Salviati (http://bleacherreport.com/users/174504-Jose-Salviati)
[/URL]
Written on January 27, 2010
http://cdn.bleacherreport.com/images_root/images/photos/000/809/590/95804798.jpg.28178.0_feature.jpg?1264623129
The [URL="http://bleacherreport.com/los-angeles-lakers"]Lakers (http://bleacherreport.com/pages/featuredcolumnistsinfo) were floundering.
The year was 2005 and short of Kobe Bryant (http://bleacherreport.com/kobe-bryant), they were a very mediocre team. Making matters worse, coach Rudy Tomjanovich resigned the in the middle of the 2004-2005 season; the team seemed rudderless.
Then, they hired Phil Jackson. The move seemed odd from Jackson’s perspective. It would be his second time around with the club, but this time with much different personnel.
With Jackson at the helm, the team needed to rebuild; the 2005 draft was key.
They had plenty of needs but foremost among them was a player that could contribute quickly. Jackson was known to have little patience or playing time for rookies.
So, would the team trade the pick? Would they pick a seasoned upper classman from a quality college program like juniors Sean May or Rashad McCants from North Carolina? Maybe senior Danny Granger from New Mexico?
The Lakers picked senior Andrew Bynum.
Bynum was a senior in high school at the time and the youngest player ever drafted by an NBA (http://bleacherreport.com/nba) team. The city of Los Angeles wasn't sure what to make of the pick.
Had the Lakers found a diamond in the rough or was this the precursor to a rough road ahead for the once proud franchise?
Bynum gave the team and the city just enough of a glimpse of what was possible to excite both. Most notably was the Jan. 15, 2006 game against the Miami Heat (http://bleacherreport.com/miami-heat) and former Lakers center Shaquille O'Neal (http://bleacherreport.com/shaquille-oneal).
At one point in that game, O'Neal grabbed a rebound and dunked over the then 18-year- old Laker center. On the very next play Bynum, who had called out O'Neal's free throw troubles earlier in the NBA season, spun past him for a dunk of his own.
The two centers traded shoves on the way back up the court. L.A. fans were sold.
Less well known, but just as evident of Bynum’s passion, was an incident in a preseason game the year after.
Bynum was positioned in the post calling for the ball from Laker forward Vladimir Radmanovic. Radmanovic faked an entry pass but then opted to pass the ball around the perimeter. Clearly frustrated by that decision Bynum screamed, "Give me the $%@*$ ball!."
The kid had passion.
All of LA was willing to wait, willing to see what he would develop into.
Now, we seem to have our answer: Bynum is a legitimate NBA center who should have a long and successful career in the NBA.
Should that career be with the Los Angeles Lakers? I don't think so.
What’s most exciting about Bynum is that he is a true, old-school, post up center. Sure, he can hit the 10 to 12 foot jump shot when needed and is adequate from the free throw line, but his game is strongest when his back is to the basket.
The problem is that the NBA game has changed.
Centers today have the same length as centers have always had but more range. They still block shots and get rebounds but today's centers pass and can shoot from the three-point range.
Bynum is not that type of center.
To make matters worse for Bynum, he is on a team with another pretty good back-to-the-basket post player, Pau Gasol.
Gasol is a prototypical modern day center. Bynum is not.
A lot has been written about the ability for those two players to successfully co-exist on the floor. To date, they haven't.
The only reason the team is as good as they are currently is because of the other-wordly game of Kobe Bryant and the fact the Gasol has the flexibility to step outside for his shot when Bynum is in the game.
Bynum does not provide the Lakers the same flexibility.
The team I will always hold up as the team in regards to how they were made up are the Magic Johnson Lakers.
Each position was manned by a player who fit the mold for that position during that era. Kareem Abdul Jabbar was a back to the basket center in an era of centers cut from the same mold. Their power forwards (Jim Chones, Mark Landsberger, Mitch Kupchak, AC Green) were players that you didn't need to call plays for. They got rebounds and putbacks in the flow of the offense.
The team’s small forwards (Jamaal Wilkes, James Worthy) were slashers or long range specialists. The backcourt was manned by the best point guard in the history of the game and off guards that could shoot like Byron Scott.
Each player complemented the other. They were a team in every sense of the word.
Today’s Lakers appear more disjointed in comparison.
I enjoyed watching Bynum develop as a player. I have no doubt he will continue to grow and could potentially grow to be a perennial All Star. For the Lakers, however, he does not appear to be a perfect fit.
A team in pursuit of a championship is always looking to be as close to perfect as possible.
If the team moves Bynum—and I think they should—it shouldn’t be for Chris Bosh (http://bleacherreport.com/chris-bosh) however.
As great a player as Bosh is, he would fit with these Lakers only slightly better than Bynum does. With Bynum gone, the Lakers would either move Lamar Odom to the starting rotation which would open up a spot on the bench, or they would leave Odom on the bench and look for help at the small forward position.
The Washington Wizards Caron Butler seems to be a perfect fit.
He is a former Laker, seems to have worn out his welcome in Washington, and has a good relationship with Bryant. All that aside, he would give the Lakers the makeup of a modern day basketball team.
Their center, Gasol, has a post-up game but can move outside as needed and can pass.
Their power forward, Artest, is a hard-nosed player who you don't necessarily call plays for.
Their small forward, Butler, is an outside shooter who can fill the wing on a fast break.
Their guards are a seasoned player at point, Fisher, and All World Bryant at the shooting guard.
The tough part would be making this trade work.
Fear not Lakers, I've got it all figured out.
A straight swap with Washington for Butler does not work because of salary and cap issues. So, we need a third team. This is where the trade gets fun.
Other than the concerns I have outlined about Bynum, the other big question mark the Lakers have is at the point guard spot.
Rumors have swirled about the team’s interest in the Bulls (http://bleacherreport.com/chicago-bulls)' Kirk Hinrich. Once we add the Bulls to the mix, we have an intriguing block buster three-team trade that works and helps all three clubs.
Here is how it would work: The Bulls would send Hinrich to the Lakers in exchange for Sasha Vujacic and Adam Morrison and Bynum to the Wizards. The Wizards would send Butler to the Lakers and Dominic McGuire (we need him to make this work, the proverbial "throw-in") to the Bulls.
The end result would be the Lakers received Butler and Hinrich, Wizards get Bynum and the Bulls get two expiring contracts in Morrison and McGuire while ridding them of Hinrich’s salary.
Win, win, win.
You're welcome Lakers, Wizards and Bulls.
The one down side for the Lakers is Hinrich.
He has always been a gamer but he isn't all that big at 6'3" and not a statically great shooter. With Bryant on this team, they don't need an All-Star like Devin Harris running the point, but can the team afford to pay $9.5 million for a bench point guard?
I think the Lakers can, especially if it brings them Caron Butler.
With Butler the team is as close to perfect as they can get and poised to make a run at a repeat.
some interesting stuff
Jose Salviati (http://bleacherreport.com/users/174504-Jose-Salviati)
[/URL]
Written on January 27, 2010
http://cdn.bleacherreport.com/images_root/images/photos/000/809/590/95804798.jpg.28178.0_feature.jpg?1264623129
The [URL="http://bleacherreport.com/los-angeles-lakers"]Lakers (http://bleacherreport.com/pages/featuredcolumnistsinfo) were floundering.
The year was 2005 and short of Kobe Bryant (http://bleacherreport.com/kobe-bryant), they were a very mediocre team. Making matters worse, coach Rudy Tomjanovich resigned the in the middle of the 2004-2005 season; the team seemed rudderless.
Then, they hired Phil Jackson. The move seemed odd from Jackson’s perspective. It would be his second time around with the club, but this time with much different personnel.
With Jackson at the helm, the team needed to rebuild; the 2005 draft was key.
They had plenty of needs but foremost among them was a player that could contribute quickly. Jackson was known to have little patience or playing time for rookies.
So, would the team trade the pick? Would they pick a seasoned upper classman from a quality college program like juniors Sean May or Rashad McCants from North Carolina? Maybe senior Danny Granger from New Mexico?
The Lakers picked senior Andrew Bynum.
Bynum was a senior in high school at the time and the youngest player ever drafted by an NBA (http://bleacherreport.com/nba) team. The city of Los Angeles wasn't sure what to make of the pick.
Had the Lakers found a diamond in the rough or was this the precursor to a rough road ahead for the once proud franchise?
Bynum gave the team and the city just enough of a glimpse of what was possible to excite both. Most notably was the Jan. 15, 2006 game against the Miami Heat (http://bleacherreport.com/miami-heat) and former Lakers center Shaquille O'Neal (http://bleacherreport.com/shaquille-oneal).
At one point in that game, O'Neal grabbed a rebound and dunked over the then 18-year- old Laker center. On the very next play Bynum, who had called out O'Neal's free throw troubles earlier in the NBA season, spun past him for a dunk of his own.
The two centers traded shoves on the way back up the court. L.A. fans were sold.
Less well known, but just as evident of Bynum’s passion, was an incident in a preseason game the year after.
Bynum was positioned in the post calling for the ball from Laker forward Vladimir Radmanovic. Radmanovic faked an entry pass but then opted to pass the ball around the perimeter. Clearly frustrated by that decision Bynum screamed, "Give me the $%@*$ ball!."
The kid had passion.
All of LA was willing to wait, willing to see what he would develop into.
Now, we seem to have our answer: Bynum is a legitimate NBA center who should have a long and successful career in the NBA.
Should that career be with the Los Angeles Lakers? I don't think so.
What’s most exciting about Bynum is that he is a true, old-school, post up center. Sure, he can hit the 10 to 12 foot jump shot when needed and is adequate from the free throw line, but his game is strongest when his back is to the basket.
The problem is that the NBA game has changed.
Centers today have the same length as centers have always had but more range. They still block shots and get rebounds but today's centers pass and can shoot from the three-point range.
Bynum is not that type of center.
To make matters worse for Bynum, he is on a team with another pretty good back-to-the-basket post player, Pau Gasol.
Gasol is a prototypical modern day center. Bynum is not.
A lot has been written about the ability for those two players to successfully co-exist on the floor. To date, they haven't.
The only reason the team is as good as they are currently is because of the other-wordly game of Kobe Bryant and the fact the Gasol has the flexibility to step outside for his shot when Bynum is in the game.
Bynum does not provide the Lakers the same flexibility.
The team I will always hold up as the team in regards to how they were made up are the Magic Johnson Lakers.
Each position was manned by a player who fit the mold for that position during that era. Kareem Abdul Jabbar was a back to the basket center in an era of centers cut from the same mold. Their power forwards (Jim Chones, Mark Landsberger, Mitch Kupchak, AC Green) were players that you didn't need to call plays for. They got rebounds and putbacks in the flow of the offense.
The team’s small forwards (Jamaal Wilkes, James Worthy) were slashers or long range specialists. The backcourt was manned by the best point guard in the history of the game and off guards that could shoot like Byron Scott.
Each player complemented the other. They were a team in every sense of the word.
Today’s Lakers appear more disjointed in comparison.
I enjoyed watching Bynum develop as a player. I have no doubt he will continue to grow and could potentially grow to be a perennial All Star. For the Lakers, however, he does not appear to be a perfect fit.
A team in pursuit of a championship is always looking to be as close to perfect as possible.
If the team moves Bynum—and I think they should—it shouldn’t be for Chris Bosh (http://bleacherreport.com/chris-bosh) however.
As great a player as Bosh is, he would fit with these Lakers only slightly better than Bynum does. With Bynum gone, the Lakers would either move Lamar Odom to the starting rotation which would open up a spot on the bench, or they would leave Odom on the bench and look for help at the small forward position.
The Washington Wizards Caron Butler seems to be a perfect fit.
He is a former Laker, seems to have worn out his welcome in Washington, and has a good relationship with Bryant. All that aside, he would give the Lakers the makeup of a modern day basketball team.
Their center, Gasol, has a post-up game but can move outside as needed and can pass.
Their power forward, Artest, is a hard-nosed player who you don't necessarily call plays for.
Their small forward, Butler, is an outside shooter who can fill the wing on a fast break.
Their guards are a seasoned player at point, Fisher, and All World Bryant at the shooting guard.
The tough part would be making this trade work.
Fear not Lakers, I've got it all figured out.
A straight swap with Washington for Butler does not work because of salary and cap issues. So, we need a third team. This is where the trade gets fun.
Other than the concerns I have outlined about Bynum, the other big question mark the Lakers have is at the point guard spot.
Rumors have swirled about the team’s interest in the Bulls (http://bleacherreport.com/chicago-bulls)' Kirk Hinrich. Once we add the Bulls to the mix, we have an intriguing block buster three-team trade that works and helps all three clubs.
Here is how it would work: The Bulls would send Hinrich to the Lakers in exchange for Sasha Vujacic and Adam Morrison and Bynum to the Wizards. The Wizards would send Butler to the Lakers and Dominic McGuire (we need him to make this work, the proverbial "throw-in") to the Bulls.
The end result would be the Lakers received Butler and Hinrich, Wizards get Bynum and the Bulls get two expiring contracts in Morrison and McGuire while ridding them of Hinrich’s salary.
Win, win, win.
You're welcome Lakers, Wizards and Bulls.
The one down side for the Lakers is Hinrich.
He has always been a gamer but he isn't all that big at 6'3" and not a statically great shooter. With Bryant on this team, they don't need an All-Star like Devin Harris running the point, but can the team afford to pay $9.5 million for a bench point guard?
I think the Lakers can, especially if it brings them Caron Butler.
With Butler the team is as close to perfect as they can get and poised to make a run at a repeat.