The draft picks are whatever, they won't contribute this year.
Ratliff is good insurance and allows LA's defensive system to remain the same when Bynum/Gasol are hurt/foul trouble etc.
Blake and Barnes seem like guys who would fit into the triangle decently.
LA have definitely done well.
Given the team's position, that is an amazing offseason haul.
Of course it pales in comparison to what happened in Miami and the Lakers will still be 'dogs to the Heats IMO, but I'm telling you... these pickups are significant. They shored up some real areas of weakness when I expected they would be unable to do so.
If he's getting Ammo's minutes i'm all good with this.
Tell us how you really feel ...picc
Don't worry Ron will soften him up for Barnes
You know what it is.
Genuine question for Laker fans: How many years do you think you have a genuine, strong shot at the le?
I think next year is all of you've got. I don't see Phil coming back for another season after this one. Win or lose and he's done. The second Kobe slides out of the alpha dog role even by a little bit (and he's already teetering on the edge right now), he is going to go bat- crazy and the team's chemistry. This will only get monumentally worse without Phil to corral his ego.
I say the Lakers win another le next year, maybe make the Finals the year after, and then all breaks loose and the team is a s of it's former self by 2013.
But I am honestly curious how Laker fans see this thing playing out a couple years down the line.
This sounds like that Cuban Artest will end the Lakers talk ...
We did not trade Bynum, because of Kobe and if Kobe DID that (but doubt he will) we can send him out like we did Shaq ...
If he accepts a younger star quietly like Kareem did ...then he gets to be a part of the next dynasty.
Lakers window is 3 years ...not saying we win the next 3 but I think we favorites in West and good shot at le for the next 3 years ...
About 3 years. Keep in mind that next year there will probably be lockout = short season if any. Less taxing on Kobe; he may even get healthy if we get a lockout.
Thats easy!!
You're right this squad has about 2-3 more yearsin them then after that Stern will command the Thunder to trade Durant to the Lakers for a 2nd round pick because he hates small market teams... then get Mitch will sign Dwight Howard and Brandon Jennings will want to come to LA.
Its the Laker way
I'm not sure how much I'd rely on Bynum to keep the team alive in the absence of a star like Kobe, but I agree that Pau makes the future bright for the Lakers.
Regarding Kobe, I just don't see it in his makeup to be the aging star allowing the younger guys to take center stage. He still believes it's his team with Pau as the sidekick. But I think it is already debatable who the #1 is between Pau and Kobe. It shouldn't matter who the #1 is, but it will matter to him.
I could be wrong, though. It will definitely be interesting to watch it play out.
By far the best thing for the Lakers is how weak the west is. If you ranked the top 5 teams, it would probably be: (1) Lakers, (2) Orlando, (3) Boston, (4) Chicago, (5) Miami.
You would have to go to #6 to get the Thunder. If the Thunder can get a decent big there could be some serious playoff battles for a few years.
Good point. Forgot about that. It does throw a kink in my Kobe-goes-bat- theory.
3 years... solid contenders. Our le to loose. Then Bynum and Pau take over and Lebron, Wade, and company take the last step of shame and make excellent 4th or 5th options for the Dynasty.
People forget that role players coming to the Lakers typically have to focus on FAR less than they would elsewhere.
Guys like Barnes will be asked to play defense, rebound, and shoot 3's. That's it. The Lakers don't need him to do anything else.
The same goes for Blake, his PG duties will be drastically reduced from what he's used to.
mitch did a terrible job. he didnt resign me
Agreed. Very very effective off-season moves.
You know Lebron\Wade are texting each other right now
Lebron: Lakers got Barnes, they got deeper but we can do this
Wade: Yeah don't trip, I'm on the other line with your mom brb
I wouldn't be too excited about Ebanks and Caracter, but signing barnes and adding Blake were solid moves. Like I said, this is what makes the difference in back2back les and winning every other year. Spurs NEVER added significant help after a le run, there is something to be said about injecting hungry vets that can still play, rather than hungry vets like Van Exel, Stoudemire...and so forth.
Heat got all the pub, but LA's summer was very productive with the under the radar signings of Blake and Barnes. they took care of their bench problem. both will fit in very nicely with that team. A+ summer for LA. any other year it would have been enough to almost ensure them a championship.
If Lakers have the best team then Miami (Lebron & Wade) will get more and more props when they win the tle.
They will need to wait their turn. Lakers aren't done yet.
You're saying a second round pick is going to be a good addition after a decent summer league?...Really?
And how come Ratliff is now this monster defensive player? When the Spurs signed him he was a washed up bum according to Laker fan.
Ratliff will barely play in LA but at least when he does, he'll bring more than what DJ did the last 2 years. Upgrade.
As for 2nd round picks - Caracter turned a lot of heads. This guy was then 2nd rated player out of HS (behind Greg Oden) so talent was never a question.
But I'll let David Thorpe of ESPN (who hates the Lakers) and a side from SA's own Blair speak on it.
http://espn.go.com/blog/los-angeles/...rrick-caracterOn his performance against Cousins: "I was really impressed. There’s not going to be a lot of guys that Derek’s going to play against that are going to be stronger than him or bigger than him, and Cousins is probably both. In that situation, you look for fight. I thought he really fought. Not only do I not think he gave Cousins an inch, I think he took it personally. Like I can play with this guy, I can pound this guy. That was the mentality. That’s the thing I took away more than anything. He went in there and really fought. He’s not going to start for the Lakers next year, but it's nice to know that if they need him to go against some of the bigger bodies out there that he’s going to bring the fight, and not just let himself get pushed around."
On the current state of his defense: “I think that in most cases, you start defensively with the willingness to defend. I always call it disposition to defend, and I think he’s going to have that without any problem. And the rest is up to the coaches to really detail a plan. The one thing I like about Derek is I think he knows what he’s supposed to do, and that’s going to play well on the defensive end of the floor. He’s going to be in the right spots. The other stuff he’s going to have to pick up, he’s going to pick up in a week or two. It’s not rocket science. Building the habits as it relates to how they’re supposed to defend certain actions within th eLakers’ structure, that’s going to take time. But some of the adjustments he has to make, the little tricks of the trade, he’s going to pick that up quickly. He’s a very natural player. The game’s easy for Derrick.”
On his ability to play at the NBA level: “The guy clearly should have been a first-round pick. A bunch of teams messed up. There’s really no other way of saying it. They couldn’t [look past his history]. And that’s their fault. The league is filled with players that have made bad decisions in their lives, or will make that bad decision while they’re in the NBA. In some respects I actually felt Derrick was less of a risk as a draft pick in the 20’s because he’s already gone through it and come out looking great.
This isn’t just a change he’s made in the last couple weeks. He made a decision last summer to change who he was, and started getting himself in better shape, and admitting that all the problems at Louisville were his fault. He blamed nobody but himself, and to me there are going to be some players in the NBA that as soon as they step in the hole, they’re not going to recover. At least you know in Derrick’s case he’s had the character- no pun intended, obviously- to recover. A lot of teams messed up, and he’s going to make them pay for it in the next four or five years.”
On what his body could look like when he's done maturing, getting into shape: “I think that he could look a lot like Karl Malone. He’s not going to play like Karl Malone, but I think he could have an unbelievable physique… The human body can transform itself dramatically. Derrick’s body can really be transformed.”
Not surprisingly, Thorpe compared Caracter to DeJuan Blair, another guy with question marks and body issues coming into the draft and has since turned into quite a steal for the Spurs. Interestingly enough, Blair shares the same agent as Caracter, and was in the stands for Tuesday's game. "I think he's a wonderful plus for the Lakers," Blair said of Caracter. "He can give Pau [Gasol] and [Andrew] Bynum some time off. He's a great player, and I think a lot of people forget about that. He's a real good player, and my hat goes off to him."
Blair said he's had a chance to speak to Caracter here and there. "I told him if he worked hard, he could get to where I am. And he's here."
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