Lakers 2009/2010: 45-15 Comeback Against Nuggets

[YankeesSuck888]

Originally Posted by Mltwnsfinest

good news. i hope he can play soon enough

Agreed.

[kobethebestlaker]

i think they r tryin for stoudamire not payton, payton blasts the lakers at every chance possible

[trainwreck]

Originally Posted by _illapeeno

Riverside Press Enterprise:

Aaron Goodwin, the agent for both Gary Payton and Damon Stoudamire, said Wednesday there is mutual interest between his clients and the Lakers and there have been "positive conversations" about one of the veteran guards possibly joining the Lakers.

The Lakers are offering just a two-year deal at $5 million annually. Goodwin said both Payton, who played for LA during the 2003-04 season and turns 37 on Saturday, and Stoudamire, who turns 32 in September and also has talked to Houston, Orlando and Miami, are looking for longer deals.

But Goodwin said both would consider the Lakers because "they are a great organization" -- a surprising possibility for Payton, who had harsh words for them after he was traded to Boston last summer.

The Lakers also have contacted free-agent guard Tyronn Lue, 28, a former Laker.

The Lakers would have just three guards on their roster -- Kobe Bryant, second-year player Sasha Vujacic and rookie Von Wafer -- after agreeing to a trade sending starting point guard Chucky Atkins to Washington. They missed out on Antonio Daniels, who agreed to a deal with the Wizards.


Even if Payton is willing to play for the 2year 5 million contract I wouldnt' want him back. He struggled playing in the triangle system and with Phil back the triangle will be our main offensive system. Plus Payton isnt that good of a three point shooter to begin with. Now Damon Stoudemire (Mighty Mouse) may be small but his ability to penetrate and hit threes more then makes up for it. I also wouldn't mind seeing Lue come back, he's a good defender and already knows the triangle system as he played for us during 01.

Wow I am amazed we would want Payton. I doubt Payton really would want to come back either but hell go wherever he gets paid the most. If only we could combine Payton's size with Stoudamire's speed and shooting ability, then we would have our PG.

[Mltwnsfinest]

Originally Posted by kobethebestlaker

i think they r tryin for stoudamire not payton, payton blasts the lakers at every chance possible

IMO i wouldnt go for either one. I would go for younger dixon ( who is being pursued by seattle)

[kobethebestlaker]

id prefer dixon to because i just like him on a personal level, but stoudamire is clearly the better player

[charles202]

What happened to the Butler/Atkins trade for Kwame Brown.

I must have been temporarily off the planet, did it go through??? what are the details?

[YankeesSuck888]

Originally Posted by charles202

What happened to the Butler/Atkins trade for Kwame Brown.

I must have been temporarily off the planet, did it go through??? what are the details?

It went through just like you said. It was Butler and Atkins for Kwame. Now they'll be able to have Odom play the 3 and Kwame will be the 4 or 5.

[_illapeeno]

Originally Posted by charles202

What happened to the Butler/Atkins trade for Kwame Brown.

I must have been temporarily off the planet, did it go through??? what are the details?

Yes, it went through it's just that teams aren't officially allowed to sign the players and announce it until the player moratorium.

[LivinginNegadelphia]

Originally Posted by _illapeeno

Yes, it went through it's just that teams aren't officially allowed to sign the players and announce it until the player moratorium.

When does that end?

Is that tomorrow? Or July 31st

[charles202]

Thanks guys, being in Oz I miss alot of the news.

[_illapeeno]

LA TIMES: Lee Andrew Bynum has now worn a Laker uniform for two weeks, and when he wasn't surrounded by microphones, TV cameras and autograph-seeking kids, he managed to give the Lakers and their fans a glimpse into the future.

It looked like a mixed bag.

Playing eight games in Long Beach's Summer Pro League, which concluded last week, the Lakers' 6-foot-11, 270-pound top draft choice showed flashes of glorious potential … and all but disappeared during other spans.

"It's not any different from what I expected," Bynum said of his first taste of professional basketball. "I expected it to be tough and it's definitely tough."

And that, of course, was during a summer league that includes precious few players who will make NBA rosters next season.

The Lakers saw what they expected too. In taking Bynum 10th overall with their highest draft selection in 11 years, the team knew it was taking a calculated risk, choosing long-term potential over the temptation of taking a more polished player as a quick fix.

"I think it's gone as good as we can hope, keeping in mind that it's just a summer league," General Manager Mitch Kupchak said after Bynum was held to four points in the team's final game. "We don't want him really playing next year, or the year behind it. Certainly that's not in the plans."

Then whats the point of signing him to a two year contract if you're not gona play him for the next 2 years. I'm sure Kuptchack doesn't have any say of player's playing time, but whats the point of signing a player for two years and you dont' expect him to play at all. FIRE MITCH. There's also rumors that Bynum will be sent down to the NBDL so he can get some major playing time, but I don't see that happening as the Laker's front court is very thing right now with Divac retiring, we're only left with Mihm, Brown and Grant (if he doesnt' get released).

[crew]

Originally Posted by _illapeeno

Then whats the point of signing him to a two year contract if you're not gona play him for the next 2 years. I'm sure Kuptchack doesn't have any say of player's playing time, but whats the point of signing a player for two years and you dont' expect him to play at all. FIRE MITCH. There's also rumors that Bynum will be sent down to the NBDL so he can get some major playing time, but I don't see that happening as the Laker's front court is very thing right now with Divac retiring, we're only left with Mihm, Brown and Grant (if he doesnt' get released).

He has to be signed to a 2 year contract, as per the CBA. The Lakers have options on the 3rd year and the 4th (I think). If he isn't going to play on the NBA level he should go to the NBDL. There is no point for a youngster not to play. I understand they are thin up front, but they can find another veteran to play upfront if they need.

I'd rather see a youngster play 30 minutes in the NBDL then sitting as the 12th man getting 0 minutes a game on the NBA level any day of the week.

[_illapeeno]

Good points crew. It still boggles my mind why the Lakers drafted a project in Byum who'll probably be ready in 3-4 years when Phil Jackson's gone. It would've been ok if they used a 2nd round pick on Bynum, but a top 10 pick on a project. Sure Bynum could develop into a nice player in 3-4 years, but the Lakers management has been quoted saying they want to win now and how are they gona win with a project in the making in Bynum? At #10 we could've drafted more nba ready players who are able to step in and contribute right away. Danny Granger who many compared to Pippen or Sean May, undersized p/f like Barley and Jarret Jack who could've stepped in and ran the triangle.

[crew]

I completely agree. I thought the same exact thing. Even the trade for Brown, which I liked, is really for the future.

Installing and being effecient in the triangle takes a while. By the time the youngsters develop and figure out the triangle, Jackson will most likely be gone and the new coach will implement something completely different.

I'm just a little confused on the direction of the Lakers. They hire a coach to win now, but they are building a team to win in 3-4 years. Jackson is a great coach, but we have never seen him teach young players (for the most part) to become great players. Kobe might be the notable exception. But Jordan and Pippen's growth really happened under Doug Collins. Phil just go the pieces to work with one another. We'll see. Maybe I'm wrong and Phil will be a great teacher. He definetely seems more patient with young role players (Walton, Rush) then Larry Brown is.

[charles202]

The only possible sense i can read into this is with the Kwame deal able to be voided after 2 years, that we would have his repalcement on the Roster if needed.

I cant see Grant staying on the roster with the one off exemption for luxury tax, it is a pure business decsion that he has to go.

We are going to be undersized up front. Slav and Cook will likely have to take the majority of playing time up front.

I think we should concnetrate on finding a PG who can hit the 3 at the moment as the main priority, but thr front court is really starting to be a worry

[trainwreck]

Originally Posted by _illapeeno

Then whats the point of signing him to a two year contract if you're not gona play him for the next 2 years. I'm sure Kuptchack doesn't have any say of player's playing time, but whats the point of signing a player for two years and you dont' expect him to play at all. FIRE MITCH. There's also rumors that Bynum will be sent down to the NBDL so he can get some major playing time, but I don't see that happening as the Laker's front court is very thing right now with Divac retiring, we're only left with Mihm, Brown and Grant (if he doesnt' get released).

I have been saying this for a while. Mitch Kupchak is a pretty bad GM. Of course it is possible Buss' son may be a part of this too, as I heard he has taken a more active role with the team now. The Shaq trade made me so mad because I am sure there were better deals out there but they did not want to trade him to the western conference. Hello the Lakers are not exactly contenders for awhile so it does not matter if Shaq is in the west anyways. Get the best deal possible! I have not like his drafts much. The best one was the Cook/Walton draft and all that did was bring us some backups. The Payton deal was garbage because we lost the best player in the deal in Banks because of Payton's refusal to go. Just do not complete the trade. Was it that necessary to get Chris Mihm? Right now the team is Kobe and Odom with the next most talented players a couple of projects and we still have no point guard.

[_illapeeno]

It looks like we've found our starting pg.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/basket...ck=1&cset=true

Lakers May Have a Shot at Anderson
Mike Bresnahan
Former Portland Trail Blazer shooting guard Derek Anderson, an unrestricted free agent via the "amnesty" provision in the new labor deal, will meet with the Lakers on Sunday in Los Angeles, his agent said.

Anderson, 31, was waived Tuesday by the Trail Blazers so they could avoid luxury-tax ramifications.
Anderson, who will still be paid $18.8 million over the next two seasons by the Trail Blazers, is seeking a two-year deal with the Lakers worth the full midlevel exception of $5 million a season.

"I think he deserves that," said Anderson's agent, Tony Dutt. "He's high-quality."

The Lakers are open to a two-year deal, but they might not go as high as the full midlevel for Anderson, who has sat out 66 games over the last two seasons, primarily because of back problems. The midlevel exception, used by teams over the salary cap, can be spent entirely on one player or may be broken up and spent on two or three players.

Anderson, 6 feet 5, has averaged 13.1 points and 3.7 assists in an eight-year career with four teams. He averaged a career-best 16.9 points with the Clippers in 1999-2000.

The Miami Heat, Houston Rockets, Detroit Pistons and Minnesota Timberwolves have also shown interest in Anderson.



With no other free agent pg left on the market, I say we go hard after Anderson, I just don't want Atkins starting or Lue if they sign him to a contract.

[crew]

Originally Posted by _illapeeno

With no other free agent pg left on the market, I say we go hard after Anderson, I just don't want Atkins starting or Lue if they sign him to a contract.

There is Van Exel, who is more of a PG then Anderson. Also Jon Barry can play point. And isn't Earl Watson still around? Anderson would be good, but health. I wouldn't give him the full MLE.

[JShow34]

I'd rather have Derek Anderson than any of those other plays mentioned. Anderson is probably still regretting not accepting that offer from the Spurs a few years ago or perhaps his career thus far would have shown what a talented and versitale guy he is.

If the Lakers land Anderson I guarantee they will make the playoffs.

[_illapeeno]

Originally Posted by crew

There is Van Exel, who is more of a PG then Anderson. Also Jon Barry can play point. And isn't Earl Watson still around? Anderson would be good, but health. I wouldn't give him the full MLE.

Van Exel is leaning more towards signing with a texas team Houston or Dallas. Barry can play spot up minutes at point, but he's more of a sg. Watson is still available but he's asking for more then the MLE and the price range is out of the Laker's reach.