LAKERS OFFICIAL END OF SEASON THREAD: IT WAS FUN! THANKS FOR THE RUN LAKERS! LAKER FANS STAND UP!

[caliwestcoast1]

magLore/kidd for mihm..kwame and sasha?...DO IT MITCH

 

[slow motion g35]

Got to admit, Bynum has me fooled. Playing better than I expected, just making his presence felt in the game. Wish the same can be said about Lamar. But anaddition of Kidd would be bananas.

It will take Lamar + Luke or Ariza to make the deal work financially. But if we can get Brown out with a third team involved, then jesus, we got a gift.

Do it Mitch. Dec 15. Luke can be shopped, don't know how Ariza's situation would work

 

[edd247]

I hope Drew will be back by the 21st, when i'm going to the game, but that might be wishful thinking.
i don't think he should rush to come back

 

[tupac003]

Did anybody see what he just said?



WE NEED PJ AND C WEBB NOW!



How many player can you have on a roster during the regular season?

 

[th0mas cr0wn]

or we should have just kept both Caron and Odumb and signed someone that can do what kwame does for the mle or something.

I'm still bitter about that Caron trade

 

[sohi 23]

Kevin Martin of the Kings strained his groin too.
They said he was going to be out 4-6 weeks.
I would rather have Kobe sit out then to play at this point of the year

 

[sohi 23]

With the rate of growth this team has had, and becoming one of the elite teams in the West,

I highly doubt Kpbe will go anywhere, but then you never know...



Anyways, really intersting article on Bynum and his growth.

I got to hand it to the kid, he worked his++%@ off during the summer and it is paying off,

I was willing to ship him out for a proven NBA All-Star, but the Lakers FO dederved props for what they did with him.



http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/insi...umnist=thorpe_david&page=ScoutingBynum-080111

 

[dyyhard]

Mitch Top 10 in 1985-86.http://www.eskimo.com/~pbender/misc/salaries86.txt1985-86 NBA Salaries[with thanks to Michael Siewenie for sending me the players' salaries info]Team PayrollsThe salary cap for the 85-86 season was $4.23 million.    Team                      Payroll  1. Los Angeles Lakers      $8,579,750 2. New Jersey Nets         $6,840,500 3. Philadelphia 76ers      $6,825,500 4. New York Knicks         $6,691,500 5. Boston Celtics          $6,560,000 6. Seattle Supersonics     $5,683,333 7. Los Angeles Clippers    $4,745,000 8. Detroit Pistons         $4,603,666 9. Chicago Bulls           $4,486,00010. Washington Bullets      $4,381,38311. Golden State Warriors   $4,365,83312. Houston Rockets         $4,259,00013. Phoenix Suns            $4,189,50014. San Antonio Spurs       $4,052,84615. Dallas Mavericks        $4,052,34616. Sacramento Kings        $4,052,00017. Cleveland Cavaliers     $3,920,66618. Portland Trailblazers   $3,831,00019. Indiana Pacers          $3,758,20020. Atlanta Hawks           $3,671,25021. Milwaukee Bucks         $3,661,33222. Denver Nuggets          $3,425,50023. Utah Jazz               $2,914,500  0 players will earn $3 million or more  3 players will earn $2 to 3 million 10 players will earn $1 to 2 millionThe league minimum was $70,000Average: $370,104  [296 players]Top 25 players 1. Magic Johnson (LAL)        $2,500,000 2. Moses Malone (Phi)         $2,145,000 3. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (LAL)  $2,030,000 4. Larry Bird (Bos)           $1,800,000 5. Jack Sikma (Sea)           $1,600,000 6. Julius Erving (Phi)        $1,485,000 7. Patrick Ewing (NY)         $1,250,000 8. Ralph Sampson (Hou)        $1,165,500 9. Mitch Kupchak (LAL)        $1,150,00010. Otis Birdsong (NJ)         $1,100,00010. Marques Johnson (LAC)      $1,100,00012. Albert King (NJ)           $1,035,00013. Kevin McHale (Bos)         $1,000,00014. Wayman Tisdale (Ind)         $987,00015. Adrian Dantley (Uta)         $950,00016. Bill Cartwright (NY)         $925,00017. Buck Williams (NJ)           $915,00018. Sidney Moncrief (Mil)        $884,00019. Akeem Olajuwon (Hou)         $882,50020. Bernard King (NY)            $874,00021. Alex English (Den)           $825,00022. Darryl Dawkins (NJ)          $808,00023. George Gervin (Chi)          $806,00024. Joe Barry Carroll (GS)       $800,00024. Tom Chambers (Sea)           $800,000

 

[kidskillz858]

^

I'm going to hold off on my judgement if the Lakers chances of making it to the NBA Finals this season until after the allstar break.

The way I see things now the only team that really scares me in the western conference is the San Antonio Spurs.But heck they just lost to the Raptors at homelast night.

Februray is going to be a test month for the Lakers to see who they really are because the Lakers have a big 9 game road trip that month.

Also we have to see how Andrew Bynum physicaly holds up and how he plays during the second half of the season.The question is: Can he continue to play like heis currently or is he going to hit the wall and drop off like he did last season after the allstar break? The same question can also be asked about JordanFarmar.

 

[frenchblue23]

Wow, Good job bro
Where did you get the 60th anniv. patches at?
First off, THANK YOU everyone for the compliments.

I purchased these on ebay. I have the link if anyone wants it, just PM me.

Hey do you think you could do that to mine? I live in L.A.
It's easy to do it, they do sell them at Team LA.. The backing has dried glue, so you iron it on, and once it dried, I sewed the edges withpurple thread.

Frenchblue, did you remove the original adidas logo first then repatch it with the 60th Ann. patch or did you just patch it over? b/c don't you need to iron patches on usually?
Nah, it would have taken me a while, I just ironed it over. Just have to get the placement right leveled to the NBA logo.

Tupac, the patch they sell on that link is not the same patch that the players wear.

(The first one is the one the Lakers wear, and the second one is not)

(It's minor, but it's better that you know

)

 

[krey1231]

Magloire is in NJ.

 

[tupac003]

Ska & KB I got you guys down for 1 each.



Ska they are 8 per patch.

 

[th0mas cr0wn]

Originally Posted by 23ska909red02



And trade Odom for RON ARTEST. They'd fill the same role, play the same position, except Ronnie's better. Exponentially.

Remember, Rodman worked out GREAT for Phil.

YES. oh how long I've been wishing for them to trade for Ron Artest. they should have gotten him 2 years ago. I seriously don't give a damnabout Odom right now. he's not worthless yet but he's close. he obviously still has decent value. I hope he plays well for the next few games so theLakers can shop him. I'd trade him for Chandler too, but the Hornets wouldn't do it

 

[jbone2308]

Oh by the way any takers for Varejao? I know we want Artest, but Var is younger than Webber and is more worried about defending and cleaning up than scoring.

 

[i nasmatic i]

i love lamar and his talent, but it isn't working out with him and the lakers

in a perfect world i would love to trade lamar for a more traditional power forward and some cap space/draft pick.

 

[frenchblue23]

I agree with what Phil is saying about Radmanovic, he tends to drift in the offense, so most of his shots come off out of fastbreaks and penetration to thebasket.

 

[darthska]

Not to derail the offseason discussion, but I wanted to post this in here. I just posted this in the Lakers/Pacers game thread from today, but I thought thiswas worthy of 'Lakers season' discussion as well.

Fro B Giant wrote:

---

Is it me or are the Lakers fast breaking almost every possession?
Heck yeah.

That's what's up, man. That's how we're the third best scoring team in the league, at 107.03, behind G.S. (#1, with 109.30) and PHX (#2, with108.0.

And to add to that, we're the 9th best defensive team, keeping our opponents to an average of 101.58 points.

Factoring those two together, we've got that 9th best differential in the league, at 5.45, meaning that we are averaging 5 more points a game than ouropponents; 3rd is S.A. @ 6.58, 2nd is DET @ 10.29, and 1st is BOS @ 12.96, meaning that they're beating their opponents by an average of nearly 13 a game

).

But still, our average points per game (107.03) + average opponent's points per game (101.5 is pretty damn nice for me.

 

[la laker devotee]

Never fail, the injury bug hits us AGAIN!!!

 

[k i n g x b]

even though we lose offense in farmar the machine can carry the load off the bench

 

[tupac003]

I know the season is no where near over but I found this and I thought it was interesting.

[h1][/h1]

[h1]Strong 2008 free-agent class in for terrible summer[/h1]

By Chad Ford
ESPN.com
(Archive)

Updated: November 27, 2007

This past summer, a large group of free agents -- restricted and unrestricted -- got a terrific dose of the realities of the new NBA hard cap.

While Rashard Lewis, Chauncey Billups, Gerald Wallace, Vince Carter and Darko Milicic came away with big deals, only a handful of the rest of last season's free-agent class found anything near the money that free agents typically get on the open market. One prominent restricted free agent, Anderson Varejao, is still waiting for a contract.

Meanwhile, a total of only six players from the 2004 draft who were eligible for extensions -- Dwight Howard (5 years, $85 million), Al Jefferson (5 years, $65 million), Kevin Martin (5 years, $55 million), Devin Harris (5 years, $43 million), Jameer Nelson (5 years, $35 million) and Kris Humphries (3 years, $9 million) -- cashed in.

The other 24 first-round picks, including stalwarts like Luol Deng, Andre Iguodala and Emeka Okafor walked away empty-handed.

Why was it such a slow summer?

First, the number of teams with enough money under the salary cap to make significant free-agent offers has been slowly dwindling. This year only two teams -- the Magic and Grizzlies -- picked up a major free agent.

With fewer teams having cap flexibility, the opportunities for free agents to switch teams have largely dried up. That emboldens some owners to make lower-than-expected offers to players eligible for extensions. If teams are unable to pay them big money next season, why give them huge extensions now?

Second is the league's nefarious luxury tax. A whopping 22 teams were either over the threshold or within $4 million of paying it this year. Owners have become so tax averse, they're putting the brakes on NBA GMs' free-spending ways. This especially hurt players looking for midlevel exception deals. Only a couple of teams used their full midlevel exceptions this past summer. Even fewer are projected to do so next year.

For the first time since David Stern pushed for the cap back in 1998 … the league has what's tantamount to a hard cap. Teams have spent and overspent and owners have had enough.

That's great for owners who want to be fiscally responsible. But for free agents, it's a nightmare.

"There's no question that the market has changed," one prominent player agent told ESPN.com. "Teams are being much more careful with the cash. There just aren't as many options as there used to be and owners are taking advantage of it right now. It's definitely a buyer's market and I don't see that changing anytime soon."

That's terrible news for the stellar free-agent class of 2008.

A number of top or second-tier free agents will be on the market next year.

But given current projections, only one team -- the Philadelphia 76ers -- will have enough money under the cap to spend on them. Even the Sixers won't have max room if (a) they have a large cap hold for a high first-round pick and (b) they decide to give Iguodala and Louis Williams, both restricted free agents, big deals this summer.

A few other teams -- the Clippers, Bobcats and Hawks -- could conceivably get some cap room, but for it to happen they'd have to let their major free agents walk away next summer.

To make matters worse, with 12 teams in the luxury-tax range -- and potentially more with high draft picks coming -- there don't appear to be a lot of midlevel slots open either.

So read this Christmas list of summer free agents with a heavy heart, fans. You may have your eyes set on a star but unless your team clears a ton of cap room or orchestrates the ultra-rare sign-and-trade, it's going to be a blue summer.

Group I: The "Big 8" ETO candidates

These are the players with an "early termination option" in their contracts, meaning they can opt to forgo the final year(s) of their deals and become unrestricted free agents in the summer of 2008. In most years, two or three big stars have this option. In 2008, there are eight, as the provisions of recent collective bargaining agreements kick in big-time. Here's the star-studded lineup:

1. Elton Brand, Clippers -- The Clippers and Brand are both in limbo. The team looks lottery-bound again and, to stay competitive, Donald Sterling is going to have to pay Brand, Corey Maggette, Sam Cassell and Shaun Livingston.

Brand is the most important piece, but he may also be the most coveted free agent on the market. He turns 29 in March, but as long as he recovers from his ruptured Achilles tendon, he seems to be the player who has the most to offer in free agency.

To keep from losing money, Brand will need a team to pay him a starting salary of $16.5 million. No one has that kind of cap room, though teams like the Sixers and Bobcats could make some moves to get further under the cap. The question is, obviously, would either of those teams really be an upgrade from the Clippers? If Brand bolts the Clippers, then the Clips themselves would have some serious cap room.

2. Gilbert Arenas, Wizards -- Arenas has turned himself into a max player the past few years and, despite recent knee troubles, will likely opt out of his contract to cash in on his newfound celebrity status.

While he continues to maintain publicly that his first choice is to re-sign with Washington, it's not inconceivable that, given his eccentricity, he could change his mind. The biggest issue for Arenas is the same that plagues all the free agents: Who else really has the money to pay him?

3. Shawn Marion, Suns -- Marion has been unhappy in Phoenix for the past few years and has wanted a huge extension. And, given his age, this may be his last chance to garner a big, long-term deal. He's also been mentioned in trade rumors for the past few years. On paper, he looks like the type of free agent who would opt out.

But Marion has a number of factors working against him. He turns 30 in May, is scheduled to make a whopping $17.8 million next season and would likely have to take a major pay cut if he opts out. The Suns are looking for financial security (which means they'd like to try to sign him for less than what he makes right now) and the rest of the teams in the league just won't have the money to pay him.

A sign-and-trade looks like a real possibility, but if the Suns have been trying hard to move him the past few years and have been unable to make a deal … what's going to change next summer?

4. Baron Davis, Warriors -- Davis showed up at camp in the best shape of his career -- a sure sign that he's eyeing opting out this summer. He's as good as any point guard in the game when he's healthy and motivated. But he also turns 29 in April and is rarely healthy for a full season. Will he stay motivated to stay in shape once he gets a big deal?

And again … who can afford him? It seems more likely that he stays in Golden State.

5. Jermaine O'Neal, Pacers -- O'Neal has his reasons to opt out. The Pacers don't look like contenders and, at 29, this is his last chance to get a big, long-term deal.

However, given O'Neal's huge salary next year ($20 million) and his lack of productivity and durability so far this season, it's hard to see him opting out at this point.

Where's he going to go and where's he going to find that type of money?

6. Allen Iverson, Nuggets -- Iverson turns 33 in June, is scheduled to make $21 million next season and has watched his productivity fall each of the past three seasons.

To make matters worse for AI, Philly is the only team with significant room and I don't think the Sixers are bringing him back

7. Corey Maggette, Clippers -- Maggette has been on the trading block for years and appears to be eager to bolt the Clippers. He's making $7 million next season and should be due a raise.

Teams will be out in force to get him, but most will have only the midlevel exception to offer -- which means he'd be taking a pay cut. We'll see how bad Maggette wants out.

8. Ron Artest, Kings -- I wonder if the Kings won't be encouraging Artest to opt out. Clearly the team is no longer a contender and having Artest on a rebuilding team makes no sense.

Artest still has great talent and he's on a reasonable contract … but who goes after him? He might be a guy who's better off taking a midlevel deal in the right situation. He needs to do something to rehab his image. Maybe this is it.

---

Group II: The restricted free agents

I mentioned that six first-round draft picks from the 2004 draft were signed to extensions this fall. That means there will be some serious young talent available next summer. Their restricted status still makes it likely they'll stay with their current teams, but at least they'll be in play:

1. Luol Deng, Bulls -- Everyone loves Deng's talent, but so do the Bulls. It's hard to see them not matching any offer Deng gets next summer. He declined a $57.5 million extension in October, so if he makes more than that next summer he comes out ahead. Under different market conditions he's a max or near max player. But it will be interesting to see if the budget-conscious Bulls will take advantage of the market conditions and offer him much less.

2. Emeka Okafor, Bobcats -- Okafor turned down $13 million per season to hit free agency next summer. Yes, he'll be the only decent young center on the market, but there's no guarantee he'll get more money from another team. I think he should have taken what the Bobcats offered.

If he gets injured again or struggles, the offer goes down. If he's great this season, given market conditions, I'm not sure that it goes up.

3. Andre Iguodala, Sixers -- Iguodala's decision to turn down a $57 million deal is also mind-boggling. Since the Sixers are the only team with significant cap room, I'm not sure where he thinks his next paycheck will come from.

4. Andris Biedrins, Warriors -- Biedrins didn't get the lucrative contract offer that several others did. He was looking for something in the five-year, $50 million range and got an offer that was reportedly substantially lower.

Biedrins falls a little bit into the Anderson Varejao category -- energetic big man whose stats don't tell the whole story in terms of on-court contributions.

5. Josh Smith, Hawks -- On talent and potential, Smith should be near the top of the list. He's a freakish athlete who can score, rebound and block shots. What holds him back is a questionable attitude. It's not clear that the Hawks want to give him a long-term lucrative deal. In fact, it's not clear whether the Hawks can give him one with their current ownership dispute.

Smith is one of the few restricted free agents a team with cap space may try to pluck away -- the same way the Hawks did with Joe Johnson a few years ago.

6. Ben Gordon, Bulls -- Of all the players who turned down lucrative contract extensions, Gordon's decision is the most mind-boggling. He turned down a five-year, $50 million deal that seemed above market value on a down season.

The chances of him recouping that money next year seem almost impossible … and the rejection of the deal sets him up as the Bulls' best trade bait this February.

Of all the niches that these players fit, there isn't a huge market for undersized 2-guards with streaky jump shots. Gordon may be the best candidate to take the Bulls' one-year tender offer next year.

7. Josh Childress, Hawks -- Childress doesn't get nearly the respect or hype of many of his teammates in Atlanta, but he's been a devastatingly effective sixth man and seems expendable given all of Atlanta's wing talent. He probably can't get more than a midlevel deal on this market, but he'd be a bargain at that price.

8. Jose Calderon, Raptors -- Calderon could be a starter on half the teams in the league. That should be enough to get him a five-year midlevel deal from someone. Given how much money the Raptors have invested in starting point guard T.J. Ford, they may decide not to match.

9. Monta Ellis, Warriors -- He's young and he can score. However his restricted status is going to hurt him. No one has the money to offer him more than the midlevel and he probably feels like he's worth considerably more than that. He's another player who may be better off taking the one-year tender.

10. Shaun Livingston, Clippers -- Before his horrific knee injury last season, Livingston looked like he'd be locked up by the Clippers early. Now his entire career is in question. His best bet will probably be to take a one-year tender and get back on the court. But if someone offers him a longer-term deal for a lower price, he may not be able to pass up the security. It's a big risk because Livingston may never be the same, but he has so much talent, it might be worth it for some team.

Other notables: Nenad Krstic, Nets; Juan Carlos Navarro, Grizzlies; Daniel Gibson, Cavaliers; Louis Williams, Sixers; Craig Smith, Timberwolves; Walter Herrmann, Bobcats; Robert Swift, Sonics; Ronny Turiaf, Lakers; David Harrison, Pacers; Ryan Gomes, Timberwolves; J.R. Smith, Nuggets; Kelenna Azubuike, Warriors; Tony Allen, Celtics; Carlos Delfino, Raptors; Dorell Wright, Heat; Tarence Kinsey, Grizzlies; Salim Stoudamire, Hawks; Sasha Vujacic, Lakers; Sebastian Telfair, Timberwolves; Mickael Gelabale, Sonics; Randolph Morris, Knicks; Kirk Snyder, Rockets

---

Group III: The real, honest-to-goodness unrestricted free agents

Finally, we get to the guys who will be on the market with no strings attached. Unfortunately, there is only one player on this list worth making an effort to sign to a big deal. All the rest will probably struggle to earn anything close to the money they signed their last contracts for.

1. Antawn Jamison, Wizards -- He turns 32 in June, but Jamison is still putting up big scoring and rebounding numbers for the Wizards. Washington will likely try to lock him up, and should have the best shot. With teams capped out, who's going to spend all of their money on a 32-year-old?

2. Ricky Davis, Heat -- The talented but troubled forward hasn't been helping his cause in his second tour with Miami. Pat Riley thought, after dumping him the first time, that Davis finally had the maturity to play for him. After the first 15 games, Riley is clearly reassessing the situation. Davis looks like a midlevel or below type of player in next year's free agent class

3. Alonzo Mourning, Heat -- Mourning still has some juice left, but it's difficult to see him playing anywhere but Miami.

4. Kwame Brown, Lakers -- The former No. 1 pick has run out of excuses. Yes, he's huge, athletic and only 25 years old. But after seven years in the league he's yet to prove that he's anything more than a backup. Someone will pay him something, but no one is expecting much.

5. DeSagana Diop, Mavericks -- He's huge and he rebounds and blocks shots. That almost guarantees someone will blow its midlevel exception on him. He's still only 25, but five points and eight boards are about all you're going to get from him.

6. Sam Cassell, Clippers -- He's old (39 next year), but he's still kicking. His willingness to play on a one-year deal for a contender might make him a coveted free agent next summer.

7. Jason Williams, Heat -- White Chocolate is growing old, but he still has enough gas to be a decent backup on a contending team. That should get him some serious looks in free agency

8. Gerald Green, Timberwolves -- He's long, athletic and he can shoot. At just 21, he's one of the few unrestricted free agents with upside. Someone will offer him $3-4 million a year in the hopes that he figures out how to play defense and learns a few plays.

9. Patrick O'Bryant, Warriors -- No one is sure why the Warriors didn't pick up his option. He's big, he showed promise in training camp and he was their No. 9 pick in the 2006 draft. In limited action he has shown he can play. Someone else will find out for sure.

Other notables: Bostjan Nachbar, Nets; Carlos Arroyo, Magic; Kurt Thomas, Sonics; Beno Udrih, Kings; Chris Duhon, Bulls; Brent Barry, Spurs; Robert Horry, Spurs; Gordan Giricek, Jazz; Michael Doleac, Timberwolves; Francisco Elson, Spurs; Keyon Dooling, Magic; Quinton Ross, Clippers; Eduardo Najera, Nuggets; Fred Jones, Knicks; Juan Dixon, Raptors; Maurice Evans, Magic; Primoz Brezec, Bobcats; Anthony Johnson, Hawks; Tyronn Lue, Hawks; Jarvis Hayes, Pistons

Chad Ford covers the NBA for ESPN Insider.

If you are mitch and get a green light who do you go after?

 

[ai bundy]

so how does everyone feel about trading Bynum for Kidd now.

 

[holdenmichael]

Well, Bynum's 9th among centers in RPG (same as Yao) and 16th overall in RPG. The centers ahead of him average anywhere from six to 12 minutes more pergame.

He's 13th in BPG among centers. Only four of the centers ahead of him on this list grab more rebounds (in more MPG).

He's 5th in double-doubles, 7th in efficiency, 4th in FG%, and 20th in MPG among centers.


He's a year-and-a-half younger, an inch taller, and 55 pounds heavier than Biedrins.

His numbers won't go down when Elton Brand makes a full recovery.


I understood why and was still mad the Lakers didn't trade Bynum for Kidd last year, but now that Kobe has begged out, I'm not willing to give away avaluable prospect for an aging HOFer unless that HOFer plays in the frontcourt.

What would the Nets want anyway? Bynum, Kwame, and ___?

 

[5am6oody72]

Source: New York Post

Peter Vecsey

Worst. Sources. Ever.

 

[tupac003]

Originally Posted by Slow Motion G35

^we never knew kwame couldn't catch a ball....can you name anyone else in the NBA that cant even catch the ball? We have two on our team, that includes Chris"Glass" Mihm.

Its really crazy that we have 2 guys who can't catch a ball, 2 guys who all they do is jack shots (vlad and sasha) and 1 player who claims to be an allstar but can't make one smart basketball decision to save his life. (O so dumb)

What the hell do we do here? We have players nobody wants and a superstar thats going to bounce in 09. Its sad.

 

[tupac003]

I wish we coud have made that deal for tyson last year...but from what I understand it really had no legs.