Is Ariza really the best the Lakers can get?
(AP Photo/Reed Saxon)
The free agent sweepstakes officially starts tomorrow and, as a Los Angeles Lakers fan, you have to be excited.
Whatever enthusiasm you had drained out of you by watching the Lakers trade their first two picks in the draft and conclude by taking somebody called Chinemelu Elonu, will quickly be restored by watching the Lakers battle other franchises for the right to keep their championship team intact by re-signing Trevor Ariza and Lamar Odom.
Re-signing the two forwards has been the Lakers off-season focus since Ariza's emergence midseason, and they even parted ways with the fan-favorite and consummate Space Cadet Vladimir Radmanovic in order to free up some cap room for them. On the plus side, they got Adam Morrison a ring.
But it begs the question (posed by Brian Kamenetzky of the LA Times Lakers Blog):
Is there anyone else on the market the Lakers should be looking at instead of Ariza and Odom?
They give a link to the complete list of free agents, but I still believe the Lakers should (and will) stick with Ariza and Odom. That being said, here are a couple that I think could pique the Lakers' interest:
- Ron Artest - While Ariza is great at shooting the lanes and picking up steals, he's still not a lock-down one-on-one defender. Artest can shut down star players...or at least kill himself trying. And by all accounts he has put his Ron-Ron days behind him, so he could be worth taking a gamble on.
- Chris Andersen (aka the Birdman) - who didn't fall in love with this guy during the Denver Nuggets series? His hustle and enthusiasm are contagious, so he would be a great addition to a team that sometimes lacks effort from the second unit.
- Shawn Marion - I've never been a big fan of this guy, but you can't argue with the stats. He was a borderline league MVP in Phoenix and, although he's had a drop-off, has to be considered on par with Ariza on defense. He lacks Odom's versatility, but could be a nice piece.
- Kwame Brown - although he's been in the league for seven years, he's still got some upside. Plus the Laker fans would love to have someone to boo again.
All jokes aside, if Ariza or Odom gets courted away by a better offer, Artest, Andersen, and Marion would be great second-efforts in the free agent race. Not so much Kwame.
Comments
Mr. Henninger,
We can't believe you had the balls to throw Kwame's name into the mix. We will determine your punishment at a later date.
Additionally, there isn't enough ego room in the locker room for Ron Ron, it's all koboccupied. Birdman is a trailer trash fluke and we want nothing to do with another mediocre white boy, we have too many of them. And to consider Birdman over the Candyman or Ariza is bananas. Furthermore, we now hate anything Denver, so Birdman is out. Marion is still on our most wanted list from his days in Phoenix and his shot is the weirdest ugliest thing we've ever seen and we don't want it to spread to the rest of the team.
We suggest you discuss Buss's plans to hire a hit squad to take out Sasha- a guy who can't even aggressively guard anyone these days without fouling .... and being man enough to own up to it.
We didn't think the machine came from Detroit but clearly it did.
Yours truly,
Member #1,132,409,323 - Laker Nation
Its hard to believe that a week after that horrible performance by Kwame, we got Pau for him.
Lakers sign Trevor and Lamar and also sign Birdman he wants a ring and you cant go nowhere besides LA (exclude other LA team clippers) to win it. He can be a boost to our already tough bench mob squad.
we also should look at Grant Hill, he plays for the vet minimum and he a great 3 in the league. Plays good D and great O. I bet he will want out of Phoenix now, he could replace Ariza in case he gats some crazy offer we cant match.....
You saw the future
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