Lakers Rumors: LA Must Pursue Ramon Sessions After Losing J.R. Smith to Knicks

After J.R. Smith spurned the Los Angeles Lakers for the New York Knicks, the Lakers' next step is to address their point guard situation.

It's pretty clear by now that the Lakers need an upgrade at the point, where they currently have the aging Derek Fisher and unspectacular Steve Blake.

So far, three point guards have been linked to the Lakers: Gilbert Arenas, Ramon Sessions and Jonny Flynn.

Arenas has declined considerably since his All-Star years, and has the potential to become a distraction in the locker room.

Flynn is simply mediocre across the board.

That leaves the Lakers with Sessions.

Sessions isn't the defensive-minded point guard the Lakers truly need, but he would certainly be an upgrade on offense. He averaged 13.3 points and 5.2 assists while shooting 46 percent from the floor last season with the Cleveland Cavaliers. This season, he's averaging 5.7 assists in 25 minutes per game.

In my mind, the Lakers aren't front-runners for the title this season. They're 17-12, but recent losses against the Philadelphia 76ers and New York Knicks show they're vulnerable.

Blake and Fisher are respectively averaging 6.9 and 5.1 points per game this season. They're both shooting under 37 percent from the floor. And they're clearly not dynamic playmakers.

On top of that, Fisher is 37 years old and Blake is 31 years old.

Sessions, at age 25, still has some room to grow, and he's shown he can be a playmaker in the NBA. He's not the ideal point guard for the Lakers, but he's the best available option to assist them down the stretch.

Plus, being a younger player, he doesn't carry the same injury concerns, especially in a season with more back-to-back games due to the prior lockout.

The Lakers must deal for Sessions before the March 15 trade deadline.

Ignoring their point guard position will mark an early exit out of the playoffs.