Lakers Rumors: Gilbert Arenas Is Safe Pick over Volatile J.R. Smith

The Los Angeles Lakers need to make a move and they need to make one that doesn’t disrupt the chemistry of the team.

USA Today is reporting the team is talking to both Gilbert Arenas and J.R. Smith about coming on board, and the decision should be an easy one.

On the surface that means staying far away from the “sharp-shooter” Arenas, who had a practical joke go horribly wrong and was then essentially blackballed by the league when he returned from suspension. But anybody that has followed his career knows he’s harmless and could easily fall in line behind Kobe Bryant.

At this point his motivation is to prove all of the naysayers wrong. He has a “me against the world” mentally that should be off the charts by now as he watches some of the horrific play that is currently going on this season.

Despite averaging a career-worst 10.8 points per game on 36.6 percent shooting, he couldn’t find one team to offer him the veterans minimum. A double-digit scorer can at least be a 12th man, right?

Arenas would be a model citizen in LA, looking to resurrect a career that was so incredibly explosive just a few years ago.  

Smith, on the other hand, is a complete roll of the dice. Sure, he can instantly cure some of their woes in the shooting department, but that won’t offset his attitude.

Smith has a tendency to sulk on the court when the ball isn’t touching his hands and he’ll shoot the ball every possession when he thinks he’s heating up. He is undisciplined on defense and clashed numerous times with one of the most laid-back coaches in the league in George Karl. You could make a strong argument he quit on his team when it needed him the most in the playoffs this past season.

With Metta World Peace around, Mike Brown has enough needy players to deal with already.

With the 37-year-old Derek Fisher averaging a career-low 5.1 points,and shooting a putrid 35.4 percent from the floor, point guard is the position that has to be upgraded.

The NBA lockout was taxing on everybody mentally, but it has clearly affected the NBPA president more than others. Or maybe it’s his age. Regardless, point guard is the need, not shooting guard. Steve Blake is nothing more than a backup.

Smith is not a point guard and he surely won’t be distributing the ball. Arenas is smart enough to know his limitations and is still capable of being a terrific table-setter for Kobe, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum. Sure, Smith is younger and can actually still dunk, but that’s not what the Lakers need. They need a guy that knows his role and is happy to be there.

When you factor in that Smith will cost about a million dollars more, the decision is an easy one.

Pick Agent Zero.