NBA Trade Rumors: Kirk Hinrich Is Perfect Solution to Lakers' Woes
The L.A. Lakers have been looking under any NBA rock to find that elusive point guard they crave, and they just may have found it in the Atlanta Hawks' Kirk Hinrich.
Alex Kennedy of Hoopsworld reports that Lakers officials have a keen interest in Hawks point guard Kirk Hinrich. The franchise starved for point guard help couldn't be more right in their affection for Hinrich's game.
Kennedy writes:
"Los Angeles has also been pursuing Kirk Hinrich in recent weeks. The Lakers have been linked to Hinrich in the past and the Atlanta Hawks would move the veteran point guard if the right deal came along. The two teams have had conversations in recent weeks.
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Kennedy also reminds us the Lakers are looking at Ramon Sessions and Raymond Felton to shore up a point guard position that is on the wrong side of old and washed up.
Let's get the bad news out of the way first. Hinrich may have durability issues as he sat out the start of the season as he recovered from shoulder surgery.
He has since come on to be a solid contributor behind Jeff Teague. Granted, his 4.9 points and 2.6 assists per contest are not All-Star numbers. They are hardly starters' outputs.
However, Hinrich is playing limited minutes and would give the Lakers two things they crave, depth and defense.
I, of course, love Hinrich's ability to lead an offense and handle the ball, and both things would make him a fan favorite over Derek Fisher who is inching toward the end of his career.
With Hinrich, you can slide Fisher and fellow point guard Steve Blake back in minutes. Both players are far more valuable coming off the bench rather than extended minutes on the floor, as they are currently getting.
The other point is defense which Hinrich can bolster with his gritty mindset and ability to stay in front of the ball.
The Lakers have proved able to take on the best in the league with their recent 93-83 win over the Heat.
The offense has been clicking with five games in the last eight going over 100 points. The team that we all thought needed a major overhaul needs but the slightest tweak heading into the playoffs.
One thing they can't do is continue playing with shoddy point guard defense like we have seen. Hinrich solves that problem and makes the Lakers a scary defensive juggernaut.
Consider they are fifth in the league with points allowed at 91.4. With Hinrich, the Lakers get much tougher to beat.
