Lakers Rumors: Deron Williams Only Option If L.A. Wants to Win a Ring with Kobe
The Los Angeles Lakers must trade for Deron Williams if the team hopes to win another championship before Kobe Bryant retires.
Bryant needs a great partner in the back court, and Williams is the only superstar point guard available this offseason.
The Lakers were dominated in the second round of the playoffs once again, losing to the Oklahoma City Thunder 4-1.
The core of the team is simply not good enough to bring another title to Los Angeles, and the problem lies with Bryant.
He is still an incredible scorer, evidenced by his 27.9 points per game this year. However, he is not getting any younger, and at 33 years old, he can no longer shoulder the load in the back court by himself.
When games are close down the stretch, Bryant is the only perimeter player on the team who has the killer instinct to close out games.
It's difficult to rely on Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol in crunch time situations for two reasons. First, they are low-post scorers and it is easier to double team them or deny them the ball. Second, both have struggled to assert themselves and play aggressively in important moments.
In order to win his sixth championship, Bryant needs a dominant player who can handle the ball, pass and hit jump shots. This would allow him to play off the ball more, and defenses would not swarm him late in a games.
Ramon Sessions has been a decent upgrade this year for the Lakers, but is right around the league average in assist-to-turnover ratio and shots from 16-23 feet.
Sessions is a good player, but Bryant needs a great player at point guard to partner with. Williams is that guy and according to Sam Amick of SI.com, he would be open to a deal that sent him to L.A.
Williams is a true superstar who can impact the game in many different ways. He was third among point guards in scoring this past season and averaged 8.7 assists. This was an off year for him too.
He is a knock-down three-point shooter, is capable of coming off screens for catch-and-shoot opportunities and is an expert at playing the pick-and-roll.
Williams is a floor general of the highest order who controls the tempo of the game. This is exactly what Bryant needs to extend his career, and the Lakers have known this for a while. That is why they pulled the trigger on a trade to get Chris Paul this past offseason.
The move would also benefit Williams, who could play a distributing role more often instead of having to provide the bulk of his team's points.
Bringing Williams to Los Angeles would create one of the great back courts in basketball history. Williams would dominate the ball and get Kobe into favorable situations, instead of Bryant having to create those situations for himself.
With another superstar in the back court and another player who can close out games, Bryant will be able to play at a high level for several more years. If the Lakers hope to return to championship form, they must work out a deal to bring Williams to Southern California.
