Re-Grading L.A. Lakers' Moves from Last Offseason
As you all probably know by now, the Los Angeles Lakers have traded for Dwight Howard. That sets the Lakers up for a fantastic offseason grade. But, what about last offseason? How did the Lakers do in hindsight? Will those moves help this season's team?
Looking back, many graded the Lakers fairly bad and rightfully so. Things last offseason did not turn out how the Lakers wanted. To be frank, last offseason for the Lakers was more known for the trade that did not happen (Chris Paul deal) than the moves that did happen. That's not a good sign.
Read on for a re-grading of all the questionable moves made by the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2011 NBA offseason.
Hiring of Mike Brown as Head Coach
1 of 6Grade: C
Hall of Fame coach Phil Jackson retired after the 2009-10 season, leaving a void that almost no coach could fill. He is one of the top coaches of all-time and literally a living legend.
No disrespect to Mike Brown at all, as he is a respected coach around the league, but this job was going to be a tough spot to fill from day one. It's impossible to replicate what Jackson did, and Brown distanced himself from the system of old and implemented his own offensive style.
The team struggled to fully grasp the offensive concepts, but finished third in the Western Conference with a 41-25 record and lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Semifinals
While the team overall did well, it's hard to give Brown much of the credit. Having players like Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum spoiled Brown and the players were, in my opinion, the main reason why the Lakers won games.
Drafting of Darius Morris and Andrew Goudelock
2 of 6Grade: D
Both Darius Morris and Andrew Goudelock were second round draft picks of the Los Angeles Lakers, and both were not factors in their rookie seasons. They are basically bench filler and, occasionally, D-League players.
The Lakers do not need either Morris or Goudelock to win and this draft class is not necessarily a failure, they're just not important right now. Also, Josh Selby and Isaiah Thomas were both available and passed up by the Lakers.
This grade could change if either Morris or Goudelock develop into solid role-players but, for now, the grade will stay subpar.
Signing of Josh McRoberts
3 of 6Grade: D
Josh McRoberts was signed to add some youth and athleticism to the frontcourt, but quickly found his way to a diminutive role on the Los Angeles Lakers.
McRoberts looked to be exactly what the Lakers needed, but he underperformed and was eventually replaced in the rotation by the midseason acquisition of Jordan Hill.
Signing McRoberts helped the team make the tough move of trading away Lamar Odom, but this should be looked upon as a failure.
Trading of Lamar Odom
4 of 6Grade: B+
Lamar Odom was originally included in the three-team trade that would have brought Chris Paul to the Lakers, and Odom was hurt by his inclusion in the trade. He immediately demanded a trade and his wish was granted when he was sent to the Dallas Mavericks for a first-rounder and a trade exception.
Odom floundered terribly in his stint on the Mavericks and it turned out to be a good deal for the Lakers. This was probably the best move of the 2011 offseason for the Lakers.
Signing of Troy Murphy
5 of 6Grade: D
This move should have helped the team cope with the loss of Lamar Odom, as Troy Murphy is a less effective version of Odom. Murphy did not turn into a solid role player, and saw his role reduced as the season progressed.
It was a good idea to take a waiver on Murphy to see if he could regain his former talent from his Golden State Warrior and Indiana Pacer days, but this ended up being a bad signing.
Signing of Jason Kapono
6 of 6Grade: F
Jason Kapono was signed to do the only thing he has done in his NBA career, make three point shots. The signing of Kapono looked like a decent addition to the team but he never panned out as the team hoped.
Once Kapono showed he was inconsistent with his shot, he was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the deal that brought Ramon Sessions to the Lakers, ending his less than 30 game run in Laker Land.
