Los Angeles Lakers Offseason Additions
Coming off of back-to-back World Championships, the Los Angeles Lakers are sitting atop the basketball world. Now with Phil Jackson back in the fold for one more year and a chance at an unprecedented fourth "three-peat", the Lakers remain the early favorite for the 2011 title, despite Miami's monstrous offseason.
The 2011 Lakers squad has already improved since the season completed. The difference between the 2010 and 2011 teams is obvious: the improved second unit. In the crazy free agent summer of 2010, GM Mitch Kupchak found a way to improve a Lakers team that many felt was already at its crux.
Since 2008, the Lakers have had the same problem: inconsistent bench play. Led by "The Enigma" Lamar Odom , the second unit has had trouble producing on a consistent basis. While Shannon Brown , Sasha Vujacic , & Jordan Farmar provided somewhat of a spark on occasion, the team's play noticeably dropped when the starters were resting on the bench.
This offseason, there was no doubt that PG was a priority. The team re-signed fan favorite Derek Fisher to a 3-year, $10.5 million contract that will ensure he will return as the team's starter, but at 35 (36 on Aug. 9), Fisher's prime is definitely behind him. The Lakers immediately swooped in on backup PG Steve Blake and signed him to a 4-year, $16 million deal. While the length of the deal may be a bit excessive, the money is about right and Blake will provide consistent energy and play off the bench on a nightly basis that Farmar simply could not. Blake knows his role with the team and should fit nicely as the first guard off of the bench.
Kupchak wasn't done with just those two signings, however. Being the shrewd GM that he is, Kupchak understood that the Lakers needed further depth behind Blake & Odom off of the bench. The team added a phenomenal mentor for Andrew Bynum in veteran Theo Ratliff (1-year, veteran's min.) who will serve as the team's primary big man off of the bench, spelling both Bynum and Gasol on occasion. Ratliff has bounced around quite a bit in his NBA career and after 15 years, it looks like he's ready to win a ring. Ratliff brings phenomenal shot blocking capability as well as stellar defense that will help the Lakers defend the paint when the starters need to rest.
But it wasn't over there. After seeing Matt Barnes' agreement with the Raptors fizzle out, Kobe Bryant reached out to Barnes about the possibility of playing in LA for a ring. Barnes is a west coast boy, and having attended college at UCLA, the chance to play for a contender was just too great to pass up. The team announced his signing just a few days ago: 2 years, $3.6 million (ETO after first year). Barnes is expected to backup both the SG & SF positions and could play anywhere from 20-25 min per contest. Suddenly, the Lakers a legitimately ten men deep and have a team that can compete with any across the league.
Starters: D. Fisher, K. Bryant, R. Artest, P. Gasol, A. Bynum
Bench: L. Odom, S. Blake, M. Barnes, T. Ratliff, S. Vujacic
While the rest of the NBA is focused on the summer of LeBron & the free agent frenzy, the Lakers are solely focused on winning yet another championship and adding to the legacy of the already storied franchise.
