Andrew Goudelock: Can He Replace Shannon Brown in the LA Lakers Lineup?

Whenever the players and owners come to their senses and the NBA lockout ends, the Los Angeles Lakers will be forced to confront their issues with free agent guard Shannon Brown.

Brown decided to opt out of his contract at the end of last season, and the Lakers must decide if they want to attempt to persuade Brown to stay in Los Angeles or let him seek his fortune elsewhere.

Fortunately, there is a possibility that Brown's replacement may already be on the Lakers roster.

The Lakers used their second pick of the 2011 NBA Draft on guard Andrew Goudelock from College of Charleston in South Carolina, and Goudelock has some of the same qualities as Brown and a few that he doesn't.

When you strip away Brown's athleticism and rim-rattling dunks, what you have left is a player who averaged 8.7 points per game, 1.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists, while shooting 42 percent from the field.

I guess those are decent numbers, but certainly not the type that makes a player invaluable, and Brown's intangible assets are not likely to create to much of a stir either.

Brown's career with the Lakers has been an exercise in controlled futility, since he has rarely lived up to his potential as a player and as a Laker.

It was once thought that Brown could be a defensive stopper for the team, but he is wildly inconsistent on that end of the floor, and has yet to show the desire to be anything more than a marginal defensive player.

Some people also envisioned Brown as a dual backcourt threat, but in truth he doesn't handle the ball well enough to merit extended time at point guard, and his offensive game is not advanced enough to be a suitable substitute for Kobe Bryant.

What Brown does really well is dunk, and while Goudelock's game may not have that type of flash, it might have a little more substance.

During his senior season in Charleston, Goudelock averaged 23.7 points per game, while shooting 45 percent from the field and 40 percent from three-point range.

At 6'3", Goudelock is only one inch shorter than Brown and he appeared to be much more comfortable manning the point guard position in college than Brown has in the pros.

From what I have seen, Goudelock is a more effective passer than Brown, and he also understands how to dictate an offense by controlling flow and rhythm, which are two concepts that are alien to Brown.

Goudelock is a perimeter scorer by nature, and he doesn't have Brown's natural athleticism, but he can possibly develop into the consistent long-distance threat the Lakers have been searching for recently.

Brown has excited Lakers fans with his athletic dunks and flashes of star talent, but nothing Brown has done is enough to warrant the absurd amount of money another team will likely offer him to leave the Lakers.

And if the offer does come, then maybe the Lakers should just bid Brown farewell, rather than attempting to match or exceed a potential contract.

Brown's 8.7 points per game is not enough production to incite a serious bidding war in my opinion, and while Goudelock may not be able to replicate Brown's numbers, it's not like it is an impossible feat.