Lakers Rumors: Baron Davis and Rashard Lewis Would Make LA Finals Favorites
Even though the NBA lockout ended, the Los Angeles Lakers aren't popping the champagne bottles; they're waiting for a greater celebration.
In Los Angeles, one season without an NBA championship is way too long. That lengthy drought won’t last, though, if the Lakers front office is able to snag the players that they already have their eyes on. According to the Los Angeles Times, they’re interested in signing Baron Davis and Rashard Lewis if the two over-paid veterans are waived by their current teams under the expected amnesty clause.
Davis and Lewis are shells of their former selves, but each would eliminate the Lakers’ major weaknesses. In desperate need for a respectable starting point guard, a motivated Davis would provide just that. Lewis would provide a much-needed pure shooter from beyond the arc, a role Ron Artest, Steve Blake and Shannon Brown failed to fill last season.
Under the amnesty clause, owners can cut one player for cap relief, but they must still pay the entirety of the player’s salary. According to ShamSports, Davis is scheduled to make about $14 million each of the next two seasons while Rashard Lewis is owed approximately $22 million over that time period. The ringless duo should have no problem splitting the mid-level exception or even taking vet minimum for a chance to win their first title.
Davis averaged 6.7 assists last season. He would’ve easily led the floor general-hungry Lakers in dimes. Lewis’ 6’10” frame would add even more length to an already forest-like front court, and of course, his 39 percent career three-point percentage could come in handy.
Adding those two declining, yet still talented, hungry vets to the Lakers core of Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum, Lamar Odom and Ron Artest would instantly make them favorites to hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy once again. With new defensive-minded head coach Mike Brown combined with LA’s endless offensive firepower, anything but a ring would be a disappointment. And of course, that shortened season definitely couldn’t hurt in helping an aging Kobe stay fresh throughout the playoffs.
David Daniels is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report and a syndicated writer. Follow him on Twitter.
