Excitement, Trepidation, & Relief: The Los Angeles Lakers' Offseason in Review

[Heir Rose]

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Flash back a little over a month and a half from today. Kobe Bryant, finally vindicated, has achieved his first ever championship without Shaq. Phil Jackson has won his tenth NBA title, surpassing Red Auerbach for the most in professional sports history. GM Mitch Kupchak can finally celebrate, as the team he rebuilt around Kobe has once again found the promised land after 7 years of waiting. The City of Angels has never been brighter.

 

Now fast-forward to July 1st. The excitement and joy over the Lakers’ 15th NBA title has worn off, and the front office is geared up for a long offseason. Mitch Kupchak and team owner Dr. Jerry Buss have a tall order at hand: Key forwards Lamar Odom and Trevor Ariza are entering free agency, there is uncertainty as to whether or not Jackson will come back and chase an 11th ring, and team leader Kobe Bryant is due for an extension, as his contract runs out in the summer of 2010.

 

A week earlier, the Lakers wisely traded two of their picks (Toney Douglas and Patrick Beverly) to avoid putting more stress on the bank of Dr. Buss. They kept the 59th pick in the draft, Chinemelu Elonu, as a developmental project.

 

Bringing back reserve big men Josh Powell and D.J. Mbenga was the decision reached by Lakers brass. The Lakers had the option to give both players a guaranteed contract for the upcoming season, and on July 1st those options were exercised. Mbenga is still somewhat a project, and Powell averaged 4 points and 3 rebounds in 12 minutes per game. The Lakers are already in the luxury tax, so keeping both bigs around will save them money as opposed to signing a couple of new free agents to fill their void.

 

On the same day, Kobe Bryant inevitably declined an option to terminate his contract and hit free agency. He is expected to seek a three-year extension worth $85 million later this summer, and negotiations are expected to begin sometime in August.

 

Negotiations began shortly after with both Lamar Odom and Trevor Ariza. Dr. Buss employed a hardball approach, and the two forwards were upset that they did not get offers they felt acceptable. Odom was looking for $10 million per year, and Ariza was stunned when he was offered only the mid-level exception, significantly less than the $7-8 million he was hoping for. Ariza then signed with Houston, surprisingly for the same amount the Lakers had offered him.

 

You’d think that the MLE would mean more coming from a championship team as opposed to the Rockets.

 

Ariza was quickly replaced with Houston forward Ron Artest. Coincidentally or not, the decisions made by both forwards presented the equivalent of a trade between the two teams. Artest, has been known for his role in the Pistons-Pacers brawl a few years ago and earning the longest suspension in league history. More recently, Artest was thrown out in a game where Kobe elbowed him in the neck. There doesn’t seem to be any animosity between the two, and Ron seems genuinely excited to be on the same team as Kobe.

 

“Kobe’s cool, he reached out to me a couple times. On the court, it’s different, especially when you’re an opponent; there’s no friends out there, no helping nobody off the floor. Now I get a chance to play with him, and it’s gonna be a good feeling.” Those were Artest’s comments on Kobe in an interview with ESPN’s Stan Verrett.

 

From a basketball standpoint, Artest is an upgrade to Ariza on paper. He can shoot, like Ariza, and his perimeter defense is near the top of the league. There’s no question he can fill Ariza’s shoes in that respect. However, he also takes many more shots – at 15 per game, that’s more than twice Ariza’s average of 7.2. In a lineup that features two of the league’s best scorers in Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol, along with rising center Andrew Bynum and forward Lamar Odom, he’s going to have to accept his role and take less shots.

 

Judging by Artest’s positive attitude this offseason, there’s very little doubt in my mind that he will be able to fit in chemistry-wise. He gives them a good #3 option on offense and a tough defender next to Kobe. Ron would be a good counter to LeBron James, Paul Pierce, or Richard Jefferson should they Lakers play either of them in the playoffs.

 

On July 3rd, L.A. got another good bit of news: Head Coach Phil Jackson announced that he will be coming back for the 2009-2010 season. With Artest signed and Jackson coming back, and Shannon Brown re-signing a few days later, the Lakers shifted their attention towards Lamar Odom.

 

Bringing Odom back was a long, arduous process. The market wasn’t very big, and Miami and Portland were the only other teams seriously contending for Odom’s services.

 

Jerry Buss would not budge in negotiations, despite the effect of losing the versatile reserve big man would have on the team. After Odom’s camp didn’t respond for a week after his offer of $9 million over four seasons, Buss withdrew the offer. Miami went after Odom aggressively, and Dwyane Wade made two valiant attempts to recruit Odom back to the Heat. While they couldn’t give Odom the $9 million salary he wanted, Miami could offer a contract of $34 million over five years, giving Odom the long-term security he wanted. The absence of state income tax in Florida made the contract even sweeter.

 

The negotiations lasted until the end of July, when Lamar finally agreed to re-sign with the Lakers. The contract was worth $33 million over 4 years, with a team option for the final year. Odom didn’t get what he wanted, but in the end it showed his loyalty to the city of Los Angeles.

 

The bulk of the offseason is over for L.A. They still have to deal with Kobe’s contract extension, and by waiving Sun Yue they have another roster spot to fill. By re-signing Odom, adding Artest, and having Jackson come back for another year, the Lakers have ensured another deep playoff run, barring any major injuries. San Antonio, Boston, Cleveland, and arguably Orlando have all improved this summer, making the field deeper and tougher than ever before. Though a tough season lay ahead, the City of Angels can finally rest.

Edited August 5, 2009 by The Big Three