Lakers Don’t Want The Machine
Two years ago in the NBA Finals (’08), Sasha Vujacic was finishing games as one of L.A.’s closers and generally getting abused by Ray Allen. That season saw him average just fewer than nine points a game while shooting almost 44 percent from downtown. This past postseason, Vujacic went from goat to hero, as his free throws late in Game 7 helped seal L.A.’s 16th championship.
Now it appears that will likely be his coronation as a Laker. Brian Windhorst of the Cleveland Plain Dealer says Vujacic will likely be traded — along with a first-round pick — to save money. With that extra cash (“The Machine” makes $5.4 million) Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak will re-sign reserve guard Shannon Brown.
Or at least that’s the plan.
Cleveland was linked to Brown as a possible destination, but Windhorst believes that was more of a flirtation than anything else.
Last year, Vujacic averaged career lows in minutes and points. His playoff playing time dwindled all the way down to under eight minutes a game.
Vujacic has value as a shooter off the bench. But Brown is clearly the better overall player at this point, since the Machine hasn’t been oiled in a while. There was speculation that Delonte West could be moved for Vujacic — putting West, Ron Artest and Matt Barnes on the same team — but even if that were to happen, it’s more likely the Lakers would waive West to take advantage of his partially-guaranteed contract.
If they can bring Brown back, the Lakers would have at least one viable backup at every position. They would counter Miami’s top-heavy lineup with one that goes 12 deep if the second-round draft picks stay with the team:
PG: Derek Fisher, Steve Blake
SG: Kobe Bryant, Shannon Brown
SF: Ron Artest, Matt Barnes, Devin Ebanks
PF: Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, Derrick Caracter
C: Andrew Bynum, Theo Ratliff
For a team whose bench became a weakness at times last year, that equates to a pretty good summer.
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July 28th, 2010 at 11:19 am
Yoooo says:
Bon Voyage. I’ll miss that guy
July 28th, 2010 at 11:26 am
yoda says:
sasha, if healthy, is still better as backup than shannon. ups can’t play point, he gets lost on d. basically, hes only thing is to dunk and give few spark minutes. if sasha stays healthy, he can play 1-2 if needed, can (or should) hit threes and is pesky defender. plus, im not too sure that brown would hit those free throws in last game of the finals, like sasha did.
July 28th, 2010 at 11:29 am
control says:
Nobody wants “the Machine”. The guy sucks, it’s actually an insult to the entire world that he makes 5mil/year. He really shouldn’t be in the league at all, what does he really bring to a team that you couldn’t get from at least 2-3 guys in nearly any church/YMCA/rec league? His only real talent seems to be he is so exceedingly annoying that it throws off a few people.
Fuck the machine!
July 28th, 2010 at 11:29 am
seany_t says:
Bet they wish they’d spent that money on Turiaf now. It was a choice between Turiaf and Vujacic after the 08 finals….
July 28th, 2010 at 11:43 am
Heckler says:
sasha vujacic sucks. he wasnt even shit back in the ’08 playoff run. he hit a couple of open 3s, but thats all. if he aint hitting jimmies, he is USELESS.
that pesky defender rep is bullshit. he gets punked on the court. Lakers never should have given him that contract extension. even lakers fans on this board said so.
bah well, tell his ass to kick rocks.
shannon brown is the better overall ballplayer.
sasha has already peaked.
July 28th, 2010 at 12:03 pm
Sporty-j says:
Either way my Heat are still going to buss that a$$. They have the advantage at the Center position, Point Guard, and ill even give them the edge at the PF position. We have the advantage at the 2 and 3 postion especially when Desean Butler comes back healthy after all-star break becaus we wont need him during the season. What a way to start the season off if David Stern made the Heat play the Lakers first game of the season during there ring Ceremony to piss my Heat off even more and fuel the Beasts… Im going to love having the whole world root against us and cant wait to the season start.
July 28th, 2010 at 12:11 pm
Shot In Your Face says:
I don’t care for Sasha, but I rather have him on the Lakers than Brown. Sasha isn’t nearly as athletic obviously, but his skill set fits in better with the triangle offense.
Ideally, Sasha should be nailing every open three ball chance he has. He didn’t get much burn time last year so I’m going to go out on a limb and say he had trouble getting into rhythm.
Brown is fun to watch and can hit the occasional open jumper, yet he’s not a good defender, not a ball handler (which isn’t too important in the T.O.).
July 28th, 2010 at 12:13 pm
Shot In Your Face says:
Our weakness besides PG defense is long range shooting, and Sasha should fill that need (SHOULD is the key word)
July 28th, 2010 at 12:15 pm
LABaller says:
@sporty-j
right you have the advantage at the 2 position..keep telling yourself that .. unless your dudes play 48 minutes a game every game in the season and into the playoffs..no..you arent winning shit..let that “dream team” play a game before you start claiming ass busting..
@control
“The guy sucks, it’s actually an insult to the entire world that he makes 5mil/year” that shit had me rollin
@yoda
shannon is actually a pretty damn good defender..while every player has mental lapses as he has had..he plays hard which more than i can say about many..bosh anyone? lol .. we go to laker games often and he’s always talking on d and making the right moves..so no way is vuatrash better than shannon brown.. word is he is coming back with a better shot this year too..
July 28th, 2010 at 12:24 pm
JAY says:
How does this loser get a nickname like “The Machine”??? A dope nickname for a shitty player. It’s not right. He should be “The Vujina”
Someone like Durant should be The Machine.
July 28th, 2010 at 12:28 pm
control says:
JAY
He GAVE himself his nickname…like the fucker thinks he’s Shaq or something. Even McLovin from Superbad had more of a right to give himself a cool nick than Vuljina did. It’s just another indication of how much of a douchebag this idiot is…he probably also wears sunglasses indoors and hangs out w/ a Croatian version of “the Situation”.
July 28th, 2010 at 12:34 pm
Sephy Hambaz says:
Sasha’a time in LA is hopefully coming to an end.
Sephy Hambaz
July 28th, 2010 at 12:37 pm
JAX says:
Watch out for Ebanks as a surprise. This is Brown’s time to shine. Sasha had to go because we got the most of what he could offer. Barnes and Blake are the key because they can both score and defend with experience in the West. If Bynum can stay upright ALL season, I’m ready to celebrate the 3-peat.
July 28th, 2010 at 12:40 pm
Joe says:
@sporty-J What are you smoking?! Last I checked KB24 is still suiting up for the Purple and Gold. No doubt Wade’s a beast but that matchup is a push with neither side giving an inch. Miami’s got the advantage at the 3 with LBJ but Artest is one of the few players who can physically matchup with LBJ and at least bother him.
1) Fisher/Blake > Chalmers/2nd rounder
2) Kobe = Wade
3) Artest/Barnes Big Z/2nd rounder
on paper, its an even matchup with edge going to lakers based on experience, depth and size. either way, i’m going to be tivo’ing their games.
so what’s gonna be the christmas day marquee matchup? MIA@CLE, MIA@LAL, BOS@LAL? Defending champs normally get to play at home so i don’t think LAL will play @ BOS. MIA@CLE should be interesting. My money is on MIA@CLE matinee xmas day game and BOS@LAL for the marquee matchup.
July 28th, 2010 at 12:58 pm
LMNOP says:
whyyyyyyyyyy would any team take him on? you know a guy is a complete dick when the only other player from his country in the league hates him.
I bet his own mother hates him too, and his dad probably walked out on them when he was a kid cos hes such a bell end.
July 28th, 2010 at 1:01 pm
D.I. Dollar says:
Sasha was an up and coming prospect. There was just no minutes to be had in the Lakers system. He was supposed to come in as the point guard of the future and he ended up being a better spot up shooter than distributor. You miss a couple of shots and you start to lose a little confidence and your playing time suffers. It was hard for him to work out of that.
Shannon Brown on the other hand, to me, is like Sidney Dean in White Men Can’t Jump, he’d rather look good than win. All flash…no substance. He dribbles too much, gets lost on defense, and he has no marketable skills besides his hops.
If Sasha can accept coming off of the bench in limited minutes and just hit some open jumpers, he is way more valuable than Shannon. He’s been in the system and he knows what’s expected of him. And I hate that everybody says he gave himself the nickname, “The Machine”. That came out of Lakers practice, I think from Kobe, because he’s automatic with no defenders on him. It just makes him look like a bigger doucher than he already is.
Oh yeah…fuck the Heat. I hope the league sanctions LeBum for tampering in the Chris Paul situation.
July 28th, 2010 at 1:06 pm
control says:
D.I. Dollar
You are saying Kobe gave him the nickname, when he was at a point in his career when he was in his “fuck my teammates” mode, and wouldn’t even spit on them to help them out if they were on fire?
Sasha gave himself that nickname during a radio interview or some bullshit (not sure what fucking idiot is interviewing that asshole…) but I’m very sure he gave himself the nickname. There was a whole post and debate on this site a few years ago about it and I’m very sure it was proved he was 1) a douchebag and 2) an asshole who gives himself nicknames (and masturbates in public over it).
July 28th, 2010 at 1:12 pm
ronnyylee says:
@D.I. Dollar
Stern won’t let anything happen to his baby girl LeBron
July 28th, 2010 at 1:13 pm
iannyb says:
Don’t feel sorry for the guy, he almost costed Lakers game 6 against Phoenix when he “accidentally squared Goran Dragic igniting the Suns to go on a run. Secondly he already made millions in the league and won two championship rings( two more than Malone, barkley etc.
Thirdyly he was alleged to be banging MARIA SHARAPOVA.
Bye bye The machine
July 28th, 2010 at 1:26 pm
Sporty-j says:
Thats true Laker fans. The Only advantage we have really is Lebron over Artest and Artest is 1 of the few players that can handle him physically but he has yet to do that in any of the games when Lebron played against the Lakers that i watched last year. Also its Wade>Kobe because Kobe has clearly lost a step and he has never been able to keep up with Wade when they play and this is not the Kobe of 7yrs ago when he was still able to jump over people and dunk. Wade has passed Kobe as the best SG in the league for a while now and Kobe has clearly just been on the better team the last 3 years but theres no more excuses and they will be able to settle whos clearly the best this season. Ill also take Mike Miller over Brown or the Machine and thats why i say we have the advantage at the 2 and 3 even though its not much at the 2 just like you guys dont have much of an advantage at the 4 and Bosh might prove to be just as good as Gasol on a good team because he has yet to have the oppurtunity to play with a player the Caliber of Wade or Lebron or on a good team period like Gasol has had so maybe you guys dont even have the advantage there either. Cant Wait for football season to at least start…Dont forget HOMECOURT ADVANTAGE WILL PLAY A BIG PART IN ALL OF THIS
July 28th, 2010 at 1:28 pm
K Dizzle says:
I ain’t mad at the kid. Thanks for hittin the freebies.
All a player can do is leave on a high note. All I know is Sasha d’ed Ray up tough and hit clutch throws in the finals.
Good luck in the future
July 28th, 2010 at 1:36 pm
K Dizzle says:
@ Sporty-J,
I hope and pray that somebody, somehow sends your delusional posts to Kobe while he’s rehabbin the finger and knee. Like Barkley found out when he said Kobe was done and couldn’t put up the big numbers anymore, one assslap on Al Gentry and a 30 ppg avg vs Phoenix later, silence. Kobe is only 31 and played the season on a bad ankle, a bad knee and a finger taped up so bad, he couldn’t feel the ball. Like he said after the Finals, “I was hurt. Charles doin all that talkin sayin I was done. I was hurt”
Keep it up about “your” Heat cuz there’s a rude awakening coming.
Just a reminder, but more of a foreshadowin of the future….just in case you forgot:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUkBlGYaej4
July 28th, 2010 at 1:45 pm
Stunnaboy09 says:
I love how people rag on Vujacic for giving himslef a nickname meanwhile Kobe fucking nicknamed himself “The Black Mamba” That is a huge douche bag move.
July 28th, 2010 at 1:54 pm
Bruce Biggs says:
I agree with Yoda. I think Sasha is a lot better fit in the triangle. He’s a lot better spot-up shooter and he really runs the triangle. Brown does a lot of one-on-one and doesn’t pass the ball inside when he should. They’re both good defensively,but actually Sasha’s better at running through screens. The only thing Brown does better is transition offense. I think Brown is over-rated. If you give Sasha 20 plus minutes a game like in 2008, he can really produce. It’s tough for a shooter to get in any type of ryhthm when you’re only playing 10 minutes a game.
July 28th, 2010 at 1:58 pm
yoda says:
people forget that sasha had problems with injuries last year. first he got hurt in training camp, than when he got back into rythm he got hurt again and he got hurt just before playoffs. its hard to get back in game after all that. don’t get me wrong, i like brown. but in this situation, i’d rather have sasha who can play 1-2 positions for few minutes well than brown how can’t play any guard position well. you know what happened when farmar and brown were both on court. nothing that looked like actual play, from playbook. just charge in or lose ball.
as for wade being better than kobe. true, kobe lost his step. but he makes up for that with superior skill set. plus, kobe can post up any guard in league, and there isn’t alot sg’s who can play decent D down low.
July 28th, 2010 at 2:08 pm
jmg says:
@sportyJ LMAO Kobe > Wade on size alone. Kobe can post Dwade whenever he wants. Kobe has lost a step but cerebral players can compensate, like he did this year. Kobe is the most skilled player in the NBA!!! MJ suffered the same thing but continued to dominate with his brain and superior skills…KOBE will do the same. To prove my point…all you hoopers go to a court this weekend and shoot 25 jumpers/set shots like you normally would. then tape up your index finger so you cant feel anything with the tip of your finger and shoot 25 Js using your middle finger as the guide finger. then you will see the adjustment that Kobe had to make in the middle of a season, playing at the highest level possible and was still KILLING!!!! Lebron couldnt even play effectively with a slight elbow strain but Kobe flourished an entire season with a broken finger and a adjusted shot!! not too many players could have done that!!!
July 28th, 2010 at 2:11 pm
LakeShow84 says:
@ SPORTY-J
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
You guys aint even accomplished ISHT and you talkin about bustin ass??? I mean seriously tho lol i mean NADA.. shouldnt you be happy to make the playoffs??
I know ur excited but u shouldnt shit ur pants before you sit down.. That squish noise can be embarassin ya feel..
And since when DWade unseat Kobe as the best SG in the league?? im sorry your a Heat fan i forgot thats what ur referring to right?? Cuz that boy Kobe?? Shit he dropped i dont know how many 30 whoppers this past PLAYOFFS.. And its in the PLAYOFFS where true greatness is displayed.. Not regular season.. at least your already fallin in line with the Bron hype hahahaha
@ KDizzle
Thanks for reminding him how well Wade “cancels out” Kobe lol
@ EVERYONE WHO KEEPS ON SAYING SAHSA GAVE HIMSELF THE NICKNAME..
FOR THE 8000000TH FUCKIN TIME THE LA ANNOUNCERS GAVE HIM THE NICKNAME.. FUCK READ AN ARTICLE lol GOOGLE PEEPS SHIET..
@ Stunnaboy
Yeah Kobe did give himself that nickname.. Pretty douche but pretty right on.. Now if you were on the court would u clown him for it?? probably not a good idea ya know
Just sayin..
July 28th, 2010 at 2:13 pm
Stunnaboy09 says:
Kobe’s strength is that he has one UNGUARDABLE move. Only Kobe (Turnaround), Dirk (One leg fade-away) and Timmy (Bank shot) can say that. Even if his knees break down, a bad back or finger injuries happen he still got that fade-away. That’s like 10-15 of his points there. Wade’s game is built around his superior athleticism same with LeBron. When they both go your looking at two average players, when Kobe’s goes your looking at 20/5/5 still.
July 28th, 2010 at 2:17 pm
Stunnaboy09 says:
@Lakeshow
Not saying it aint a good nickname, just saying it was a very douche’ move giving himself the nickname. If we did meet on a court and I wanted to mess with him I’d bring up him failing “The Trinity”
July 28th, 2010 at 2:20 pm
fallinup says:
Ohhhhh…. c’mon DIME. Why arn’t you using this:
http://www.vujacic.net/wp-content/gallery/photo-session/sasha6.jpg
photo? Just one more time for……
the MACHINE: making all of California’s women over 40 juicy in their panties since 2004.
July 28th, 2010 at 2:28 pm
LakeShow84 says:
The Trinity??? shit he tried to give himself that name?? Yeah i might to clown on that one too lol
And if Vujacic moves on..
THANKS FOR THOSE FREEBIES MY MAN..
July 28th, 2010 at 2:39 pm
Stunnaboy09 says:
@Lakeshow
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=the+trinity
I just made a Colorado joke without you defending him, you slipping bro.
and as a Celtics fan watching Vujacic hit those free throws hurt like hell, and damn did he look calm doing it.
July 28th, 2010 at 3:00 pm
LABaller says:
he better have made those freebies..it was either
a. make these freethrows
b. have your body found in the middle of the dessert a couple months from now with 24 tatted on your skull
…just sayin as a laker fan..i cringe when he gets on the court..for every 1 good thing he does..he does a minimum of 3-4 bad things (turnover, missed shot, boneheaded foul, etc…)
July 28th, 2010 at 3:06 pm
Peter Stein says:
Sorry Sean, you’re a little off.
The Lakers may indeed trade Sasha and a #1 pick for, say West, but your lineup has 12 players. Luke Walton is the 13th on the team, and there’s a strong possibility he won’t play again.
LA has already said they’re going with 14 players, mostly because of Walton’s back. They still have to replace Sasha’s spot on the roster, and it’s not with Shannon Brown, since you’ve already added him.
I would expect them to keep West. They’re not going with just 4 guards (Kobe, Brown, Fisher and Blake).
July 28th, 2010 at 3:11 pm
LakeShow84 says:
“for every 1 good thing he does..he does a minimum of 3-4 bad things (turnover, missed shot, boneheaded foul, etc…)”
Yeah that basically sums up my assessment lol
@ StunnaB
hahahahaha the Trinity.. EW lol
July 28th, 2010 at 3:27 pm
Reece says:
I’ve been hoping for this for 3 yrs. This dude sux he’s inconsistent shooting defense is horrible he picks up fouls faster than u can say what happen I’m tired of him grabbing his mouth his jaw his shoulder its sickening. For those that think he has game. Have u seen his fast break he never gets the ball to the middle he runs straight up the wing .he can’t dribble pass create and is one of the worst players n the history of basketball going to the rack. Mitch please get him the hell out of hear with his crybaby ass.
July 28th, 2010 at 3:37 pm
asmaticasiatic02 says:
Damn getting paid 5.4 mil to hit an occasional jumper and get schooled by shooting guards around the league? and live in LA? life is cruel and unfair….
July 28th, 2010 at 4:20 pm
WakeUp says:
Sasha didn’t give himself that nickname, Joel Meyers gave it to him. Get cable why don’t ya? Go look up who Joel Meyers is while you’re at it.
July 28th, 2010 at 4:21 pm
WakeUp says:
Now only Luke is left for “fans” to whine about.
In Mitch we trust!
July 28th, 2010 at 4:21 pm
Johnnie Boy says:
Get rid of them both! Brown is Mr. Up and Down and Sasha is Mr. Out-Of-Control. Sasha is the better shooter and Brown is the Highlight Reel. What the Lakers really need is defensive minded players. They’ve got scoring to burn.
Give Kobe the ball enough and you can have 81 points… enough to have won game 7. There’s no substitute for good defense it’s how championships are won! You can score until the Earth spins backwards but if you can’t defend it means nothing. The NBA is chuck full of players who can’t defend their Grandmother. They’re out there just going through the motions to get their big bucks.
July 28th, 2010 at 4:26 pm
WakeUp says:
@34
Who else is in to buy stock in companies that make mood controlling medications?
Rage after the machine starring RonRon, Barnes, Caracter and West.
The Nasty boys, just an elbow away from snapping.
July 28th, 2010 at 4:41 pm
Joe's Momma says:
Vujacic did NOT give himself the nickname “The Machine” the Lakers announcers gave it to him and it just stuck.
Doug Collins got it wrong when he said that, and then every other analyst just jumped on it and started saying he gave it to himself.
And I love that nickname “the Vujina”
hahahah
July 28th, 2010 at 5:27 pm
joeyvegas says:
Finally, Brown can play his natural position of SG. He never was a PG. When Kobe when down last year witha knee and ankle, “Wow” started and put in 26pts. He can excite the crowd, and doesn’t make many mistakes. Sasha doesn’t make anything anymore-except lots of money.
July 28th, 2010 at 5:39 pm
MOB says:
The so-called “machine” should considered playing for the WNBA instead
July 28th, 2010 at 6:38 pm
Marinekn123 says:
@sporty-j last time I checked Kevin Durant was playing SG also..although the game is measured more than by age and scoring…Advantage Kobe > Wade
July 28th, 2010 at 7:30 pm
Chris says:
What team would take him? Why would they take him?
July 28th, 2010 at 7:41 pm
KobeMVP888 says:
“Vujacic has value as a shooter off the bench. But Brown is clearly the better overall player at this point, since the Machine hasn’t been oiled in a while.”
Says who? Sasha played in 10 playoff games and, other than the little mishap in the beginning of the 4th quarter of Game 6 in Phoenix when he got too macho with Gorin Dragic with the game well in hand (91-76 with 11:18 to go), he had a very solid WCF and NBA Finals. He did everything that was asked of him at both ends of the floor and even shot 43.5% from the field, which included 40% from downtown. That’s right, 15 of his 25 shots were from three point land and he knocked down 6 of them. In Games 3 and 6 of the NBA Finals, he was asked by PJ to catch the inbounds pass and then hit 2 free throws while ice cold on both occasions. On both occasions, he had ice in his veins and hit nothing but net. The 2 free throws that sealed the CHAMPIONSHIP were two of the clutchest, most nerve racking free throws in NBA history. Think of Tom Watson’s 8 foot putt that he missed in the 2009 British Open. Moch him as much as you want, but I will take Sasha’s NBA Finals experience and go to the bank with him. He’s in a contract year and he has matured, so he’s motivated.
July 28th, 2010 at 8:21 pm
Bing says:
IF they can get rid of him it will make my day, hell it’d make my month
July 28th, 2010 at 8:40 pm
Conoro says:
Sporty-J…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7w64fbqYQY
July 28th, 2010 at 11:19 pm
Dean Chaban says:
I don’t care what Mitch does w/Sasha or Shannon at this point because I’m happy with our FAs and draft choices. Hope Mitch is wise enough to sign them both and Phil is wise enough to break his rule about playing rookies.
As far as Sporty-J is concerned, at this point it’s all talk. We have the crown and now the weaker division except for OK. You have to get past some tough competition now to just get to the finals. Good luck with the choker and Bosh’s weak defense. To say that he’s the same caliber as Gasol is just a dream you have. It even took Gasol a year to realize how much different playoff BB is as opposed to the regular season and what has Bosh ever done but lost, disappears on defense in crucial moments and misses key FTs at the end of games. Good luck w/that. Plus they have to learn to PLAY together which is a lot easier said than done.
Wait till you Heat have played a game together before you come on any Laker board and brag because all it is is hot air from a nothing/nobody that hasn’t won anything and probably won’t. And don’t forget, the big 3 have buyout clauses in 3 years. Wanna bet LeBron will/won’t stay if he doesn’t have a ring by then. Can’t wait for the choking traitor to ditch your city for greener pastures. Oh, and pray your one of your “Big 3″ don’t get hurt or it’s all over. Right now the only thing you’re good for is flying a balloon, they need all the hot air that your blowing.
July 28th, 2010 at 11:32 pm
creedog says:
I like Sasha. He is a reserve, they make mistakes. He could take anyone of you “experts” on in one on one, horse, you name it. He is a fan favorite and deserves to be one. He also deserves to be on this team. You guys need to chill out. The Lakers are better with him than without him. Finals last three years! Two championships in a row. With him, the Lakers will three-peat!!!
July 29th, 2010 at 12:05 am
Pustoolio says:
control, stop spreading lies. The nickname came from a Laker announcer.
Dean Chaban, well said!
July 29th, 2010 at 12:20 am
albert says:
For the last time, Sasha never gave himself the name, “the machine”. That was erroneously reported by a broadcaster and was picked up on by almost everyone.
Sasha, Kobe and numerous others have stated that was his nickname during practice. Sasha had nothing to do with it.
He is tremendously overpaid, as many others have stated here, but blame Mitch for that. He signed him to the contract.
July 29th, 2010 at 2:36 am
Lamont says:
I, for one, hope Sasha stays. I think he can turn it around. I think he put too much pressure on himself this past season. he’s too good of a shot to replace with someone who might not be. Plus, he’s just starting to display the habits of a good player. He’s still young. One more year won’t hurt. A single contribution at a critical moment, such as this past finals, will make it worthwhie.
July 29th, 2010 at 2:43 am
Joe Doz says:
Having 12 is enough players to have on the Laker’s team if we want them to gel for a 65 win season and to take out Miami or Chicago. With Ratliff,Caracter,Ebanks expected to play the 10-15 minutes per game, maybe even less depending on injuries with Gasol,Bynum or Lamar and Ron. Having Sasha,Shannon,Luke,Matt,DFish,Blake,Ron,Devin waiting for likes of a Kobe to take a breather or hope Kobe can miss out on a few games to heal just for more playtime can be difficult.If “The Machine” is out of the Lakeshow,thanks for the re-buiding memories Sasha, from the 2005 season and the 2 rings that the Lakers came up with and the clutch free throws in Game 7. I think a Sun’s fast break, Warriors offense first team would be a good fit. Shannon is the value pick on this decision.
July 29th, 2010 at 2:56 am
Joe Doz says:
At this point, which guy from the 2 will have the ball in his hands and take it to the hoop with aggression in case the triangle is not working in the 4th quarter and dunk it over likes of a Lebron or Bosh in the middle? Yeah, a play that can change the momentum and have the crowd go buck-wild in a Finals game. Shannon has room to improve the triangle and with Sasha out, more playtime.
August 1st, 2010 at 7:16 am
j oro says:
LAKERS are back to back defending champs!!!!! Thats fact!!! Everything else means nothing!!! Dont get it twisted the baddest ballin squad in the world resides in L.A.!!!!! P.S. Lebron and wade havent grown to 7ft. tall this summer…Have they?? Good Luck guarding our frontline (21 ft.) Heat wont even make it to da finals!!! L.A. LAKERS 4 LIFE!!!!!!!!!
August 2nd, 2010 at 12:04 pm
Ekstor says:
@Sporty-J
You COULD argue a wash at the PG spot as Wade and Kobe are two of the best at that position, and LBJ definitely has the advantage at the 3 (though the Lakers are probably better fit than any other team to defend that spot with Artest and Barnes). That said…
Bosh is NOT better than Gasol. Pau is a true post player with more size and length. Pau is the superior defender, capable of big nights when focused on that end. Pau is a better passer. The only edge I’d give Bosh is athleticism and that he’s a slightly more consistent rebounder. Finally, considering that Odom is the backup at PF… the disparity in the PF advantage for the Lakers grows even larger.
As for Center, the only way you’d give the Heat the edge is if you assume that Bynum is unhealthy. Even then, consider that Pau often moves over to C when Odom comes off the bench.
The PG spot at best is a wash for you, but for my money, I’ll take Fisher/Blake over Chalmers/Arroyo.