Post by gvlakers on Feb 4, 2008 13:57:16 GMT -5
The Lakers management staff is excited about the prospects for the upcoming season. Under GM Suchy the team has experienced two straight 41-41 seasons, making the playoffs and losing in the first round last season.
C Andrew Bynum (backups - M. Gasol, H. Turkoglu)
Bynum is coming off a career year in which he put up 16 ppg, 10 rpg and 2 bpg. This year he has improved his inside scoring and rebounding and he looks to become an elite center in the Western Conference.
He is backed up by Gasol who was a steady backup last season and then the Lakers are going to use outside shooting Turkoglu as a 3rd option to try and provide a different look to defenses. Although only 6'10" the coaching staff feels he could provide mismatches on the outside.
PF Sheldon Williams (backups - H. Turkoglu, D. Miles)
Sheldon comes in as the #4 or #5 scoring option, which should allow him to focus more on rebounding in which he avg'd 10 last season.
Darius Miles will be the third option and hopefully his length will allow him to matchup with other PF's. There is a chance he could be dominated in the lowpost, which could lead to Gasol moving into the backup PF spot.
SF Kobe Bryant (backups - H. Turkoglu, D. Miles)
Coming off a year in which he was hindered by injuries and limited to a mere 40 games, Bryant is looking to regain his dominance and prove the Lakers are still his team.
The backups should provide better depth here then the Lakers have had in a long time and it is likely that throughout the course of the season you could see D. Washington and Q. Richardson shift in and out of the rotation.
SG Dwyane Wade (backups - S. Curry, C. Bllups)
Wade carried the Lakers into the playoffs last season and he looks to team with Kobe to move the Lakers into the upper echelon of teams in the West. Wade has worked on his outside shooting over the offseason so he will be even more of a threat.
Curry is the Lakers 2nd rd pick and he has a nice blend of skills that will allow him to be a decent backup and hopefully provide some quality 3 point shooting. Billups is a quality outside shooter and he can provide some game management playing from the #2 spot.
PG Jarvis Crittenton (backups - C. Billups, J. Farmar)
Jarvis worked on his 3 point shooting this offseason and the team is hoping he can continue to excel and improve on his 8.9 assists per game last season. Crittenton is looking to resign and stay in L.A with the Kobe/Wade/Bynum cast so this year could be vital in his contract demands.
Billups and Farmar backing up the point will provide the Lakers with great depth, likely the best of any position on the team. Farmar is a quality PG who could possibly start for some teams with a little more development and he provides a very similar to Crittenton when he is on the floor.
The goal for the Lakers this season is to try and renegotiate contracts with Wade, Bryant and Crittenton while hopefully winning close to 50 games and being able to make some noise in the playoffs. Bynums development should be vital to the lofty goals management has set.
There has been no work on negotiations to entertain offers for either Kobe or Wade, there have been reported talks, but Lakers management is waiting to see what the contract demands are when the season starts before deciding which way to venture.
C Andrew Bynum (backups - M. Gasol, H. Turkoglu)
Bynum is coming off a career year in which he put up 16 ppg, 10 rpg and 2 bpg. This year he has improved his inside scoring and rebounding and he looks to become an elite center in the Western Conference.
He is backed up by Gasol who was a steady backup last season and then the Lakers are going to use outside shooting Turkoglu as a 3rd option to try and provide a different look to defenses. Although only 6'10" the coaching staff feels he could provide mismatches on the outside.
PF Sheldon Williams (backups - H. Turkoglu, D. Miles)
Sheldon comes in as the #4 or #5 scoring option, which should allow him to focus more on rebounding in which he avg'd 10 last season.
Darius Miles will be the third option and hopefully his length will allow him to matchup with other PF's. There is a chance he could be dominated in the lowpost, which could lead to Gasol moving into the backup PF spot.
SF Kobe Bryant (backups - H. Turkoglu, D. Miles)
Coming off a year in which he was hindered by injuries and limited to a mere 40 games, Bryant is looking to regain his dominance and prove the Lakers are still his team.
The backups should provide better depth here then the Lakers have had in a long time and it is likely that throughout the course of the season you could see D. Washington and Q. Richardson shift in and out of the rotation.
SG Dwyane Wade (backups - S. Curry, C. Bllups)
Wade carried the Lakers into the playoffs last season and he looks to team with Kobe to move the Lakers into the upper echelon of teams in the West. Wade has worked on his outside shooting over the offseason so he will be even more of a threat.
Curry is the Lakers 2nd rd pick and he has a nice blend of skills that will allow him to be a decent backup and hopefully provide some quality 3 point shooting. Billups is a quality outside shooter and he can provide some game management playing from the #2 spot.
PG Jarvis Crittenton (backups - C. Billups, J. Farmar)
Jarvis worked on his 3 point shooting this offseason and the team is hoping he can continue to excel and improve on his 8.9 assists per game last season. Crittenton is looking to resign and stay in L.A with the Kobe/Wade/Bynum cast so this year could be vital in his contract demands.
Billups and Farmar backing up the point will provide the Lakers with great depth, likely the best of any position on the team. Farmar is a quality PG who could possibly start for some teams with a little more development and he provides a very similar to Crittenton when he is on the floor.
The goal for the Lakers this season is to try and renegotiate contracts with Wade, Bryant and Crittenton while hopefully winning close to 50 games and being able to make some noise in the playoffs. Bynums development should be vital to the lofty goals management has set.
There has been no work on negotiations to entertain offers for either Kobe or Wade, there have been reported talks, but Lakers management is waiting to see what the contract demands are when the season starts before deciding which way to venture.
