Ok ok I know what allot of you are going to say. 1. The season isn't over yet and were about to head into the playoffs. 2. Luke Frigin Walton?? 3. Hell no to any former Laker personnel. Now that we got that out of the way I really wanted to talk about this up coming off-season moves.. Why because everybody is talking about playoffs ( rightfully so ) and so on... Why did I bring up Luke is because he is going to be a unrestricted free agent. He is basically has the qualities in Shane ( defensive but not as high ) and Chucky Hayes ( Rebounding ). Add to that he has a really good year in assist and has a very very good fg% and a decent 3pt % ( Granted only this past year in the 3pt% category )... I think he would fit well in the lineup in that he can disrupt offenses with his skills and that he can play either the 4,3, or 2.. When we are facing the run and gun teams he can help allot at the 4 because he has decent height at 6-8 and has above average defense and quickness. Bottom line is he is going to command 4-5 million… Maybe another question should be is who would you rather have? Luke or Chucky …
I don't think a Shane Battier comparison is remotely on target. Walton is overmatched defensively and has to rely on position defense to hide himself. The Lakers join the Suns as Nugs as the only (currently seeded) playoff teams in the West allowing more than 98 ppg, and their opponents avg over 103/game. You've never, and will never, hear Luke Walton described as a good defensive player. As far as rebounding, he gets less than 5 a game, and is fifth on the Lakers in that category. He's not boasting about that. I kind of like Walton, but his strengths are greatly augmented in the triangle. He's an offensive facilitator - he can hang out in the high post and swing the ball around to the right guy at the right time. He has a fair mid range jumper and can drop 3s if uncontested. Great attitude, work ethic, and helpful with locker room chemistry. The big knocks are that he's only marginally athletic, isn't especially good at handling or protecting the ball, and is a classic tweener (too small at the 4, too slow at the 3). His skills are perfect within the triangle, but he would struggle most anywhere else. JVG wouldn't be able to use him well at all, and would probably get extremely flustered with his shortcomings on D. Besides, we've got much bigger concerns at other positions: PF, back up PG, SG. Another SF doesn't help much. Evan
I would love to have Luke on this team, he would be a significant upgrade over Juwan and Hayes. However..... Evan has a good point. DD
Luke's a good SF. He can't play PF. (The Lakers play Lamar Odom at PF.) If picking up Luke means that Battier has to move to the 4, I'll pass. If he wants to come and back Battier up, that'd be awesome.
Pretty much echoing emjohn, but the backup SF position could be improved but probably is not our first priority to improve. The backup SF position in our rotation is currently being played by Snyder and he is the "half" in the 8 1/2 rotation. The Primary backups are Head, Howard and Deke. I think the Hayes/Howard PF rotation is decent for now. It's the Alston/Head PG rotation that is the real problem. That's the area that has to be improved greatly. After that, then I think it's fair game on what area is next whether we feel we can improve the PF position some more or the backup swingman position. I would say PG is the #1 spot to improve and then "bench depth".
Yup. He's a pretty important man off their rotation. But to be honest, I'm pretty sure we're going to resign chuck and he's gonna be commanding a MUCH smaller salary. 2.5 mil for 3 years is what I'm guessing, which is half our MLE.
Actually I don't think resigning him would require us to use any of our MLE because of the Bird Rule. But, honestly, I don't know much about that - but that's my recollection.
nod. walton and odom are real stars, what a pity they are teammates with kobe. i actually hope they can leave lakers but very very little hope.
Yes, and I believe he will be restricted where we could match other offers. And I don't see Hayes at the max of 2.5 mil year, maybe less. He really isn't a starting player for other teams. I think he is a lot more valuable to us (playing next to Yao) than he is to the vast majority of the league teams.
Are you kidding me? This guy plays so different than these guys and would not be an upgrade with our defensive style and need of rebounding at the 4-spot as Yao is doubled. I see him in that Robert Horry mold in that he would probably be a great entry passer and smart player that can hit from the outside. Oh wait, we already have a much better version than Luke, Shane Battier. Hayes plays well at the 4 because of his rebounding (esp offensive) and his ability to quickly get to the basket upon double teams.
He's only been in the league two years. No Bird exception. He falls under the Gilbert Arenas loophole rule, though. Restricted FA (according to Real GM). My guess is he'll get ~ 2.5 million per year for 3 years. Evan
Yeah, a marginal SF is much better than either of our PFs. That makes no sense. I think we should go after Andrew Bynum, though, because he would be a huge upgrade over Alston.
If he'd take our mid-class, I'd love to have him. I don't think we can get him though. My guess is that either 1) the Lakers will pay him more $ (Bird Rights I think) or 2) some stupid team with cap space will over pay for him. A rebounding 3/4 that can shoot the three, play some defense, has a high bb IQ and can pass will always fit in JVG's system
I would take Luke Walton all day. The guy is young, solid shooter, good fundamentals (passing rebounding), not a punk. He would be a perfect addition to the team. But... I'm going to go out on a limb and say the Lakers are going to resign him.
Id love to have him... But we have to get a PF or PG FIRST... Maybe we can get him like Bonzi WHERE IS BONZI????
