Lakers Ranked 13th In West In Offseason Moves

The Lakers didn't meet up to the high expectations that fans had this offseason. Because of that, they were ranked 13th in the Western Conference for offseason moves. Laker fans were crossing their fingers that Kevin Garnett would force his way to the Lakers after hearing him say that he likes L.A. and has a house in the area, but Garnett would end up going to the Boston Celtics. When Jermaine O'Neal said he was open to a trade, fans hoped it would be to the Lakers. The Lakers still have a standing offer from the Indiana Pacers to get O'Neal for Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum, but the Lakers aren't willing to give up that much.

The Lakers did get Derek Fisher back, which was very unexpected. The Lakers also made a very nice draft pick in the first round with Javaris Crittenton, also picking Sun Yue and Marc Gasol to keep overseas for at least a year. Luke Walton and Chris Mihm were also resigned. These moves will improve the Lakers marginally, but with the West also improving and being the tougher conference of the two, there needed to be bigger moves done by the Lakers to improve.

Also, while it's not an official move yet, a team insider says that coach Phil Jackson is leaning toward signing an extension that will add two more seasons to his career after this season. If this does happen, this would come as a relief since Jackson recently said that this could be his last season coaching.

The Lakers Are A Bubble Team

The Lakers are a bubble team to make the playoffs in the tough Western Conference this upcoming season. Hoopsworld says, "Whether or not the Lakers had a successful offseason probably depends on who you ask. They did keep free agent Luke Walton, they lost Smush Parker to the Miami Heat, signed veteran Derek Fisher, and added rookies Javaris Crittenton (who played very well in summer league) and Coby Karl. On paper that seems like some decent upgrades, especially at point guard.

Of course, if you ask Kobe Bryant you likely will get a very different answer – and he’s right. None of the changes or additions the Lakers made will have that big of an impact in the standings. Last season the team won 42 games and squeaked into the playoffs, largely by riding Kobe’s strong shoulders. If Crittenton and Fisher give the Lakers consistent point guard play and Lamar Odom plays a full season, perhaps the Lakers will be better – but on nominally.

If Bryant was promised a contender – and no general manager should ever make a promise like that just to make a free agent stay – then yes, he absolutely has something to be annoyed about. The Lakers absolutely need a healthy and happy Bryant to make this season a success – and that starts from day one when players report to training camp. If Bryant is there this team will be roughly the same as last year, unless Crittenton and Andrew Bynum provide a much bigger than expected boost.

If Bryant doesn’t show up, the Lakers may as well start planning for the 2008 NBA Draft."

Will Kirilenko Get Traded To The Lakers?

Andrei Kirilenko of the Utah Jazz has asked for a trade. This of course, has the Laker fans wondering if he will get traded to the Lakers. It seems like there have been a lot of big name players asking for trades this offseason, and this always perks up the ears of Laker fans wondering if we can get them. After all, we are still waiting for the big move that the Lakers front office promised us this offseason.

Unfortunately, the chances probably aren't good. If the Lakers did make a move for Kirilenko, they would be taking on a 4 year, $63 million contract. The most simple deal that the two teams could do would be Kirilenko for Lamar Odom straight up without any other players involved. Both make about $13 million a year, so the salaries match up to make the deal. Odom is the better all-around player, but Kirilenko is the better defender. Because Kirilenko doesn't have a contract opt out, Utah holds all of the leverage in the deal, and probably wouldn't make the deal.

Lakers Sign Elton Brown

The Los Angeles Lakers have signed free agent forward Elton Brown, it was announced today. Per team policy, terms of the agreement were not released.

Brown, a 6-9 forward out of the University of Virginia, finished 20th on Virginia’s all-time scoring list with 1,356 points and 13th on the all-time rebounding list with 660 rebounds.

Brown spent the 2005-06 season in Greece playing for Makedonikos Kozani, where he led the league in rebounds while being the only player in the league to average a double-double, averaging 13.3 points and 10.5 rebounds per game.

Brown was a member of the NBDL’s Colorado 14ers during the 2006-07 season, where he averaged 18.4 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 50 games.

The Lakers currently have 17 players under contract, so Brown will have to fight to make a team roster spot.

Catching Up With Sasha Vujacic

Lakers.com had an interview with Sasha Vujacic to see what he was up to this summer. On what he's been working on this summer:

"I’ve been on a weight program, I’ve done a couple basketball camps, and I’ve been working a lot on my penetrating the defense. I work out a couple hours a day realizing that it’s going to be very competitive next year. I just want to earn my spot from the beginning and like I’ve said many times before, I just want to show what I was brought here for and win a championship with the Lakers very soon."