Thursday, July 11, 2013

Lakers News: Thursday 7/11/13

No new signings in Laker land, as we still wait for Jordan Farmar's buyout from Turkish team Anadolu Efes
to go through. For today, it's only rumors and speculation. Off we go!


The Lakers have been in contact with power forward Josh Powell: Another player from the championship winning squad, as it seems Mitch and co. are doing the best they can with the limit payroll they have. The Lakers are 4th in total NBA payroll at 77 million (they are about 20 million over the cap limit). That, of course, will change at the end of the season, but for now, the only thing the Lakers can offer is the league minimum and veteran minimum. As you might recall, the team has also made contact with Sasha Vujacic and Lamar Odom, though Kevin Ding of Orange County Register doesn't believer any of them will follow Farmar's steps back with the team for less money (via Twitter).


Chris Copeland signs offer sheet with Indiana: The Lakers had apparent interest in the 29 year old small forward, though it looked highly unlikely the team could have signed him on the minimum as he ended up signing a two year deal worth 6.2 million with the Indiana Pacers. The market for swingmen that can stretch the floor is dwindling as the days go past, leaving players like Vujacic, Odom, Bobby Brown and Raja Bell as the best options on what the Lakers can offer. Copeland averaged 8.7 points per game in 15 minutes per game, shooting 42% from three point range this past season with the New York Knicks; they cannot match the offer sheet due to cap restrictions.


Kobe Bryant says he will not take a pay cut: This came out as news last night as reporters asked him about that and various other topics (including his rehab). This is something I believe to be false. Depending on the market, I'm sure Bryant would gladly take a pay cut to be able to bring in someone like Carmelo Anthony. And when I say pay cut, I don't mean the veteran minimum (which isn't allowed under the CBA to begin with), I mean something similar to what LeBron James signed with Miami (about 16 million a year). The good news for the Lakers: Bryant (and Pau Gasol, for that matter) has Bird Rights, which will let the Lakers go over the cap limit to retain him. At the very least, Bryant has stated that he wishes to retire a Laker, which could be enough for him to take a pay cut.

In positive Bryant news: In an interview with the LA Times' Melissa Rohlin, Bryant says he is ahead of schedule on his rehabilitation. He is still eyeing a return during opening day in late October/early November. Bryant talks about Dwight Howard, the Lakers upcoming season and more; read the full interview here.


UPDATE: Nick Young signs with the Lakers: shooting guard Nick Young has signed with the Lakers for the minimum (the years have yet to be disclosed). Young has averaged 11 points per game, shooting 37% from deep for his career. The 28 year old shooting guard has played for Washington, Philadelphia and the Clippers. It's safe to assume the Lakers will no longer pursue a swingman/three point shooter. Nice pick up by Mitch.

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Lakers News: Wednesday 7/10/13

Jordan Farmar, dunking over Kevin Garnett
during Game 6 the 2010 NBA Finals
Not much has happened in Laker land since the signing of Chris Kaman was announced on Monday. Here's
the news for today:


Lakers agree to sign guard Jordan Farmar: I'm sure we all remember our old friend, and back up point guard from those championship winning teams in '09-'10, Jordan Farmar. Farmar has had an interesting career since leaving Los Angeles in 2010. First, Farmar signed a three year, 12 million dollar contract with the then New Jersey Nets; he found himself reunited with Laker teammate Sasha Vujacic (traded to the Nets). Due to the 2011 NBA lockout, Farmar found himself playing with Israeli Basketball Super League champion Maccabi Tel Aviv. Incidentally, Farmar's step-father is from the city, having taken Farmar there when he was a child. As soon as the NBA lockout was over, Farmar found himself back in the United States; he was then traded from the Nets to the Hawks (along with various other role players in exchange for Joe Johnson). 

Farmar was waived 5 days later, making him a free agent. He then signed a 3 year, 15 million dollar contract (with opt outs after every season) with the Turkish Basketball League team Anadolu Efes, reuniting himself once again with Sasha Vujacic, who had signed with the team the year before. 

Now he's back in Los Angeles, according to Dave McMenamin (of ESPNLos Angeles.com), as the Lakers and Farmar agreed on a one year, league minimum deal (pending a buy out from his previous contract with Anadolu Efes)

Said Farmar: "They knew about my deal overseas and really didn't push it earlier because they didn't think I'd be willing to give up guaranteed money I had over there. I wanted to be back in the NBA, but more importantly, back with the Lakers. This is the only situation I would have taken a minimum deal with."

Farmar has averaged 7.7 points per game with 2.8 assists per game and a .072 WS/48 for his NBA career. As it is, the Lakers cannot make any moves unless it is for the league minimum or veteran minimum, since the Lakers already used their mini MLE to bring in center Chris Kaman


UPDATE: Lakers resign center Robert Sacre: According to Mike Trudell (via Twitter), the Lakers have resigned last years second round pick. The team had previously extended a qualifying offer worth 988 K, though it is now confirmed that the Lakers have signed him to a multiyear deal, with guaranteed money. A strange move because Sacre had a very limited role last season and it was previously thought the Lakers were attempting to shed salary in anticipation of 2014 Free Agency period. 

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Chris Kaman Scouting Report

Many Laker fans are familiar with newest Laker center Chris Kaman for his time with the Los Angeles Clippers, however he hasn't played for a Los Angeles team for the past two years, and some may have forgotten about him. Whether you know a lot of about him or not, here's my scouting report of the newest Lakers:

A part of the 2003 NBA draft class, considered one of the best draft classes of all time, rivaling the 1984 and 1996 draft classes that included Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, respectively, Kaman has built a solid career for himself. The 6th overall pick of that draft, Kaman is one of eight all star players of that draft class, averaging 18 points per game and 9 rebounds per game in his all star season. Having a career 12 points per game and 8 rebounds per game stat line, one can see right off the bat that Kaman is a solid, if unspectacular, player. Coming in at 7 feet, 268 pounds, Kaman has ideal size for a center, yet he runs the floor very well on both offensive fast breaks and defensive fast breaks. The one time All-Star center has the proper length to contest shots in the paint, and the proper weight to be effective on the low block. Possessing excellent foot work down low, Kaman has a few go-to post moves, including a good fade away jump shot, a solid array of righty and lefty jump hooks and a solid up and under move and is a capable finisher near the rim, with the ability to finish well with both hands.

Kaman has a very Al Jefferson like offensive game. Although he is a good player to have in the post, recent years have shown Kaman has a very nice jumper from 16 feet to the three point line, as he made 52% of those just last season. Though he isn't a three point shooter, Kaman does a very good job of stretching the floor with his mid range jump shot; this should help Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant in the low block as teams likely will hesitate to commit to the double teams with Kaman on the court. Kaman is also a capable pick and roll and pick and fade player, thanks to his diverse skill set.

Kaman has the potential to be one of the better centers in the league, even at 31 years old. He is very solid defensively, moving his feet well to stay in front of the opposition and using his body well to keep opponents from getting easy baskets. He isn't the most athletic center, and he can't jump anywhere near as high as the last Laker center, but he times his jumps well and uses his height and large wingspan to successfully block shots (averages 1.4 blocks per game, 1.7 per 36 minutes). He's not quite Dwight Howard in defensive presence, but is still a player teams take into account when driving to the basket. Kaman is also very good at rebounding, using his body well to box out opposing centers and power forwards, while timing his jumps well to ensure the rebound is his. During his better seasons, Kaman would average over nine rebounds per game, even averaging 12.7 per game during the 2007-2008 season.

As with every player, there are negatives to those positives. He doesn't have the highest basketball I.Q, but he generally knows when not to force the action, though Kaman isn't a good passer, frequently making mistakes with the ball, such as bad passes or holding it too long in the low block, leading to a turnover (evidenced by his career 1.3 assists per game to his 2.2 turnovers per game). He also has the tendency to get into quick and early foul trouble (he averaged over 3 fouls per game in his earlier days with the Clippers, and averages nearly 4 fouls per game per 36 minutes played). This still isn't Kaman's biggest issue, has he has been largely injury prone for the second half of his career, barely averaging 51 games played in the last 6 seasons, a number I believe should rise in a bench role behind Gasol and Jordan Hill.

Overall, Kaman is a good player to have on the roster, especially on a one year deal like the Lakers signed him to. The only question is: Can Kaman stay healthy?


Monday, July 8, 2013

Lakers News: Monday 7/8/13

The Lakers finally made some moves post-Dwightmare. Let's dive right into it, shall we?


Lakers sign center Chris Kaman: I love this signing. Kaman is quality big man that can provide solid defense and offensive output, as well as depth and give some minutes of rest to the Lakers' star big man Pau Gasol. It wasn't so long ago the 7 footer was giving the Clippers 15 points per game with 11 rebounds per game, so at the very least, Kaman will be a nice player off the bench. While certainly not the best shooter, he has a nice stroke for the center position, hitting 50.8% of his shots taken, as well as making 52% of his 16 foot jumpers. D'Antoni will likely use him in pick and fades with Steve Blake and Steve Nash to help open the paint for the rest of the team. 

Kaman will recieve the Lakers' mini Mid Level Exception (3.1 million a year) for one season, according to Ramona Shelburne (via twitter). 


Lakers use amnesty clause on Metta World Peace: It's a bit sad to see Metta leave so abruptly; he wasn't that good of a player, but always a strange personality to have on the bench. The Lakers are shaving off 7.7 million in cap space. The Lakers cannot resign Metta to a cheaper deal until the summer of 2014 (though I see no reason why they would want to). 

So, thanks Metta. Your three pointer in Game 7 of the 2010 NBA Finals will live on in Laker history. 




The Lakers are interested in Former Clippers Elton Brand and Lamar Odom: According to Ramona Shelburne, the Lakers have been in talks with former Laker Lamar Odom and former Clipper Elton Brand. With the signing of Kaman, however, Brand is almost guaranteed to not sign with the Lakers, as they can no longer offer him more than 1.4 million per year. Odom, however, is a different matter, as he hardly played with the Clippers, so his value on the open market should be at an all time low. For now, we can only speculate whether or not Odom will want to rejoin the team or seek a contract elsewhere. 

The Lakers Plan, Post Dwightmare

I won't get into the "Dwight Howard Sweepstakes" or, as Magic and Laker fans know it as, the
"Dwightmare", since I'm sure we've heard enough of the new Houston Rockets center and his baggage.

Howard left the Lakers high and dry, with virtually no young talent on the roster and only one first round draft pick in the near future (next year's 2014 draft). One would be tempted to suggest the Lakers should tank next season to get a Top 5 draft choice, but I don't see it. Unless Kobe Bryant misses the first 3 months of the year and is slow in getting his stroke back, this team simply isn't bad enough for a Top 5 pick. They are too talented for it. Now, that's not to say the Lakers won't be in the lottery, because if Bryant misses a lot of time rehabbing the torn Achilles injury suffered last season, the Lakers could likely miss the playoffs, thus putting them at about a low probability of getting the No. 1 overall pick. And while a lottery pick is very valuable to an aging team, that's not really where Mitch Kupchak seems to be going with this franchise.

As of this writing, the Lakers would have only 2 player on the roster for next season as Bryant's massive 30 million dollar cap hit finally comes off the books as well as Pau Gasol's 19 million cap hit. The only two players on the roster for next season is Steve Nash and Robert Sacre. Nash would be owed 9 million and Sacre will be earning the league minimum. Let's make this clear: The Lakers will be getting 67 million off the books next season, finally getting under the cap limit for the first time in a long time and that is huge because free agency is what Mitch Kupchak and the Lakers are eyeing, and it's easy to see why. Here's a partial list of potentially available free agents in 2014:

* LeBron James (Early Termination option)
* Dwyane Wade (Early Termination option)
* Chris Bosh (Early Termination option)
* Dirk Nowizki 
* Rudy Gay (Player Option)
* Paul George (Qualifying offer)
* Danny Granger
* Carmelo Anthony (Early Termination Option)
* John Wall (Qualifying offer)
* Luol Deng
* Zach Randolph (Player Option)
* Greg Monroe (Qualifying offer)

And those are just the bigger names; the 2014 class can include some very good, starter caliber players like Darren Collison, Gordon Hayward, Greivis Vasquez, just to name a few. With the 60 or so million in cap space, the Lakers would have the ability to offer two top tier free agents max contracts (in the range of 4 years, 88 million dollars) and still have roughly 16 million to sign other, quality free agents (assuming Kupchak finds a way to rid the team of Nash). Though they wouldn't be able to offer "true" max contracts (it's 1 extra year, 30 million more that the player's current team can offer), Los Angeles remains a top destination for free agents, especially if the Lakers can keep both Bryant and Gasol on team friendly deals, using the Bird Rights they have on them. And while some will point out that a team isn't constructed on merely 4 or 5 players, the Lakers would still have players on the rookie scale (newly drafted power forward Ryan Kelly, any other player(s) they draft in next season's draft), and they would still be able to offer the veteran minimum of 1.4 million without it counting against the cap, as well as 3.1 million of Mini Mid Level Exception money.

There are a lot of players with the Qualifying offer tag next to them, this means the player's current team can offer them a qualifying offer, basically making them a restricted free agent, enabling the player's current team to match any offer from other teams made to their player. If the offer is matched, the player returns to the original team, unless they do a buy out, which would make him an unrestricted free agent. This rule is what will make guys like Paul George and John Wall very unlikely to acquire. With that said, if the Pistons or Wizards believe their players with qualifying offers aren't worth max contracts (Wall certainly is, Monroe is getting there), then they won't match and the player is free to go where he so desires.

Now, granted, a lot can change between now and next summer, but it appears that Bryant wants to team up with current New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony; should the Knicks flame out early in the playoffs yet again, Anthony could end up donning the Purple and Gold. It helps that Bryant and Anthony are apparently "very close" thanks to the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games. If I had to guess, after the Lakers strike out on LeBron, Mitch will target Carmelo and a quality guard like Wall.

As bleak as people make the future seem for the Lakers, it simply isn't so. All in all, the Lakers look to get back atop the NBA world in one off season; armed with 60+ million in cap space, anything is possible for Mitch Kupchak and co.

2012-2013 Lakers in Review #7: Metta World Peace

Taken from the 09-10 season, before
everyone hated Dwight Howard
Much like at Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness, Hack-a-Shaq will have end of the year reviews.

Same rules apply as grades are handed out according to pre-season expectations vs. actual production. 


Small Forward/Power Forward: Metta World Peace


12.4 PPG, 1.5 APG, 5.0 RPG, 3.0 WS, .086 WS/48 on 40.3% shooting and 34.2% shooting from three point range. Grade: C+


2012-2013 in brief: World Peace was coming off of two bad seasons in a row and was an obvious candidate to receive the Lakers' Amnesty clause. He had his best offensive output since the 2009-2010 NBA season when he was on the Houston Rockets.

2014 status: One year left on his contract, is owed 7.7 million for his contract year. 


************


Metta World Peace is an interesting case, to say the least. A fan favorite because of his eccentric, to say the least, behavior over his long career. His time in Los Angeles alone includes:

* Changing his name from Ron Artest to Metta World Peace (Ironic because he is possibly the most violent player of the modern NBA era).  

* Tossing former Laker Trevor Ariza's shoe into the media section of the court.

*Thanking his psychiatrist after the Lakers won the 2010 NBA Finals.

*Making a rap song titled "Champions" after the Lakers won the 2010 NBA Finals

*Going on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" wearing nothing but his boxer briefs

*Elbowing then Oklahoma City Thunder guard James Harden in the head while celebrating a dunk

*Getting surgery on his left knee that was supposed to sideline him for 6 weeks; he ended up missing 12 days (this is the same injury ended OKC's Russell Westbrook's season).

It's safe to say that Metta is the oddball of the Laker family and that's perfectly fine if it doesn't affect on court production. It certainly didn't this past season, as he put up the best numbers he's had in his time with Los Angeles. 

Always known for his excellent defense, World Peace has declined on the perimeter thanks to a combination of old age and gaining muscle weight throughout the last two seasons (which has made World Peace a decent low post defender capable of giving the Lakers minutes at the power forward position). While World Peace is no longer an All-NBA defensive player, his offensive production was a nice surprise from last year. 

World Peace is possibly the streakiest player in the NBA; never afraid to shoot, he sometimes pushes his team over the top with hot 3 point shooting and other times, keeps the team back while jacking up missed shot after missed shot. That said, his offense was something the Lakers sorely needed this season thanks to injury; World Peace, for the most part, delivered. A 34.2% FG percentage from three point range is not bad at all; the only problem was World Peace would keep shooting, even if other players were in better position to score, or he was missing a bunch of shots, or it was heavily contested, or.. well you get the point. World Peace's shoot first, pass later mentality was something the Lakers had to live with, and it often wouldn't work out so well, evidenced by his very inefficient 40.3% from the floor. At the very least, Metta found ways of putting the ball into the bucket, being 3rd on the Lakers in total points scores with 929 and 5th in points per game with 12.4.

World Peace's season was similar to that of Jodie Meeks; inconsistency from the perimeter combined with some awful decisions with the ball leading to a below average WS/48. And inconsistent is the perfect word to describe World Peace last year, as he was sometimes brilliant in his decision making and play making, while other times making awful, rookie mistakes. 

World Peace was one of the few Lakers to play 75 or more games this past season, so while he was incredibly inconsistent, at the very least, World Peace provided some stability in the rotation while he was healthy enough to play and he put up better-than-expected numbers. With some fine tuning to his shoot first mentality, World Peace can become a much better role player for the Lakers.

I expected a massive decline out of World Peace this season, age combined with some awful previous seasons had me believing World Peace's career was coming to a close. Overall, World Peace was a pleasant surprise in a season full of unpleasant ones. Let's just hope he can keep it together for next year. 

Saturday, July 6, 2013

2012-2013 Lakers in Review #6: Jodie Meeks

Much like at Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness, Hack-a-Shaq will have end of the year reviews.

Same rules apply as grades are handed out according to pre-season expectations vs. actual production. 


Shooting Guard: Jodie Meeks


7.9 PPG, 0.9 APG, 2.2 RPG, 3.0 WS, .085 WS/48 on 38.7% shooting and 35.7% shooting from three point range. Grade: D+


2012-2013 in brief: Meeks was a decent enough role player for Philadelphia, until he was benched in time for the playoffs. Coming over to Los Angeles, he was expected to stretch the floor for Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol. He did that well enough, but only that, as he only shot 38.7%, and (much like the rest of the Lakers) ended the year on the disabled list. 

2014 status: One year left on his contract, earning only 1.5 million. 


************


There isn't much to write about one dimensional players, and rest assured, Jodie is only a three point shooter. Meeks was at times brilliant, and at other times frustrating; thus is the nature of the three point shooter. 

Meeks, for the most part, did his job this past season, making a good enough percentage from the beyond the arc to help stretch out double teams in the post. 35.7% from deep is not a bad percentage at all. The problem with Meeks was everything else; he was a below average ball handler, frequently dribbling himself into trouble. He was a bad passer, averaging 0.9 assists to 0.7 turnovers per game. His Player Efficiency Rating was the lowest of his career since his rookie season at 11.4 (league average is 15). 

He had an awful shooting percentage just about anywhere else that wasn't from deep, as he made only 44% of his two point shot attempts (38.7% total). While he did provide some speed on the break, he would frequently make bad decisions like trying to outrun everybody on his way to a heavily contested layup. And while he at least tried to play defense, he was pretty bad in that aspect too, having no defensive fundamentals to speak of and frequently getting blown by on the way to a dunk or layup. It's no wonder his WS/48 dropped from last season (he was an above average .120 last season). 

At least Meeks was still a top free throw shooter, shooting 89.6% from the charity stripe, making him one of the more reliable bench players to have in the game in the final 5 minutes, certainly more reliable down the stretch than players like Metta World Peace.

Overall, Meeks was your classic three point shooter. He has a nice stroke from beyond the arc, but frequently makes bad decisions with the ball, limiting him to just three point shooting. His Basketball I.Q. definitely needs some work before he can try to develop into a better player. So while Meeks has value offensively, it's offset by his bad defense and decision making. He is one of the few players in which I am indifferent upon his return next season. 

I can't really criticize Meeks too much, since he basically did what the Lakers paid him (very little, I might add) to do. He doesn't get a C because I at least expect an average role player; his PER and WS/48 indicate a below average player.

Of course, you know Meeks is a Laker when he ends the year injured. He hurt his ankle in the first round of the playoffs against the Finals bound San Antonio Spurs, leaving the Lakers with Darius Morris and Andrew Goudelock as starting guards. Yeah. 

See you next year, Jodie.