After being dealt an early exit in the playoffs for the first time in two years, the Los Angeles Lakers, who have been one of the NBA's few constants in the last decade. However, with time comes age, and with age, comes change.
This off-season for the Lakers will undergo major managerial and personnel changes, pending the looming possibility of lockout of course. With Phil Jackson announcing his retirement so early, many questions are now centered around Jerry Buss and his franchise.
The only things that will stay the same this year are Kobe Bryant on the court and Jack Nicholson in the crowd.
Coaching Staff:
Phil Jackson has retired for good and the Lakers will have to find a new head coach.
Possible fits here:
- Rick Adelman; the former head coach of the Houston Rockets
- Mike Dunleavy; the former head coach of the Los Angeles Clippers
- Jeff Van Gundy; current ESPN NBA analyst and former head coach of the Orlando Magic
- Brian Shaw; current Lakers assistant coach
Why they fit:
The Lakers have had to replace a legendary coach before in Pat Riley, so there is no reason that Jerry Buss cannot do it again with Phil Jackson. Adelman is a coach that has had success with veteran teams before and his "corner" offense is similar to Jackson's "triangle" offense.
Van Gundy is another coach that can take a veteran team on a deep run and would bring a strong defense to L.A.
Shaw has garnered the very strong public backing of many players including co-captains Bryant and Derek Fischer.
I think Dunleavy or Shaw would be the best fit for the Lakers franchise, however Shaw and fellow Lakers assistant Chuck Person have been interviewing for the head coaching position of the Golden State Warriors.
Personnel:
- Kobe Bryant: Lets face the facts, Kobe will retire in a Lakers uniform. However, Kobe is on the down-side of his career and visibly past his prime. In the playoffs he was slowed by a bad knee, of which was just recently operated on. He will put in another few strong years for the purple and gold, before retiring.
- Derek Fischer: Almost a non-factor in games, expect Fischer to retire in the next year or two.
- Pau Gasol: Another aging player, past the prime of his career, went soft in the playoffs, putting in a subpar performance and being out-played by the Mavericks and Hornets big men. Could also be traded.
- Ron Artest: Expect Artest to be traded soon. This should come as no shock as Artest has already asked for a trade this season and was nearly dealt, before the Lakers decided that they wanted to take a shot at the three-peat.
- Lamar Odom: Will likely be thrust into the starting line-up after Artest leaves. This is another former star that is past his prime, and should not be playing for much lo
nger. - Andrew Bynum: Bynum's fate became apparent as soon as he took off his jersey on the court after being ejected from committing that cheap-shot foul on J.J. Barea in the closing minutes of Game 4 against the Mavs. Jerry Buss does not want the reputation of the brand of Laker basketball to be tarnished and do not expect to see Bynum back next year. Bynum could be used as trade bait, as he has already been part of trade talks this year (included in Lakers package in Carmelo Anthony trade talks). The combination of Bynum and Gasol leaving in the near future will pave the way for the Lakers to possibly sign Dwight Howard, the first step in their rebuilding process for the future.
With Jerry Buss in the front office, the Lakers will have a short rebuilding process. They have more trade ammo than any other team in the league and can bring in a lot of young star power, most notably big man Magic Dwight Howard. They also have many established veterans to mentor the young players (Who is better to learn from than Kobe Bryant?). Expect to see them back in the NBA Finals within the next seven years.
Photos:
http://celebrityimg.com/?view=img&search=KobeBryant&imgid=153442&page=1
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