What to do with the Lakers?

[Khalifa]

Okay first off I better say that this thread isn't about rebuilding or who they should trade. It is about what they should do as of now to start playing consistently and actually have an offense.

The Lakers main three weapons are Kobe, Gasol and Bynum. It's all obvious and on any given night one of those players can light it up. Gasol is easily capable of averaging 22-25 a night if given the right amount of touches. Bynum probably couldn't get that yet but in a year or two he will and Kobe is well Kobe. Everyone seems to think (and has since Gasol was traded to the Lakers) the Lakers need to take advantage of Pau Gasol and Bynums height down in the post and should be posting up a lot more than what they are. Which I would be all for, except they have this player called Kobe who not only demands touches but can get ya 30 every single night. If the ball was to go into the post more this would obviously mean less touches for Kobe.

So what do you do? Do you keep it going how it is now with Kobe getting more shots than the post players which has worked perfectly since Gasol was traded or do you seize the opportunity of the size of the Lakers and throw it down low?

I say keep it how it is. I was watching the Lakers vs Suns game yesterday and the first half the ball was going down low to Bynum most of the time with Gasol getting a few touches and Kobe doing really nothing except for a few minutes each quarter. The second half (well mainly the third quarter, okay actually only the third quarter) saw Kobe do what he does best score 18 points in that third quarter alone. The third quarter also saw the Lakers get the biggest lead of the game and gave them the best chance to win. The first, second and fourth saw the Suns catch up or have the lead which obviously mean it isn't working.

 

[PlayTheGame]

The Lakers are my favorite team, and to see them struggling like they are is very upsetting to say the least. I think one of their biggest problem lies at PG. I've watched a lot of their games this season, maybe more than ever before, and they have a lot of trouble defending the point. Guys like D-Rose, Paul, and others have absolutely lit them up. In fact, I think the fact they get beat at the point often leads to their big men having to do more and work, and thus struggle. Now, I know they're having their own problems, but the fact that guys are driving free down their lanes isn't helping. It's making them look worse than they are. I think they need to strengthen PG by picking up Gilbert Arenas. At least he'd give them speed, something they're sorely missing. I just don't think D-Fish can get it done any longer. I think if they got more secure at that spot, some of the problems the bigs are having that you were talking about would be greatly helped. I know this may not be the answer you were looking for since it involves a pick-up, but I believe they need it. If they had a capable PG, he'd be getting Pau and Bynum involved (moreso Pau). Kobe doesn't need any help creating shots, and as for Metta/Barnes at SF... well, I don't even wanna go there. Hopefully they just stay out of the way.

 

[Big Sexy]

Unless they can make some lopsided big trade then they just need to stand pat and let the season play out. Come playoff time they will still be a force and one of the favorites. They desperately need a point guard as Derek Fisher is just too old, Steve Blake just isn't very good, and they don't seem comfortable letting a rookie in Darius Morris run the show especially after a shortened off season.

 

[Alastor]

Problem with Lakers now is the lack scoring from 2 of the 5 positions. They are putting too much of the scoring burden on Gasol, Bynum and Kobe from the starting 5. Fisher is only there because he is one of the few players that can talk sense into Kobe to stop chucking shots and pass more when it is hurting the offence. I don't think any average point guards out there can command respect from Kobe to do the same so Lakers can only acquire an elite level point guard to fill Fisher's spot and they don't come cheap.

For now, they need to start giving Gasol more touches. They seem to be more fluid in offence when Gasol has more confidence and more touches. Also, more pace in the point guard position is badly needed.

 

[LOS ANGELES LAKERS]

This season has been really tough and frustrating for me to watch because as you can obviously see in my username I'm a huge Lakers fan what I think we need is better balanced scoring and not have to rely so much on Kobe but I can't see any way to dramatically improve without upgrading the PG and SF and strengthening our bench play.

 

[Harthan]

Really the missing piece on the Lakers right now is a good point guard. I don't like Kobe, but he's among the best shooting guards in the league right now and he's a master at dishing the ball to Gasol, which is really the heart and soul of the Lakers' offense right now. I think anything that involves trading Gasol is madness and I have no idea why it's even being considered, beyond that they pretty much called him expendable in the vetoed deal to acquire Paul. Paul, however, was the only acceptable move, in my opinion, that would have allowed the Lakers to dish Paul. Paul, aside, unless you can replace him with a forward of the same talent, and I doubt they can, such a move would make no sense.

Acquiring Howard would be an okay move, but I don't really think it makes sense. Bynum has the raw talent to be nearly as good as Howard, and he would certainly be the core of a trade to get Dwight. Just doesn't make sense to me, to be honest.

The most sensible thing for the Lakers to do, in my opinion, is make a sensible deal to acquire a mid level point guard. Their two first round picks are obvious trade assets to teams trying to rebuild. My suggestion is the Cleveland Cavaliers' Ramon Sessions in exchange for a first round pick. It gets the Lakers a serviceable PG, better than what they have, anyway, and lets Cleveland shed a PG it doesn't need and continue to build long term. It's a smart deal for everyone involved and would probably guarantee the Lakers at least a lower half playoff seed this year.

Other than that, all they can do is try to play better, smarter ball and hope for the best.

 

[PlayTheGame]

Really the missing piece on the Lakers right now is a good point guard. I don't like Kobe, but he's among the best shooting guards in the league right now and he's a master at dishing the ball to Gasol, which is really the heart and soul of the Lakers' offense right now. I think anything that involves trading Gasol is madness and I have no idea why it's even being considered, beyond that they pretty much called him expendable in the vetoed deal to acquire Paul. Paul, however, was the only acceptable move, in my opinion, that would have allowed the Lakers to dish Paul. Paul, aside, unless you can replace him with a forward of the same talent, and I doubt they can, such a move would make no sense.

Acquiring Howard would be an okay move, but I don't really think it makes sense. Bynum has the raw talent to be nearly as good as Howard, and he would certainly be the core of a trade to get Dwight. Just doesn't make sense to me, to be honest.

The most sensible thing for the Lakers to do, in my opinion, is make a sensible deal to acquire a mid level point guard. Their two first round picks are obvious trade assets to teams trying to rebuild. My suggestion is the Cleveland Cavaliers' Ramon Sessions in exchange for a first round pick. It gets the Lakers a serviceable PG, better than what they have, anyway, and lets Cleveland shed a PG it doesn't need and continue to build long term. It's a smart deal for everyone involved and would probably guarantee the Lakers at least a lower half playoff seed this year.

Other than that, all they can do is try to play better, smarter ball and hope for the best.

I agree with you that trading away Gasol is a very questionable move. It seems to me that they knew this kind of lackluster season would unfold, so they panicked and tried to make a trade. More of a knee-jerk reactiont than anything else. Gasol is a top-5 PF in the league and is an extremely versatile big man that played a huge role in their recent 2 championships. Trading him for Paul would have been okay, I guess, but definitely a knee-jerk reaction. Trading away Odom sure didn't help either, especially considering he probably would have played a HUGE role this year with their bench inconsistency. He might have even started at SF.

As for your Bynum/Howard comment. The reason why the Lakers would give up Bynum for Howard in heartbeat and why they're so actively seeking him is the fact that Howard has been extremely healthy throughout his entire career. Bynum has had plaguing injury problems that have costed him a ton of games. Bynum, for as skilled as he is, is very awkward on the court- the way he runs, jumps, and lands is not graceful, even for a big man. He's practically the definition of injury-prone when it comes to the NBA. Although Howard is the best Center in the NBA hands-down, Bynum is very close to Howard's skill, and is even a bit younger. What really makes Howard more enviable, though, is his ability to stay healthy, especially for a big man.

I'm sure there's also the Shaq thing, too. The last time the Lakers had the best Center in the NBA, they won 3 rings in a row. Maybe they're just dying to try replicate that success with the current best Center in the NBA who is up for grabs right now?