By Mike Misek
2010/11 Los Angeles Lakers Payroll: $83.9 million
2010/11 NBA Salary Cap: $56.1 million
Roughly: $27.8 million over cap
Derek Fisher- Unrestricted Free Agent
D.J. Mbenga- Unrestricted Free Agent
Josh Powell- Unrestricted Free Agent
Shannon Brown- Player Option for $2.3 million
Adam Morrison- Qualifying Offer for $6.9 million
Jordan Farmar- Qualifying Offer for $2.8 million
Chinemelu Elonu- Rights Retained
Draft Picks- 43rd overall and 58th overall
The Good: The Lakers have reeled off 2 straight titles, and with essentially everyone back will be looking to make it a three peat next season. They decided in midseason to push all their chips into the middle when they extended Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol for big money. Now the Lakers are on the hook for $60 million to Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, and Ron Artest through 2013-14.
The team is well over the cap and tax, and will be for years to come. The extensions make sense. While Bryant struggled with injuries down the stretch of this season, broken fingers can be easily fixed. His obsessively competitive nature should allow him to age as gracefully as Michael Jordan did. While the mileage is adding up, Bryant has been able to reinvent and adjust his game. The margin of error he will have will decline as he gets older, but as smart as he is and as fundamentally sound as his game is, he should be able to sustain a high level for several more years. The key, though, will be to continue providing a quality supporting cast.
The Bad: No first round pick this season, no cap room for the life of Kobe’s career, and having all of one player from their regular rotation under the age of 30 who will be under contract for next year are legitimate concerns. They may very well end up having to treat regular seasons in the manner in which the Boston Celtics and San Antonio Spurs have of late.
Andrew Bynum is earning close to 14 mil per year for the next 2 seasons with a team option for a third. He shows a lot of upside, but his constant injury woes are troubling. If he continues down his current path, it’s difficult to envision him making that a worthwhile contract.
They are at close to $85 million for 2010-11, and yet after winning back to back titles, it appears to be money well spent. The money spent at mid-season on Kobe, Gasol and Artest ($60 million per) looks great now, but at the point when they lose, if it’s next season, there could be a long wait for those contracts to be off the books.
The Future: The rumored Chris Bosh to the Lakers for Andrew Bynum could resurface this summer. Bynum is still only the same age as the typical college senior and, despite a bi-annual trip to the injured reserve, still is held in high regard around the league. A package around Bynum and a future first round pick might end up being attractive to the Raptors should Bosh decide that he does not want to remain in Toronto. A package could be even more attractive should the Lakers take back a player with additional years on his deal in exchange for the 2011 expiring deal of Sasha Vujacic.
While that is the dream scenario for the Lakers, they will be a player in the summer regardless. The team will only have seven players under contract this summer, and could loo overhaul its point guard rotation. Derek Fisher took another step backward this season as he cannot stay in front of point guards anymore. The problem is made worse because he was shooting 38 percent from the floor. Jordan Farmar will be a restricted free agent, and might end up suckering some team into giving him a long-term offer sheet. If the team chooses to use part of its mid-level exception, Luke Ridnour or Raymond Felton could be options. The team could also bring in a number of cheap options. Fisher may very well stick around at a severely discounted price. Jackson was a fan of Jannero Pargo the last time he was with the Lakers. Randy Foye, Chris Duhon, Steve Blake, Earl Watson, Marcus Williams, Jamaal Tinsley, and Sergio Rodriguez are other potentially affordable free agents who could make some sense.
Grade: A-
Looking Golden
I am sure Bynum will be ready to go next season and the Lakers will still probably bring him along slowly to have him for the home stretch, which will allow them to begin to rest Gasol through the mid season as Bynum’s minutes pick up. If they can’t find a way to bring back Shannon Brown, they should try a sign and trade for Kirk Hinrich who brings many of the intangibles that Fisher did except with younger legs and bigger size.
Ron Ron will have a much better season next year as well, being able to spell Kobe for longer minutes and keeping him fresh, much as Pippen was able to do for Jordan throughout the latter stages of his career.
Never thought about that but
Never thought about that but Hinrich would be a great fit for this team…I think that Farmar and Brown are capable of being starters for this team though so it depends if they determine they need to make that move