Comments on: Fast Break Thoughts

By: chibi

chibi — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 18:09:36 +0000

#9/Joel: i like delonte as the best fit; mcgrady is my least favorite option.

By: Darius

Darius — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 18:06:12 +0000

A new post is up. We continue our player reviews.

http://www.forumblueandgold.com/2010/07/31/2009-10-player-review-luke-walton/

By: Funky Chicken

Funky Chicken — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 18:01:15 +0000

Darius, you surely know more about the Kincks’ cap situation than I do. I thought I had seen reports (or maybe just speculation) that the Knicks would offer Shannon about $4 million/year. Is that wrong?

If the Lakers can offer Shannon comparable money to what the Knicks put on the table, then my analysis would probably be different. I think the overall development of Shannon’s game is likely to be greater if he competes for starter minutes on an up tempo team, but that might be outweighed by the experience of playing with and learning from what might be the best shooting guard of all time (and a shot at rings doesn’t hurt).

I’ve been operating under the assumption that Shannon would have to choose between money (NY) and winning (LA) and given that choice, his age, and the fact that he already has 2 rings, it seemed more likely (and reasonable) that he go for the money. If the money is the same, or similar, between the two offers, I think LA’s chance of retaining him is much greater.

By: Lakers8884

Lakers8884 — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 17:20:09 +0000

Darius, I agree people seem to forget he had some great games this season when Kobe was injured or not playing well. Everyone remember the home game against Orlando when Kobe was struggling and Shannon came off the bench and had one of his best games of the season? The guy is so young and so athletic that he may not have tapped into his full potential yet, and working under Kobe the next few years he could hone his skill and become the starting SG and a big time contributor after Kobe retires. I see Phil wanting to reduce Kobe’s minutes during the regular season more (and having the ability to do so with a more solid bench) so Shannon could see even more playing time this year than he has in the past. I may be partial because I like the kid alot but while he may be young, other than Bynum he has the most potential to get better and improve his game drastically.

By: Darius

Darius — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 17:07:05 +0000

18. Funky Chicken,
I agree that Shannon will almost always be a back up (behind Kobe) if he stays with the Lakers. But, I also think Shannon’s situation needs to be looked at in both the short and the long term. Next season, there will be a crunch on minutes (especially if Sasha sticks around and earns minutes). However, after that Brown’s situation would likely improve. Sasha’s deal expires after next season and Barnes’ contract is a player option for the season after next (and Matt could easily opt out to look for a bigger pay check if he has a good year and the Lakers win the title – ala Posey with the Celtics from a couple years back). So, the roadblock to significant minutes really isn’t that big. For sure Sasha will be out of the mix beyond 2011 and Barnes may not even be a backup SG (I mentioned this before, but his questionable handle and high turnover rate don’t make Matt an ideal back court player in any system – especially the Triangle). So, if Shannon is really looking ahead he could easily be a 20-25 minute player in two seasons and a major contributor to a team that is in the hunt for a title every year. And, if the Lakers can pay him what the Knicks can offer (which they can) he may be best off just staying put in LA.

By: Funky Chicken

Funky Chicken — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 16:55:15 +0000

Shannon’s fate lies in the size of the Knicks’ offer. If the Knicks go as high as $4 million per year, Shannon has to take it. Sure, he loves L.A. and will be sacrificing a shot at winning for a few years, but the Fisher analogy is actually perfect. In retrospect, nobody claims that Fish did the wrong thing by chasing Golden State’s money. Moreover, Fish went to a G.S. team that already had Baron Davis, so it wasn’t as if he was going to be a starter there–unlike Shannon’s opportunity in NY.

Shannon has never made more than $2 million a year, and he isn’t likely to do so if he re-signs with the Lakers. Moreover, looking ahead 3 or 4 years to the next time he is a free agent, will he be better positioned for free agency by signing with LA or with NY? To me, this is an easy call. In LA he will be a backup for the duration of his contract. He will get limited minutes, and will almost always be among the worst players on the floor.

In NY, he’d have a great chance at starting, playing alongside Stoudamire, and playing in Mike D’Antoni’s video game offense. Clearly, he’ll have no chance at winning in NY, but for a 24 year old kid with 2 rings in the bank, a chance to get rich, live in New York, be a starter in the NBA, and put up the kind of numbers over the next 3 years that will make him FAR more desirable (and rich) when this contract comes up, well that’s a no brainer.

By: Lakers8884

Lakers8884 — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 16:45:07 +0000

15, I felt the exact same way. The first half of the DVD was basically the same footage shown on the ESPN “The Association” Special on the Lakers except without Andy Garcia’s incredible vocal work. Truthfully I expected much more for such an important event in the franchise, I’d almost just rather have that ESPN special if it ever comes out on DVD and just buy the individual Finals games on itunes.

By: chris h

chris h — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 16:39:54 +0000

DREAM SCENARIO…

Lakers trade Sasha to NY for Ronnie Turiaf, and still sign Shannon.
(not a real money saver, but minutes…)
this means Sasha’s minutes are no longer an issue, and can go to ShanWow, and we have Ronnie for a back up 4/5

do it Mitch, (well, actually this one would be on Dr Buss, cause it’s gonna cost!)

By: Andr

Andr — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 16:35:53 +0000

Off topic, disappointed in the lakers championship DVD. The special features are so weak. Last years DVD had partial games, among other things. This years had nothing worthwhile. Disappointing considering they could have done so much more with the lakers celtics

By: Travis Y.

Travis Y. — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 16:25:55 +0000

gr824 broke it down pretty well-

Either the Lakers can give him a new contract as an Early Bird free agent, which would be a contract equivalent to the NBA average salary [ which is at least $5.2 million per season and could be the entire MLE value ] for at least two years OR they could use part of their MLE to get him cheaper [ no longer an option with the two recent MLE signings ] OR Shannon can come back and take the veteran’s minimum for a single season and play to secure full Bird rights for next summer …