I was holding off on writing about this because I couldn’t believe the Lakers were actually going to go after him — this is as illogical a move as the Lakers have made in my memory. Let’s quote from regular commenter here Xavier, who lives in Barcelona (where Shammond played last season)
ACB (Spanish league) is the strongest domestic league in Europe and it’s doubtful that if a player can’t play great basketball or show potential there, he (would be able to) contribute in the NBA. And Shammond was just above average playing the PG. Sergio Rodriguez played better than him, he’s younger and was drafted 1 spot after Farmar. This season Shammond was a shoot first player who wasn’t a great defender and who had some important turnovers… I think that Wafer will play a better basketball for the Lakers than Williams, and Wafer it’s not the answer so imagine…
Despite Xavier’s and other’s pleas, signing Shammond was the hot rumor at the Summer Pro League and then in a radio interview Saturday Mitch Kupchak said he expected Smush would be the starting point guard next year. He added that they would be signing a veteran guard next week. That seemed like a hint to me (although reports are the Lakers will have to compete with Olympiacos of Greece for Williams services).
The first thing I wanted to write was that this kind of signing would be unprecedented for LA, but Eric Pincus reminded me that the Lakers signed Corry Blount to a deal before last season, then he never played a minute. So the Lakers have precedent in making questionable moves for veterans at the end of the bench. Great.
Why Shammond? Maybe the Lakers only remember his 28-point game against them in April of 2001. Maybe Mitch Kupchak was looking to bring in someone he could talk Tarheel basketball with. Maybe Mitch had an epiphany. Whatever the case if he’s going to be our guy, what do we know about Williams? For help I turned to — and got some unsolicited thoughts — from people who saw more of him and remember him.
The good news: He can shoot the rock from the three (36.3% for his career, in 2000-01 he shot 45.9%) and is really a two masquerading as a point, which should fit well with the triangle. He has a good work ethic. Also, word is he is a very good person, easy to talk to.
The bad news: Let me borrow a phrase from Gary (one of the moderators over at CelticsBlog who played college ball himself and competed against Williams at pickup games): He’s a poor man’s Smush Parker. He said the two have a similar skill set but Williams does not have Smush’s great hops.
Defensively, he seems to have somewhat improved over time based on his numbers, but he had plenty of room to improve. Let me quote the 2001 season wrap on him from Sonics Central (thanks to Kevin Pelton for the link):
On a poor defensive team, Williams was probably the Sonics’ worst defender. Despite excellent speed, for whatever reason (lack of defensive intensity?) he does little to stop opposing guards on the perimeter.
Not that perimeter defense was supposed to be an off-season priority for the Lakers or anything. His numbers seemed to get better a few years later: playing a backup role in Orlando in 03-04 he held opposing guards to shooting 42.4% (eFG%) and a PER of 13.2, nice numbers that were close to what he did after being traded to New Orleans midseason (opposing points shot just 36.6% against him there). In Boston in 02-03 it was 43.5% against him, then in Denver the second half of that season it rose to 51.6%. But remember, while those numbers aren’t bad they were against backups in 14 minutes a game or so.
If you think his defense is good, go re-read Xavier’s quote at the top of this piece again.
Williams offensive game isn’t bad, he had a career PER of 13.1 and true shooting percentage of 51.3%. Each season more than 80% of his attempts were jump shots and he shoots those well — which is why, if you squint, you can see him in the triangle as a spot-up guy.
While Williams can shoot the rock, one thing he apparently is known for is over dribbling, eating up the shot clock while not running the offense. He also gained the reputation in Seattle as a gunner who would shoot first and ask questions later, something that apparently hasn’t changed. Those are two qualities Phil loves in his triangle point guard. What could go wrong?
In Seattle, they wanted Williams to step in and be Gary Payton’s backup. He got beat out at various times by Emanuel Davis, Randy Livingston and Earl Watson. He bounced around and the league for a couple more years — four teams in two years is never a good sign — then had to get paid in Europe.
If he’s in Laker colors I’ll pull for him, but I don’t see what Williams brings to the table the Lakers don’t already have — and spare me the “he’s a veteran†line because that works fine for Eric Snow, who had skills and can now compensate for them (somewhat) with basketball IQ, but Williams never had that level of skills and has been out of the league two years.
Why bring in a guy that, based on what I’ve seen and read, Farmar will likely be beating out for playing time by the middle of the season?
kwame a. says
at first it seems weird that we would sign williams, but ive thought it over and heres my argument. smush, considering how we obtained him and what he showed in spurts last season, is the starter. with that in mind all we need is a paxson/kerr/armstrong/fisher type player to come in the game and drill shots. williams, for whatever its worth, can do just that, so can vlad rad. i think the lakers have seen what kobe is willing to do in terms of setting up his teammates and with shooters, it will make the offense all that more efficent. vujacic will be moved to the two guard, farmar will get seasoning in the d-league and if one of the guards isnt cutting he is insurance.
people will complain about defense but who were the guards in the playoffs, parker, nash, terry, j-williams, all these guys play no defense. its a different era and if bynum can translate his shotblocking into nba productivity our matador d at the 1 wont be a glaring problem.
Xavier says
one thing that hurted more the point of view of shamond this year was when he started eating the shot clock without passing the ball and shooting in bad positions instead of passing Navarro, one of the most over the buzzer players in Europe.
i wouldnt stand seeing that when the scoring option is my idol Kobe…
thanks Kurt, for quoting me, it’s nice to see how this site is getting bigger and bigger, like when you added the PONY promotion or how many people start commenting here regularly, like me. i think we all feel part of the forumblueandgold comunity
Josh says
Depressing. With Radmonovic and now S. Williams, it look as if Kupchak aims to turn the Lakers into a run-and-gun we’ll-just-outscore-you kind of team. Except that’s not who the Lakers are. I could’ve sworn they brought in Phil Jackson to institute the Triangle, got their own D-League team so they could more smoothly teach the Triangle, used the Triangle to pretty good effectiveness in stretching the Suns to 7 games in the playoffs, saw L. Odom — their second-best player — grow increasingly comfortable and efficient in the offense, etc. But I guess they’re changing course. At least that’s what it looks like in the light of these two moves.
What I’d like to know is Kupchak’s thinking here. The moves seem to be of a piece: bring in guys who can shoot, can score, but let’s not pay much attention to defense or how they fit the team’s current offensive scheme. Does anyone have a theory as to Kupchak’s thinking behind these moves (assuming their was thought involved and not just impulse, panic, and a misreading of the meaning of playoffs)?
Sanchez101 says
I can see the logic of singing Williams, provided the price is low.
Im not sure if youre a Dodgers fan, but coming into spring training the Dodgers brought in a 38 year old Japanese pitcher with a recent track record of mediocrity in the Japanese leagues. He was probably the 6th best righthanded reliever, if that, competing for 4 spots in the bullpen, meaning he was certainly on his way to the AAA. He was a just there to provide some pitching depth should the Dodgers need it, but they hoped they wouldnt need him. Through the first half of the season he’s not only claimed the closing role, but has been one of the best relievers in the game.
I bring this up because Kupchack seems to be taking the same approach building the bench as MLB GM’s often do building a bullpen: bring in a bunch of semi-interesting guys on the cheap, if even one of them turns out it will more than justify the investment in the rest. Saito didnt seem like a good answer for anything by himself, but the Dodgers also brought in Tim Hamulak, Joe Beimel, Aaron Sele, Franquelis Osoria, Brian Meadows, Kurt Aisnworth, and Erik Stults. Most of those names havent accomplished anything, but for the combined cost of the league minimum the Dodgers found a very helpful player.
The Lakers seem to be doing the same. Williams could be on his way, along with Danilo Pinnock, Devin Green, Maurice Evans, Marcus Douthit to compete with Von Wafer and Jordan Farmar, and even Sasha, for bench spots. If you look at one of them individually it seems unnecessary, but collectively, if even one of them turns into a decent player it makes it all worth while; this is how you find the Smush Parkers of the world. Id rather pay those guys next to nothing (and taking up zero cap space) even if they all flop than pay up the nose for the Jered Jeffries’ of the world.
(if the Lakers have to pay a large amount to bring him to the states, though, disregard everything in the above paragraphs)
kwame a. says
sanchez101 great point, that is a perfect analogy, and i like your state of mind, go lakers, and dodger blue
Kurt says
4. Sanchez101, I’m a big Dodger fan that is an interesting analogy with the bull pen. I see what you’re saying all would counter is you don’t really have the roster space in the NBA, no minors really to stash more than a few project players. That and the bi-annual, which can be as much as $3.5 million for two seasons, seems pricy for Williams. But we shall see what he signs for (if, indeed, it happens at all). I just felt like there must have been better options.
2. Xavier, thanks. While the hits to this site are more than I ever imagined, what really makes me happy is the community of commenters and readers that has grown here and turned the comments into a great debate about the Lakers (and the World Cup, and books and just about whatever). That is what I’d envied about places such as Dodger Thoughts or Celtics Blog, and now that is starting to happen here.
By the way, some of the changes I’m thinking about for the site to happen this summer are along those interactivity lines. I’d love to listen to suggestions, either in the comments or send an email.
Gatinho says
Either they’re being cheap, saving for some moves down the road, or they think that those players that are available are either over priced or not worth what other teams are asking for in trades…
I think the problem with having a lame defender at the one is that our bigs really suck at rotating…
Spent the last couple days in Vegas (went to see Pearl jam) and ofcourse saw some NBA players, probably due to the VSL, where the local paper had glowing reviews of Amare’s recovery…
Saw HOFer Rick Barry in SFO, Scott Williams of Michael Jordan’s coattails fame wearing a expensive suit that looked like he had slept in it, and Captain Caveman/ Hulkster/Crypt Keeper: Chris Kaman.
Kaman gave me a “pound” and seemed to enjoy being recognized. He asked if i knew where the sports book in the MGM Grand was and I pointed him in the right direction. Didn’t have the nerve to ask if he was going to put some $$ on the Clips to win it all.
Didn’t see any numbers up for the upcoming NBA season in any of the casinos I was in…
kwame a. says
id love to see a team in vegas gathino, imagine making a friday vegas impulse run and then waking up and watching the lakers play the queens right off the strip. what would the halftime entertainment look like?
John R says
Weird, I was in Vegas too and also saw some Clippers (on the tram from Excalibur to Mandalay Bay?) but didn’t go to the games due to obligations. (Obligations in Vegas, wtf?) I did bet on the Clippers to win it all at 28-1 at the Imperial Palace.
IP still had the Pistons as second favorites at like 7-2. The Pacific division broke down Suns->KINGS->Clippers->Lakers (at 35-1)->Warriors. I don’t remember the specific odds for the rest. The lines must move super slow based on not reacting violently to the BWallace news so I’m surmising they set them and are just letting the money move them. The Nuggets coming in at 22-1 also supports that conclusion.
Does anyone know if the Lakers are staying in Long Beach next year? Sadly for this local that seems to be a second-class summer league since the Clippers left. It it probably difficult to assess Farmar’s ability when he is playing against the likes of Dallas’ “B” summer team. And who makes a “B” summer team?
Kurt says
9. The Lakers are the only thing keeping the Long Beach league afloat, and the league owners are doing anything and everything to keep them here. The thing is, the league itself has done better financially the last couple years because Laker fans have been more interested in the draft picks so the building fills up for games. There were serious rumors of folding before two years ago but not as many anymore.
I get why the Lakers like it — staff doesn’t have to travel and you get to practice at your own facilities just up the 405. Plus it’s like a home game. For those reasons it’s possible the Clippers would move back when their new workout facility is done (I’m not sure what the timeline is on that).
The current pitch to teams from the Long Beach league is that Vegas has too many distractions and you should put your team in LB where you can focus on hoops. Not sure that anyone would buy that line, but it’s what is being sold.
Ironically, the Vegas league was started by guys who got their start working for the Long Beach league and had the smart business idea to move it to where team brass would rather spend a few weeks.
chris henderson says
I think this S. Williams is all a smoke screen to make Banks nervous.
for instance, if I was buying a house, and I found one I really liked, I’d show them a modest interest, and let them know I was for real, ie; had money to spend, then…
I go to the next door house for sale and really make everyone think I was going to buy that one.
that way, the people who thought I was going to buy the first house, (the one I really wanted) would not balk when I chnage my mind at the last second, and offer a lower price.
see the wisdom in all this?
Banks might be gotten for a much lower price than the MLE…has any other teams jumped on his bandwagon?
Elyse says
I am not sure what to think about Shammond…and don’t think I will until I see him for a few games in the NBA, with the Lakers. But, as of now, I am I think 60-40 partial. While all the negative reports may be true (and also check out the LA times blog, b/c there seem to be a fair amount of people who have seen him play on there…), I think the Dodger analysis is spot on. The thing is, no matter what, who is out there right now, that we can afford? Several reports today indicated that the Lakers are no longer interested in Banks, and that he is not likely to lower his price enough…. In addition, the Lakers did at least trade for Evans at the draft, which does add some defense. I don’t know, I am sure the Lakers won’t offer him anything extrodinary in terms of salary so maybe it is worth another shooter/ veteran…. there is more detail about it on hoopsworld.com. Also, he played on a tarheel team with quite a bit of talent… I think Vince Carter? That might be a lie… anyways, point is, I don’t really think there is anyone on the market this year who is affordable that will make a huge difference or will be a drastic improvement on smush.
LaFleur says
I’m still having a really hard time with this S. Williams thing. He sucks. There’s really no two ways about it. He’s playing in Europe because he was no good in the NBA. Why would we need to spend 3.5 mil on someone like this. I really hope we don’t sign this guy. It’s really hard to see how he could make us better.
Zach says
Who else can the Lakers get for the price of Williams?
DY says
The Western Conference is looking pretty tough next year.
Dallas, Phoenix, LA Clips, and San Antonio look like definete locks to be in the playoffs.
Other teams look on paper, to be much improved. The Jazz, Hornets, and possibly Denver look to move up.
The dark horse is Houston, but I don’t know whether TMac will ever be the same again…
As for Sac and Memphis, they always seem to field competitive squads, so where does all this jostling leave the Lakers?
Kurt says
14. Zach, that’s part of the issue I think, there’s not much left. I’d make a run at Fred Jones (last of Indiana). Tony Delk is still out there, and if you’re looking just for vet to come off the bench I’ll talke him over Shammond. And I don’t love Delk.
Kurt says
More Shammond scouting from Draft Express. They think he fits the triangle well and his defense isn’t as bad as reported.
kwame a. says
you beat me to that draftexpress link kurt. i like that they gave him a decent write-up, did anyone else take a look at the 36 inch pythons on shammond, damn what are they feeding him in krzakistan.
saw something about kukoc coming to the lakers for the vet min, what do you guys think, i’d love to have him and ship cook off for a 2nd rd pick in next years deep draft
Kurt says
kwame a. I saw that photo and thought the same thing. Man, his arms look just like mine 😉
The more I’ve thought about it, what frustrates me about the idea of Shammond is it appears the Lakers are not going to bring in a defensive point guard. I have big reservations about that, if that is indeed what goes down. It’s nothing against Shammond in particular, save I don’t see great individual value there.
As for Kukoc, I could live with that, a vet who knows the tri. At their respective ages Cook may be the better player now, but if you can get something for him in a trade I’m fine with that.
Edgar says
Chaunsy Billups or Mike Bibby and Chris Kaman will be sing next year. So people relax about Shammond, thats just for this year. Think about this starting 5
Billups/Bibby
Kobe
Radmanovic
Odom(Garnett)
Kaman
Gatinho says
I like that Shammond is a defensive rebounder, but isn’t “good decision making” and a “high basketball IQ” important in this offense?
Kurt says
20. The Lakers don’t have the cap space next summer to likely sign Billups or Kaman seperately, let alone both.
Dan says
I don’t like Williams especially after Radmanovic. I’m okay with Rad if we get a perimeter defensive guy. But 2 guys who aren’t particularly great on defense? I honestly don’t see why we should go after Shammond.
kwame a. says
i think our 10 man rotation is shaping up nicely, with good balance (absent a bulldong on-ball defender and a swatter) is good too
smush
kobe
vlad
lamar
kwame
and
shammond
sasha
evans
walton
turiaf
bynum
farmar
this is the best bench weve had since the 80s. our starting 5 retains the chemistry it grew, absent walton, but replaced with a consistent 2nd/3rd scoring option. the bench has an initiator, a shooter and interior toughness, add in a full training camp and an energitic sounding tex winter and this team is looking scary in a western conference our beloved mitch called “not scary”
Kurt says
I think the west is scary for this reason — there is little margin for error. I think that after “the big three” you’ve got pretty close competition between the Clippers, Nuggets, Lakers, Jazz, Rockets, Kings and Grizlies (seven teams for five spots) not to mention a team like Seattle, Golden State, Minnesota or the Hornets potentially being better than expected.
Avoiding injuries to key players will again be huge next season in the West (just ask Houston or Utah).
DY says
Apparently, Mike James signed with the Timberwolves (http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/5777154). That probably means that Banks is out of there b/c now they have Foye and maybe the T-Wolves are aggresively trying to move Jaric (who would take him?)
Either Banks will have to try to get the mid-level elsewhere…or maybe he might come to the Lakers for a shorter term deal in the hopes of getting a payday down the road?
Maybe this might mean another re-negotiation with Banks or maybe a sign and trade with Devean George going to Minn. (he played college ball there) for Banks?
Sorry for the rampant speculation.
Kurt says
By the way, it appears Mike James will sign with Minnesota. So the T-Wolves are making one more run at it with KG, it appears. Can Randy Foye and James recreate the magic of Cassell and Spreewell from a few years back? (ed. damn, DY, you beat me to it.)
LaFleur says
The Wolves just signed Mike James with their MLE. Do you guys think we still might have a shot at Banks for cheap? The more I think about it the more I don’t think Banks is a MLE guy right now. At least not in this free-agent market.
LaFleur says
Oh yeah, Edgar: You starting line-up is starting to look like my Laker line-up in NBA Live… Never gonna happen…
Kurt says
If I were Kevin McHale, I’d want to keep Banks around on the cheap as a good backup and insurance policy. However, predicting what McHale actually will do is about as relaible as predicting earthquakes.
kwame a. says
wow, pg drama. minny still has hudson and jaric to go with foye and james, so i just dont see banks sticking around there. are the lakers bold enough to renege on their deal with shammond williams and offer banks something short-term. more likely i see banks ending up with some team i fearsomly loathe, top three candidates being houston, miami and clevland.
Sean says
Gotta admit I’m a bit concerned about the Radmonovic signing. 31 mil over 5 years just seems like too much to me. He’s a good shooter, not a great one (career 38.1 3pt%, 75.3 ft%). At 6-10, he does create match-up problems for opposing defenses. But he also creates a match-up problem for his own defense. Just don’t see how they can get away with playing him along side Odom for long stretches. Really seems like more of a back-up to me- something like a replacement for Walton, giving up some passing to get better shooting. He probably is an upgrade over Walton, but I not sure how much given Walton’s intangibles. His age is right (26 in November), if he can grow as a player with the team.
I don’t have a problem theoretically with Williams. It’s hard to know for sure, since he’s been out of the L. But the dude always has been able to shoot the ball, and the Lakers need to have someone at the 1 who can shoot. As far as getting a stopper at the 1- that just doesn’t exist under the new rules. Parker certainly was terrific at pressuring ball-handlers last year and really made a contribution in the Lakers’ overall defensive improvement. I don’t want to look too much into college play and I don’t know how many minutes he’s going to get, but Farmar was a terrific defender at the college level- so he might really be the answer as he grows as a pro. I definitely am glad that they appear to be drifting away from Banks, who just does not seem to be a triangle guard to me (he would’ve made sense in Rudy T’s system however).
I haven’t seen Evans play a lot; but he seemed really solid at Detroit and the price certainly is right at 3 mil over 2 seasons. If he can match what Laron Profit was starting to give us last year before he tore his achilles, I’ll be stoked (i.e. terrific defense, solid decision-making while giving Kobe a breather). I’m also intrigued by Danilo Pinnock who was the heart and soul of that surprising GW team last year. As far as I’m concerned, he can have Devin Green’s roster spot. That kid needs to go to Europe.
Over all, I’d say this is pretty consistently Kupchak. Some ok moves, nothing necessarily horrible or terrific. I think it’ll work out if Lamar and Kobe can truly mesh. If so, we’ve got a lot of role players their age who can bring some positives in support of their games. If not… well I don’t want to think about that.
Kurt says
32. Just as a teaser, I got some interesting “you can’t quote me but…” thoughts on Vlad Rad from someone who really knows the game and has seen a lot of him in person. Just haven’t had time to put it into a post form yet and may not until after Summer League, but a different perspective on how he helps the Laker offense.
LaFleur says
Kwame Brown has been cleared if sexual assualt. It was dropped due to lack of evidence. It’s nice to that this matter has finally cleared up and Kwame can go into the season without it hanging over his head.
LaFleur says
sorry for the typos above…
LakerS says
Kurt, do you think the Lakers are done with there off-season or will a trade happen before the season starts?
Kurt says
26. It dawned on me, a sign and trade for Banks with D. George won’t really work. With the T-wolves giving their MLE to James, they can only offer Banks $2 mil (or something close, I can’t remember the exact number), and if he’d sign for that little they’d keep him. Plus, then George would have to accept a contract for $2.5 mil for a trade to work, which also is unlikely.
Elyse says
getting some love from slamonline…. says that “forum blue and gold” is hyped on Shammond (more or less… not verbatim)
http://slam.harris-pub.com/online/2006/07/this-is-what-i-do/
Kurt says
38. I saw that (actually, saw I was getting hits from it from my counter) and thought that anyone who said I was backing Shammond Williams as the new point guard really didn’t read that post.
LaFleur says
I don’t think I’ve seen anyone on her that is “hyped” abput S. Williams.
John R says
#34…so the relief is that Kwame will not face trial? Not that a woman wasn’t harmed (as far as the public knows)? Not that justice has prevailed (as far as the public knows)? Only that Kwame can move on?
Classy Laker Fan. Real Classy.
Rob says
From the LA Times article, “In a charge evaluation report, the district attorney’s office referred to a medical exam of Brown’s accuser that “revealed no signs of forcible sexual assault.” The report also said the woman admitted to engaging in some consensual activity with Brown and remained in his home for several hours.”
There was no physical evidence to support the sexual assault charge. If I remember, the charges were brought by the woman quite quickly. In other words, the medical examination would have been performed soon after the alleged incident. An ideal situation to collect the forensic evidence, if said evidence existed.
It is possible that under such conditions something did indeed happen, but no physical evidence was left. However, as a reasonable person, I must conclude in this instance that lack of evidence means lack of crime. Which would mean the charges brought were false.
Which would mean that it is perfectly reasonable to be relieved for Kwame. That being relieved for Kwame is being relieved that justice prevailed writ small.
DY says
As far as I’m concerned, American criminal jurisprudence is about an invidivual being ‘innocent until proven guilty’ and Kwame wasn’t proven guilty. In fact, there was a lack of evidence
On the flipside, what if the accuser had been trying to get money from Kwame, or that this was a result of issues with his relationship? The LA Times article mentions that they had consensual ‘relations’ prior to the alleged incident so her case, w/out any evidence after a medical exam coupled with her previous excursions with Mr. Brown meant that she wouldn’t have been able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he did what she alleged.
Remember, the PROSECUTION (who are political in nature and want to garner up as many wins in court) declined to pursue the case further. So that tells me that there appeared to be little merit to the case.
That being said, let’s get off Kwame’s back and let him resume his life and career. I hope this is a vivid wake up call for Kwame to be more careful in all that he does.
Kurt says
A quick FB&G programming note: Due to a day at work that, in the spirit of not using foul language here, I’ll just call far less than ideal, I only saw a little more than the fourth quarter of the Laker SPL game Tuesday. I will combine that with what I see Wednesday (likely 1/2 a game) to come up with my next post.
The short version however, Farmar continue to look good, Bynum has his moments and Pinnock is going to make it hard to cut him.
LaFleur says
#41… In this country your innocent until proven guilty. Neither I nor you was present for the alleged incident a few months ago, therfore I prefer to refrain judgement by not getting into who hurt who. I am however a Laker fan, and this is a Laker forum where we discuss matters involving the Lakers pertaining to their performance as a basketaball team. I was not showing lack of sympathy for the alleged victim in this case nor was I implying Kwame should receive a free pass no matter what he does. I don’t use this page to display some mis-calibrated moral compass, I use it to comment on the Lakers in matters concerning how well they play basketball, and nothing else. Thank you.
LaFleur says
Now that we’ve signed S. Williams what do you think the chances of us releasing Aaron Mckie are? It seems like we might want to make some room for the younger players like Wafer, Pinnock, or Green. I know Mckie was injured last year, but he seems a little too old to really be effective on D and he seems to have lost his touch on offense.
Dan says
The S. Williams signing is for sure? That’s disappointing.
LaFleur says
Yes, The Riverside Press Enterprise is reporting that he has signed a one-year $1.75 mil contract. Apparently he’s supposed to be in LA today or tomorrow for a press conference. It seems like Kupchak might have been a little biased when he assessed this player because of his ties to North Carolina and Dean Smith. On the flip side I’m assuming Phil signed off on it, and if he thinks he would be right for this team then I’ll give the man the benefit of the doubt. He’s earned it.
five man taichi says
Pretty interesting Paul Shirley Blog this week comparing NBA ballers to Kurt Cobain:
“I will press on. As usual, I have pledged to myself to be the least cool basketball player. I will continue to ask my teammates about their lives outside of the sports world. Most likely, my questions will be met with stone-faced stares and unintelligible responses. But, if I can keep anyone from putting a shotgun in his mouth, I will have contributed something.”
Have to read the rest to make sense of the Cobain reference.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/story?columnist=shirley_paul&page=Journal-35
Hitman says
Shammond Sucks, I´m from Spain and i was hoping what the “rumoR” was a joke. I think what Philp will prefer play with Mihn as Point Guard, because Williams is the biggest crap ever
Edgar says
Brian Grant contracts expire by the end of this season, also the contracts of Cook, Walton, Mihm expire when the next season finish. Kwame has guarantee just 2 of his 3 years in his contract. The only 2 big contracts are Kobe and Lamar so why do you think that bring Billups and Kaman is not gonna happen. You know, i would be very happy if they can reach an agreement whit Bibby or Ridnour but we have to go strong after Kaman.
Kurt says
Edgar, the third year of the Kwame contract was picked up in the middle of the last season, so he is on the book for two more. Also, the Lakers are grooming Bynum as the center of the future, they are not going to spend big on Kaman.
Edgar says
Oh!! I didn’t know that about Kwame. How ever, i do know the Lakers expect Bynum could be a decent man in the middle but man, i think the Lakers won’t sit until Bynum develop to his 100%. Kobe has 27 to 28 years and Bynum hardly 18. The way i view this is, if Bynum come this year making some promising noise then i would take your opinion as good. But, as i told you before, Kobe is going to 28 and we can’t wait for the development of a kid of 18. We have to provide the rights tools to Kobe in order to win not one, several championship. Kobe is in his prime so we have to remove the juice to him the best way we can while it lasts. If next year we had the opportunity to sing Kaman, i wouldn’t put in judgment fabric the fact of bring him. And also we know that if Bynum is going to be as good as we expect, he is going to be our best bait to go fishing around the league. I know Kobe is young but in this bussines the time become short and i really,really want that Kobe can win another RING without Shaq. Another thing i didn’t mention is that Phil also is here right now and his contract expire in 2 years. If we don’t have a respectable team for that moment we are going to be in problems. Idon’t know you, but i think if the organization moves quickly next year we are gonna be ok in 2 years since now. We have to be aggressive, robust and clever in order to give CATEDRAS to the other teams. Man, im tired of writing so think about this:
Billups/Bibby/Ridnour
Kobe
Radmanovic
Odom
Kaman
So if you know Mr. Kupchak or what ever it spell,give him 2 slaps in his face so that it wakes up and work harder than he is, period.
Edgar says
Is there another web i can find Lakers Fans and chat or something else?
Anonymous says
Shammond is the best ever