Forget about trading Chris Mihm before training camp, he underwent surgery to clean up scar tissue in his ankle.
Much like Kobe’s knee, this was minor arthroscopic stuff to clean up scar tissue and he’ll be good to go by training camp. However, getting a trade for him now just got a little harder.
In Mihm’s exit interview Phil Jackson said he asked him to work on the skills needed for the triangle four. It should be interesting to see if Mihm can adapt where Kwame could not last year.
kwame a. says
mihm could be very valuable to us next season. He will back up lamar at the 4 along with turiaf and will back up kwame at the 5 with bynum. splitting his time at the 5 and the 4 will let bynum get the necessary 10-15 mins a game he will need to develop. if mihm is successful in this dual role as the first big off the bench, then we can re-sign him to a max mle deal at the end of the year, if not then he leaves, but hes worth the insurance this year, and i wouldnt trade him for anything other than an capable 4, that not likely to happen, i hope he gets lean and mean, works on that high-post jumper of his and hell be a great rotation guy for us next year.
Tony B. says
I like the way Mihm played the high-post last season. He moved the ball well from there and could hit the jumper if he became comfortable. Mihm is a key role player for this team.
Xavier says
i’m more in the idea Kurt said in past comments about keeping mihm till the trade deadline. first of all try to keep him till that day as a 4-5 backup, and by the way we can see if bynum and turiaf can pick up that role.
if that happen, then trade him, cuz hell be a big man free agent asking for money (60 mill for Nene?????)
mihm is valuable enought to land something good in a trade, better than lose him via free agency.
Sean says
We have to keep him in case Kwame gets hurt or has a relapse. No way is Bynum ready to be a full-time player. Forcing him to could damage him as bad as it did Kwame.
Anonymous says
Isn’t anyone considering that being pushed might be just what Bynum needs? I’m not sure how you would tell who, but don’t some people only succeed when put under pressure? Would Kobe be the player he is if he hadn’t been told to go for it and shot those airballs in the playoffs way back when?
DY says
Getting pushed around might be good to some, but others aren’t mentally equipped to deal with so much pressure when they’re not ready (ex. Kwame). With Kobe, you have to realize that his mental makeup is absolutely resilient and is tailored towards situations like the airballs against Utah, that’s what makes Kobe so unique and special.
But with Bynum, I suppose the Lakers staff knows best re: how he deals with pressure and being pushed around. Maybe during practice, he’s getting pushed around by Kwame, Mihm, etc. and the staff realizes that Bynum isn’t ready. Premature exposure coupled with a weak psyche could lead to a disastrous result in terms of Bynum’s development as a player. I’m hoping that Turiaf can plug in more at the 4 and 5 spots. Bynum will get his and now is the time to get stronger. He’ll undoubtedly play more minutes this season and if Phil is carefully monitoring Bynum’s minutes and the situations he’s being placed in, call it paternalistic but appropriate at this point.
k_swagger8 says
MIhm can be a solid role player in the future. I’m just not sure if he will be able to play the 4 though. Keeping him throughout training camp may be a good idea. 1) the coaches can see if he can play the 4. 2) He knows the triangle as compared to a new guy coming off a trade or signing. Kwame a. is right, we should only trade him if we are getting a veteran-capable PF in return. The Bucks’ Jamaal Magloire is a player I would trade him for
Sean says
k_swagger8
The Lakers have 4 guys whose best position is arguably the 4 (Lamar, Rad, Cook, Turiaf). However, they only have 1 legitimate back-up center until Bynum proves he can stay on the floor. Why should the Lakers trade 1 of their 2 5s for yet another 4? Don’t make sense.
Magloire is more a 5 than a 4 though. So trading Mihm for him would fit position-wise. However, Magloire is due to be paid $8 mil this year while Mihm is due to be paid $4 mil- so they can’t be traded straight up. Even if they could, why would the Lakers want to pay twice as much for comparable production (Last Year- Mihm: 10.2 ppg (50.1 fg%), 6.3 rpg, 1.24 bpg in 26.2 mpg vs. Magloire: 9.2 ppg (46.7 fg%), 9.5 rpg, .98 bpg in 30.1 mpg), especially when their guy is already familiar with the offense?