Los Angeles Lakers - NBA Teams that have made huge strides in the off season – Opinion (Part 6)
1. Los Angeles Lakers
Just when we thought that Kobe Bryant is getting old and the Los Angeles Lakers, having failed to reach the Conference Final in the two years, will no longer be genuine contenders, Mitch Kupchak and his front office assistant pulled
off a summer which has put a stamp of authority and stability on the future, and has made the roster one of the most formidable in the entire league.
The Lakers started off by getting Steve Nash in a sign and trade deal with their long time rivals, Phoenix Suns. The trade resulted in the merger of two of the greatest guards of the current era in Nash and Kobe Bryant. The Lakers
looked formidable even after that trade, but they went a step further.
After trying hard to pull off the Dwight Howard trade for a long time, the Lakers finally managed to land the big man - best in the business - in a four way deal including Denver Nuggets, Philadelphia 76ers and the Orlando Magic.
The trade basically saw the Lakers get an upgrade for Andrew Bynum without literally giving anything else. The Lakers starting lineup will now comprise of Metta World Peace, Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Pau Gasol and Dwight Howard and on paper, it looks like a
dream combination.
The Lakers also improved upon their bench. They acquired Antawn Jamison and Jodie Meeks on low cost contracts and also got rid of Matt Barnes. They still have some room for improvement and if reports are to be believed the franchise
is looking re hire their long time point guard Derek Fisher.
LAL did not limit their moves to the players. They wanted to install the Princeton offense in their refurbished lineup and in order to ensure that the player get a hang of it properly, they hired Eddie Jordan as an assistant to
Mike Brown.
All the franchise needs now is for its players to stay fit and quickly adapt to playing with each other. If they do that, a championship ring doesn’t seem far away. And the ring is what will force Howard to stay put at Hollywood
for the years to come.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article do not represent Bettor.com’s editorial policy.
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