Monta Ellis or Dwight Howard – The best option for the Los Angeles Lakers - NBA Feature (Part 2)
Besides this, both Odom and Bynum’s stats speak for themselves. Odom, who is in his early 30’s, scored14.4 points and 8.7 boards per game in the previous season and was declared as the ‘Sixth Man of the Year’. Bynum, mostly injured
in the first half of the season, scored at an average of 11.3 points and 9.4 rebounds in 27.8 minutes per game.
So Bynum even with the attitude problem is worth having.
In fact, it would be best for the Lakers to retain Bynum, who still has a long way to go in comparison to Odom, who is now 31. Bynum is still young and despite of his immaturity at times, can perform well if his role is defined
in a better way. Also, the most urgent need for the Lakers is at the point guard position, not at centre.
Enter Monta Ellis aka the “Mississippi Bullet”.
Earlier in June, a few reports emerged on the scene about the Golden State Warriors being in talks with the Los Angeles Lakers for Monta’s trade.
There is a general perception that this will be a wrong move, as both Monta and Kobe love to keep the ball with them most of the time and at present both play at the shooting guard position for their team.
The argument though lacks the punch.
Ellis possesses the skills required to handle the point guard spot. His spectacular speed, athleticism, desire to win, pin point shooting and ability to excel in the clutch make him ideally eligible for the Lakers job. His achievement
of 24.1 points and 5.6 assists per game in the previous season proves of what he could bring to the table.
As far as the selfish ball handling is concerned, at Warriors, he does that because there is no other dominant player in that setup and more often than not, he had to take the scoring burden. With Kobe beside him, Ellis will have
more freedom and the two can make the best guard combination in the league.
With the inclusion of Ellis in the roster, Bynum role will also be centred more on defense, something he thrives on. Moreover, the Lakers would have to see beyond the next season, as in Ellis they would get someone, who can take
over after the retirement of Kobe. Although, Ellis may not prove to be as good as Kobe, but he definitely has the skills to make his mark.
Bryant has to leave one day, so this is the right time for the Lakers to start thinking about their future. An aging Bryant would also have more time to help the new acquisition in developing his game, a thing that would help the
franchise a great deal in filling the gap left after Kobe’s retirement.
If the Lakers do indeed go for Ellis, it will save them the trouble of relinquishing star players in exchange. They can practically achieve the deal by trading with the likes of Lamar Odom, Derek Fisher and some role player.
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