Despite all the lip flapping you are hearing from all the sports writers, Kobe is not going anywhere. Reports are that Dallas and Chicago GM's haven't even talked to the Lakers. Reports also say that neither team is willing to give up their best player to the Lakers. Do you really think the Lakers would trade Kobe to Dallas so that he and Dirk could spend the next 5 years beating our brains out? Do you really think the Lakers would trade Kobe to Chicago without Luol Deng being included in the deal? Kobe is a Laker, at least for now. So far we only have two things that would lead us to believe that Channing Frye could become a Laker. One is reports that Portland is shopping CF. The other goes back to a year ago when there were rumors of a possible trade with the Knicks and the reports that the one player the Lakers wanted included in the package was.....Channing Frye.
Portlland is reportedly reluctant to give Frye an extension over the next couple of years because they already have to many long term contracts and feel they have a glut of forwards. Their need appears to be outside shooting because they have to many play making guards. Also, they may need a "Big" to fill in at center while Oden is out for the season. A "Big" who has a one year contract, and an outside shooter would fit in nicely, especially if you throw in a first round draft pick.
So a scenario where Kwame and his expiring contract, along with maybe Sasha or Cook and a pick, could go out for Frye and a player like Jarrett Jack. Will it happen? If it does and Channing Frye never grows into KG or Elton Brand, well, we gave up expendable pieces to get him. But if he does turn into KG, then it was the steal of the century.
After the big win over Seattle on Thursday, Lakers fans finally had something to cheer about and it took our minds off all the drama that seemed like a rerun of the movie we all saw last summer. And the speculation regarding Channing Frye redirects our attention to what the Lakers are really trying to do, and that is trading for a player that can come in a make a difference and ultimately keep Kobe happy.
The goal, of course, is a championship. When you see how well our bench players are performing, you can actually see the light at the end of the tunnel. In fact, so far, our bench is out performing our starters. You can see how we are proabably only one player away. We are deep with talent and potential. But we still need one player who can produce at an all star level now. Frye is more like AB. A 3rd year player who is maybe just on the verge of letting loose. Not the all star power forward today, but maybe an All star forward in seasons to come. That is the reason we might be able to get him now. After next season, the price goes up.
The Seattle game probably surprised us all. Not that we won, but how certain players played. Mihm actually looked like he could return to his old form. Turiaf played like he could be a future all star. Crit (JC) has a really quick first step but is looking more to distribute than score so far. Farmar is really coming to play. He is not looking for minutes, he is looking to start. Fish still has that baseline jumper. Walton looks rusty. Cook looks like he can still stroke it, but he better stick to his ourside game because his low post game is ugly most of the time. But he did have his moments down low.
That brings us to AB. He is going to be a consistant double double player for the Lakers. If he gets touches, he is going to score around the basket. So far he is hitting over 60% of his shots. And rebounds, even offensive rebounds, are not going to be a problem. His time just might be now. His aggressiveness around the hoop has stepped up to another level. He is not at the highest level he is capable of yet, but its coming.
Next up is the Charlotte Bobcats on Saturday evening in a Preseason Shootout. The Clippers and the Suns are in the opening game, and depending on who wins or loses, determines who the Lakers are going to meet on Sunday.
Last night the Lakers had 30 assists, hit 56% from the field, and 58% from the 3. We had 8 players in double figures. No wonder we scored 126. We will need all of that and some better defense to have a successful weekend, especially if we meet the Suns on Sunday. This will be back to back games, so we might get to see Lamar in one or both of the games, but for brief stints because he won't be in game shape.
If the Lakers continue to play like they did Thursday night, there is no reason to believe we can't do some serious damage this season. Confidence.........
JamFan aka Don Allen
