The Time is Now

The Draft is done, the future is set, and now we come upon a time to build for the present. Free Agency opened July 1, with a period of verbal agreements and discussion, which continues until July 22nd, the first day on contract signing. While the Lakers may have some slight problems with the cap (understatement of the century), we also have a very useful option in the MLE, the Mid-Level Exception. The past two seasons this was worth 4.9 million dollars, and although the amount of the exception for the 2005-06 season has not yet been released, we can anticipate it being in the 5 million range. This makes us a viable player in the free agency game this year. While stars like Ray Allen, Michael Redd, and Larry Hughes will command much more than this, a number of solid players in our price range (and in our needed positions) are available.

It has been said that a team can only go as far as its point guard leads them. This rang true for the Lakers, with Chucky Atkins as our starter, taking us to a grand total of 34 wins. Ouch. It is my personal opinion that we need to address the point guard position first and foremost, despite the other holes in the team (power forward namely). Some viable options at point guard through free agency are Antonio Daniels, Earl Watson, Marko Jaric, and Jalen Rose. The most interesting of these prospects is Jalen Rose, who we could realistically grab with the LLE due to the new “Allan Houston Exception” of the CBA. If he is released by the Raptors, they continue to pay the majority of his salary, thus he can take lowball offers and still make high-roller money. I could end the article now and say that this would obviously be the best option for us, but where’s the fun in that? Let’s say Rose isn’t released by the Raptors. Who do we turn to then?

Our first option needs to be Antonio Daniels, hands down. He was built to run the triangle for Phil Jackson. He’s got the size, the skills, and the smarts to run the offense effectively, along with a good veteran presence among a fairly young group of basketball players. With his outside shot he fills helps fill the void left by Derek Fisher last season, and with his slashing abilities and size he takes the role of Harper or Shaw as well. As of now it would appear as though our biggest competition for Mr. Daniels would be Cleveland, but with the recent signing of Larry Hughes, they may decide to throw the rest of their cap space at Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Udonis Haslem, thus dropping them from the race. However, if Antonio decides to take his talents elsewhere, there are a couple other solid point guards to consider.

Marko Jaric is one of the better available options at the point this offseason. He would be willing to come to the Lakers for the MLE, he’s two years younger than Daniels, and he had his best year statistically this past season. However, he missed 32 games, and has been bothered by constant foot injuries (most recently a stress fracture to his right foot, followed up by a right hip pointer). After another injury-plagued year, he has now missed a total of 72 games in 3 seasons. While his skills do match our needs, he just can’t be counted on for a solid 82 games. Not to mention the fact that he’s restricted and the Clippers would rather pay him the max then let him come to the Lakers. One free agent who is not restricted, however, is Earl Watson.

Earl Watson is a pass first point guard with a great feel for the game. Although he didn’t get the chance to start in Memphis, he consistently ranked among the league leaders in assists per 48 minutes, proving his effectiveness. However, his offensive abilities beyond passing have come into question, and he also lacks the size of a typical “Phil point guard.” He has also drawn a lot of interest from teams such as Atlanta, Orlando, Miami, and, once again, Cleveland. In the end, I think he’ll take the big money from Atlanta and get the starting spot he’s been hoping for.

While there are quite a few players available at the one, these three are the best and most viable options. It would be ideal to sign Rose to the LLE and save the MLE for a bigman, it just isn’t as realistic. I’m leaning towards believing the Raptors won’t get rid of Jalen as simple as that, as he is still a very useful player for them, stepping up his play to average 21 points per game after Vince Carter was traded to the Nets 24 games into the season. As it is now, our best and most realistic option is Antonio Daniels.

The time for us to secure the point spot is now. No more excuses, no more blown deals, Mitch needs to step it up. He has to start making moves, or he may be the one moving, out of Los Angeles that is.

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