Silver Screen and Roll

Leaving Our Trust in Mitch Kupchak and the Difficulties of Being a Lakers Fan

2012-05-26T21:45:51Z

I'm going to throw out what's sure to be a universally unpopular notion - it's really tough to be a Lakers fan. Really tough.

Thousands of miles away, I just heard Milwaukee Bucks fans dry heave and the entire city of Cleveland burst into uproarious laughter. But if I can get past the furious curse-laden tirades emanating from the Bay area for a second, let me make my case.

Every single year, Lakers fans expect their team to contend for a title. It doesn't matter if our point guard running the offense is a 37 year-old 6'2" shooting guard, or if Kobe's fellow starters are named Smush, Kwame, Lamar and Luke. If it happens, great! There will be parades and the usual joy and revelry associated with winning the Larry O'Brien trophy. But in the end, the Lakers met the expectation.

And when they don't win the title? Absolute, utter, abject failure. A Western Conference crown, multiple All-Star berths, miracle game-winning shots in 0.4 seconds or less, 81 points in four quarters, All-NBA selections - none of that matters if the Lakers don't win the title. You know what? That's a hard way to live through your fandom. Some of the best parts of being a NBA fan are simply enjoying the experience of basketball and seeing how well your team executes on the hardwood. For other franchises, if you don't win the title? It happens, but at least you had a great playoff run. If your team is awful? You get to disassociate yourself with the season, but take joy in winning a big game or two. For Lakers fans, no matter what happens, if the end result isn't a parade, it's agony.

These are the expectations that GM Mitch Kupchak has to balance going into this offseason. Over and over again. But it's also what makes him worthy of our trust, and a label as one of the best front office managers in the game.

Since moving full-time into the General Manager's role for the Lakers in the 2000 season after the departure of Jerry West, Kupchak has been levied his fair share of criticism. The team went on to three NBA Finals and winning two of them in the ensuing four seasons, but the lion's share of the credit for that success went to West, who had been the primary architect of those title teams.

Mitch's first major decision was the trade of Shaquille O'Neal, then the best center in the league and one of the NBA's five best players, in an attempt to keep an unrestricted free agent in Kobe Bryant. For the rebuilding Lakers, Kupchak received a package of Brian Grant, Lamar Odom, Caron Butler and a first round draft pick. At the time, the trade was slammed by all corners of the media and the Lakers missed the playoffs for the first time in a decade.

However, over the next 3 years, Kupchak went on to build one of the most enduring and consistent models of winning Lakers basketball in team history. All remnants of the 2000-2002 title teams were jettisoned, save for Kobe Bryant, and the ensuing squad was rebuilt from Mitch's vision. Of course, the drafting of Andrew Bynum and the trade for Pau Gasol were key acquisitions that led directly to LA as title contenders for five years and counting, but the minor moves are some of the lesser known hallmarks of Mitch's career. Drafting Jordan Farmar and Sasha Vujacic, trading for Trevor Ariza and Shannon Brown and the signing of Ron Artest were incredibly important moves to fill in the gaps around the superstars. You can't remember the 2009 and 2010 champion Lakers without thinking of those players, can you?

This isn't to say that Mitch's vision wasn't flexible. Ever a revisionist thinker, Mitch, along with Dr. Buss, realized that cutting the Phil Jackson era short was a mistake just a year into his first departure, and hired him back for another six season tenure. In the 2007 offseason, a medical ailment to Derek Fisher's daughter caused him to cut short his contract with the Jazz and forfeit his salary. Kupchak saw the leadership void left in Fisher's absence since leaving in free agency in 2004, and immediately resigned the Lakers co-captain. Just another two moves that led to two more titles.

This isn't just an enormously long-winded love letter to Mitch Kupchak, or a reminder to a Lakers fanbase who pondered offseason moves seconds after a Game 3 loss to the Nuggets in round 1 that we're in good hands. That's all pretty apparent from the mini-history less I just threw out there.

Mitch Kupchak, and now with VP of Player Personnel Jim Buss co-helming roster decisions, is a forward thinker. This was on display 8 years ago when Shaquille was traded, 7 years ago when Andrew Bynum was draft, 5 years ago when Kobe demanded Bynum be traded for an aging Jason Kidd, and just 8 months ago when Kupchak saw the gaping hole the Lakers had at point guard, and tried to acquire Chris Paul. Here we are in 2012, knowing that the pieces from the Shaq trade led to a title, Andrew Bynum as the second best center in the league and after a postseason with our point guard play letting us down, Pau being rendered inefficient with his place in Mike Brown's system and Lamar Odom trying to rehab himself from his worst season ever.

Mitch's moves seem to always be a cog within the great machinery of a grander scheme. Like switching a much younger Ariza for a veteran in Artest, or the CP3 trade that was highly questioned at the time it was thought legitimate, Kupchak's decisions might not always be clear immediately, but time has always had a way of sorting through the fog.

As Mitch himself has admitted, changes are coming, as soon as a month from now. No one, save for Kobe and his onerous contract, will be safe from moves that will no doubt reshape the team. Again, this isn't just a reminder of how well Kupchak has performed in his duties as GM. It's to remind everyone that the Lakers front office, like all parts of the organization, will make decisions that are a part of a long game model, not just what's right for the here and now.

This is what makes the Lakers the most enduring organization in not just the NBA, but professional sports. And it's also what makes it hard to be a Lakers fan. We expect the best because we've been given the best. Patience is not always a value best associated with Lakers fans, but it certainly is what we need going forward. Whatever happens, whether it's a trade of Pau for pieces, or cutting ties with a 25 year-old beast in the paint, I will be extremely wary in my criticism. I feel that Kupchak has earned it. Do you?

Which Lakers Earned Their Paycheck? - Part 2

2012-05-25T21:00:16Z

Yesterday we began a two-part series examining the salary of each Lakers player this season and compared it with what their salary should have been given their on-court performance, as measured by win shares. Win shares, as we discussed, are an imperfect but still useful attempt to capture the entirety of a player's performance both offensively and defensively. We've already covered the young projects and veterans that fell out of the rotation. Today we look at the Lakers eight main rotation players.

So without further ado...

The Role Players

Derek Fisher: 1.1 Win Shares, Actual Salary $1,753,125, Fair Salary $1,491,174

Derek Fisher was paid not for his production, but for his intangibles... or at least that is what everyone in the Lakers organization told themselves at night in order to sleep better. Fisher brought many positive things to the Lakers locker room. He was an unquestioned leader, motivator, and respected teammate. Unfortunately, when he stepped on the floor, his positive contributions were few and far between.

I was a little surprised when I saw that Fisher was actually credited with 1.1 win shares which almost justified his salary. I was certain it would be less. Then one of the major pitfalls of win shares (and most other basketball stats) revealed itself. How do you quantify defensive contributions? Win shares more or less uses the team's defensive rating when a player is on the court to assign defensive win shares. What's missing is whether said player actually contributed to that defense. Needless to say, Fisher spent the majority of the time with Bynum and Gasol and thus benefited greatly from their ability to protect the rim. Fisher's 1.1 win shares can be broken down into 0.2 on offense and 0.9 on defense. The offensive win shares is probably correct. The defensive win shares is overstated. His offense was worth about $270,000. Assign whatever you feel his defense was worth and you will see he fell far short of his actual salary.

I am sure Dr. Buss wishes Fisher the best with his new team but is probably glad to see him go. He had to be tired of overpaying for "intangibles". That and he probably isn't happy that Fisher helped negotiate the new collective bargaining agreement that will make it tougher for Buss to spend money and build championship teams in the future.

Ramon Sessions: 1.3 Win Shares, Actual Salary $1,231,632, Fair Salary $1,762,297

Sessions was acquired at the trade deadline and the Lakers offense instantly shifted into high gear. Fisher and Blake both had offensive ratings of roughly 99, Sessions had a 111. Sessions' offensive win shares for the Lakers was 1.4 in one-third of the season, meanwhile Fisher and Blake were 0.2 in two and three times the number of games, respectively. Sessions appeared to be the answer at the PG position as the Lakers offense finally found its groove going into the playoffs. Then the playoffs happened.

The Lakers must have missed a shift, burned the clutch, or flat dropped the transmission because that extra gear was gone. Sessions had zero offensive win shares in the playoffs. None. If that wasn't bad enough, he was worse defensively, posting a -0.2 win shares. Was it the pressure of his first post-season? Was it the tougher defense he faced? Who knows? But Lakers nation went from "Sessions the savior" to "trade him" in less than a month's time.

Despite the quick flame-out in the playoffs, what he accomplished in such a short period of time to end the regular season was well worth the small pro-rated salary the Lakers paid him. Enjoy your summer in L.A. Ramon, there is no guarantee you will be back.

Steve Blake: 1.6 Win Shares, Actual Salary $3,213,512, Fair Salary $2,168,981

Blake struggled mightily in the regular season before finally stepping up in the playoffs. Blake made only 33.5% of his three-point attempts in the regular season, by far the poorest percentage since his early days in Washington. Prior to this season, Steve Blake was neck-and-neck with Reggie Miller and Ray Allen on the career three-point shooting percentage list. He was supposed to be the Lakers' sharp-shooter at the point but just couldn't hit the target.

The poor regular season shooting proved to be only a minor blip though as he rediscovered his shooting stroke in the playoffs, making 18 of 43 attempts (42%). Blake's offensive rating went from 98 in the regular season to 109 in the playoffs. His rebound was well timed as his fellow point guard in the back-court struggled. His defense still left much to be desired but he was mainly acquired to shoot the ball, and he did well in this regards in the playoffs.

Overall Blake failed to earn his full salary primarily because of his shooting woes in the regular season. Had he shot the ball like he did in the playoffs for the full year, he would have had approximately one more win share which would have been worth an additional $1.3 million and he would have earned his salary.

Matt Barnes: 3.1 Win Shares, Actual Salary $1,534,259, Fair Salary $4,202,201

Matt Barnes had a great regular season. He was easily the Lakers' best player outside of the big thee prior to Sessions' arrival. He posted career highs in rebound rate and block rate and the second best season of his career in assist rate and turnover rate. He was right on his career average in shooting the ball as well. The combination of shooting to his average but improving in all the other stats resulted in the highest PER and highest win shares per 48 minutes of his career.

Unfortunately he, like Sessions, couldn't seem to do much when the post season began. Barnes has never been a great three-point shooter but he hasn't been awful either. He has made at least 31% of his attempts in each of the last four seasons. In the playoffs though he only made 5 for 31 (16%). Quick side note: Sessions was equally bad at 4 for 25 (16%). The Lakers' two best regular season role players went 9 for 56 on threes when it mattered most and this is a major reason why they are watching the rest of the playoffs from home. Barnes also saw his rebound rate drop and his turnover rate rise. This resulted in Barnes outdoing Sessions for worst post-season and producing a -0.4 win shares.

Barnes was not being paid much and regular season performance was so strong that he was easily worth his small salary. His poor performance in the playoffs however left a bitter taste in everyone's mouths. There are two ways to look at it though. On the bright side, his poor performance in the playoffs likely hurt his market value and so the Lakers may be able to re-sign him relatively cheaply. On the other hand, this is now the second straight post-season that he shot 16% from behind the arc (he was 2 for 12 last post-season). What good is a player who seems to disappear when needed most? You decide if the glass is half empty or half full.

Metta World Peace: 3.8 Win Shares, Actual Salary $5,465,637, Fair Salary $5,151,330

Metta World Peace began the season out of shape. His extra weight led to quicker fatigue and many struggles shooting the ball. He made less than 30% of his three-point attempts after 5 straight seasons shooting over 35% from deep. This year was the lowest three-point shooting percentage for him since his days in Chicago over a decade ago. As the season progressed and he played his way into shape, his stroke began to come around. Over the final three months of the season he made 52 of his 123 three point attempts, good for 42%. He also began to play the stifling defense we all enjoy.

Then in a despicable act of aggression and stupidity, he threw an elbow into James Harden that landed him a seven-game suspension. World Peace missed half the playoffs as a result. He was solid in the games he did play, making 39% of his threes, reducing his turnovers, and playing tough defense. He fell just shy of earning his full paycheck this season and had he not missed the first half of the playoffs he most certainly would have earned every penny.

Dr. Buss now faces a difficult off-season decision with World Peace. The Lakers are looking to cut salary and Artest makes more than any role player on the team. However his contributions support his current salary. Furthermore, the Lakers need role players around their stars that can do two things well: defend and space the floor. Metta can do both. So, will the Lakers consider moving a player who does the two things they need of a role player, and who has a salary commensurate with his contributions just to save some money? It certainly is a possibility and for anyone doubting it, look how quickly they shipped out the former 6th man of the year just to dump salary.

The Big Three

Pau Gasol: 10.7 Win Shares, Actual Salary $15,062,609, Fair Salary $14,505,060

Gasol found himself down a notch on the pecking order this year. A new system and a new role found him in unfamiliar positions, oftentimes at the high post trying to find cutters or taking mid-range jumpers. The post-ups on the low block were no longer available to him unless he was playing with the second unit. Further complicating matters was the fact that he was initially traded to start the season and even though it was vetoed, the clouds of trade rumors hung over his head all season long.

Gasol had a very poor year by his standards. He had the lowest scoring average of his career due in part to fewer attempts along with the second lowest shooting percentage he's ever had. Overall he posted a PER of 20.5 which while still very good, also is the lowest since his rookie season. His streak of three consecutive all-star appearances came to an end.

The hope for all Lakers fans was that once the trade deadline passed and the rumors subsided, we would once again have the old Gasol. Not only did that not happen, his play was so bad in the playoffs than many simply wanted the regular season Gasol back. His PER declined to 17.2 (basically a slightly above average player). His field goal percentage was 43%, nearly a 10% decline from his career average. Both his rebound and assist rates also dropped. While he wasn't solely to blame for the Lakers' season coming to an end (see Barnes and Sessions' shooting), he was a big reason for it and an easy scapegoat as he is capable of doing so much on the floor.

His poor post-season saw him fail to earn his full salary for the first time in his career. Gasol is the most likely player to be traded this off-season as he is skilled enough to land a quality player or two in return and his salary makes him the logical choice. Unfortunately for the Lakers, this is now two straight post seasons where Gasol had a PER of 17 and a shooting percentage in the low 40s. This may hurt his market value this summer.

Rumor has it that Buss is quite the poker player. He knows when to hold them and when to fold them. It appears he may have held on and played this hand with Gasol for a little too long. Of course, he did try to fold it once and then the dealer told him it wasn't allowed and he had to keep his cards. No one could have anticipated that occurring.

Andrew Bynum: 12.8 Win Shares, Actual Salary $11,992,683, Fair Salary $17,351,847

Andrew Bynum had what was considered a break-out season by most (I happened to disagree). He made his first All Star game of what will likely be many to come. He set a career high in PER, points per game, and rebounds per game. He cemented his status as the 2nd best center in the league, with some pundits even claiming him to be number one. He also made it through a season with no major injury which is no minor feat. There is no denying the talent and potential the big man has.

The biggest problem for Andrew Bynum is that he is now seven seasons into the league and people still use the word "potential" when describing him. His career began as a raw teenager with immense size and soft hands. He had the potential to develop his game and be a very good player. Then after a few year he was a talented big man who had the potential to be dominant if he could ever stay healthy. Now he is a dominant big man who has the potential to be a Hall of Fame caliber center if he ever matured. The first two hurdles, developing skills and staying healthy, were somewhat easier to clear. The first comes with practice which can be enforced by the team. The second comes from not having bad luck with freak injuries. The final hurdle of immaturity is more difficult. The team has no way to force maturity and the immaturity won't just go away. Some will point to the man being only 24 years old and "still a kid". However, 179 players in the league (3 out of 8) are Bynum's age or younger and two-thirds of the league has played in seven or fewer seasons. I don't recall seeing stories about 3 out of 8 players parking in handicap spots, lifting playboy playmates during knee-rehab, or taking ill-advised threes (ok, maybe that one does occur). Maturity is the biggest downfall for Bynum, both on and off the court.

In the playoffs, Bynum displayed his full potential along with why he isn't considered the best center by many. He kicked off the playoffs with a triple double as he blocked 10 shots and completely shut down Denver's offense. He followed that up with a 27 point night in Game 2 and the Lakers took a 2-0 series lead and looked to be in control. The Lakers then lost 3 of the next 4 games as Bynum would fail to score 20 points in any game and took all four games to match the block total he had in Game 1. Only in Game 7 would he display his potential once again with a line of 16 points, 18 rebounds, and 6 blocks as the Lakers moved on to the next round. In the second round he failed to perform as he averaged fewer than 10 rebounds and 2 blocks per game while shooting only 43.4% from the field (while still being frustrated by a lack of touches). He and Gasol were supposed to be the big advantage the Lakers had over their opposition but they both played poorly and the Lakers quietly exited the playoffs in the second round again.

Bynum has everything needed to be a Hall of Fame center. He just needs to mature and learn how to work hard every night. He was still more than good enough to warrant his relatively cheap salary. Hopefully he figures "it" out soon because the Lakers' future currently rests on his giant shoulders.

Kobe Bryant: 10.7 Win Shares, Actual Salary $20,318,738, Fair Salary $14,505,060

Kobe Bryant, at the advanced age of 33, is beginning to show the signs of father time. He is no doubt one of the best players in the league, but no longer is he the almost super-human video game-like player we all love. He has more average nights than great ones. This season he led the league in usage rate but shot only 43% from the field (his lowest since he was a teenager coming off the bench) and only 30% from behind the arc (lowest since the Shaq-Kobe era). He did have moments where we saw the Black Mamba which triggered nostalgic memories of what used to be the best player in the league. They just did not come often enough.

The Lakers face a difficult road ahead with Bryant at the helm. His extremely high salary prevents any chance of them getting under the salary cap and their lack of assets outside of Gasol and Bynum makes it tough to improve the rest of the roster. The man is only going to get older and the salary will only increase until he reaches the final year of his deal in which he will make over $30 million. It also is becoming evident that he may no longer be the best player on the team. When faced with a situation of an aging superstar and a young stud waiting to take over, Kobe was not so graceful in trying to take over the top spot and neither was Shaq in relinquishing his position at the top of the food chain. How will Kobe handle this transition? We can only hope it will be more gracefully.

As for money, this is the third season in a row in which his on-court production has not matched his high salary. It doesn't mean he isn't worth the money to Dr. Buss though. The rest of the gap between what he is being paid and his on court production is easily made up in tickets sales, merchandise, and TV revenue that he generates. There is also value in the intangibles that he brings as a role model of hard work and dedication. However, at what point are the intangibles no longer worth the price being paid and what happens then? For an example of that, see Derek Fisher. We as Lakers fans can only hope that when the time comes, Kobe will re-sign on a very cheap deal and finish out his career chasing history in a Lakers uniform while fully earning his salary along the way.

Lakers Team: 46 wins, Actual Salary: $70.5M, Fair Salary: $68.6M

The Lakers as a team fell just shy of producing enough wins to justify their overall salaries. The Lakers needed one more win to provide Dr. Buss with a return equal to the league average. One more win would have also meant another home game, more ticket revenue, and more TV advertising money. In the end it wasn't a bad deal, but not quite what was expected of a team with championship aspirations and salaries to match.

Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum named to the 1st and 2nd All-NBA Teams

2012-05-25T18:03:45Z

In what probably amounts to the best Lakers news of the week, Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum were named to the 1st and 2nd All-NBA teams, respectively. From the press release:

Bryant, an All-NBA First Team selection for the seventh straight season, becomes the active leader for most First-Team nods with 10...Bryant’s 10 First-Team selections tie for second all-time (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Elgin Baylor, Bob Cousy, Michael Jordan, Bob Pettit, and Jerry West). Karl Malone is the all-time leader with 11.

Even with as many illustrious achievements Bryant has garnered over the past 16 seasons, these are some really astounding figures for the Black Mamba. It's not the right time to fully expound upon "legacy" questions for Kobe, but if he can hold off Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, Dwyane Wade, Tony Parker and Rajon Rondo for another 1st Team selection, 11 nods would certainly be amongst his greatest career achievements.

Bynum joins a list of 16 Lakers ever to make the 1st or 2nd team, an accomplishment all on its own. Regardless of what anyone can (rightfully) argue about "Bynum being Bynum", no one can dispute his productivity on the court in his 7th season. He's clearly established himself as the 2nd best center in the game, a notion all but cemented with his All-NBA 2nd Team selection.

Meanwhile, the NBA community continued to sound off following the Lakers' playoff elimination at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder. The logo himself, Jerry West, publicly commented on his old team yesterday (from ESPN):

"Their team is not dead, but they're not one of the four best teams in the league, I don't think, anymore," the former Lakers executive told "The Herd with Colin Cowherd" on ESPN Radio Thursday. "They're very, very good. The people of Los Angeles have been fortunate in seeing so many good teams and so many championship-caliber teams, but to point the blame and blame this and blame that, give Oklahoma City credit."

GM Mitch Kupchak echoed the sentiments of his mentor, in saying (from Los Angeles Times):

Still, on the heels of the Lakers losing in the Western Conference semifinals for the second consecutive season, Kupchak made one thing abundantly clear.

"There will be some change," he said.

We've all anticipated it on SS&R for the past few days, but it feels like a big shake-up is almost inevitable for a squad with an aging Kobe Bryant itching for a sixth title and a franchise that rarely completely rebuilds. The trade rumors have already started to whirl, with Andre Iguodala, Dwight Howard and Deron Williams as the names that keep popping up. Even in defeat, the LA Lakers are still one of the most fascinating teams in the NBA.

In other NBA news, the playoffs rolled on last night, with the Miami Heat eliminating the Indiana Pacers, 4 games to 2 in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals. Without an injured Chris Bosh and a suspended Udonis Haslem, LeBron James and Dwyane wade combined for 61 points in a 105-93 win in Indianapolis. Their opponent has yet to be determined, as the Celtics face down a surprising game Philadelphia 76ers team in Game 7 in Boston tonight.

The Credits: "Look Who's Talking Too" - Lakers Links

2012-05-25T15:01:38Z

Starring 1st Team All-NBA selection Kobe Bryant, 2nd Team All-NBA selection Andrew Bynum, the Los Angeles Lakers and their continuing thoughts to end the season

Lakers.com/NBA.com

Los Angeles Times

ESPN.com/ESPNLA.com

OC Register

Yahoo! Sports

ProBasketballTalk

Lakers Nation

Blog Links/NBA News

Multimedia

ESPN LOS ANGELES Video: Dave McMenemin - ESPN Los Angeles

Bryant-themed Gotye cover song: 'The Kobe That We Used to Know' - latimes.com

Which Lakers Earned Their Paycheck?

2012-05-24T18:00:00Z

With the season coming to an end, albeit a little too early, the Lakers now enter the off-season. This week most of the exit interviews were completed. The players can cash their paychecks and relax for a few months before the next season begins. Just as we did last year, we now take a look at which Lakers earned their paychecks, and which ones did not.

The method I've used to determine what each player's performance was worth was based on data from Basketball Reference. I've used a statistic called "win shares" for the analysis. Win shares are the estimated number of wins contributed by a player. It attempts to capture the entirety of a player's offensive and defensive contributions. I won't explain how it's calculated, but the website has a glossary and an explanation if you're interested.

The idea is to determine how much a single win share was worth and then apply that amount to the win shares for each player. I used both regular season and playoff win shares. I think we can all agree that a win in the playoffs is more important than a win in the regular season, so I multiplied the playoff win shares by three, meaning a win in the playoffs is worth three times the money as a win in the regular season. I totaled the league-wide salaries and divided by the total win shares to determine the value of a single win share. The result is that each win share is worth $1,355,613.

Before we get to the player results, a few caveats warrant mentioning. This determination of a fair salary only reflects the on-the-court game contributions. It does not take into account other items. Kobe Bryant not only contributes wins, but he puts butts in the seats, sells jerseys, draws TV ratings, etc… All of these things have a value to Dr. Buss and thus Kobe’s salary reflects both on the court production and additional revenue generation. This analysis ignores the latter. This analysis also ignores contributions during practice. Each team needs to practice and this is the area where third string players often contribute. This analysis ignores any contributions provided during practice. Finally, their actual salaries have been adjusted on a pro-rate basis to reflect the shortened 66 game season.

Now on to the players…

The Young Projects

Christian Eyenga: 0.0 Win Shares, Actual Salary $317,461, Fair Salary $0

Eyenga was acquired in the Ramon Sessions deal. The raw athletic wing player only saw the floor for 28 minutes in a Lakers uniform. His very limited use in garbage time resulted in no win shares being contributed and thus the indicated fair salary. Dr. Buss can't be angry though as he didn't cost Buss much given his cheap salary and Cleveland picking up roughly two-thirds of the tab. Just write off the salary as "investment expense" associated with acquiring the asset Ramon Session.

Darius Morris: 0.4 Win Shares, Actual Salary $381,193, Fair Salary $542,245

Morris was one of the Lakers' second round draft picks but he couldn't crack the line-up. Other than some early season minutes as Mike Brown experimented with line-ups, he was primarily relegated to the bench. His win shares are probably a little too generous (especially the 0.2 attributed in the post season) but not unreasonable. The cost of Morris to Dr. Buss was minimal and it would appear that his play warranted his small salary.

Andrew Goudelock: 0.1 Win Shares, Actual Salary $381,193, Fair Salary $135,561

Goudelock was the other second round pick for the Lakers. He played well to start the season and earned himself a regular spot in the rotation in January. In February he ran into a slump and eventually worked himself right out of the line-up. Despite showing a promising offensive game and no fear of shooting, his defense left something to be desired. In contrast to Morris, I think win shares were a little punitive to Goudelock. He was assigned only 0.1 win shares and thus fell short of earning his salary. He has the potential to provide a sorely lacking scoring punch off the bench that is worthy of a small salary. Dr. Buss shouldn't mind the investment made into Goudelock this season.

Devin Ebanks: 0.6 Win Shares, Actual Salary $613,474, Fair Salary $813,368

Ebanks began the season as the starting small forward but was quickly replaced by Matt Barnes and then Metta World Peace. During his time on the court, he lived up to the SS&R nickname "Ariza 2.0" as his quickness and athleticism made him a solid defender but his offensive game was severely lacking. His contributions were just enough to warrant his small salary. Dr. Buss thanks you for your services Devin.

Jordan Hill: 1.4 Win Shares, Actual Salary $826,037, Fair Salary: $1,857,898

Hill was acquired in exchange for Derek Fisher plus a draft pick. Thought mainly to be a throw-in player with little risk, Hill proved to be quite the proficient rebounder in the playoffs. He not only led the Lakers with the higher rebound rate in the playoffs, but was fourth in the league. He was particularly effective on the offensive glass where his rebound rate was the best in the NBA in the post-season (and would have been the best in regular season as well). It is rare for such a one-tooled player to be so effective but he is an elite rebounder off the glass. The value of rebounding, particularly offensive, is significant which is why, despite not cracking the rotation until the final week, he more than earned his small salary. Hill looks to have a place with Lakers in the future, especially if he is providing Dr. Buss with a positive return on his minor investment.

The Out-of-Rotation Veterans

Jason Kapono: 0.1 Win Shares, Actual Salary $984,499, Fair Salary: $135,561

Kapono was brought in to be the three-point specialist the Lakers sorely needed to spread the floor. His resume showed he had all the credentials to fulfill the role. Unfortunately his shooting touch abandoned him as the career 43% three point shooter made fewer than 30% of his attempts. The emergence of Goudelock as the better back-up shooting guard quickly resulted in Kapono's removal from the rotation. To say the season was a disappointment for Kapono was an understatement. Dr. Buss certainly didn't get his money's worth here. At least Kapono's salary was quite small to begin with.

Luke Walton: 0.1 Win Shares, Actual Salary $2,928,750, Fair Salary: $135,561

Walton has been one of the worst players in the league for a few years now. From a win shares standpoint, he actually produced negative win shares the last two seasons which means he was doing more harm than good when on the court. This year he still produced a negative win share in total (-0.4) but wasn't completely awful in his limited minutes with the Lakers. He was however Cleveland's worst per minute player but this is of no concern to Dr. Buss, who somehow managed to find a taker at the trade deadline. Walton was still worth nowhere near his salary but at least he won't be collecting a paycheck from the Lakers again.

Josh McRoberts: 1.1 Win Shares, Actual Salary $2,414,634, Fair Salary: $1,491,174

McRoberts was supposed to be a key acquisition for the Lakers future. He was a young up-and-coming power forward who played hard and had a decent outside shooting touch. He was to be a poor man's Lamar Odom at less than half the salary. Unfortunately he never produced like he did in Indiana. In Indiana he made 23 of 60 three-point attempts (38%), but he suddenly became gun shy when it came to shooting the ball for the Lakers. He took only 7 threes on the season (hitting four of them). He rebounds well and plays hard at all times. He was actually somewhat productive when given minutes. Had he been more aggressive on the offensive end he likely would have seen more minutes and played up to his salary. Unfortunately, his passivity led to his fall out of the rotation and thus he did not produce enough to support his salary this season.

Troy Murphy: 1.7 Win Shares, Actual Salary $1,088,341, Fair Salary $2,304,542

Murphy was another gamble by the Lakers front office to acquire both a three-point shooter and a potential replacement for Lamar Odom. Murphy's career suggested he was capable of filling the role as a decent back-up power forward and could clearly shoot the three. He actually shot the ball pretty well (41.8% on threes) but his rebounding rate was severely lacking. His lack of defense was already well known but as long as he rebounded and made threes he would still be a valuable asset to the team. When one of those two skills disappeared, so too did his minutes. He was still surprisingly productive as his three-point shooting helped to alleviate the lack of spacing. His performance may not have met expectations, but it certainly exceeded his modest salary.

That brings us to the end of the non-rotation players. The only players left are the eight that were main rotation players. In part two, we'll look at these main contributors and see who did and did not earn their paychecks.

Lakers Conclude Season With Exit Interviews, Future Up In Air

2012-05-24T16:37:42Z

The Los Angeles Lakers officially capped the blisteringly fast and tumultuous 2011-2012 shortened-season with their exit interviews with management and the media yesterday. Every player, except Kobe (he will meet later with them, over lunch, for a more lengthy discussion), participated in a sit-down with Mitch Kupchak and Mike Brown, and then followed that with a meeting with the assembled media for a fifteen minute or so Q&A session.

Here are the highlights:

Mike Brown:

"I feel like I could've done a lot better," Brown said.

"The toughest part is, I'm not using this as an excuse," Brown said. "We had as much time as everybody else. But it was tough from the standpoint that you didn't get to practice. We wouldn't have practiced that much harder because we have an older and veteran team. I still need to be conscious of not running those guys in the ground in the course of the regular season."

Pau Gasol:

I wish I could have clarification (about his future with the team) but they can’t give it to me right now. I think management still has to talk to ownership to see what direction this team will be going next year. We really didn’t talk much about the future. We talked about this year, how things have gone. Everything was really positive and encouraging for potential next season.

Andrew Bynum:

"I like telling the truth, what’s on my mind and how I feel … people will read three to four words and take what they want from there. My statements are a bit long-winded at times, and the whole statement should be heard … I don’t plan on monitoring my comments … I don’t really care if you guys criticize me. I have to go play regardless of what you guys write or do." Have to respect his honesty; many athletes, and people in general, don’t say what’s on their mind and stand by it. He’s not malevolent in any way about this, he just is going to say what he thinks.

Bynum acknowledged that he has lots of grey hair as a 24-year-old, smiling as he explained it was better to have hair than not. Both of his parents are all grey, apparently.

Steve Blake:

"Over time you get more comfortable with your teammates, you figure each other out, and for me I as definitely much more comfortable throughout the season and the playoffs. I really loved playing with everybody and enjoyed it, and look forward to coming back and doing it again."

Ro oks and Scr ubs:

"Please don't cut us" :(

Report: Lakers To Pursue Andre Iguodala

2012-05-24T15:06:00Z

Naturally, it wouldn't be a proper offseason for the Los Angeles Lakers without trade rumors up the wazoo gripping our attention. The latest rehashes a trade possibility that was opened last draft, and those of you with long memories likely realize that it involves Andre Iguodala. On the eve of the draft, the Lakers had a possible deal that would have sent Lamar Odom and Luke Walton along with a pick to the Sixers for Iggy. Needless to say, that would have been an amazing coup for Mitch Kupchak. Odom was utterly terrible this season away from L.A. and Walton's lack of basketball utility has been all but cemented for quite a while. Iggy, meanwhile, is one of the game's finest two-way players, an elite defensive talent who can do basically everything: shoot from range, slash to the basket with his amazing hops, set up the offense with his very underrated passing for a wing, and shut down the opponent's perimeter threat all at the same time.

And now according to Hoopsworld's Alex Kennedy, the Lakers plan to get involved in these discussions again. Kennedy doesn't mention any names specifically, but an educated guess would put Pau Gasol at the forefront of the trade package. After the Lakers' fall in the second round, Gasol has been labeled the most likely scapegoat for the Lakers' failures and essentially every media outlet in existence has essentially determined that he's on the way out. In a possible Pau-Iggy swap, more players would have to be involved because the salaries don't match and the Lakers likely would want to offload pieces like Metta World Peace (redundant with Iggy in town), Josh McRoberts (mediocre year, superfluous if Jordan Hill is re-signed), and Steve Blake (bad contract, poor play). What Philly would be willing to give up is a fair question, as it depends greatly on the mindset of their FO. Lou Williams, who would almost certainly decline his option and enter free agency this summer, might be had via a sign-and-trade, or Thaddeus Young or Elton Brand might be available should Philly value Pau very highly, although that appears unlikely.

Iggy is the right kind of player the Lakers should be targeting if Pau is being used as a trade chip, however. The athleticism deficit and lack of dynamism on the wing outside of Kobe Bryant is one of the team's most pressing concerns and Iggy fills that in a big way. As a guy who had to carry much of the burden of running Philly's offense and still acting as the primary defensive stopper, Iggy would likely fare better if he got to play off both Kobe and Andrew Bynum and both would benefit from his presence in return. Among the fantastical scenarios being tossed around throughout Laker Nation right now, dealing for Iggy would be a sound move and definitely kick off the offseason on the right note for the Lakers.

Follow this author on Twitter @brosales12.

The Credits: "Look Who's Talking" - Lakers Links

2012-05-24T15:00:40Z

Starring the Los Angeles Lakers as they wrap things up with their exit interviews.

↓ Much more after the jump ↓

Lakers News

Exit Interviews (Video):

NBA.com

ESPN

Yahoo! Sports

ProBasketball Talk

Dime Mag / SLAM Online

Blogs and Other Links

The Basketball Jones

Multimedia

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