State of the Lakers

Well, the season is over. The Lakers lost a heartbreaking series to the Suns, but in all, the state of the Lakers is good. They exceeded all expectations this season mainly because of a guy formerly known as "Ocho." They didn't suffer through many injuries like they did last season, but, minus guys like Caron Butler, Jumaine Jones and, yes, Chucky Atkins, arguably had less talent than they did last season.

But the Lakers made progress throughout the season.

Kobe Bryant had an MVP-type year. A+

Lamar Odom was above average the first 2/3 of the season, but turned it on after the All-Star break. C+/B+

Kwame Brown was a bust until the injury of Chris Mihm, but turned out to be the Lakers best position defender as he could body up with the best big men in the league. His offensive game remained sporadic culminating in a horrible game 7 against Phoenix. D/C+

Chris Mihm continued to be a solid center. He struggled with weak fouls throughout the year and was unfortunately injured near the end of the season. He was a solid offensive player. Would the Phoenix series have been different if the Lakers would've been able to run Mihm out there when Kwame struggled offensively? C

Devean George was a flat-out disappointment this season. The lone holdover from the championship days, Devean did not bring the defensive intensity or offensive sharpshooting the Lakers needed from him. D

Brian Cook was solely a spot-up three-point shooter last year. His defense consisted of taking charges. He was better this year. He developed a mini-post game and actually jumped on defense and for rebounds. Don't get me wrong, he was still poor on that end, but better than last year. C

Luke Walton came into camp in great shape, then he pulled his hamstring. He didn't seem to find his rhythm until the end of the season when he became the role player the Lakers needed in their offense. Incomplete/B-

Smush Parker was a surprise to not only make the team, but to start every game this year. He showcased his offensive skills brilliantly sometimes, but failed to show the same effort defensively. Did not really change throughout the season as he started off with consecutive 20 point games to be followed by several single-digit scoring performances. C-

Sasha Vujacic was written off by a good number of Laker fans in the off-season and it was said that he couldn't cover a 2-year-old girl if he had to. It turns out that Sasha worked on his defense and became one of the hardest working Lakers out there. His stroke continued to struggle throughout the season and, as a result, didn't give the Lakers the offensive boost they needed coming off the bench. C-

Ronny Turiaf wasn't supposed to play until next year, but he came back and provided instant energy off and on the bench. Give him a training camp and good conditioning, he'll be a very good player off the bench next year. A

Andrew Bynum struggled with his conditioning all season long. He needs to train hard in the summer again and get ready for next year. He seems very teachable and I expect great things from him coming in more than one or two minute bursts. Incomplete

Didn't see enough of McKie/Jackson/Green/Wafer to grade them.

But in all, the Lakers are on the right track. Look for them to go after a guard to play next to Kobe, a small forward to replace George, and a power forward who can play consistently on both ends of the floor. Players the Lakers should talk to: Keith Van Horn, Ruben Patterson, Bobby Jackson, Sam Cassell, Marcus Banks, Fred Jones, Laron Profit, (Nick Van Exel?) and Matt Harpring.

I'm excited about next season.