Throughout most of last season the Los Angeles Lakers looked like contenders at times, and an outright disaster at others. It was a season of change, far too much of it for the fans in Los Angeles, from the coaching staff to the roster to the whole approach. A failed trade for Chris Paul left several members of the Laker organization unhappy over the implications.
Lamar Odom was so hurt over his involvement in the failed trade that he demanded an actual trade, and wound up sulking and fettering the year away in Dallas. Derek Fisher was moved to the Thunder at the deadline and Ramon Sessions was added to the roster. And now the Draft. The Lakers had sent their first-round pick to Cleveland for Ramon Sessions. They traded back into their second-round pick which they had sent to Dallas and acquired Darius Johnson-Odom. On July 3rd, as expected the Lakers re-signed Ramon Sessions at point guard. Then the Lakers decided that maybe another upgrade at point guard would be nice.
On the4th of July, the Lakers executed a sign-and-trade for Two-Time-MVP, future Hall-of-Famer, and Star Point Guard Steve Nash. It was a huge move, acquiring one of the best pure passing point guards in the league, who by the way has one of the best shooting strokes from the field, the arc, and the line in the league. Nash immediately has the ability to make the Lakers a contender. He can help Kobe Bryant lower his workload and be a more efficient scorer. He can help by creating points on his own, and should prove to be dominant with Pau Gasol in the pick-and-pop. Nash is 6’3” tall and weighs in at around 180. He is a 16 year NBA veteran known for his aggressive style and passion for the game of basketball.
The Lakers then pulled off the biggest trades of the off season acquiring probably the best center in the league and a Perennial MVP Candidate; they got Dwight Howard from Orlando!
Howard recently had major knee surgery but he is already practicing with the team and is expected to shine in the upcoming NBA season. But that’s not all, they improved their depth by adding Antawn Jamison and Jodie Meeks. Watch out NBA, here come the Lakers. They’re faster, smarter, more experienced, and more skilled at every position. The Staples Center will be rocking and rolling this year in Los Angeles.
The Lakers are currently 5/2 to win the NBA championship
