good pickup for the lakers. need a 3pt threat and a legit PG.

byebye Shannon Brown, Farmar, and possibly Fisher.

http://www.nba.com/news/features/aldridge.2010.freeagency//?ls=iref:nbahpt1

Great move.

Miller was never gonna accept the MLE. he'll get more than that.

the lakers put a deadline on the deal because they knew he wouldnt take it. the deadline was july 1st.

besides....farmar is GONE. fisher is being lowballed. the Lakers PG situation is a mess. this is a MUCHHHH better signing from their viewpoint. they were targeting blake from the end of the season. and blake was hearing rumors they were going to contact him,

whatever DC- you would proudly display the herpes sore you got from blowing Kobe

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byebye Shannon Brown, Farmar, and possibly Fisher.

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So the laker strategy for upgrading the PG situation is to get rid of all of their PG's and then sign a cement-slow white guy with a nice outside shot? Interesting.

^I was thinking the exact same thing. And Shannon Brown isn't going anywhere.

Blake is a good fit for the Lakers and the price was right... can't say the same about other free agency acquisitions so far this off-season.

You can say that this doesn't make the Laker backcourt any more athletic or young.

I don't think the Lakers win either of the thier last 2 titles without D Fisher. I am not sure I would get rid of him just yet.

dp

[This message has been edited by Simplebay (edited 7/6/2010 11:37a).]

wait....when did i say Blake made them more athletic?

they don't need athletic. they need a smart PG that can make better plays within the triangle and distribute the ball, and someone who can space the floor and actually make a jumpshot. Farmar and Brown didn't bring this. And make no mistake about it, i want Fisher back and Blake to back him up.

[This message has been edited by Simplebay (edited 7/6/2010 11:37a).]

If this move means that Fisher isn't coming back, then the Lakers just got worse. Forget his numbers, the Lakers don't win either of the last two titles without Fisher. He plays hard nosed defense and gets into the head of the opposing PG(although the Aaron Brooks type guys can give him fits now). He knows the triangle and plays it as well as any PG and when they need him to come through he always does. Every single time. Everybody thought Fisher was cooked this year. He proved in the playoffs he was still a major part of the Lakers team.

Even if Fisher does come back, this means less time for Shannon Brown, which doesn't make much sense. Basically they signed a replica of Fisher when Fisher was still on the market. If Fisher wasn't willing to come back for another year or wanted alot of money, it makes sense. But I don't think that's the case at all. He already did that with the GS and Utah debacles. He wants to be in LA.

It's not a horrid signing by any means, but I don't think LA got better because of it.

Blake is 30. fisher is 900. The lakers want fisher for one more year. not 2 at 5MM per year.

Chris Duhon just got pretty much the same deal with Orlando and he's much worse than Steve Blake.

and...Shannon Brown is pretty awful. he can't distribute the ball at all. he's a freak athlete, and has a pretty terrible jumpshot.

If you think the Lakers need shannon brown on the court at PG/SG instead of steve blake, you probably havent seen a basketball game ever.

[This message has been edited by Simplebay (edited 7/6/2010 12:39p).]

The Lakers needed to get a capable starting point guard that was young/athletic and could also hit the three (fits into the Triangle offense alongside Kobe). They could sacrifice on playmaking. There wasn't really a young guy that fit that bill, so Steve Blake was the next best choice (since he was a good fit). The Lakers would be really interesting if they were able to sign a guy like Reddick. Kobe is really the only guy on the team that can reliably knock down 3's, which is surprising because they have the potential to be such a dynamite inside-out game.

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If you think the Lakers need shannon brown on the court at PG/SG instead of steve blake, you probably havent seen a basketball game ever.

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You sound really stupid when you say stuff like this. Not saying I disagree with you, but you sound like a 9th grade drama queen.

Blake offers nothing that Fisher can't do. Blake will be better during the actual season, but when it comes time to win playoff games he's a complete crapshoot. Fisher is one of the better big game role players ever. And Fisher at 900 years old is probably still more athletic and quick than Steve Blake, so I don't exactly know what new he brings to the table.

Shannon Brown is there to try and take up the Farmar role of coming out and trying to help defend the quicker point guards. If you don't understand that, then it confirms you have never watched a basketball game.

Whether he's up to it is a completely different argument entirely. Obviously Lakers staff thinks he is since they are letting Farmar walk.

I don't know what the hell the Lakers are thinking if they aren't willing to do a 2 year contract for Fisher. Hell we're gonna have a lockout after the 2010-2011 season anyway. So at the very least you'll only have to pay him a fraction of that salary, plus there's a very real possibility he sees the lockout and just retires instead of dealing with all the drama. Is that seriously the holdup with Lakers not signing him, a freaking extra year when everyone and their mother knows there is going to be a lockout?

Steve Blake is actually a pretty fantastic defender. go read postgame interviews where Kobe praised his efforts on him when the Lakers played the Blazers. that's 6'3" Steve Blake guarding Kobe.

Blake is a severely underrated defender. and he's a smart PG and a good leader (he led Maryland to the NCAA title in 2003 and was a 4 year starter for them).

and...it's not the 2 years that's the holdup. it's the 10MM. lakers want fisher to take a paycut. hence they are lowballing him, not shortballing him. and they are probably doing that because there's going to be a new CBA, but Fisher WILL walk for a longer deal, the Lakers are being retarded. Fisher is the President of the NBAPA, im pretty sure he knows where the new CBA is headed.

the lakers need to get this deal done so fisher can retire a laker. he can clearly turn it on when need be, is a fantastic leader, one person kobe listens to, and steve blake can be the perfect backup for him.

[This message has been edited by Simplebay (edited 7/6/2010 1:31p).]

Steve Blake, much like Fisher, is a good defender as long as they aren't guarding someone with elite speed. The problem is that every year, more young speedy PG's seem to be entering the league.

Let me be clear. I don't hate the Blake signing at all. I actually think he's a good player and they got him at a good price. Blake will be better for them in the regular season than Fisher has been the last two years. The question is whether or not you can replace Fisher's leadership and clutchness when it comes time to win playoff games.

In the NBA you have a short window to compete for Championships. If you have a team in that window you don't try to nickel and dime key components of the formula. And Fisher has been a key component without a doubt, and an underrated component. It's a two year contract, not a 4 year contract, it's not like it kills your future flexibility. Now is not the time to screw with that team.

However, if it means that Fisher doesn't come back, the Lakers did get worse.

well then let me be clear. i want fisher back. the lakers are retarded if they don't re-sign fisher. he needs to retire a laker.

i love steve blake as a backup to fisher more than Farmar, Brown, and Vujacic combined. literally. he probably adds more value than all 3 of those guys.