Written by: Dustin Malcolm
Fresh off of winning their 16th World Championship, the Lakers resemble the head cheerleader from your high school. She gets better looking with every year, and soon enough all the guys in school want to be with her. Now that the NBA’s “D-Day” is here, free agents are scrambling for attention in hopes to land big deals and new teams. The only question that remains is whether or not these top free agents will flock towards the popular cheerleader, Los Angeles, or head for the less prestigious alternative options around the league.
Many of the available players have both publically and secretly expressed their desire to hop on the Laker train headed for a three-peat. With the possibility of a Bosh-Lebron-Wade “mini dream team” in Miami looming, the Lakers need to fill holes in a couple of positions and realign some pieces from their recent championship run if they hope to stay in contention.
Championship organizations share the common sentiment that the last thing they want to do heading into the new season is mess with team chemistry. But the Lakers proved able to adjust last season when they parted ways with Trevor Ariza and signed with Ron Artest, which ultimately helped them earn their second title in as many years. 2010 is arguably one of the biggest free agent summers in league history, so the Lakers are working hard to make sure they are still the favorites in the league come pre-season. With six unrestricted free agents on his hands, Mitch Kupchak has a few holes that will need to be filled in if he wants to help lead the Lakers to #17.
Next: Filling in the Blanks…