5 Remedies for the Laker Sickness

With all of the he-said, he-said going on in Lakerland these days it's hard to figure out what's actually going on and what needs to be done to save our favorite team. Trust me though, at first trying to wrap my mind around all of the drama was as tough as trying to believe that Greg Oden is not 42 years-old. Remember that just two years ago, the Lakers were one win away from the second round and then one series against the Clippers away from the Western Conference Finals. Here are five easy ways our Lakers can right the ship:

1. DO NOT TRADE KOBE! The Lakers will never find equal value, which has been the case in all blockbuster deals---including the Shaq trade. Just make him happy by coming up with a plan and adding the right players. Kobe is a Laker and as much as he's frustrated us at times, he is the ONLY reason why we care about the franchise.


Remember how happy you are here?

2. Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen. All the problems start at the top with Dr. Jerry Buss, his son Jim Buss and General Manager Mitch Kupchak. I know that Kupchak has been the lightening rod for criticism lately, but it is much deserved. Smush Parker? Aaron McKie? Vladimir Radmonivic? Passing on Josh Howard to take Brian Cook? Missing out on Jason Kidd, Ron Artest and Baron Davis. Granted, the General Manager here does not have absolute power, but in terms of talent evaluation and the 5-year plan (which is 3 years too long) are within Kupchak's faculty and have proved to be poorly handled. Did I mention that Kupchak traded away Caron Butler for Kwame Brown? Yeah, I would definitely trade an All-Star for a kid who throws birthday cakes at people. As for Jim Buss, he is the son of owner Dr. Jerry Buss, but what in all that is purple and gold are his qualifications? Oh yeah, that's right, he was born. Nobody really knows his level of involvment or influence, but since he has become partial steward of the Laker kingdom, the empire has been crumbling.

3. Hire Jerry West. In whatever capacity, preferably as GM. Give him a stake in the franchise. Give him total control. Hell, give him Chris Mihm as his personal secretary----no one will notice. West is a winner. He also instills the trust of the players and puts fear into the hearts of other GM's. He is not afraid of making trades and taking risks. Not to mention that he drafts like a mother. Swallow your pride Dr. Buss, fire your son, get rid of captain monotone (Kupchak) and get your house in order. Oh yeah, wasn't West the GM of the Grizzlies who are trying to move an All-Star forward from Spain?


Help us Jerry West, you're our only hope

4. Get Good Value With the 19th Pick. The Lakers need to get the most talented player available and luckily this is a deep draft. Two players that project to be available are seven-footer Jason Smith and PG Javaris Crittenton. Smith is a sleeper, but getting more recognition every day. Brown has one year left and has health concerns. Mihm and Ronny Turiaf are free agents and Bynum is still a project. Getting Smith would give the Lakers much needed flexibility and insurance if one of those players gets traded or is injured. At 6-5, Crittenton fits right into Phil Jackson's scheme of having bigger guards. Seeing that Sasha Vujacic will be jettisoned after the season and Smush Parker already gone, the Lakers will be thin at the point.

5. Get Ron Artest and Mo Williams. Easier said than done, but those are the missing pieces that are available at the moment. Sacramento is in the midst of changing their image and cleaning up their act. They are dying to unload Artest and the Lakers might be able to pull a sign-and-trade involving Luke Walton and Maurice Evans. Mo Williams is a free agent and the Lakers have a mid-level exemption available. Williams made $2 million last year while averaging 17 points and 6 assists. Imagine Bryant and Williams in the backcourt with Odom, Artest and Bynum in the frontcourt. Don't rule out Pau Gasol if West joins the Lakers.


Artest would definitely give a 'thumbs-up' to a trade to LA

In terms of the salary cap, the Lakers are in the black. Brian Grant's $15 million is finally off of the books and although it didn't count against the luxury tax the Lakers still had to deposit the money in his account. What was a $77.4 million payroll last year has shrunk down to $57.7 million. The salary cap for the 2007-08 season projects to be around $56-57 million and the luxury tax threshold should be around $69 million. This means that the Lakers have $12 million to play around with without paying the dollar-for-dollar luxury tax. However, the Lakers only have 9 players on the payroll with free-agents Chris Mihm, Smush Parker, Aaron McKie, Luke Walton, Shammond Williams and Ronny Turiaf. I would like to think that Parker and McKie won't be back with Williams and Mihm as possibilities. Turiaf would be great at a bargain and Walton is essential to resign unless he's in a sign-and-trade.

Kwame Brown is in the last year of his contract and is owed $9 million. If the Lakers can't trade him (health concerns----we wonder if he has a pulse) then their payroll will be that much lighter for the 2008-09 season. The Lakers are a rich franchise, not only in tradition but in dinero. It's time Buss forked out the money for a warm body that will help bring the Lakers back to NBA relevance. Hell, if the Knicks can spend $139 million last year to miss the playoffs, the Lakers should be able to make make a financial impact immediately.