This is becoming a recurring theme for the Lakers management, as the team was ousted from the playoffs in the second round for the second consecutive year.
Last year, Lakers management did not make any major moves to their starting lineup, but instead relied on minor changes, such as adding role players to the bench and trading for point guard Ramon Sessions. With a hugely disappointing bench and the marginal impact that Sessions made to the Lakers as a whole, one thing is for sure this offseason—a major change to the roster is coming to Los Angeles.
Pau Gasol had an interesting season. Mike Brown moved him on offense to the high-post, and relied on Andrew Bynum to cover the low-post. In doing this, Bynum took over Gasol's previous position as the Lakers' second option, behind Kobe Bryant.
Along with this position change, Gasol's game changed as he became less aggressive on the offensive side of the court. His averages took a slight dip, but he still remained among the league's leaders in rebounding.
However, his game and overall presence faded further away in the playoffs, which echoed what happened to him during last year's playoffs.
It seems Gasol's tenure with the Lakers has run its course and it's time to make a move for future success.
While everyone under the sun is trying to find ways to bring in Deron Williams or Dwight Howard, realistically these are very difficult trades to pull off. Don't get me wrong, as a Laker fan I would love to see Williams in the purple and gold.
However, the Brooklyn Nets do not want Gasol and have made that pretty clear. Therefore, to get Williams in LA through a Gasol trade, Williams would have to first tell the Nets that he wants to go only to LA. Then, a third team would have to come to the tabl...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
