Sometimes it's hard to make order out of the chaos which is July 1st, and a typical response would be for the Lakers to react to the various deals being made around them. But the franchise should keep in mind why the deals are being made.
The Lakers are coming off of their second consecutive NBA championship and their third Finals appearance in three years, and the rest of the league is desperately trying to keep pace.
Los Angeles has locked up each of its core players, with the exception of Derek Fisher, and the Lakers are presumed to figure prominently in title conversations for the next few seasons.
Each high profile free agent is well-aware that the road to a championship runs through Los Angeles, and most of the prevalent rumors circulating have that fact in mind.
Reports recently surfaced from ESPN that the Toronto Raptors were prepared to ship Chris Bosh to the Miami Heat in a sign and trade deal which also involves Michael Beasley.
That move would serve as the opening volley in an effort to dethrone the Lakers, but Los Angeles would be better served by letting other teams continue to give chase while it observe from their pedestal in the sky.
That's not to say the Lakers should not be active during this time; it's just not necessary to chase high profile players when you already have a championship roster.
The biggest areas of concern for the Lakers are a competent backup point guard and an extra forward who is versatile enough to defend in the post and on the perimeter.
Recent draft pick Devin Ebanks may fill the need at forward, and I'm not sure there are many lower tier point guards I would sign before Shannon Brown and Jordan Farmar.
Steve Blake has ...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
