The additions of Wesley Johnson and Nick Young (and even Jordan Farmar) were nice; Dwight Howard's departure was even better. But more than D'Antoni needed athleticism, immodest shooters and another point guard, he needed a stretch forward. And at long last, he got one.
Los Angeles announced it had signed free agent Shawne Williams to what ESPN Los Angeles' Dave McMenamin writes is a partially guaranteed one-year deal worth the veteran's minimum.
If you listen closely, you can still hear the sounds of D'Antoni doing the "Cotton Eye Joe" while mouthing the chorus to "Shots."
Williams isn't Kevin Love or Ryan Anderson. He's not even Austin Daye. That doesn't mean the Lakers, specifically Magic Mike, don't need him. Their offense does, or at least someone like him. Since I'm told the only team with enough second-round picks to acquire Ersan Ilyasova from the Milwaukee Bucks is the Milwaukee Bucks themselves, Los Angeles rolled with Williams.
This time of the year, when serviceable free agents are scarce and sufficient shooting close to nonexistent, the Lakers could've done much worse (insert Michael Beasley joke here).
Familiarity
Williams has only ever been a fit with D'Antoni.
He's bounced around the league since being drafted in 2006 and has never embedded himself into a steady rotation—except with D'Antoni.
The Indiana Pacers never let him crack 15 minutes per game, the Dallas Mavericks only played him 15 times and the then-New Jersey Nets lured him away from the New York Knicks only to trade him halfway through the lockout-condensed season.
In New York, with D'Antoni, though, Williams found a home. A real home. He appeared in 64 games and notched career highs in minutes (20.7), points (7.1), re...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
