Los Angeles, coming off an unexpected semifinals sweep at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks, is about to embark on a major rebuilding process.
Kobe Bryant's getting old. Phil Jackson, (in)famous for never taking on a challenge, is retiring (for good this time, or so he says). Derek Fisher just turned 54 years old. Bynum's knees are apparently made of peanut brittle. And Pau Gasol, my vote for MVP of the 2010 Finals, was a shell of his former self this postseason.
Tough facts to swallow for team owner Jerry Buss and general manager Mitch Kupchak, who are now staring at a potentially long transition period. Even Magic Johnson says it's time to "blow up" the roster.
But that might be more easily said than done. With a potential lockout looming, Los Angeles and the rest of the league are likely looking at a more restrictive salary cap in 2011-12 (the NBA currently employs what's called a soft cap), problematic for an organization that's already on the hook for at least $89 million next season. That leaves very little room for free-agent signings.
(Besides, the prime targets, Dwight Howard and Chris Paul, aren't available until the summer of 2012. Blake Griffin? Not until 2014.)
That means L.A. — if it wants to heed Magic's advice — will have to hit the trade market.
Bynum-for-Howard has been a popular rumor circulating the sports-media airwaves. Orlando might be looking to get something in return for their star 25-year-old center before he enters free agency, and Bynum (due $15.2 million next year, with a team option in 2012-13) would be a workable replacement. But would that really make the Lakers a Finals contender? Superman can undoubtedly log more minutes than the injury-prone Bynum, but he's less skilled offensively.
Gasol, who yet again is facing questions about his mental toughness after a sub-par playoff average of 13.4 points on 42 percent shooting, would be a valuable trade chip — if he weren't owed $57 million over the next three years. And Fisher (due $3.4 million next year), a locker room leader, could also be trade bait — if he hadn't spent the postseason playing second to his opponents' fiddle.
And then there's perhaps the crux of the problem. The guy nobody wants to lay a finger on. Kobe.
Sure, the Lakers won the Finals last year, but Bryant (despite a wholly undeserved MVP award) was serviceable at best, shooting 41 percent and turning the ball over four times a game. Against Dallas this postseason? Averages of just three rebounds, 2.5 assists and two games in which he scored only 17 points. Even worse? He was terrible in clutch moments.
Those 40,000-plus career minutes, in other words, have begun to take their toll on Kobe's effectiveness. He'll be 33 years old when the 2011-12 season begins, and minus a medical miracle, it's downhill for Kobe from here.
And finally, there's that immediately nagging question about who will replace Phil. Assistant Brian Shaw is reportedly the front-runner, but there's also talk of making a higher-profile outside hire. Think Rick Adelman or Jerry Sloan.
Whoever it ends up being won't have the advantages Jackson did. This team is old, lacks chemistry and has very little flexibility because of its salary-cap situation.
Jackson, for his part, thinks his now-former team will be just fine.
"That's Dr. Buss, with ultimately Mitch Kupchak, that will put it together," he said in his final postgame news conference Sunday. "But it's a great franchise and we all know that they always come back and get themselves back in the race. So the Lakers are going to survive."
