Lakers Discussion

Drew Garrison

My thoughts split in two different directions when I think about Carmelo Anthony.

First, his likely impending free agency is absolutely going to affect the Lakers. I can't imagine a world where the Lakers don't, at the very least, give the Melo Man a call. He's a high profile free agent who has a good relationship with Kobe Bryant. I don't know what Anthony will look for this summer, but if the Lakers DO meet with him and he decides to sign elsewhere, expect noise about the franchise being dealt another blow. Right, wrong, or otherwise, there will be plenty of folks lined up to throw eggs at the Lakers' fortress.

Carmelo Anthony is a HELL of a player is the second and most important thing. He's played through incredible dysfunction in New York with a flawed roster and finally-fired head coach, and has looked spectacular these last two seasons. Do you know the last player who put up 27 points and eight rebounds while shooting over 45 percent from the field - a platter of averages 'Melo just compiled in New York? Shaquille O'Neal in 2002-03. Only Larry Bird (sorry, Hakeem Olajuwon your 18 three-point attempts don't qualify you) and Anthony have averaged those numbers while also shooting at least 40 percent from three-point range.

There's nothing he can't do on offense, and while many will say "cool but defense," I think Anthony's credentials as one of the league's premier scorers while also being great on the boards more than covers for his deficiencies. He always has to be accounted for on offense. Slot him at power forward, or small forward, and let him go to work. His points per possession in multiple categories, via Synergy Sports Technology, is incredible.

Would he immediately lead the Lakers back into contention? There's still way too many variables to project that far ahead, but with Anthony I wouldn't be overly concerned about the first year or even second year. He's a player a general manager can absolutely build around, and having him on board as one of the foundational pieces while the team could be in the final years of Kobe Bryant's career sounds like a pretty good Plan B to LeBron James. Letting him build some synergy with the No. 7 pick in the meantime is another sound long-term investment. This is a four or five year investment, not a two years and down situation.

If Carmelo Anthony is there for the taking I think the Lakers should get his name in ink without thinking twice. The bigger question with 'Melo, to me, is how Los Angeles can lure him away from ready-to-go playoff teams like the Chicago Bulls and Houston Rockets. Right back to my first point, expect the front office to be put to the test if they really are interested in bringing Anthony to L.A..

Harrison Faigen

I already wrote out my thoughts on "Melo as Lakers Savior," but when picturing Carmelo Anthony in a Lakers uniform, the first word that comes to mind is "unlikely."

I hate to be the pessimist in all of these roundtables, but this is just based on the facts at hand. Yes; Melo does seem to have a genuine friendship with Kobe Bryant. However, I do not think that that is going to be enough to dissuade him from escaping New York to L.A., rather than the more attractive potential destinations from a roster standpoint. The Lakers do have the 7th pick in the draft this year, as well as the aforementioned Black Mamba, but I just do not think these pieces, plus a bunch of other flotsam, makes L.A. a more desirable destination than Houston (big three with James Harden and He Who Shall Not Be Named) or Chicago (Rose, Joakim Noah, and the promise of a top 5 defense under Tom Thibodeau), his two currently rumored favorites.

So getting back to the original question, I think that 'Melo's free agency will NEGATIVELY affect the Lakers in that it will be potentially another blow to the franchises luster and mystique if another prime free agent turns them down.

The CDP

My first reaction to hearing about Carmelo opting out was, "Please not the Lakers." There's a lot to digest about a potential Carmelo Anthony signing. I know that he and Kobe are good friends, going back to their Team USA basketball days. Carmelo is an insane FIBA basketball player, destroying the competition when he has a very defined role and just has to score. Unfortunately for Melo, he has been asked to dominate and win championships as the best player on his team in the NBA, something he doesn't seem capable of doing. His teams have failed to win big and win consistently, taking so much flack he's probably underrated as a result. I still believe Carmelo is a top NBA player who is an elite rebounder for his position, a great scorer who sometimes ball stops too much, and a competitor who can win under the right circumstances.

While I'm sure that Mitch will talk to him and Kobe may campaign for him, I don't want him on the Lakers. His max contract combined with Kobe's extension would limit the team's cap flexibility and hamper their ability to field much else in the way of a team. Furthermore, it's clear that Melo wants to win now and that the Lakers are in the midst of rebuilding. Carmelo has never been the most patient player in the L, but he would need to be if he came to L.A.

A team rebuilding from a 27 win season isn't going to be an NBA Finals team next season, regardless of what happens. The Lakers need to focus on rebuilding with smaller, more affordable pieces rather than a cap clogging franchise savior this year. They don't have the depth to contend with any one signing, period. The early word from Melo's camp is that he wants to focus on the Bulls and the Rockets, which makes more sense to me than the Lakers. Although there are caveats like Rose's health and Houston's need to salary dump the poison pill Lin/Asik contracts, those teams have the pieces in place to slot 'Melo in immediately.