Dwight Howard was the big news in the off season for the Lakers, but he should not have been. Dwight did not play with any heart while in Los Angeles. His pathetic free throw shooting caused a bigger liability especially since he did not upgrade their defense any further than Andrew Bynum gave them in the past.
Outside Koby Bryant, Earl Clark played with the most enthusiasm and was a huge difference maker for the Lakers this past season. Clark's spriited play is what the Lakers are going to miss the most. It is unfortunate that he was the best of that 4 team trade that brought Howard to the Lakers and he was the most overlooked this past off season.
The Lakers did solidify the center position well enough to contend for the next season with the free agent signing of Chris Kamon and Robert Sacre. Kamon is a proven veteran who played great for the other LA team in the past and Sacre showed a lot of heart and ability when brought up during the middle of last season when the Lakers big men were all injured.
The free agents available include Monta Ellis, Brandon Jennings (R), Nikola Pekovic (R), Andrei Kirilenko, Gerald Henderson (R), Mo Williams, Jeff Teague (R), Gary Neal (R), Lamar Odom, Antawn Jamison, Chauncey Billups, Nate Robinson. Monta Ellis would be a huge pick up for any team in the NBA. The Lakers did resign Jordan Farmer which is a huge help at the point guard position as both Steve Nash and Steve Blake were hurt but were a huge help when healthy. Antawn Jamison played a role similar to Lamar Odom so it would be nice to see either one back in the upcoming season.
Andrew Goudelock and Darius Morris will be missed if they don't get resigned as they can aide and ailing Kobe Bryant. Bryant played through a lot of injuries this past season, but is a question mark until he steps back on the court with his repair achilies.
Hopefully a full training schedule to start the season under Mike Dantoni will help the Lakers achieve much more than thsi past season.
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