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What's the Point?
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Is anyone else concerned about the Lakers point guard situation? Sure, we were glad to see Chucky Atkins pack his bags, but we assumed another point guard would be taking his place. So far all the Lakers have done is sign Smush Parker. Now Smush Parker may be a fun player, and LAist thinks the second-year man from Fordham has a decent game, but when he's your best point guard you've got a problem. Aside from Parker, the Lakers have unproven Euro Sasha Vujacic, rookie Von Wafer, and former Cincinnati guard Tony Bobbitt on the roster. That's it.
Rumors have been flying lately that the Lakers are interested in Derek Anderson, thanks to the NBA amnesty rule. But while Anderson can be a quality 2-guard when healthy, he really can't be relied to bring the ball up the floor.
The Lakers at one point were rumored to be interested in bringing Derek Fisher back, but it looks like he'll be in Golden State for a while. There are also rumors about Jalen Rose, who we love, but that doesn't seem likely.
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We've heard before that Phil Jackson's triangle offense doesn't need a pure point guard. Supposedly it can be run with a bigger 2-guard bring the ball up. While that might work in theory, in reality, Jackson has leaned on BJ Armstrong, Ron Harper, and Fisher to win his championships. We don't recall too many instances when Fisher would come out of a game late, and Kobe would be an effective point guard. The Lakers need Kobe playing off the ball, and that means finding a real passer to lead the triangle, as well as someone who can defend top Western Conference point men like Steve Nash, Tony Parker, and Mike Bibby.
Supposedly the NBA amnesty rule was supposed to provide the Lakers with more options after Antonio Daniels went to Washington and Jeff McInnis went to New Jersey. But to date, only Anderson has been waived. We're not sure why guys like Brian Grant and Allan Houston remain with their original teams.
So it appears the Lakers may start the season with no quality point guard. And we're wondering why Mitch Kupchak would let that happen.
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