Pau Gasol will keep on dancing for the Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers announced a series of roster moves today that fully signal their intentions for the upcoming season. As expected, deep bench reserves Ryan Kelly and Kent Bazemore were cut, with attendant claims coming on Marquis Daniels and Darington "Hobgoblin" Hobson. While the coaching staff is still yet to be decided, the team also issued a press release detailing the first trade of the Jestorball era, which sends reserve wing Marshon Brooks and the Lakers' 2014 2nd round pick to the Minnesota Timberwolves for big man Ronny Turiaf.
Brooks, the slasher of the Bench Amigos alongside Nick "Swaggy P" Young and Jodie Meeks, was deemed the most expendable of the three contracts whose salaries would match, and so his minor expiring was sent off for the Frenchman.
Ronny Turiaf once again has Kobe "Black Mamba" Bryant's back
Turiaf, 30, was originally drafted by the Purple and the Gold with the 7th pick in the 2nd round of the 2005 draft. He played all three years of his second round deal with the team as a reserve before moving north to the Golden State Warriors to start a journeyman career. Now he comes back to Hollywood where his handling, defensive rebounding, shotblocking, and foul drawing skills will compete with front office favorite Jordan Hill for the starting PF spot.
The Frenchman already plays almost exclusively in the paint and will defer much more readily to the Kobe BryantGasol/Steve Nash trio than the younger Hill, whose main advantages come in his offensive rebounding and far better shooting ability. It's also possible the two could see an even split at the 4 until it comes through one way or the other which is best suited to the starting lineup. In any case, it's a massive boost to the Lakers' flagging post depth, and takes a lot of pressure off Chris Kaman, who can now focus exclusively on playing the center spot.
More significantly for Los Angeles's plans next season, Turiaf is still under the low-rent $1.5 million cost next year, providing a bit of roster security for a squad that is flooded with expiring contracts. Although not nearly as offensively gifted in this league as he was in the NSL, it's worth noting that Jestor's overachieving Suns in that league had Ronny at PF alongside Marcin Gortat.
The trade also makes it clear that talk of rebuilding around West LA is done. Kobe, Nash, and Pau are staying here for title shots, and word recently leaked that the front office rejected an offer for Kobe that would have cleared out a considerable amount of cap, and another proposal for Pau that would have netted two first round picks, including a potential lottery selection, and a replacement big on a short-term contract.
As the GM himself noted at the press conference announcing the Turiaf deal, "If we were to accept those two deals on offer, that would have meant the rebuild starts today. We weren't willing to do that after a lot of thought, contemplation, and discussion. In Steve, Kobe, and Pau, we have exactly the sort of trio that flourishes within our system, and we're working on putting together the pieces to complement them and go for another Purple and Gold championship or two within the next two seasons, maybe even three. Am I saying we'll succeed in our title aspirations? No - but the window is wide open for us to be one of those contenders today, so let us soar out into the sunlight of winning, and may the odds be ever in our favor."