Phil Jackson: we are close to bringing in an "Impact Power Player"

[acbaylove]

So, my little boy started the Camp Lakers up at UC Santa Barbara today. They opened the camp with a rare talk from Phil! (how cool is that--my son was in the front row and got a high five. Classy move by the team, and very nice of Phil to take some time out to talk to the kids (ages 8-17), with no press around. Not a photo op or anything.

His speech was basically about the importance of fundementals, and of how lucky they were to have a camp like this, etc. He talked a little bit about that while he doesn't know if they can make the Lakers a championship team immediately, he does think they have a chance to be at least a contender, although it will be hard in such a tough conference. He said that he is so into the fundamentals that often people come to a Laker practice and remark that it reminds them of their 7th or 8th grade teams...

Where it got interesting is when he took some questions from the kids...

Andrew Bynum: "The thing about Bynum is that he is still growing; we think he could end up 7-3 (!!!)... we hope."

Who are good shot blockers on the team: "Chris Mihm is a great shot blocker, but he gets into foul trouble because he is too focused on blocking every shot. Andrew Bynum will be, but while he has the instinct to be a shot blocker, he doesn't have the skills to match yet." He also mentioned Brian Grant and Vlade, but didn't seem as enthused.

This one will make a lot of people here happy:
Someone asked if Chucky Atkins will be the starting point guard next year. There were quite a few chuckles, and Phil said something along the lines of "I think I know where you are going with that question." He kinda laughed and took his time to respond, then said that "Chucky will ummm probably end up coming off the bench next season. I think he would be better in that role" Just his body language and the tone he used on that one sounded like Chucky can pack his bag right now.

He added to that we will see Lamar moving to the small forward position as well as some guard time (no suprise), with Kobe moving to the wing more often.

He was asked which player he got along with best. He said Kobe Bryant, to much laughter. Then he said Luc Longly, and talked about his trip to Australia with him. When he said that about Kobe, it wasn't really mean spirited, though. More of play on the perception of his relationship with him. He mentioned that one of the problems with Kobe and Shaq was that when Kobe came to LA, Shaq said he would be like a big brother to Kobe. The problem was, Kobe didn't want a big brother. He said they have never really gotten along.

Here's the comments I think will lead to another batch of rampant speculation around here...
He was asked if the Lakers have any big moves in the works. Phil said that they are close to bringing in an "Impact Power Player."

Commence 20-page speculation thread...

He was asked if there were any free agents they were interested in. Suprisingly, he said very quickly RAY ALLEN. He then sort of fumbled over his words, and then kind of mumbled that 'but I guess he's not going to be available." He didn't even hesitate to bring up Ray. The next person was Stromile Swift; then he also brought up Kwame Brown. He also brought up Tyron Lue (flame away all of you who say Phil doesn't like small point guards), and said 'he is a favorite of mine."

When asked about trades, he said that there "are a few untouchables on the team," but that besides Kobe, of course, they get a lot of interest in Lamar and Caron. He said that they are getting more interest than you might expect in a couple of guys, namely Chris Mihm and Brian Cook (please, oh please). He said that with so many guys on the roster, especially at the small forward spot, that you may very well see two players traded for one...

It was a nice talk, he treated the kids well and talked to their level without talking down to them, and was very relaxed. Again, a classy move by Phil and the Lakers. That is a memory that some of those kids will carry with them the rest of their lives...
There are some nuggets, and some specifics for you guys to chew on. Let the debates, speculation, and pipe begin...

Thanx to Tony Montana from the LakersGround forum.
http://forums.lakersground.net/viewtopic.php?t=4078

[wcsoldier]

Ray Allen would be dope but I guess we can stop dreamin. I still think( maybe I'm the only one) Kwame Brown can be a very useful player. We have to wait n see 

[acbaylove]

I think we will trade Butler for Magloire.

Daniels (MLE)
Bryant
Odom
Mihm
Magloire (for Butler)

Not horrible. Hopefully a playoff team.

[krazykokonutz]

I think we will trade Butler for Magloire.

Daniels (MLE)
Bryant
Odom
Mihm
Magloire (for Butler)

Not horrible. Hopefully a playoff team.

well i think theyre a borderline playoff team right now and they couldve been last season if it wasnt for so many injuries and rudy quitting. they were tryin to integrate the triangle in the middle of the season and its one of the hardest systems to learn even in the offseason. i wish they wouldnt trade butler and we could still get magloire somehow, with daniels in, not only do we get a legit 1 on our squad but we get  a bench scorer in chucky atkins. the reason chucky cant be a starter is because hes a defensive liability because he can score pretty good but his defense is horrible. theyre thinking of bringin in jalen rose for the lle. if we could a decent pf and odom to the 3 that would be pretty tight. well just my thoughts

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

I think we will trade Butler for Magloire.

Daniels (MLE)
Bryant
Odom
Mihm
Magloire (for Butler)

Not horrible. Hopefully a playoff team.

Hopefully a playoff team? What kind of fan are you...There is no chance in hell the Lakers aren't making the playoffs next year, even with their current roster...But Stromile Swift and Kwame Brown (believe it or not) sound interesting and very believable to me...I think the roster would look interesting...

PG Caron Butler
SG Kobe Bryant
SF Lamar Odom
PF Stromile Swift
C Kwame Brown

Stromile Swift, Kwame Brown, and Lamar Odom...3 players with extreme potential, and we all know Phil brings out the best in players...I'd actually be fine with that line-up, especially since you got 2 starters from last year coming off the bench (if Atkins remains a Laker)...Well see though, I'm only hoping Phil is right...PeACe

[Javier]

Very interesting offseason so far

[acbaylove]

Hopefully a playoff team? What kind of fan are you...

Of course if i had to bet 100$ i'd vote for "YES, THEY'LL MAKE THE PLAY OFFS!". I said "hopefully" meant in an italian way. It's.. i dont know how to say it.. superstition! Personally i think Phil is a warranty enought to believe they'll make the PO.

[Dogg_Pound_Gangsta]

i think the lakers should take a run at stromile swift.  ive liked this guys talent and potential since vancouver drafted him.

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

I think we will trade Butler for Magloire.

Daniels (MLE)
Bryant
Odom
Mihm
Magloire (for Butler)

Not horrible. Hopefully a playoff team.

Hopefully a playoff team? What kind of fan are you...There is no chance in hell the Lakers aren't making the playoffs next year, even with their current roster...But Stromile Swift and Kwame Brown (believe it or not) sound interesting and very believable to me...I think the roster would look interesting...

PG Caron Butler
SG Kobe Bryant
SF Lamar Odom
PF Stromile Swift
C Kwame Brown

Stromile Swift, Kwame Brown, and Lamar Odom...3 players with extreme potential, and we all know Phil brings out the best in players...I'd actually be fine with that line-up, especially since you got 2 starters from last year coming off the bench (if Atkins remains a Laker)...Well see though, I'm only hoping Phil is right...PeACe

why in the world would you replace chris mihm with krummy brown? chris mihm is a better player than kwame brown is right now. hes a headcase and stromile swift will be asking for too much money and the only thing the lakers can use for free agents is the mle which is 4.5 million. im pretty sure the lakers will make the playoffs next year but if they wanna make it to at least the wcf they will have to make some moves. i dont think kwame brown is the right move though. this guy has  a bad attitude and people keep saying he has potential but he has been a total bust and i havent anything that makes me think any different and whatever happened to the "insider" addicted to beef?

You're right, Chris Mihm has been playing better than Kwame Brown, but do you honestly think he's more talented? If Kwame plays to full potential, which Phil brings out in players, he'd be 10 times the player Mihm is...Kwame's just been stuck, someone needs to teach that fool a thing or two and he's good...Yes, he's a flop for a first pick, but he's still a solid player, and with the help of Phil, he can be much more...PeACe

[acbaylove]

I don't know, i mean it's a big risk. We already have Bynum as a prospect, i'd rather work on him and keep Caron.
Brown is def not an impact player, but maybe a great prospect. He ain't different than Bender, imo.
He could step up like Jermaine O'Neal did, or he could flop.
Too much a risk.
I'd rather get Magloire and keep Mihm.
Less potential, but less risk.

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

I don't know, i mean it's a big risk. We already have Bynum as a prospect, i'd rather work on him and keep Caron.
Brown is def not an impact player, but maybe a great prospect. He ain't different than Bender, imo.
He could step up like Jermaine O'Neal did, or he could flop.
Too much a risk.
I'd rather get Magloire and keep Mihm.
Less potential, but less risk.

Magloire will cost you a lot more than Brown...Lakers can most likely scoop up Kwame for almost nothing...Nobody wants him, nobody's willing to work on him, Phil can turn him into something...I mean, if they can make a Jermain O'Neal out of him, that would be fuckin' amazing, but if they turn him into a 15 points 10 rebounds a night player, that would be more than enough...And with his potential and Phil's techniques, that could easily be done...Jonathan Bender is injury prone and older than Kwame Brown, and the Pacers probably wanna keep him a lot more than Washington wants to keep Kwame...If the Lakers can scoop up Kwame, they can start him while developing Bynum and they can have an excellent 6th man in Mihm...Mihm and Brown can even play together, because Brown is good in the PF spot as well, and they can actually switch off in that...Then they got the center and power forward position on lock...The SF and SG position is already set, now all they have to work on is a PG, and even if they don't get a PG, Phil had the plan in using Butler at the position, which I personally believe can work out great...So if the Lakers can acquire Stromile Swift and Kwame Brown, I'd actually be satisfied with just that and nothing more...If they can acquire a star impact player, then that's even better, but I think both Stromile and Kwame have the potential to be star impact players...PeACe

[acbaylove]

But how could they acquire both Brown and Swift keeping Butler having only a MLE to spend?
Swift is potentially a great player i'd love to see in purple & gold, but i think he'll receive better offers than the MLE.
And about Brown, i think we should trade him with Butler for Washington to accept the trade?

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

But how could they acquire both Brown and Swift keeping Butler having only a MLE to spend?
Swift is potentially a great player i'd love to see in purple & gold, but i think he'll receive better offers than the MLE.
And about Brown, i think we should trade him with Butler for Washington to accept the trade?

Kwame Brown is probably worth 5 dollars to the NBA and the Lakers could easily think up a trade, lets say Devean George and Brian Cook for Stromile Swift...I'm sure there are ways to obtain both players, they're no Kevin Garnett...PeACe

[acbaylove]

We will see. It will be a very positive off season if Mitch can do it.

[krazykokonutz]

But how could they acquire both Brown and Swift keeping Butler having only a MLE to spend?
Swift is potentially a great player i'd love to see in purple & gold, but i think he'll receive better offers than the MLE.
And about Brown, i think we should trade him with Butler for Washington to accept the trade?

Kwame Brown is probably worth 5 dollars to the NBA and the Lakers could easily think up a trade, lets say Devean George and Brian Cook for Stromile Swift...I'm sure there are ways to obtain both players, they're no Kevin Garnett...PeACe

kwame brown could potentially be way better than chris mihm but the only thing that sucks is that potential isnt always realized and like antonio said its a big risk and for caron? a potential alll star? we would have to get more...the logo will never pull the trigger for stromile...not at least in my opinion hes too smart......but it would great if mitch could pull it off, i also like  if they got rid of slava...washington is loaded with shooters and slave could be one of them....