Enrique: Alright, where to begin. Ah, lets start with the massive tax bill we had last season. Last year, we once again tried to use Pau Gasol as a center and once again, he proved to be lacking. While a great PF, once he switches positions we're not sure what happens, but he certainly seems to be stunted basketball wise. So using the gluttony of wings that we had with Eddie Jones, VC, and Matrix, we decided to make a move for former MVP,. Shawn Kemp. In addition, after Steve Nash's uniquely underwhelming showing at training camp last season, we knew we'd need a change if we wanted to compete. So as soon as we saw an opportunity, we decided to move NAsh and Bobby SImmons for Gary Peyton. While the move severely hurt our wallets and our depth, we felt the starting 5 of Peyton, VC, Marion, Gasol, and Kemp could compete with anyone. However, nagging injuries to Marion and Kemp down the stretch and culminating with a hip injury in the playoffs to GP, proved to be our downfall to the eventual champs.
Enrique: Which brings us to this year. This offseason we wanted to return both Kemp and GP, but knew it would be tough especially with the reduced salary we were going to offer. While we weren't able to bring both, Gary Peyton we are happy to say will be here for at least the next two seasons. We also bolstered our depth at the wing position with the acquisition of Jerry Stackhouse from the Utah Jazz.
Enrique: Training camp this year was a killer, many of the guys seemed to bring the gloom of the way last year ended into camp with them and they generally seemed out of focus. After the first couple of preseason games, they seemed to round back into form though. We're excited and ready to start the new year and see what kind of noise we can make.
Any questions?
