Los Angeles Laker Press Conference - 2009

[TrayWithAnA]

Welcome to the 2009 Los Angeles Lakers PreSeason Presser. A lot to unpack tonight so let's jump right in with a season recap from last season.

I sit in front of you honored to be one of your co-GMOY for the 2008-09 simBA season. The front office and coaching staff went in with lofty goals and fell short on only a few of those goals. It truly honors me that I would be considered near the top of the mountain in this hypercompetitive and ultra prestigious league. It's been a long road back from the previous position we held in Detroit. While we had more banners in that city, our upside at the Lakers is much much higher than there.

We managed to end the regular season at 58 wins and third place in the Pacific. Luckily, that third place finished helped us host the Clippers in the first round. We went into that series anxious, but managed to come out on top 4-1. We continue to keep our eyes closely on the Clippers. They are the team of the future in the Pacific.

After that, we drew the league best record Seattle Supersonics in what we really consider our greatest feat to-date as a front office. It was clear from the beginning in sim 1 that we got them on their heals a bit in a 10-point win in Seattle. We went into sim 2 hoping for a split and got two home wins. We closed it out in game 5 and surprised most people in the league with that series win.

The Kings proved less accommodating than the Pacific foes we bounced before. We opened with a split in Sacramento but gave it right back in LA. They really beat us up in games 5 and 6 and we were eliminated in the Conference Finals.

A little long on the recap side but it's important to recognize our accomplishments as well as our failures. We did not win a conference title or an NBA title. These goals still elude us. What did we do to remedy that you ask? Here we go:

We'll stay in chronological order and start with the draft. We had the Celtics pick in the early twenties and drafted Hasheem Thabeet, Center from UConn. Since we are wing heavy (and we honestly just needed to take BPA, we went with an addition to the frontcourt. We were open to moving Kasun and/or Evans who both projected as backups in our lineup, so we looked at this as a backfill.

Next, we super maxed Andrew Bogut in RFA. We had forecast this out after back-to-back monster training camps and gains statistically over his last three seasons. It's hard finding a great center in free agency, so it is important to hold on to the ones you can with everything you have. We are glad that he looks to be co-captain of this squad over the next five years.

After RFA, we had no cap room and only a few possible options. Kobe Bryant has been the star of this franchise for the past four years, but our depth at the wing meant we could really evaluate Kobe. We came in with a very strong $16M starting offer over four years. Unfortunately for us, other teams valued him higher and had more room to work with. Kobe left us for Houston and we wish him the best.

Our other opportunity was Penny Hardaway, but he signed for $6M elsewhere. At 40(ish), we were ok with the loss.

After Free Agency, we moved into TC and saw some significant gains and a few predictable losses.

Smith +45
Allen +35
Mayo +30
Bogut +19
Thabeet +19
Conley +16
Kasun -2
Evans -7
Marion -39

Smith and Mayo made huge jumps while Allen finally went from G/B to B/B. The biggest disappointment, and I'll sound like a broken record, was Conley who has yet to jump into starter potential. He'll still be the starter being able to do most of his PG jobs well, but we are disappointed. Maybe this is the game trying to save me money...sigh. Also, Marion took a predictable dive in his ratings, but stayed B/B.

Shortly after TC we received a phone call from the Milwaukee Bucks asking about my interest in Amare Stoudemire. It would cost us a rookie contract standout Mayo and some expiring, but Mayo was projected to spend a lot of time on the bench. Marion, Allen, and Smith were all projected at the 2/3 before him. We pulled the trigger and welcomed Amare and Brendan Haywood while saying goodbye to Reggie Evans, Mario Kasun, and OJ Mayo.

Looking forward, we plan on rolling out one of the two variations of the starting lineup

C - Bogut
PF - Amare
SF - Marion or Allen
SG - Allen or Smith
PG - Conley
6th - Smith or Marion
7th - Haywood

As far as projections, we think we have a strong chance at the Pacific and Western Conference titles. I think we have as good of odds as anyone at the NBA title. We'll be interested to see what the media says over the next few days. Ultimately though, it's up to us to perform and we feel pretty good we can make that happen.

We'll open the floor for questions.

Also, celebs staring at Laker girls.

[NOLa.]

At first I didn't like the trade you made with the Bucks, but after looking at your roster and realizing Kobe was gone and there was no true #1 option for your team, I felt you did a great job in addressing this need with Amare.

The Sonics just recently acquired Steven Hunter from the Celtics just hours after your big trade. You two are playing the one-up game it seems already. How do you see the Pacific division shaking out? Also, do you think the surprise team of the season is going to be the Clippers or the Warriors?

[JNR]

GWR: One of your possible starting lineups focuses more on offense, the other more on defense. Which do you predict will help you more in the rugged Pacific division?

[TrayWithAnA]

At first I didn't like the trade you made with the Bucks, but after looking at your roster and realizing Kobe was gone and there was no true #1 option for your team, I felt you did a great job in addressing this need with Amare.

The Sonics just recently acquired Steven Hunter from the Celtics just hours after your big trade. You two are playing the one-up game it seems already. How do you see the Pacific division shaking out? Also, do you think the surprise team of the season is going to be the Clippers or the Warriors?

Yes, Kobe leaving was a huge reason the trade proposal was so appealing to us. That and Amare being so young with some upside. The debate really isn't Amare vs. Mayo. The debate is Amare vs. Evans and I think I know how most people would vote there.

I think the Sonics want some revenge for the playoff series so it doesn't surprise me that they continue to push to improve their teams as much as they can. They are also on the same trajectory as far as their timeline. The clock is ticking and they want to maximize their chances while the window closes. I like our team better because I'm biased, but they will still be a damn good team. Probably the favorite.

As far as the Clippers and Warriors, I haven't done any real analysis on their teams post TC, but I lean towards the Clippers. On paper, their team should be more ready now. It wouldn't surprise me if they jumped either the Sonics or my Lakers soon.

[TrayWithAnA]

GWR: One of your possible starting lineups focuses more on offense, the other more on defense. Which do you predict will help you more in the rugged Pacific division?

I think Defense got us to the WCF so we will likely go with Smith off the bench. Also, Smith can stretch to the back up PG if needed. A sixth man playing potentially three positions is more useful than another option who would only be available for two positions.

[aburns211]

The biggest threat to your future seems to be the luxury tax. What are your plans to hold back the tax man yet still be a championship contending team?

[TrayWithAnA]

The biggest threat to your future seems to be the luxury tax. What are your plans to hold back the tax man yet still be a championship contending team?

We really only have two options before selling off the key pieces of our franchise:

• 1. Get a suitor for Marion's expiring deal should he exercise his player option before next season.
  2. Decide whether or not to max Amar'e.

If we stand pat, this year and next year will see us at a cumulative tax somewhere in the vicinity of 140 points. Selling Marion will make that 100 bill next year a LOT less. Right now we have 60 points so we just have to be successful over the next two seasons.

[Xist2Inspire]

Random Reporter: While you mention being disappointed in Conley's slow growth, you've put a lot on his shoulders, as Brevin Knight is the only other option you have at the 1 right now.. Are there any plans to acquire help for him this season?

[TrayWithAnA]

Random Reporter: While you mention being disappointed in Conley's slow growth, you've put a lot on his shoulders, as Brevin Knight is the only other option you have at the 1 right now.. Are there any plans to acquire help for him this season?

We will list Allen and Smith at the 1 for the 10 minutes that Conley isn't playing. Knight will be listed at 0 minutes, but we're sure he'll get the call off the bench occasionally.

[NickMalone77]

Nick Melon; The Advocate: What kind of fan giveaways do you think the team could potentially run for the upcoming season ahead? Will you have to raise ticket prices for the loyal fan base to help offset the rising cost at keeping this team financially sound?

[TrayWithAnA]

Nick Melon; The Advocate: What kind of fan giveaways do you think the team could potentially run for the upcoming season ahead? Will you have to raise ticket prices for the loyal fan base to help offset the rising cost at keeping this team financially sound?

We have a pretty good idea of what the next two years is going to cost us. That unfortunately may mean that we have less giveaways this year. We think the fan base would rather buy championship hats and shirts than get an El Pollo Loco sponsored bobble head. We know it's going to cost us to hold onto Allen Bogut and Amar'e, but that's a much easier cap to stay under in two years. Now is the difficult time where we will need to pinch pennies, but there is light on the horizon. And that gold basketball trophy could help brighten things up in this dark time.

[WigNosy]

How well do you think the team will make the adjustment from being focused on backcourt scoring with Kobe to frontcourt scoring with Amare?

[TrayWithAnA]

How well do you think the team will make the adjustment from being focused on backcourt scoring with Kobe to frontcourt scoring with Amare?

Hard to say. Even with our back court focus over the past few years, we have always stuck to a Balanced game plan. Even today as we looked to submit our first DC with Amar'e and without Kobe, we still couldn't pull the trigger for an Inside focus. We think that when JR, Allen, and Marion are in the game, we still need their focus to be on best available shot. No one outside of Amar'e is particularly good on the Inside. That being said, we are focused this year on looking at our slate of games and playing with the lineup a little to accommodate those match-ups. Most of the time, that will result in a similar game plan, but we are open to learning more about our team through the year. We will need it when the postseason and even the off-season comes back around.