The Lakers traded away Steve Blake for MarShon Brooks and Kent Bazemore, a pair of talented players who might be the answer LA has been looking for. Meanwhile Pau Gasol, Chris Kaman, and Jordan Hill go back to work after the deadline passes.
The Los Angeles Lakers traded Steve Blake to the Golden State Warriors for MarShon Brooks and Kent Bazemore this past week.Blake had a decent last game for the Lakers – scoring 13 points and having 6 rebounds. The Lakers said he was sick, then traded him to Golden State – prompting Kobe Bryant to respond with a “not cool” via twitter.
Brooks and Bazemore had magnificent first games for the Lakeshow, helping them break the franchise record of home losses to beat the dormant rival Celtics. Brooks scored 14 points in 23 minutes and Bazemore scored 15 in 33 minutes. Ten of Brooks shots made were in the 4th quarter.
The “killer bees” became the newest nickname for this brilliant at times bench. Hopefully with the return of Nick “Swaggy P” Young this will be a tough group of young talent that will turn heads and become the future of this organization. The salary dump, which is already heavily denied, is only part of the reason for bringing in two younger shooting guards to replace one veteran fan favorite.
Since Pau Gasol can finally be assured no movements will be made for the rest of the season then he can finally settle into his role as the backbone of this team defensively and offensively without Kobe for another 3 weeks. Gasol scored 16 points with 7 rebounds in the 101-92 win over Boston. Expect him to prove to the Lakers and other potential offseason buyers why he is still a top center in the league.
Chris Kaman continues to dominate on the bench again showing a good example of an offseason move that could help this team down the road. They should give him a decent extension and defiantly more playing minutes. Rumors had circulated that they were shopping Kaman along with power forward Jordan Hill. Both of which are crucial to this Laker defense and could not be so easily replaced.
The Lakers offseason might be the busiest in years that might even appeal to superstars looking for a chance to win with a healthy Black Mamba. Nothing is certain with this island of misfit players but this bench is something to keep an eye on. Buckle up Lakers fans it’s going to be a bumpy ride this summer!
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