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The Lakers only pick in the NBA Draft Chinemelu Elonu has decided to play in Spain this season. He signed a two year deal to play overseas but he can get out of it after 1 year. Elonu wasn’t going to play much with the Lakers so this was a smart move for him.
It’s hard to believe but the Lakers have gotten even better over the summer. That’s because they signed SG/SF Ron Artest away from the Rockets. They lost Trevor Ariza to the Rockets in free agency and both players are being paid the same amount as this essentially looks like a trade that the Lakers won. The Lakers re-signed Kobe Bryant, Shannon Brown and Lamar Odom which will allow them to hit the court running when the NBA season begins. The Lakers released Sun Yue but he wasn’t going to get any minutes anyway. Chinemelu Elonu was picked up in the NBA Draft but he will be nothing more than a bench warmer this season.
OFF-SEASON GRADE FOR THE FRONT OFFICE SO FAR: A
The Lakers have re-signed 29-year old forward Lamar Odom to a 4-year contract. Odom played in 78 games (32 starts) for the Lakers last season and he averaged 29.7 minutes, 11.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.0 steal and 1.3 blocked shots per game. He has now played in 665 games (605 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 36.5 minutes, 15.1 points, 8.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.0 steal and 1.0 blocked shot per game. This was a great move for both Odom and the Lakers.
The Lakers have released 23-year old small forward/shooting guard Sun Yue. Yue played in 10 games (0 starts) for the Lakers last season and he averaged 2.8 minutes, 0.6 points and 0.2 assists per game. The Lakers won’t miss Yue as he very rarely made his way to the basketball court.
30-year old shooting guard Kobe Bryant has decided not to opt out of his last two years of his contract with the Lakers. Bryant played in 82 games (all starts) for the Lakers last season and he averaged 26.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.5 steals per game. Bryant led the Lakers to their 4th ring last season with him on the team and he didn’t even need Shaq around to pull it off. Kobe has now played in 948 games (800 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 36.4 minutes, 25.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.5 steals per game. Look for Kobe to make another run at the MVP Award in the NBA again during the 2009-2010 season.
