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.

The Lakers have re-signed 23-year old shooing guard Shannon Brown to a 2-year contract. Brown played in 18 games (0 starts) for the Lakers last season and he averaged 7.6 minutes, 3.2 points, 1.1 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game. Brown was a first round draft pick of the Cavaliers a couple of years ago so he does have talent and can help the Lakers off the bench so it was a solid move to re-sign him. Brown has now played in 92 games (9 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 10.0 minutes, 4.2 points, 0.9 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game.

The Lakers have signed 29-year old SG/SF Ron Artest to a long term deal. Artest played in 69 games (55 starts) for the Rockets last season and he averaged 35.5 minutes, 17.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.5 steals per game. He has now played in 604 games (562 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 34.8 minutes, 16.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.1 steals per game. Artest is a good offensive player but a great defensive player. He should do a good job for the Lakers and Phil Jackson has a history of getting the best out of perceived troubled players (Dennis Rodman) in the past.

The Lakers finally selected a player with the 59th pick in the NBA Draft. They sold their first round pick to the Knicks for $3 million bucks and they traded their first pick of the 2nd round to the Heat. The Lakers will use the money from the Knicks to help re-sign Lamar Odom and Trevor Ariza. The 22-year old Elonu played in 90 games at Texas A&M and he averaged 5.1 points, 4.4 rebounds and 0.2 assists per game. He will take a lot of time to develop.

The Lakers have finally decided to do something in the off-season as they have signed F/C Josh Powell to essentially replace Ronny Turiaf off the bench. Powell played in 64 games (25 starts) last season for the rival Clippers and he averaged 19.2 minutes, 5.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game. Look for Powell to do a good job off of the bench for the Lakers as he should fit right in. Powell has now played in 138 games (27 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 14.6 minutes, 4.2 points, 3.6 rebounds and 0.2 assists per game. This was a good signing for the Lakers.

The Lakers have acquired power forward/center Pau Gasol from the Grizzlies for Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, Aaron McKie, the draft rights to Marc Gasol, a first round pick in 2008 (top 3 protected) and a first round pick in 2010 (top 6 protected). Pau Gasol makes the Lakers a legit contender for the NBA Championship this season. Gasol played in 39 games (all starts) this season for the Grizzlies and he averaged 36.7 minutes, 18.9 points, 8.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.4 blocked shots per game. Gasol has shot 50.1% from the floor this season and 81.9% from the free throw line. Gasol has now played in 476 games (470 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 35.5 minutes, 18.8 points, 8.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.8 blocked shots per game. Gasol has career shooting percentages of 50.9% from the floor, 23% from the three point line and 73% from the free throw line. The Lakers also get a 2010 2nd round draft pick from the Grizzlies. This is a awesome trade for the Lakers!

The Lakers have acquired small forward Trevor Ariza from the Magic for Brian Cook and Maurice Evans. Ariza can really run the floor and he has a much bigger upside than either of the players the Lakers traded. Ariza has played in 11 games (0 starts) so far this season and he has averaged 10.5 minutes, 3.3 points, 2.2 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game. Ariza has now played in 205 games (29 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 18.4 minutes, 6.2 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. Mark my words, this was a good trade for the Lakers.