LA Lakers Face Another Crucial Offseason

One more year, one more critical offseason for the LA Lakers.

The Lakers may have repeated as NBA Champions, but they’ve also repeated their postseason quandaries.

Last year, Lamar Odom and Trevor Ariza became free agents after playing key roles in the Lakers’ victory over Orlando.

Odom’s ability to score and rebound were vital to the Lakers, as was Arizonas’s shooting ability and timely defensive plays. It seemed imperative to resign both or at least one of them if the LA wanted a chance to repeat.

Overshadowing it all were questions about Coach Phil Jackson. Health issues and the landmark tenth Championship ring seemed likely reasons why the Zen Master would retire.

The result is, of course, well documented. The Lakers kept Odom, acquired now hero Ron Artest, and Jackson stayed on another year.

Now LA is in a similar spot—celebrating as champions but facing serious questions about their future.

This time around it’s long time Laker Derek Fisher who is on the free agent market, while questions about Phil Jackson’s retirement or even leaving to coach another team still loom large.

In an interview with late night host Jimmy Kimmel, Fisher stated his desire to remain with the franchise and the Lakers would be wise to resign him quickly.

Fisher isn’t young, and he can’t give you a great 45 minutes every game during the regular season.

But the regular season, especially in the NBA, is secondary. Shannon Brown, Jordan Farmar, and even Sasha Vuljacic have shown they have enough talent to help the Lakers get through the first 82 games.

Where you need Fisher is the last six or, this year, seven.

“It’s really this simple, we would not have won either one of these Championships had it not been for him,” Bryant said of Fisher.

And he’s right.
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers