The Los Angeles Lakers added to the roster on Monday signing free agent forward Elton Brown. No, not Elton Brand (it might trip you up on the first read).
Brown spent last season playing for the Colorado 14ers in the NBDL where he averaged 18.4 ppg and 9.6 rpg. A year prior his was in Greece playing for Makedonikos Kozani averaging 13.3 ppg and 10.5 rpg.
Unfortunately for Brown the Lakers may not have room to keep him past training camp (barring a trade that opens up significant roster space).
With camp just a few weeks away, the Lakers have 17 players under contract (a recent report that second round pick Sun Yue had signed proved to be incorrect).
The following is an approximate depth chart (that will certainly change as the team nears opening night):
PG: Derek Fisher/Jordan Farmar/Javaris Crittenton
SG: Kobe Bryant/Mo Evans/Sasha Vujacic/Coby Karl
SF: Luke Walton/Vladimir Radmanovic
PF: Lamar Odom/Ronny Turiaf/Brian Cook/Elton Brown
C: Andrew Bynum/Kwame Brown/Chris Mihm/Larry Turner
Although it would appear the depth is light at small forward, the Lakers can easily have Bryant, Evans and/or Odom play heavy minutes at the three if needed.
The center position is also a question mark. Will Coach Phil Jackson look to start the younger Bynum? Will Brown be at full strength following offseason surgery? How effective will Mihm be after over a year off with a bad ankle?
There’s still the Bryant question to ponder. While the team fully expects him to be at camp . . . they haven’t exactly addressed the concerns he voiced early in the summer. Adding Fisher and Crittenton to the backcourt will help but on paper the Lakers do not appear to have dramatically improved.
While Plan A (Kevin Garnett) and perhaps Plan D (Yi Jianlian) are officially dead and buried, Plan B (Jermaine O’Neal) and Plan C (Ron Artest) are still theoretical possibilities.
While there’s always the chance LA gets some kind of deal done before the season starts, at this point it would appear to be unlikely.
Should Bryant chose to continue his protest by skipping Media Day (or the like) . . . the Lakers will simply hold fast. They aren’t interested in dealing him.
While LA may not be among the elite teams they do boast Bryant, Jackson and reasonable depth at every position. How effective they’ll be as a team is difficult to anticipate.
They’ve got a chance to near 50 wins if healthy though the ceiling would appear to be the second round of the playoffs if they draw a favorable match up.
If they face the same level of adversity they did last season . . . the story may not end so gracefully.
Pincus, Erik. “Lakers: Elton Brown Signs.” Hoopsworld.com 17 SEP 2007
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