The Los Angeles Lakers are heading into a very important season for the near history of the franchise, as Kobe Bryant is coming back from a very significant injury and the team also lost Dwight Howard in free agency and now they must reboot and some possible free agent options include Leandro Barbosa, Dahntay Jones, Drew Gooden, Hedo Turkoglu and Tyrus Thomas among others.
The Lakers are still working on filling out their roster and they have looked at a number of players, including Lou Amundson, Gary Forbes and others, while signing a crop of new players to replace ones that left in Howard, Antawn Jamison and Metta World Peace. The team brought in Chris Kaman, Nick Young, Wesley Johnson, fan favorite Jordan Farmar as well as Elias Harris and people expect the team to keep Ryan Kelly as well after drafting him. The team could go after a number of those free agents, especially since Mike D'Antoni needs some more depth in his system.
The Lakers looked unorganized and Howard looked unhappy last season and while everyone thinks the team will be awful in 2013-14, there is a chance they will surprise before setting up for big free agent years in 2014 and 15. The team is rumored to be going after Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James next summer and the summer after that has plenty of big names, including Marc Gasol, Zach Randolph, LaMarcus Aldridge, Rajon Rondo and Andrew Bynum among others.
The Lakers dealt with a number of injuries last season to Bryant, Steve Nash and Pau Gasol and now they need to add depth as they head into the preseason and training camp. Barbosa could be a good option off the bench and he plays solid defense for a player at his position and he also could help to take pressure off Nash in certain sets.
Mickaël Piétrus is a versatile player and that could be a good fit alongside Bryant, as he may not be ready to return when the season starts, but after dealing with injuries the Lakers may try to avoid him. Jones is another solid option for the bench and he could play the role Matt Barnes did back when he was on the team and the Lakers defense needs some upgrades after losing two of its best players in Howard and Peace.
Gooden is a tough player to read right now, as he was injured over the past two years and is coming off of some disappointing play after signing a big contract with the Bucks, but proving himself might be what makes Gooden a solid addition. The team could have him play behind Gasol to help limit his minutes and to keep him fresh and that could be a huge deal for the Lakers down the stretch. Turkoglu has playoffs experience and his outside shooting could be a boon for the Lakers after his time with the Magic back in the day with Howard.
Last season the Lakers went 45-37 and ranked sixth in points per game, but they were 22nd in points allowed with over 100. The team needs to improve there and in assists, where they ranked 17th in 2012-13 and another area they will need to improve is rebounding, as Howard helped them rank sixth in the league in boards per game.
