On the Shammond Williams signing

Posted on LakersGround.net on 9/29/06.

wolfpaclaker wrote:
Only part I disagree with:

question Shammond’s signing in the first place. Did the Lakers need perimeter shooting? Absolutely. Does it have to be a redundant skill at the same position with Sasha and Shammond? Absolutely not. The PG slot was already heavy after the draft with Sasha, Farmar, and Parker.

Mike, last season the Lakers lacked a PG that could come in and play when BOTH Vujacic and Parker were not playing well. On most nights, Vujacic could NOT be relied upon. Parker is inconsistent as they come especially in the clutch. He is not a great close out PG.

The Lakers needed a PG that had tons of experience, who could shoot and handle the rock. This wasn't Jordan Farmar. He was drafted for the future - maybe starting PG.

Also, Sasha Vujacic is 6'6. He apparently has added a lot of muscle and filled in his body. His playing time should come at PG and SG.

I expect Bryant to play alot more at SF and have Evans/Vujacic combine to play 18-20 minutes at SG.

I think Mike has the timing wrong. My guess is that the Lakers had agreed to signing Williams before last season even ended. In March, Mitch was talking about acquiring a veteran PG and apparently Williams was who he was talking about. In the playoffs, their backcourt consisted of Kobe, Smush and Sasha and neither Smush nor Sasha covered themselves in glory. Profit had a potentially career ending injury. Wafer wasn't grasping the idea of team offense. McKie was of no help. So, the Lakers have a veteran PG all lined up to give them depth in an area where they were really shallow.

Draft day comes and Farmar drops into their laps, the Pistons give the Lakers Evans for almost free and the Lakers can't pass up getting Pinnock for next to nothing. Suddenly, the Lakers' backcourt looks more promising, but the Lakers have no idea how good Farmar and Pinnock will be in the Triangle. They had also made the commitment to Williams, so they go ahead with signing him. Then, in the summer league, Farmar and Pinnock play much better than anyone expected. Now, the Lakers' backcourt looks too deep and someone good is going to have to be cut. There was no way the Lakers could have known they would be in that position when they made the commitment to sign Williams.