Is Jerry West on his way to LA?
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by user The Beast
Ever since the Lakers lost to the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the playoffs, there has been much speculation throughout the Los Angeles area and nationwide that former team president Jerry West could be returning to the Lakers. West is well known to Laker fans as the man who constructed the trade for Kobe Bryant and the signing of Shaquille O'Neal. These moves made in the summer of 1996 offseason layed the foundation for a dynasty and one of the greatest one-two punches in NBA history.
Now resides the possibility that West could save the Lakers and make them an NBA championship team once again. While, no real annoucement has been made regarding West’s possible return to the Lakers, the chance that he joins the front office is still fairly likely. If he were to join, than West would be an advisor or consultant to General Manager Mitch Kupchak. Believe, that man needs all of the advising necessary.
As we speek, the majority of Laker fans are drooling over the prospects of West’s return. Instead of being a simple advisor, most fans envision West as a "savior."
So the real question is: If West does indeedreturn how much of an impact will he make? To answer the question, not much. While West will certainly help, annointing him as the savior is going way too far. He can certainly help the team improve through free agency and the draft. Most people expect West to make some sort of blockbuster deal and with his magical wand land Kevin Garnett, Jermaine O'Neal, or Jason Kidd with scraps. That ain’t going to happen Laker fans. The idea that he will turn the Lakers into a championship team overnight is completely inaccurate. He can make this team a five or four seed in the Western Conference by adding a few pieces through the draft and with the team’s mid-level exception. This is an average Laker team right now. A team that is also incapable of signing a big free agent due to being over the cap. You can talk all you want Laker fans about getting Garnett or Kidd, but you actually need to trade pretty good players for All-Stars. Relax people, it’s Jerry West, not Jesus Christ.
