From Celebration to Speculation

The party’s over and its back to business for Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak. Foremost will be the task of bringing back in Phil Jackson and his $12 million annual salary. So far, Jackson has the inclination of returning but his final say is what makes top management guessing.

Then there’s the task of getting back the services of three key unrestricted free agents in Lamar Odom, Trevor Ariza and Shannon Brown. The problem with the Lakers now is how to deal with the luxury tax as they already committed for next season $74 million for eight players, a fact that makes them $4 million over the luxury tax level. Any player signed to complete the 13-man lineup will cost the team double whatever salary they agree on because going above the luxury tax, teams will pay the league a dollar for dollar penalty.

Finals MVP and resident superstar Kobe Bryant has sort of said he will be back declaring, “This is my home.” Clearing out his locker and leaving the Laker practice facility perhaps for the last time, Odom can’t say the same. He was on the team’s books for $14.1 million last season but was actually paid $11.4 million because he received some of the money in a trade clause when acquired from Miami in 2004.

We all saw Odom’s numbers and he was a very big factor in the championship run. Turning 30 in November, the Lakers will most likely chose between him and Trevor Ariza. Yup, Ariza is younger and much quicker but Odom can play three positions, especially if Andrew Bynum is in foul trouble. Maybe Kobe should take a substantial pay cut to accommodate Odom.

Talking about Bynum, he will start on strengthening his knee in the off-season. Only 22 this October, he is in the final year of his rookie contract this season, getting $2.8 million. He has signed a four-year, $57.4 million contract extension which will earn him $12.5 million in the first year of his new contract.

The Lakers are also interested in retaining the services of Shannon Brown but are still iffy on how much they will be adding to the $796,000 they paid to him this year. The team has two ball handlers already in the payroll next season in Derek Fisher ($5 million) and Jordan Farmar ($1.9 Million). Brown did not score in three games of the Finals as Fisher was given more playing time, but was impressive in the earlier rounds.

I would just like to make things clear to my dear readers. I have a small collection of Laker stuff and had been a fan since Jerry West and Byron Scott wore short shorts for the purple and gold. I had never been a Kobe Bryant fan to set the record straight. I was, and still is, a fan of the Magic Man, the long retired Earvin Johnson.

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I miss all those tarpaulin signages with the smiling faces of officials declaring their non-involvement or non-responsibility in the repair of that stretch of road near the Maglasang complex in Consolacion. The ruts have become so deep, dagat na lang ang kuwang, it can be made into a marine sanctuary. I don’t expect this to be done in the near future, wapa man ang election. In the meantime, install your billboards and tarpaulins for the public to read while enjoying the inconvenient thrill ride. Let’s make it libaong festival nalang kaha.

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