The Return of Kwame Brown May Not be a Bad Thing

Earlier today The Press-Enterprise reported that Lakers forward-center and restricted free agent Ronny Turiaf agreed to a four year, $17 million offer sheet from the Golden State Warriors.

Since the Lakers had offered Ronny a one year contract worth $1.5 million per year, it’s fairly unlikely that they’ll match Golden State’s offer and therefore look for Ronny to be playing up north next season.

With Ronny expected to be wearing the blue and orange for Don Nelson and company next year, it’s pretty clear that the Lakers need to go out and sign a backup power forward, who can be a physical presence on the defensive end. I have seen Kurt Thomas’s name thrown around, as reports have suggested that his representatives have talked to the Lakers about a potential deal. However, the Spurs can sign him for twice the amount of money that the Lakers can so I see no reason as to why he would want to leave San Antonio, which is still a championship contender.

If you can stomach the thought, ex-Laker Kwame Brown may actually be the best possible replacement for Ronny Turiaf at this point, especially when you consider his price tag. If any team is going to sign Kwame, it is going to be for the veteran’s minimum, which is only about $1 million per year. So, from a financial perspective, it would be much more advantageous for the Lakers to sign Kwame for the veteran’s minimum, than it would be to resign Turiaf or sign anybody with the Mid-Level exception.

While he would certainly come at a cheap price, Kwame Brown would also be the most productive player available at this point. He is already familiar with Phil’s system, and without any pressure to become a dominant offensive force, he may actually be able to fit in nicely alongside Pau, Odom and Bynum.

While his offensive difficulties have been well documented by this point, his defensive abilities are no worse than Turiaf’s. Against teams like Boston, Kwame can certainly provide a banging body that would be more than capable of containing guys like Kendrick Perkins. His size, 6′11″ and 270 lbs., make him attractive prospect for the Lakers who will need frontcourt depth if they are to win an NBA Championship.

The main problem with Kwame’s first stop in Los Angeles was the fact that too many people expected him to come in and do what Pau and Bynum are now doing on the offensive end. He was never worthy of the number one overall pick, but from a defensive perspective, he’s certainly a solid big man who could contribute on a championship team.

Provided that he can be signed for the veteran’s minimum, I see no reason as to why the Lakers shouldn’t bring back Kwame for round two.