Jordan Farmar Provides Los Angeles Lakers More Than Just Good Minutes Off the Bench
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Jordan Farmar officially signed his one year deal to rejoin the Los Angeles Lakers. After reaching a buyout with his former club in Turkey, Farmar is excited and ready to go for the Lakers. It was reported that Farmar forfeited around $7 million to return home to Los Angeles. During the 2012-2013 season, Farmar averaged 13.8 points per game on 48.4 percent shooting. During his time in Turkey, Farmar was selected to play in the 2013 Turkey All-Star game. Since leaving the Lakers in 2010, Farmar has found himself playing for the Brooklyn Nets and Anadolu Efes.
At the young age of 26, Farmar is entering the prime of his career. Farmar brings heart and toughness to the Lakers squad that desperately needs it. He is a perfect fit for Mike D’Antoni’s offense and a great complement to Steve Nash. For the Lakers, Farmar brings back that championship experience and the passion that the team needs in order to overcome a rough season ahead. Farmar is not scared of any obstacle on the court and we saw that first hand during the 2010 NBA Finals when he notoriously dunked on Kevin Garnett.
After the shock of Dwight Howard leaving the Lakers, the city is trying to find answers. Nobody ever walks away from L.A. but Dwight left. The fact that Farmar comes back to Los Angeles after giving up millions because he loves the Lakers reestablishes the fact that players still wanna be there. The Lakers must invest in players who want to play for greatest franchise in sports. If that means they bring back the old championship squad, then so be it.
In 2013 Farmar will give Lakers fans a flashback of the brighter days of the Lakers franchise. A time where NBA Finals appearances were the status quo. The memory of the Lakers in the basement of the NBA during 2005-2007 will also come back but not for the same reason. The fact that the Lakers went from the bottom of the Western Conference to three straight finals appearances and back-to-back championships provides optimism for the future.
Farmar will give the Lakers good minutes off the bench, but his presence on the court and in the locker room is much bigger. He will bring back the passion, the toughness, and the brothers mentality the Lakers once had. No more mocking teammates and no more complaining for touches. There is one goal year in and year out and that’s win!
