Will Raja Bell Spell the End for Shannon Brown in Laker Town?

Shannon Brown arrived in Los Angeles as nothing more than a throw-in when Mitch Kupchak came to his senses and found a sucker taker for Vladimir Radmanovic. Life in the NBA is not unlike life anywhere else – timing is everything.

For ShanWow the timing couldn’t have been any better. The Chicago native and former first round pick of the Cleveland Cavaliers was on his fourth team in as many years when he became a Laker. Thanks to some clutch shooting during the ’09 title run and a penchant for nightly highlight dunks you could set your watch to, Shannon Brown quickly became a fan favorite and appeared to have finally found an NBA home.

After today, Brown could be getting evicted from Laker Town.

If all goes according to plan, Kobe Bryant will make Raja Bell an offer he can’t refuse and the free agent guard will sign on to aid in the quest to three-peat.

Elliot Teaford of the Daily News has read the tea leaves and sees a Raja Bell arrival all but guaranteeing Shannon’s exit.

"If he signs, Bell, 33, would join Bryant, Fisher, Blake and Sasha Vujacic in a backcourt that would be far more experienced than the one that helped the Lakers win the past two NBA titles, a scary prospect for league rivals.Bell’s signing also would mean Shannon Brown has played his last game with the Lakers."

As stated previously, timing is everything in the NBA and for Shannon his decision to opt out of a two year contract might have come at a bad time. Bad, that is, if Shannon has no desire to play on a title contender again next season. While the 6’4” combo guard might get a nice check elsewhere, he certainly won’t do so for a team with any serious championship aspirations.

Both Bell and Brown are perfect fits for the triangle offense. Both have good size, both are skilled perimeter defenders and both have a knack for knocking down shots from beyond the arc. Whereas Bell has the edge as a better on-ball defender and a more consistent jumper, Brown is an open court dynamo with a bright future at just 24-years-old.

Shannon certainly didn’t do himself any favors with his poor showing at the dunk contest but that performance was easily forgiven and forgotten by the fans that stuck their necks out just to get him into the All-Star competition. However, by opting out of his deal in hopes of getting a raise Brown might just have purchased a one way ticket out of Los Angeles.