<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">LAS VEGAS - The Washington Wizards, stung by the loss of free agent Larry Hughes to the Cavaliers, may be able to stanch the sting. Sources involved with the discussions say that the Wizards are talking to the Los Angeles Lakers about a sign-and-trade deal in which forward Kwame Brown, the top pick in the 2001 NBA draft, would go to the Lakers in exchange for swingman Caron Butler. The Wizards have other options on the table that could bring them a much-needed big man in return for Brown, but Butler would make a lot of sense.</div>Read more...
Don't trade for Kwame. He couldn't handle MJ's intensity, what makes anyone think he can handle Kobe's? Not to mention he's the biggest joke of a top pic in recent memory. He's a lazy immature player with potential but no work ethic. That and he quits on his team.
I can not believe the number of rumors that I have heard about the Lakers. If they're not trading for the #4 pick, they're trading for Kevin Garnett. I am now tending to take these rumors with a grain of salt. "Sources say" has become such an overused sentence opener that I'm hearing the words in my sleep. Why won't these articles come right out and say who their "sources" are? Now, I'll fantasize for the sake of the topic and pretend that Kwame Brown is on his way to Los Angeles for Caron Butler. You can really criticize the move and call for Kupchak's firing. Afterall, you're getting a player who averaged about eleven points per game in his prime in exchange for your team's third option, right? Well, that's not the way I'd look at it. When I see Kwame Brown, I see the next Tracy McGrady. No, I don't mean that he's the next 6-8, thirty point per game scoring Shooting Guard. What I mean is that like McGrady, I feel like Brown came to the NBA too early and is finally ready to step into a major NBA role after three or four years of developing in Washington. I know that he has a fair share of 'haters' who proclaim that he's injury-prone, has a poor work ethic, and is a 'bust'. I've chalked all of the negative aspects of Brown's game up to his youth and inexperience though. He's shown flashes of brilliance over the years, such as his 30 point, 19 rebound game against Chris Webber. I just believe that at nearly 7-0 with the athleticism, mobility, and raw talent that Brown has, he has the tools to be a dominant Power Forward. Those who are following the Stromile Swift argument in the Rockets forum may find my liking of Brown hypocritical, but I refuse to believe that any player can be as raw, unmotivated, and lazy as Stromile Swift. You also have to see more potential in Brown because he's bigger, younger, and has better overall moves in the post. He wasn't in as good of a situation as Swift was in with the Grizzlies either. In short, I feel like this trade may be criticized now, but in five years, a frontcourt of Bynum and Brown could dominate the NBA.
I'd pull this trigger in a heart beat. Kwame Brown is a beast waiting to explode. He was injury riddled last year and that slowed him down. I'll post more about this tomorrow, it's 4:20 AM in the morning here in VA..peace out
I don't know if I like this trade. Caron Butler's good as it is, and only can improve. Kwame, however, is a huge disappointment for a 1st overall draft pick, and won't vastly improve because of his attitude. I think the Lakers should go for Kwame, but not for Butler.
It really depends on what kind of money Kwame Brown is going to receive. I agree with a lot of what you're saying Voodoo Child, but it's a risk for the Lakers in two fold. The first risk is Kwame Brown never develops into the player he's supposed to be. The second risk is a financial one. The Lakers are already in salary cap hell for another year until Brian Grant's contract comes off the books. I'm going to assume Kwame will get money in the $8-$10 million range for the next 5 years, so the biggest free agent acquisition the Lakers could make in the next 5 years is Kwame Brown. I'm not sure if it's in their best interests to limit their options to only Kwame. I'm convinced Butler and/or Odom need to be traded. The future frontline of Kwame and Bynum could be dominating, but I'd like to see at least one consistent year from Kwame before I made any deal for him. Even if it ends up costing more in terms of what I would have to trade or pay, in the long run it would be worth it.
Alright, time to say why I think we should do this. We have a jam at SF and very little bigs. Kwame Brown is capable of playing both the C and the PF. Kwame is also an above average defender and the only reason he had a crappy year last year was because of injuries, he was plagued all season with ankle problems. He bulked up last offseason and worked on his game like crazy, so the desire was there...the injuries just depressed him. Brown is a 7 foot, very athletic big man...if we have a shot to get that, I say we take it. I also think his attitude will change, he wants out of Washington. The reason his attitude his crappy is because Doug Collins, his first coach, had no faith in him. Whenever Kwame would make one mistake in a game, Collins would pull him and yell at him...you don't teach rookies that way. Second head coach, Eddie Jordan, runs a guard friendly offensive system which Kwame saw limited touched and finally limited minutes last season. I'm all for this trade, I believe it will work out to be a huge factor in the future for the Lakers. Having possibly Kobe, Odom, and Kwame is just outstanding. If the Lakers aquire Kwame and he pans out here in L.A., then Bynum does not have to pan out for us, he can be a bust...it won't effect us as much.
I'm not really feeling this trade.... First off, I think we can get more value for Butler...in the middle of last season, there were talks of Butler for Boozer...Butler finishes the year very strong, and now we're down to Kwame Brown?? Seems like a backwards step.. Obviously, Brown has some upside, but how much longer can we say that about him? More importantly, do we really want a draft bust big man in the same locker room as Bynum? REports said that Brown was unmotivated? I'd be concerned what kind of influence he'd have over Bynum... Additionally, what will Brown bring to the table? The Lakers need a major upgrade in shot blocking up front...however, Brian Cook averaged more block shots per minute than Brown did last season...yes, brian "I can't jump a lick" cook I agree that Butler and Odom can't co-exist on the floor (even in Miami) .... but unless we get blown away by a "can't pass" deal (which this isn't), I'd rather just wait and see how Phil can utilize them first before unloading one of them..
After reaading responses I have a slightly diff. take then the one I posted earlier...Personally I think there's a way to get Kwame without trading Butler. Though I do agree with NotMuchgame in that Lamar or Butler needs to go. But yeah, like I mentioned, we have way to small forwards as it is. We could just trade Devean George (anyone seen that guy in the last year and a half) along with a throw in or two as to balance out the salary cap. This would work well for both teams though because washington now has a hole at the sf/sg position because they lost larry hughes. George is a capable small forward that would fit well in that system of theres. Like someone else said, it'd be risky to go for Kwame, but I think if the price is right (as in his contract isn't too big) we should go for it.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">It really depends on what kind of money Kwame Brown is going to receive. I agree with a lot of what you're saying Voodoo Child, but it's a risk for the Lakers in two fold. The first risk is Kwame Brown never develops into the player he's supposed to be. The second risk is a financial one. The Lakers are already in salary cap hell for another year until Brian Grant's contract comes off the books. I'm going to assume Kwame will get money in the $8-$10 million range for the next 5 years, so the biggest free agent acquisition the Lakers could make in the next 5 years is Kwame Brown. I'm not sure if it's in their best interests to limit their options to only Kwame. </div> Being a great General Manager is all about taking risks though. No team ever won by playing it safe. In fact, your franchise player, Kobe Bryant, was a big risk himself in the draft. When Orlando acquired Tracy McGrady, when Dallas acquired Dirk Nowitzki, when Indiana acquired Jermaine O'Neal; these are just a few of the risks taken in the last few years by General Managers that have completely changed the face of their franchise. Any time you're acquiring a former #1 draft pick who has been in the league for four years yet is the age of an NCAA Senior, you have to see the potential. With his injuries, I only saw Brown play twice last year, and I can in no way measure his "attitude" or any intangible of that sort, but I trust Kobe 8 Ball's opinion of Brown's game and attitude as a fan of both teams involved in this deal.
His attitude isn't as horrible as the media makes it sound. In the first game of the playoffs last year, Kwame came off of the bench to put in 12 points in the first half...where was the ball for him in the second half? I believe he didn't receive the ball once in the post, calling for it, yet the guards did not feed him. 12 points in the first half and you don't get the ball once in the second half, that would make anybody talk to their coach about that. In game 2, they completely neglected Kwame again, Larry Hughes jacked up shots left and right, not looking for Kwame once...so Kwame goes to talk with Eddie about it. I wouldn't say his attitude is bad because he was trying to get the ball more, that's what the argument broke out over and that's the reason why he was suspended, because he wanted more touches.
Im very interested in seeing Kwame in a Laker Uniform. I dont agree with the trade though for Caron. Maybe we can set up a trade for him?
I agree the Lakers have to take risks and gamble to win another Championship. However, if they wanted to take a risk on an unmotivated big man they should have drafted Chris Taft in the second round. He has just as much potential, upside, he's younger, and would be a lot cheaper, plus the Lakers would still have Caron Butler on the roster.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">The main sticking point in the Laker trade is negotiation of the length of Brown's contract. The Lakers offered only two guaranteed years so they could stay on track for their long-range goal of getting under the salary cap by the summer of 2007, when Amare Stoudemire and Yao Ming could become unrestricted free agents. Brown's representatives wanted a guaranteed third year, a potential deal-breaker, while the Lakers had offered only a team option for the third year. Kupchak, who met Tuesday with Brown's agent, Arn Tellem, declined to comment specifically on Brown. </div>Read more...
Bad trade, Bad GM <div class="quote_poster">Quoting shapecity:</div><div class="quote_post">I agree the Lakers have to take risks and gamble to win another Championship. However, if they wanted to take a risk on an unmotivated big man they should have drafted Chris Taft in the second round. He has just as much potential, upside, he's younger, and would be a lot cheaper, plus the Lakers would still have Caron Butler on the roster.</div> This would be a disaster trade. Kwame is a bust, he was suspended in the middle of the playoffs, called a fairy by MJ, has a career high of 14pts in a four year career and has no value beyond a future second round draft pick. Caron is a potential all-star and is one of the few players on our roster that can put up thirty on a given night. We need proven players, not projects. Right now Cook is better than Kwame will ever be. Swift, Marshall, and Songiala are players we should be getting. If this trade goes through it will only add to Cupcake's legacy of incompetence.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting whatthef?:</div><div class="quote_post">This would be a disaster trade. Kwame is a bust, he was suspended in the middle of the playoffs, called a fairy by MJ, has a career high of 14pts in a four year career and has no value beyond a future second round draft pick. Caron is a potential all-star and is one of the few players on our roster that can put up thirty on a given night. We need proven players, not projects. Right now Cook is better than Kwame will ever be. Swift, Marshall, and Songiala are players we should be getting. If this trade goes through it will only add to Cupcake's legacy of incompetence. </div> Research your facts man..Kwame's career high is 30, dropped on Chris Webber. He went on a tear two seasons ago to finish the season off, and worked his ass off the following offseason only to be injury riddled all of last year. [red]<strike>You're not smart if you think Cook is better than Kwame is.</strike>[/red] Kwame is athletic and a good defender...A GOOD DEFENDER...something we need, as for Cook...he is a chucker. Caron will never be an allstar, he is nothing more than a good role player, people need to learn to accep t that. [red]* No need for small cheap shots. Attack the argument, not the person. -Mel[/red]
I just don't understand how Caron Butler's trade value has dropped over the summer. He's been rumored to be packaged in a trade for Carlos Boozer, Jamaal Magloire, Jonathan Bender & #18 Pick (which could have turned out to be Granger or Green), and now the Lakers will have to trade Butler + a filler for Kwame? I don't see why the Lakers can't trade Atkins, Slava, & Cook or Walton for him instead and hold onto Butler. Atkins gives them some points off the bench and a perimeter shooter. He's also in the final year of his contract, and the Wizards get two young players, if they don't like Slava he's also an expiring contract. Drawing the comparisons to T-Mac & Jermaine O'neal is not really accurate either. Both T-Mac & O'neal wanted to become All-Star players and worked hard to do it. T-Mac left because he didn't want to be in Vince Carter's shadow, he knew he could be better and breakout if he left Toronto. Jermaine O'neal didn't get any burn in Portland because Mike Dunleavy held him back. However, he was beating all the PFs in practice including Sheed and Grant, even they didn't know why JO was being held back. I have yet to hear anybody rave about Kwame's work ethic and I'm not sure if he has the mental strength to handle pressure. If he thinks the media scrutiny in Washington is bad, just wait until he comes to the LA pressure cooker. If he gets off to a bad start, the media is going to rip him apart. One because the media likes kicking the Lakers while they are down, and two because Caron Butler is a favorite in LA. How will Kwame handle that, and when does it start becoming a distraction to the rest of the team? Adding Kwame gives the Lakers two young players in the front court to develop and HOPE both pan out. It's going to take at least two years for Kwame Brown and three for Bynum assuming they work their butts off and are quick learners. At that point Kobe will be pushing close to 30, and Phil Jackson will be in his final contract year. So just when the Lakers are about to turn the corner three years down the line, then there is potential for coaching drama once again. The reports coming out is Kwame Brown wants a 5 year, $40 Million deal, and the other guy the Lakers are looking at Antonio Daniels, wants a $5 year $30 Million deal. So does it really make sense to invest $70 Million in those two players?
Kwame's work ethic is bad, yes I'll give you that, but it isn't as bad as the media makes it out to be. He worked his ass of last season conditiong, lifting, running, adding muscle so he could play C for the Wizards and a broken foot threw all of that off track. He worked on his jumper, his post moves...one simple injury and all that work was down the drain. I don't think his work ethic is as bad as the media makes it out to be.
Kwame=Chris Washburn <div class="quote_poster">Quoting Kobe 8 Ball:</div><div class="quote_post">Kwame's work ethic is bad, yes I'll give you that, but it isn't as bad as the media makes it out to be. He worked his ass of last season conditiong, lifting, running, adding muscle so he could play C for the Wizards and a broken foot threw all of that off track. He worked on his jumper, his post moves...one simple injury and all that work was down the drain. I don't think his work ethic is as bad as the media makes it out to be.</div> the media didn't suspend him in the middle of the playoffs, and the media didn't call him a fairy, Michael Jordan did.
...did I say the media did that? No..I said the media portrays his work ethic. He was suspended for a good reason. He wanted touches so he brought it up with Eddie Jordan and an argument followed. I'll take that suspension any day because it shows something about Kwame, he wants the ball, he wants to prove people wrong...I'll take that suspension any damn day from one of my players.
