http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2304512 What do you guys think? Should the lakers have landed him?
Great deal for the Kings. I really thought the Lakers would've really tried to land him since the Lakers are trying to do everything in their power to mimic the Bulls. No player better than Ron Artest could play a Pippen role. My guess is that Indiana wanted Lamar Odom and Los Angeles didn't want to give him up.
Lets see if the Lakers will come up with a blockbuster trade before the trade deadline. But I doubt it.
I think the Lakers being hessitant to unload Odom is the reason why Artest isn't in Hollywood now. I know having both would have been great and all, but to get an all-star, you'll need to give something up and that Kwame/Bynum package isn't good enough. Artest and Kobe would have almost guaranteed the Lakers a spot in the playoffs.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting shapecity:</div><div class="quote_post">Long-awaited deal comes to fruition for Pacers Damn it, this is terrible for the Lakers.</div> I am actually it happened. I just hated the fact that the clippers were going to get him. I still dont think the Kings can get back into the chase. They've just lost Peja who I think was the spark to get the croud going. Everytime Peja touched the ball while he was beyond the arc, arco arena would go into a frenzy. But the kings win in this trade. Peja will obviously opt out of his contract this offseason and our beloved scout Vlade Divac might be able to bring him to LaLa Land.
I like the fact that the Lakers were hessitant to unload Odom because Kobe and Phil love odom although he frustrates us sometimes. But I dont like the idea they backed out of the trade. The Pacers reportedly wanted Bynum but the Lakers werent gonna go in that direction.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Empra!15:</div><div class="quote_post">I am actually it happened. I just hated the fact that the clippers were going to get him. I still dont think the Kings can get back into the chase. They've just lost Peja who I think was the spark to get the croud going. Everytime Peja touched the ball while he was beyond the arc, arco arena would go into a frenzy. But the kings win in this trade. Peja will obviously opt out of his contract this offseason and our beloved scout Vlade Divac might be able to bring him to LaLa Land.</div> The Clippers are already ahead of us in the standings, so adding Artest or not wouldn't have made a major difference. However, the Kings are now back in the playoff picture with Artest in their lineup. He gives them something the Kings really don't have, defense. He's already better than Peja, and Artest has a lot to prove, so I expect him to be on a tear when he gets back on the court. We won't get Peja in the off-season because the Laker's don't have the cap space to sign him. Peja will want a huge contract this summer, and right the Bulls are the frontrunners. He's already said he wants to play there, and they have plenty of cap room to sign him. The Lakers have to make a move now to improve this roster and make use of their expiring contracts of George and Slava. If Mitch cannot get a deal done using these pieces, than he needs to be fired.