<div class="quote_poster">Bacon Smeller Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Well if you dont want to give up Odom & Bynum for JO then who are you going to give up for JO? I say give up Bynum & Odom because I want to see another Champioship come to L.A.</div> I personally think that that would make you further away from a championship, because you lose almost all flexibility in upgrading your roster after this move. At least with Bynum you still have potentially a good big man and at worst you have Odom's $14 mil expiring after this season. I'd try to deal Kwame/Mihm/Farmar/Crittenton/Walton/and potential draft picks to get a couple of role players that don't have a monster salaries and that would give you flexibility that you could actually use. I don't think trading for a big star and having a 2 man duo will get you past the elite teams in the West. I know it's tough for a successful franchise like the Lakers to even consider rebuilding, but you don't have enough trade assets to get you back into a contender now.
<div class="quote_poster">Bacon Smeller Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Dont you think thats a lot of players to give up?</div> I said use some of them to get role players that you can put alongside them. Not trade them all for 1 role player. Hell sign Brevin Knight to the MLE and trade for players like young guys buried deep on the bench like Luther Head or veterans like Hedo Turkoglu(not saying the Magic should or would trade him, but a very valuable role player with experience for a young team) that you could get for much cheaper that would still improve your team. Hell you could maybe even get someone such as Zaza Pachilia or Shelden Williams after the Hawks drafted Horford to likely try to play C in a fast paced offense. I think those are the type of players that you need to go after. Players that won't cripple your cap flexibility and will still allow you to keep Odom and hope that Bynum becomes the player that management thinks he can become.
It's not hard to accept rebuilding, if the team would admit it. I'm pissed that we won't trade Kobe Bryant, if we are rebuilding. He is the key to that process, he will get us the young talent we need to start rebuilding...so if we are rebuilding, come out and admit it and tell Kobe that we're going to find the best deal that helps him in his situation but also helps the Lakers get some young talent.
<div class="quote_poster">Mamba Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">It's not hard to accept rebuilding, if the team would admit it. I'm pissed that we won't trade Kobe Bryant, if we are rebuilding. He is the key to that process, he will get us the young talent we need to start rebuilding...so if we are rebuilding, come out and admit it and tell Kobe that we're going to find the best deal that helps him in his situation but also helps the Lakers get some young talent.</div> If they announce that they are rebuilding and are going to trade Kobe you won't believe the lowball offers that will arrive for him. You think these current rumors are bad, it will get much worse. They are trying to keep his value up and I do believe they are shopping him. It's not like trading Kobe is easy, he only wants to go to 3 teams and none of them want to gut their roster for Kobe. Lakers won't get very close to Kobe's actual value with any potential deal because they have absolutely no leverage. All the leverage is with Kobe and the teams he wants to go to. If he says he wants to go to Chicago, then Chicago will offer Gordon, Noc, Duhon, and fillers(or something of similar value) that lowballs the Lakers and basically say that you take that or you get to keep a disgruntled star and let him walk for free in 2 years.
See, I don't think most Laker fans realize that what the Bulls rumored offer (Gordon, Noc, the 8th pick, and some fillers) was the best that we're going to get for Kobe. You never get fair value for super stars when you trade them. All Laker fans should know that by now. I would've been fine with that trade, that's enough young talent to put around our "savior" Bynum.
Also, do you guys not understand the immense potential of Andrew Bynum. Have any of you posters seen the way he moves, jumps, runs, and times his blocks. He has the makings of a star center. The only thing hurting the Lakers is how shortsighted Kobe Bryant is because in a year or maybe even this comming season Bynum becomes a star center and gets the Lakers as close to a championship as they were when Shaq was here.
Ok, thank you for the insight and I do respect your opinion but... Never ever mention Bynum and Shaq in the same breath until Andrew freaking Bynum can play a whole game consistently. Andrew Bynum a championship impact piece in a couple of seasons? Right. If everything pans out for Mr. Bynum, he'll start to become the "force" he's supposed to be in about 2-4 years. Right when Mr. Bryant is about to leave his prime...or leave the Lakers.
<div class="quote_poster">Mamba Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Ok, thank you for the insight and I do respect your opinion but... Never ever mention Bynum and Shaq in the same breath until Andrew freaking Bynum can play a whole game consistently. Andrew Bynum a championship impact piece in a couple of seasons? Right. If everything pans out for Mr. Bynum, he'll start to become the "force" he's supposed to be in about 2-4 years. Right when Mr. Bryant is about to leave his prime...or leave the Lakers.</div> Bynum is the equivalent to a College Junior, it takes time for players to develop. He's going into his 3rd year, which usually, is the year that shows what the players are made of. They have developed strength, smarts, and all the intangibles after 2 years in the NBA. Why give up on a kid with all the makings to be better than Jermaine O'Neal? Lamar Odom isn't all that bad either, he was the best player team USA had in the Olympics two years ago. Why give up on a playoff team that hasn't actually had a PG the last few years. You guys all hate on Smush, he's obviously the reason they're failing to progress. I agree that Brevin Knight would really help out this team and he could be a good tutor for Javaris Crittenton.
Management probably is thinking they are going to get a God-send center since he's being tutored by Kareem and are probably flattered by the fact that all the teams want Bynum involved in some sort of trade deal. I hope management has some plan, it's very hard to imagine how anyone is this F'ing dumb.
Some of you don't think deep enough from a Lakers perspective. At first, I thought trading Bynum/LO for JO is a good trade for the Lakers. But after watching the Spurs, I completely changed my mind. A JO/Kobe ain't bringing us anywhere deep in the playoff. Our team goal is to build a championship team, not a team that get bounce around in the playoff. Bynum might not be a great player but he is at least a serviceable center in the league for years to come. Most of you Lakers fan realize the huge improvement since Bynum's rookie season and this season correct? The Lakers are a completely different team when Bynum puts his effort into anchoring our defense. With experience and maturity, Bynum might ends up be that guy that we miss since the Shaquille O'Neal. Not to mention JO is already at his peak and his contract is toxic. Between Kobe/JO we are lock for years without having the ability to sign any big free agent players. Then who can guarantee Kobe will stay if JO gets trade here? I believe there are only 2 options that Kobe are willing to stay, one either acquiring a major impact player while keeping LO, or two get KG. Getting rid of LO, acquiring a player who isn't that much better than LO statically wise, is not the option Kobe looking for. If I'm Dr. Buss, I'll go for Paul Gasol while keeping LO and build the core around Kobe/LO/Paul Gasol. If not, I'll trade Kobe and start rebuilding around Bynum now. There is no frigging way the Lakers should ever trade Bynum/LO for JO. The best deal I can see the Lakers can offer for JO is... Bynum/Brown/Farmar, 2008 1st round pick, Mo Evans, Sasha Vujavic, a resign Mckie for salary matching purpose. Take it or leave it, we don't need to overpay for JO.
No, let's just trade away half of our roster, right? Yeah, Brilliant. Crittenton Kobe Odom/Walton Jermaine/Turiaf/Cook MLE/FA/FA Yeah, that lineup is real promising...
<div class="quote_poster">Mamba Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">No, let's just trade away half of our roster, right? Yeah, Brilliant. Crittenton Kobe Odom/Walton Jermaine/Turiaf/Cook MLE/FA/FA Yeah, that lineup is real promising...</div> Whenever you have a strong core of Kobe/JO/LO, you can put any 10 days contract player on that team and they can still be competitive. We have a much better roster by trading half of our roster for JO than trading Bynum/LO for JO. Kobe/JO/LO with 10 men roster > Kobe/JO with 15 men roster.
Are you crazy? Championship teams aren't about all-stars and one role player. They're stacked, look at the Spurs...stacked. That lineup you're posing is an absolute joke.
Okay first of, you don't trade the "future" and LO for JO (on his declining), especially when you get no guarantee from Kobe that he stays if JO comes here. Then if Kobe/JO turns out to be a another playoff 1st round exit, we are doom (I think we are still at a point of not winning even with Kobe/JO). JO's contract is not something you want to touch at this point. It is just stupid to trade LO/Bynum for JO. Secondly, your potential lineup is very misleading. This should be our potential lineup for the moment if the players we end up trading for JO as I mentioned. pg: MLE/Crittenton sg: Kobe/Sun Yue sf: Luke/Vlad pf: LO/Ronny/Cook c: JO/Mihm/Gaso If you look closely, then lineup is better than this. pg: MLE/Farmar/Crittenton sg: Kobe/Evans/Sasha sf: Luke Walton/Vlad/Cook pf: JO/Ronny c: Kwame/Mihm You tell me the 2nd lineup is better than the first? Give me a break please! Nobody say acquiring JO would immediately win us championship. But whenever you have a core of Kobe/JO/LO, we can easily build a championship around those 3. Beside when was the last time our craps Sasha, Evans, Mckie, and Farmar did anything major for the Lakers? Last I check, they are nothing but a bunch of players just fill out our roster. Those players can be easily replace through 10 day contracts or free agency. They're cheap players you can pick up from the Dleague. Still don't believe me, make a poll and ask the Lakers fan which lineup is better for the Lakers, 1st or 2nd. EDIT: Oh btw, we need to aim for an easier target like Paul Gasol rather than JO. A core of Kobe/LO/Gasol brother is still very competitive. Maybe even put us into a contention level if Luke can get back to the way he plays before he got injury. AT some point, I thought Luke could easily be compare to Boris Diaw, because the guy go after the rebound with a purpose and can knock down those corner 3.
I don't think we should make a trade for the sake of making a trade. If it needs to be done, it needs to make this team better not just for a year but for a few more years to come and it should make us more flexible. Personally, if we can get Jermaine for Odom and Bynum, I think it could work. I'd hate to let go of either of them, but it has to be done. If we can resign Luke and get a 15/2/5 point guard that plays D, along with getting Jermaine, I think we can be a pretty solid team. Although I have a feeling that Indy are more sold on Bynum than Odom. If this is the case, keeping Odom as well as aquiring Jermaine would take us deep into the playoffs.
What do you think about this trade .... Eddy Curry,Fred Jones (Expires), Dick Expires, nate for Kobe?
