<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">O'Neal: I Didn't Request A Trade August 6, 2007 - 9:40 pm AP - Indiana Pacers forward Jermaine O'Neal isn't demanding a trade to the Los Angeles Lakers , but he's open to the idea. While O'Neal has been the subject of trade talk since the Pacers missed the playoffs for the first time in 10 years, the new discussion was stirred up Monday when SI.com quoted O'Neal as saying he would "welcome a trade to the Lakers" and mentioned the New Jersey Nets as another possible destination. O'Neal, a six-time All-Star, downplayed the trade talk in an interview with The Associated Press. "I don't think me saying I'd like to go with those teams is me saying I want to be traded," he said. [READ] </div> [READ] Comments?
Yeah. This does not mean anything. It says he did not demand a trade he would like to go to LA. He wants to leave. He is not going to stay after next season. So he said he would like to go to the Lakers first. If not then the Nets.
Ah, he will go to LA. It is just going to happen. If JO is in a Pacer uniform next year, I'll have to think Mitch needs a helmet, becuase he is just plain retarded.
Doesn't mean anything. Indiana will trade him not because he demanded (or asked for) a trade, but because they stand to gain NOTHING next year because he WILL opt out if he isn't traded. And it would be foolish for the Pacers from a personnel standpoint to trade their franchise player to a team other than the Lakers or Nets, because in the future other stars will steer clear of IND.
<div align="center"> </div> LOS ANGELES -- While standing at midcourt Sunday, Jermaine O'Neal is feted by kids in purple-and-gold jerseys, mobbed by media, and wooed by celebrities like Brandy and Snoop Dogg. For the Pacers' power forward, this is a taste of life as a baller in L.A. And O'Neal wants more. He wants to be a Laker. Speaking at Baron Davis and Paul Pierce's annual L.A. Stars charity basketball game at USC's Galen Center, O'Neal says he'd like for Indiana to trade him to L.A. "It's time for me to move on," he said. "And the Lakers are the team I want Indiana to trade me to." SOURCE: ESPN
Wouldn't it suck if he got traded to the Bulls or something. I mean, what he wanted meant nothing. He will be going to LA, it is bound to happen. I mean, what do the Pacers have to lose. They get possibly a young stud in Bynum, Farmar (maybe), and some other guys even Brown. They can rebuild and become the Pacers of the old.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Indiana Pacers forward Jermaine O'Neal has discounted Internet reports that he wants to be traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. "My preference is to play here and win here," O'Neal said in a telephone interview after returning from Los Angeles on Monday afternoon, attempting to deflate a brewing controversy that had brought clarifying statements from Pacers president Larry Bird and O'Neal's agent, Arn Tellem. O'Neal appeared at -- but did not play in -- a charity basketball game Sunday hosted by NBA stars Baron Davis and Paul Pierce. There he talked with reporters from Web sites for Sports Illustrated and ESPN. Both accounts quoted him expressing a desire to be traded to the Lakers. "It's time for me to move on," O'Neal was quoted in the ESPN story. "And the Lakers are the team I want Indiana to trade me to." O'Neal added the Pacers are "obviously" in a rebuilding mode, and he did not want to "take in five years of losses and downtime." He added he also would favor a trade to New Jersey. Bird has had trade discussions with both teams regarding O'Neal this summer. A draft day conversation with the Nets was brief, however, and he has not talked with the Lakers since early July. Bird issued a statement through the Pacers on Monday, repeating his claim that O'Neal would be traded only if he brings "fair market value." "Jermaine has worked out very hard this summer while rehabilitating his knee after surgery (for a torn meniscus)," the statement read. "We believe under (new coach) Jim O'Brien that our team as a whole and Jermaine as a player can be successful. You never know what will happen, but for now Jermaine is an Indiana Pacer." Tellem, in an e-mail to The Associated Press, denied O'Neal wanted out of Indiana. "He hasn't requested a trade to the Lakers," Tellem wrote. "Any reports to the contrary are inaccurate." The ESPN story also quoted O'Neal as criticizing Bird for wanting too much from the Lakers in a trade. "Larry Bird is a hard man to deal with," O'Neal was quoted as saying. "He tries to make unfair trades. He wants to gut a team, but the Lakers are trying to get over the hump. I want Indiana to benefit, but with some nice young players and draft picks. I want to make it clear that I don't want to gut a team that I come to, because then it'll be like Indiana all over again." O'Neal denied making that statement Monday when it was read to him. "Wow," he said. "I didn't say that." O'Neal said he believes the Pacers can reach the playoffs next season with their current roster, and spoke positively about O'Brien, who will install a faster-paced offense. Contrary to his quotes in the Internet stories, he said the Pacers are not rebuilding. "We have a team that's coming back that was thrown into the fire pretty quickly (after the eight-player trade with Golden State) and never really got comfortable," he said. "Giving them a full year is the most interesting part. "The key thing is for everybody to come in a lot better than they were last year. Give the new guys (Mike Dunleavy, Troy Murphy and Ike Diogu) a chance to come into a fresh training camp and get their feet wet. There will be a big difference between how they played this year and last year. That was a tough situation to come into, especially with a team that hadn't missed the playoffs in 10 years." O'Neal averaged 19.4 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.6 blocks last season. He played in 69 games and suffered a knee injury midway through the season. He had surgery to repair torn meniscus cartilage after the season. "I should have gotten that (surgery) two years ago," he said. "I feel a difference in my movement now. It will be the first time in a long time I'm walking into a season worry free about any part of my body. I'm really excited." O'Neal will be paid nearly $20 million in the upcoming season. He will receive about $43 million over the final two years of his deal if he doesn't invoke his opt-out clause and become a free agent. He was quoted in Los Angeles as saying he would opt out "if things don't work" with the Pacers next season, but downplayed that possibility later in the day. "I'm happy where I'm at," he said. "As far as the opt-out clause, it's there. But the only way I do that is if it's a very unenjoyable situation." Pacers CEO Donnie Walsh said he was not disturbed by O'Neal's reported comments in Los Angeles, nor does he believe the threat of O'Neal's impending free agency will pressure the team into a trade. "We'll deal with that when the time comes," Walsh said. If O'Neal becomes a free agent after next season, the Pacers would be about $15 million under the salary cap and in position to sign a top free agent.</div> Source
O'Neal is no better than Odom. Last year Odom actually out rebounded him and had a better shooting percentage. If they take Kwame and Radman fine but don't give up any young talent or future first rounders.
The Pacers won't just take Brown, if they were smart, I would ask for more. He is still young and worth a lot O'Neal is. I say, Brown, Farmar, Turiaf, Future 1st round pick.
<div class="quote_poster">Master Shake Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">The Pacers won't just take Brown, if they were smart, I would ask for more. He is still young and worth a lot O'Neal is. I say, Brown, Farmar, Turiaf, Future 1st round pick.</div> No way, O'Neal doesn't improve the Lakers enough to give anything but a back up. Bynum should start at Center and Odom at power forward and Farmar at point.
<div class="quote_poster">whatthef? Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">No way, O'Neal doesn't improve the Lakers enough to give anything but a back up. Bynum should start at Center and Odom at power forward and Farmar at point.</div> No way to what? The trade? That is the reality of it, this isn't fantasy basketball. The Pacers organization isn't stupid, they will ask for what is appropriate. I would ask for that, actually, I would ask for more and through in Murphy or something. O'Neal for Brown, Vald & Farmar This trade works, plus it is realistic.
<div class="quote_poster">whatthef? Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">O'Neal is no better than Odom. Last year Odom actually out rebounded him and had a better shooting percentage. If they take Kwame and Radman fine but don't give up any young talent or future first rounders.</div> Kwame Brown and Vladamir Radmanovic. Don't make me laugh. The Laker's trash aren't going to be the Pacer's treasure. Stop living in a dream world and actually realize that in order to get talent back, you must give talent in return. Look at it from the Pacer's perspective. Why in the world would they take Kwame Brown and Vladamir Radmanovic for Jermaine O'Neal, an All-Star. That's just like the New York Knicks offering us Jamaal Crawford and Jerome James for Kobe Bryant. <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">O'Neal is no better than Odom. Last year Odom actually out rebounded him and had a better shooting percentage. If they take Kwame and Radman fine but don't give up any young talent or future first rounders.</div> Thank god your not our GM, you'd be no better than Mitch Kupchak, or maybe even worse. O'Neal is no better than Odom? You've got to be kidding me. O'Neal's defensive presence alone is worth 10xs more than Odom will ever be. Stats don't tell everything. The reason why O'Neal's field goal percentage is so low is because he doesn't have someone like Kobe Bryant to take presure off of him. It's also because O'Neal hasn't been close to 100% for seasons. My only concern with O'Neal is his ability to stay healthy, but it's not like Lamar Odom is going to give you 82 games either. I'm hoping to god Mitch can pull this off while still allowing us to keep Lamar Odom. Jermaine O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, and Lamar Odom can definetly compete with Boston, and given our depth, I feel that we are the better team
<div class="quote_poster">Master Shake Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">No way to what? The trade? That is the reality of it, this isn't fantasy basketball. The Pacers organization isn't stupid, they will ask for what is appropriate. I would ask for that, actually, I would ask for more and through in Murphy or something. O'Neal for Brown, Vald & Farmar This trade works, plus it is realistic.</div> Why would Indiana consider this trade? They have no need for Radman, and then only young talent they get in return is Farmar? In Bird's interview he mentioned he wanted fair market value for O'Neal. I think the KG deal set the market value and the Pacers want something comparable. JO obviously isn't as good as KG, so the Lakers should be able to get him for less. The TWolves received Ratliff (expiring K), Al Jefferson (big man with upside), Gerald Green (wing player with upside), Sebastian Telfair (filler), Ryan Gomes (free agent after this year), two future draft picks and cash. Lakers would need to offer a similar package for O'Neal. Ratliff = Kwame Jefferson = Bynum Green = Crittenton Telfair = Sasha Gomes = Cook 2 future picks = 2 future picks cash = cash If you're the Lakers would you trade Kwame + Bynum + Crittenton or Farmar + Sasha + Turiaf + Two 1st Round Picks + Cash?
<div class="quote_poster">Master Shake Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">No way to what? The trade? That is the reality of it, this isn't fantasy basketball. The Pacers organization isn't stupid, they will ask for what is appropriate. I would ask for that, actually, I would ask for more and through in Murphy or something. O'Neal for Brown, Vald & Farmar This trade works, plus it is realistic.</div> So what exactly does Indiana get in that trade? They get Kwame's $9 mil expiring, which basically cancels out with Vlad's long contract and all the other players on their teams with horrible contracts, and a backup PG. Yeah they'll trade their best player for that. Don't even say Farmar is a good piece in the trade, because you know how much the Lakers overrate their players(Bynum) and they didn't have enough faith in Farmar so they drafted another PG and signed a PG with their MLE. The best scenario for both teams would likely be.....Crittenton, Bynum, Kwame, and Sasha/Evans as fillers and maybe a pick for JO(maybe Farmar and a pick instead of Crittenton). Lakers get to keep Odom and make a formidable trio that could possibly compete. A lineup of Fisher, Kobe, Walton, Odom, JO is pretty good, IMO and much better than their current roster. Pacers get enough young talent that they could build around without having to take any terrible contracts. Like Brian said, you have to give talent to get talent and Vlad, Kwame, Farmar is a absolute joke of a trade option for Indiana.
Lakers would be left with: PG - Fisher/Farmar SG - Kobe/Evans/Carl SF - Odom/Walton/Radman PF - O'Neal/Turiaf C - Mihm Lakers would need to add another center/power forward to the roster. Some players still out there: PJ Brown Chris Webber Marc Jackson Dale Davis Kelvin Cato Danny Fortson Anderson Varejao Brian Skinner
Actually Indiana wouldn't be able to take back 5 players under contract without sending someone else over. Lakers could probably get David Harrison and Marquise Daniels in the deal. PG - Fisher/Farmar/Carl SG - Kobe/Daniels/Evans SF - Odom/Walton/Radman PF - O'Neal/Cook C - Mihm/Harrison This is a better lineup than our current one.
<div class="quote_poster">shapecity Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Why would Indiana consider this trade? They have no need for Radman, and then only young talent they get in return is Farmar? In Bird's interview he mentioned he wanted fair market value for O'Neal. I think the KG deal set the market value and the Pacers want something comparable. JO obviously isn't as good as KG, so the Lakers should be able to get him for less. The TWolves received Ratliff (expiring K), Al Jefferson (big man with upside), Gerald Green (wing player with upside), Sebastian Telfair (filler), Ryan Gomes (free agent after this year), two future draft picks and cash. Lakers would need to offer a similar package for O'Neal. Ratliff = Kwame Jefferson = Bynum Green = Crittenton Telfair = Sasha Gomes = Cook 2 future picks = 2 future picks cash = cash If you're the Lakers would you trade Kwame + Bynum + Crittenton or Farmar + Sasha + Turiaf + Two 1st Round Picks + Cash?</div> Lakers would need to offer a similar package for O'Neal. Ratliff = Kwame--you're right here Jefferson = Bynum---Jefferson>Bynum right now PPG 16.0 RPG 11.00 for Jefferson Green = Crittenton--- Green=Crittention??? No way here Green is a young stud who can turn out to be T-mac this year. Telfair = Sasha---- Telfair>>>Sasha We're talking about All American best HS player in the Nation Telfair he was....he just has attitude problems but he has 1000x more potential compared to Sasha. Gomes = Cook--- Gomes much better than Cook much much ---he can make some shots and still young. 2 future picks = 2 future picks cash = cash
<div class="quote_poster">LBJ2006MVP Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Lakers would need to offer a similar package for O'Neal. Ratliff = Kwame--you're right here Jefferson = Bynum---Jefferson>Bynum right now Green = Crittenton--- Green=Crittention??? No way here Telfair = Sasha---- Telfair>>>Sasha Gomes = Cook--- Gomes much better than Cook much much ---he can make some shots and still young. 2 future picks = 2 future picks cash = cash</div> I realize the players the Celtics sent out are more proven and potentially have more upside, but keep in mind Kevin Garnett is also a lot better than Jermaine O'neal, so you would expect Indiana to get less.
We would have to sign for the Nets minimum, so I think maybe PJ Brown is realistic. None of the others seem as inviting or realistic. Webber might, if he thinks we are contenders more of then Dallas.
