Hilarious, Darshan!

Look at Antonio Gates. And Tony Gonzalez. Mediocre (at best) college players. Dominant NFL players. Kwame is built like a tank. Has decent speed. Yes, he has small hands but a football is much smaller than a basketball. And he won’t be battling seven footers to catch it.

Oh, did you think I meant the Pistons?

Face it, Chicago had more to offer them and it would’ve been a smarter move for their team considering they’d be strengthening an eastern conference team they’d only see twice a season.

Damn this league is becoming more and more like the WWF. Just gotta keep the story going I guess.

I know I’m not the only one here that is worried about the whistles the Pistons will get if they face Boston in the ECF. We might not talk about, but it’s been in the back of my mind all season. Hopefully I’m just paranoid, I really do hope that’s the case beacuse I agree with LawerBoy, if Shaq and Kobe could barely tread water against Detroit, how do people expect this Laker unit to be any different. Besides, that team still lacks a leader. Kobe, for all of his talent, will never be remembered like Larry, Magic, and Micheal because he chooses to act like a spoiled little bitch all the time. Anyone who claims to love Kobe and not his game has got some serious denial and tunnel vision issues they need to resolve.

All things said and done, this move won’t make the Lakers the best team in the west, it will just make them the media favorite. Huge difference people, HUGE difference.

Now Bill Walton has two teams to drool over. I might have to have my cable provider block ESPN now, sheeesh.

LawyerBoy, earlier you mentioned that the Lakers give up their future by giving away Crittenton and Marc Gasol– they have an opportunity in Odom to re-energize this team in the post-season. I think they have a solid opportunity to move Odom and bring in a solid contract along with some junk.

And regarding what Darshan said, I don’t want people to think I’m against this move from the Lakers’ standpoint. I agree with Darshan that they have to play for now and they’ve done an excellent service to the squad in that regard with this trade. But they definitely took a serious dent to the future with this move. That has to be reviewed.

However, I’m not sold that they’re the automatic frontrunner now. If the same core we have could dominate Shaq and Kobe, I think it can hang with Kobe, Odom, Bynum and Pau. Maybe it can’t. Maybe no one can.

I’m sure they’ll pay Bynum, but who’s odd man out? Odom? Maybe. Farmar? Maybe. I’ll tell you this, somebody’s walking and it ain’t just Ariza, unless Kobe opts-out specifically to take less money (HA). This team as it’s set today is not set for a “four-year window” at all. That’s just plain not doing the homework. It’ll take a lot of ifs for them to get that kind of cap space. They have this year and next year (at which point they make minor tweaks when they probably let Vujacic walk and give Turiaf a raise).

Then after the 2008-2009 season Ariza, Bynum and Odom expire and Kobe’s opt-out appears (though he’ll probably exercise his option to stay). The next season Fish and Farmar expire, and boom goes the dynamite. The way that roster is currently structured, it’s going to crumble starting after the end of next season. Are you going to buy out Vlad Radmanovic’s awesome 5 year/$31 million contract (good one, Kupchak) that he signed this offseason? Can you really trade that? Something tells me Dr. Buss didn’t get to be a doctor by giving Radmanovic a bunch of money to walk. Now if they can find a way to move it, they might just buy themselves time or other players. Still, those are big ifs.

The Lakers can’t draft a first rounder this year or in 2010, and they’ll get one chance in 2009 (where I’m sure they hope/expect to be very late in the draft as well). Players on rookie contracts come totally on the cheap and are strangely invaluable even if they’re not that good. Just ask Ronny Turiaf how cool is was to make the league minimum this year when he commands at LEAST $3 million/year this offseason (hey, Amir’s getting more than that and had done less at the point he got extended). They just traded away what appears to be a talented PG in the extremely cheap SIX-FIVE Crittenton and hemorraghed themselves in terms of a backcourt for the future. Coby Karl better be good, because Vujacic ain’t.

This is what their guards look like:
Derek Fisher, 33, 6′1
Kobe Bryant, 29, 6′6
Sasha Vujacic, 24, 6′7
Jordan Farmar, 21, 6′2
Coby Karl, 24, 6′5

Doesn’t look invincible when you realize Kobe’s all they got above 6′2. I don’t care if they’re the slickest, most unselfish offense ever (which they aren’t), the pieces start breaking off at the end of next season. Something’s got to give. The Bulls messed up (per usual), but LA’s window is through next season. There’s the downside. Obviously you didn’t look hard enough for it.

A great starting five and their bench is very capable with Turiaf, Walton, Ariza and Farmar. A healthy Mihm would help.

Phil Jackson will find a way to juggle Bynum and Gasol. Although, actually I think Odom is the one that will be the odd man out. My guess is that they’ll play him more with Farmar and their energy lineup. Odom is unstoppable on the break and useless in a half court game.

I still think Boston is the team to beat (don’t kill me) because their defense has been phenomenal. But, my gut reaction to this trade is that it makes the Lakers the best in the West. Phoenix is a fraud. The Spurs look too old. New Orleans is too unproven. To me, it’s Dallas or LA.

Gasol is 27. Shaq wasn’t. And why on earth wouldn’t the Lakers pay Bynum?

Miami had a two year window and won a championship. That alone made the risk worth it. The Lakers have given themselves at least a four year window with their big three. Turiaf and Farmar should be inexpensive to resign, even if some team foolishly throws huge money at Odom.

You have to work pretty hard to find the downside to this for LA. This isn’t a Melo-Iverson situation where you had to wonder how each dude was going to find his shots. These are complimentary players. The Bulls have to be kicking themselves.

13. Marcus Haislip
14. Fred Jones
15. Bostjan Nachbar
16. Jiri Welsch
17. Juan DIxon
18. Curtis Borchardt
19. Ryan Humphrey
20. Kareem Rush
21. Qyntel Woods
22. Casey Jacobsen

By trading two picks, the Lakers traded (maybe, depending on the year) a 1/3 shot at grabbing a Tayshaun Prince caliber player. Let’s say that Crittendon and Gasol each have a 1/3 shot at becoming a player of Prince’s caliber (that is being AWFULLY generous, btw).

So they traded a 70% shot (at best) of landing a really solid player for an all-star. That is a fleecing, and it makes the Lakers a real championship contender.

Tayshaun - Pick #23
Maxiell - Pick #26

Hell, Delfino turned out pretty okay for a 25th pick, coming one pick after Brian Cook at #24. And don’t forget Amir Johnson (and Cheikh Samb) were virtual unknowns taken late in the 2nd round. Samb was even drafted by the Lakers themselves.

You’re probably just as likely if not more likely to get an impact 1st rounder in the NBA than the NFL, especially if you know what you’re doing. Now this trade has nothing to do with Joe D. and everything to do with Mitch Kupchak. He’s been pretty decent in the draft, getting both Walton and Turiaf in the 2nd round and Crittenton and Farmar in the 1st round look pretty good so far. And oh yeah, he drafted that kid Bynum despite looking like a moron for that until this season. Whether or not Memphis cashes in, it’s still two less picks in the hands of Kupchak.

That Lakers pick in 2010 could turn out to be a mid first round or lottery pick. Bynum is due a huge raise after next season. And that just happens to be the same summer that Odom AND Ariza are also free agents. This move for Gasol has a very small window unless Kupchak finds a way to make all of that work. Kupchak’s been pretty good in drafts, but not entirely stellar in team management. Come 2010, he may really be itching to have his 1st round pick (and he may not), but the fact is, he doesn’t have it anymore. He’s rolling the dice. Miami rolled the dice on Shaq and got their title, and now they’re an embarrassment. Even if the Lakers snag a title out of this (big if), don’t be shocked to see something at least somewhat similar.