Baron Davis was traded for this!

[JR2004]

It hacked me off at the time and it still hacks me off now. The Lakers GM, Mitch Kupcake, had an opportunity to trade for Baron Davis and bring him back home to LA, but balked at the last minute due to injury concerns. So Golden State steps in and blows the Hornets away with this loaded offer!

Speedy Claxton
Dale Davis
and cash considerations

Heck I would've taken 50 games of Baron versus a full-season of the junk I've watched get paired with Kobe over the last 3 seasons! It's hard to fathom, even with injury concerns and all, that a player who could possibly lead only the 3rd eight seed to a playoff series win was traded for so little.

[Adidas410s]

Baron plays the point...Kobe only likes it when he's playing the point (other than that passing part)...remind me how that would work again???

[JR2004]

Originally posted by Adidas410s
Baron plays the point...Kobe only likes it when he's playing the point (other than that passing part)...remind me how that would work again???

ACTUALLY, Kobe DOESN'T like playing the point. He's said in the past that it causes him to have to exert too much energy on the offensive end if he has to be the facilitator for the offense. Pairing those two together made too much sense, that's why my team's GM got cold feet and backed off of a deal.

[BILLYFRED0000]

Originally posted by JR2004
ACTUALLY, Kobe DOESN'T like playing the point. He's said in the past that it causes him to have to exert too much energy on the offensive end if he has to be the facilitator for the offense. Pairing those two together made too much sense, that's why my team's GM got cold feet and backed off of a deal.

I agree. Baron plays point and Kobe just scores. That would put the lakers in the top half of the playoff bracket. And lets Kobe play a little D too which he can. And Baron is not a bad D player either. Those two in the backcourt could mess up your whole day.

[Adidas410s]

Originally posted by JR2004
ACTUALLY, Kobe DOESN'T like playing the point. He's said in the past that it causes him to have to exert too much energy on the offensive end if he has to be the facilitator for the offense. Pairing those two together made too much sense, that's why my team's GM got cold feet and backed off of a deal.

Sorry for the wording. I meant playing the point in terms of he wants to control the offense and tends to prefer making a pass (to start the motion) that allows him to work within the offense to get himself open.

[JR2004]

Originally posted by Adidas410s
Sorry for the wording. I meant playing the point in terms of he wants to control the offense and tends to prefer making a pass (to start the motion) that allows him to work within the offense to get himself open.

I can agree with that logic. When the Lakers were in the midst of the three-peat, they were at their most effective when Fisher handled the ball and Kobe was able to roam freely, but still loosely stay within the confines of the triangle. Right now what is happening with Kobe is he is now the facilitator about 75-80 percent of the time and it's just not a good blueprint for success for him or the Lakers at all. Baron would've solved this problem after he became accustomed to the nuances of the triangle.

Oh well I'm sure he's happy where he's at now because he's still got a chance to move on and my guys are sitting at home after another embarrassing playoff loss. I guess it just blows my mind that a guy of Baron's immense talent was basically gotten for an over the hill vet along with a never was to go along with a bit of cash thrown in.

[Adidas410s]

So do you say give the Lakers 2 years and if Kobe doesn't see improvement then he'll opt out??? I think Bynum has potential to be the low post presence to work with Kobe...but they still dont have any role players (defense guy, 3 pt guy, 6th man) to help out.

[JR2004]

If I were him I'd opt out if they aren't going to bring anyone else in. I like Bynum, but I've read several times that Kobe and Phil aren't super enthused with him as they feel he's a bit lazy. I've also read recently where someone said he could have a "Brad Daugherty" type career. If my guys are holding onto a player with that being his ceiling, then he needs to be traded to get a superstar.

The only real role players this team has of any value is Luke Walton and Ronny Turiaf. Farmar could turn out great, but that could be 3 or 4 years down the road and that's just too long to wait.

[BILLYFRED0000]

Originally posted by JR2004
If I were him I'd opt out if they aren't going to bring anyone else in. I like Bynum, but I've read several times that Kobe and Phil aren't super enthused with him as they feel he's a bit lazy. I've also read recently where someone said he could have a "Brad Daugherty" type career. If my guys are holding onto a player with that being his ceiling, then he needs to be traded to get a superstar.

The only real role players this team has of any value is Luke Walton and Ronny Turiaf. Farmar could turn out great, but that could be 3 or 4 years down the road and that's just too long to wait.

Yeah, I agree with that..... Phil has got to have something up his sleeve. I just have no idea what it might be. There is no way the Lakers can keep going the way they are going.

[big daddy russ]

Originally posted by JR2004
If I were him I'd opt out if they aren't going to bring anyone else in. I like Bynum, but I've read several times that Kobe and Phil aren't super enthused with him as they feel he's a bit lazy. I've also read recently where someone said he could have a "Brad Daugherty" type career. If my guys are holding onto a player with that being his ceiling, then he needs to be traded to get a superstar.

The only real role players this team has of any value is Luke Walton and Ronny Turiaf. Farmar could turn out great, but that could be 3 or 4 years down the road and that's just too long to wait.
I'd almost agree with the Brad Daugherty thing. Daugherty was great before injuries, but I see Bynum as more of a Brad Miller-type of center. Someone who has some skill, is more than serviceable, and is probably in the second or third tier of centers, but nobody you'd ever want to build a team around.

I think the Lake Show should unload Bynum while his value is high. They could probably get a damn good veteran middle man in exchange for him, and may not even have to give up Odom depending on who it is.

Check out this lineup:
C: Chris Mihm (he's much better than Bynum at this point)
PF: Jermaine O'Neal
SF: Lamar Odom
SG: Kobe Bryant
PG: Someone willing to accept the mid-level exception who's happy with dribbling, passing, playing defense and shooting 3's.

Backups:
F/C: Ronny Turiaf
F/C: Brian Cook
G/F: Luke Walton
G: Jordan Farmar
G: Shammond Williams (Great change-of-pace guy)

That's not a bad team at all right there. Farmar, Turiaf, and Walton coming off the bench would help their depth and their starters look pretty good.

My guess is that Indy would take no less than Bynum and some draft picks for O'Neal, but that you could get away with just giving them your 2007 draft and a young, up-and-coming (and IMO slightly overrated) center to make it happen.

Heck, you may even be able to pull Kevin Garnett if you throw Lamar Odom into a trade. A starting lineup of Mihm, KG, Walton, Kobe, and Gary Coleman isn't a bad lineup. Replace Webster with a decent floor general and I like that lineup better than the O'Neal line. A lot better than the O'Neal line.

Also, Steve Blake, TJ Ford, Mo Williams, and Luke Ridnour will all be available through free agency and could contribute on the team. Williams and Ford may wind up going for a little more than the exception... I don't really know where teams value either, especially with Ford's injuries... but a guy like Ridnour would be a great fit. He can run a team, can shoot from mid-range, and is a great ballhandler. He may not be a superb defender or lethal from three, but he can be taught to play defense and has never played with anyone who can collapse a defense and open up shots other than Rashard Lewis.

If Kupchack's willing to swallow his pride and unload a couple of key guys, the Lakers could potentially be very good. One of the keys IMO will be not overpaying guys like Walton and Mihm. From what I've read, Walton really raised his stock this year, but he's not the kind of guy I'd throw big money at (I call "big money" $7 million a year... what Quentin Richardson and Jamal Crawford make). If Kupchack can balance that with a big-time trade for a big (and NOT another PG), the Lakers would be a tough matchup for most teams next year. PG's are easier to come by than PF's.