Lakers | Pacers | Hornets ... JO finally to join Kobe!

[Oomph]

L.A. Lakers Trade Breakdown

Incoming Players
Stephen Graham
Troy Murphy
Jermaine O'Neal

Outgoing Players
Javaris Crittenton
Vladimir Radmanovic
Kwame Brown
Lamar Odom
2008 #2 pick

Indiana Trade Breakdown

Incoming Players
Javaris Crittenton
Kwame Brown
Lamar Odom
Bobby Jackson

Outgoing Players
Stephen Graham
Troy Murphy
Jermaine O'Neal

New Orleans Trade Breakdown

Incoming Players
Vladimir Radmanovic
2008 #2 pick from LAL

Outgoing Players
Bobby Jackson

Why?

Lakers upgrade their frontcourt with JO who will form a terrific duo with Bynum while Murphy will collect rebounds and score points as the 6tm man off the bench. Lakers fans, this is the reduced package for JO ... take it or leave it!

Pacers are ready to part ways with JO and take the minimal Lakers package with Bird's favourite Odom in it. Kwame expires this season while Odom and Jackson, who can take on the Armstrong role, expire next season.

Hornets want more scoring off the bench and Vladrad can provide that better than the oft-injured Jackson. They also get a nice pick from LA.

[warren weel im]

I do not believe in the notion that Troy Murphy has no value around the league. That said, I think a number of teams may be interested in his services EVEN IF he is overpaid and his contract spans for 4 more years.

LA fans have been thinking a lot about JO now more than ever. Lamar Odom is still good as is but he seems to not be enough for that playoff push with grit. As is, we are looking at the 2nd round with much much more elbow room.

Indiana is spiraling down but their uptempo game looks good. Granger has a huge room for improvement and what they need is a forward that does not command touches but will play within the system. Lamar Odom looks like this guy, plus his contract situation is perfect for the planning. In 2009 when Granger gets that extension at 11m per (Kevin Martin money), that's when JO will become a burden to the payroll at 23m.

Why are Indy fans adamant about trading a fall-out star? Its obvious that JO's time in Indiana is over and I don't think there is a better Western alternative rather than LA's offer. Unless you would like more salary to pour into the payroll, the better teams that can run after JO are NJ and NYK. I don't think that is a good scenario to be in - trading him to a conference rival.

I will be doing a thread regarding the JO to LA push sometime this week and I hope Indy fans and Laker fans submit their thoughts on it. This one's a good start.

Truth of the matter is, the ideal trade for both teams has to be JO=Odom+Kwame+08 1st. Anything touching a bad contract going to LA becomes unhealthy even if it made sense.

[shrink]

I think the problem the Lakers have had making a trade for a bigtime player is that no one wants Lamar Odom. I think many under-value his production, but he's making the same as a max deal right now ($13,248,596, $14,148,596) and I agree with people who think that's too much to pay for a complimentary player.

A team that is willing to spend that much for a player in that role is clearly in a "win-now" situation, so it hurts the Laker's chances of getting an expensive All Star from a rebuilding team (like Garnett). The owner would need to pay Odom $27 mil, to reduce their chances in the lottery.

On the other hand, the "win-now" teams that would pay that much for production aren't likely to be trading their superstars away. The Lakers best hope, I think, is to find a team that wants to win now, but who has a couple superstars, and one is unhappy.

So it would seem the right path is to find a third team that wants to win now, where Odom can fit, and will offer 2-year or less contracts plus some youth. However, that's a problem too, because if the third team can make such a package, they'd probably just want to use it to get the superstar themselves, and skip Odom entirely!

That said, I agree oomph is on the right track. Even though a rebuilding IND team can't really take advantage of Odom's production, if the Lakers can overwhelm the other side with value, they might be able to help. Kwame for Murphy is overwhelming financial value. Moreover, adding in Crit (or a first) will probably get a yes out of them if they plummet further in the standings.

I understand it has to be frustrating for the Lakerfans when they offer a good player like Odom, and everyone says "No thanks." However, if they can add overwhelming value, I think they can find a deal where Odom helps them get a superstar.

[dockingsched]

heck no the lakers aren't taking on that much long term money in the frontcourt.

[hermes]

lakers don't want JO anymore

[eagles nut]

Question. Have the majority of Pacers fans finally abandoned their "Lakers won't get J.O. for anything less than Odom and Bynum" stance?

[MJallday59]

Wow, Am I the only person who doesn't think JO is worth max contract money????

Odom is way too versatile to give up. If you do give him up you need to get equal value in return...can't think of anyone who'd fit in with LA like that...

[xxSnEaKyPxx]

Question. Have the majority of Pacers fans finally abandoned their "Lakers won't get J.O. for anything less than Odom and Bynum" stance?

I was one of the few that would settle for just Bynum in the off season. However I never wanted Odom, nor still do. JO can land a lot better package than one that centers around Odom. Honestly, if they deal O'Neal for a Odom based package, I would be extremely pissed off, let down, and would have no more faith in Bird and Walsh.

[loserX]

Question. Have the majority of Pacers fans finally abandoned their "Lakers won't get J.O. for anything less than Odom and Bynum" stance?

The desired prize was always Bynum, not Odom. The Pacers have plenty of forwards already, and Odom doesn't contribute much to a presumed rebuild...I think they just wanted Odom because he was better than the next alternative (Kwame Brown).

[Boneman2]

JO still has a tremendous amount to give, it only seems he isn't motivated to do so in Indy.

Let's get it straight, if JO went to LA he'd be the interior force driving that team. His defense is superb, as well as his offense. Put Andrew on the Pacers and all the sudden he's got defenders collapsing on him at will. Put JO on the Lakers and all the sudden defenses play him man-to-man, jackpot.

The mancrush Laker fans seem to have with Bynum is definitely warranted, but he still isn't ready, and probably won't be for awhile.

As an Indy fan I might consider moving JO for this package if Troy goes with him, primarily because this trade makes us worse.

[xxSnEaKyPxx]

JO still has a tremendous amount to give, it only seems he isn't motivated to do so in Indy.

Let's get it straight, if JO went to LA he'd be the interior force driving that team. His defense is superb, as well as his offense. Put Andrew on the Pacers and all the sudden he's got defenders collapsing on him at will. Put JO on the Lakers and all the sudden defenses play him man-to-man, jackpot.

The mancrush Laker fans seem to have with Bynum is definitely warranted, but he still isn't ready, and probably won't be for awhile.

As an Indy fan I might consider moving JO for this package if Troy goes with him, primarily because this trade makes us worse.

I agree with what you are saying. I have been saying it all along. JO for Bynum would have been great for both teams. JO would move LA to Championship contention again. As for the Laker fans who only go on stats, JO isn't trying to be our entire offense anymore, his points and rebounds are down because our teams points and rebounds are up, other people are contributing. JO is still a force defensively as well. You put him with Kobe, he has 1 on 1's and would torch other teams. Bynum would give the Pacers a team of the future. Bynum/Diogu/Granger/Williams would have been an incredible future. Bynum on the Lakers is great, but I feel by the time he becomes an elite center, Bryant will no longer be as dominate, he's logged a lot of minutes in his career.

Note: I'm not saying the Lakers should trade Bynum, frankly at this point it would be dumb to give away the future. I'm just saying JO could win them Championships now, while Bryant is still the best player in the league. I think that the trade not happening hurt both teams now, even though the Lakers will still have a great future in Bynum. Again, I'm not saying the Lakers should trade Bynum, just saying why it would have still been a good trade for them, thats all.

[warren weel im]

I think the problem the Lakers have had making a trade for a bigtime player is that no one wants Lamar Odom. I think many under-value his production, but he's making the same as a max deal right now ($13,248,596, $14,148,596) and I agree with people who think that's too much to pay for a complimentary player.

A team that is willing to spend that much for a player in that role is clearly in a "win-now" situation, so it hurts the Laker's chances of getting an expensive All Star from a rebuilding team (like Garnett). The owner would need to pay Odom $27 mil, to reduce their chances in the lottery.

On the other hand, the "win-now" teams that would pay that much for production aren't likely to be trading their superstars away. The Lakers best hope, I think, is to find a team that wants to win now, but who has a couple superstars, and one is unhappy.

So it would seem the right path is to find a third team that wants to win now, where Odom can fit, and will offer 2-year or less contracts plus some youth. However, that's a problem too, because if the third team can make such a package, they'd probably just want to use it to get the superstar themselves, and skip Odom entirely!

That said, I agree oomph is on the right track. Even though a rebuilding IND team can't really take advantage of Odom's production, if the Lakers can overwhelm the other side with value, they might be able to help. Kwame for Murphy is overwhelming financial value. Moreover, adding in Crit (or a first) will probably get a yes out of them if they plummet further in the standings.

I understand it has to be frustrating for the Lakerfans when they offer a good player like Odom, and everyone says "No thanks." However, if they can add overwhelming value, I think they can find a deal where Odom helps them get a superstar.

I like your thinking but JO is paid Kobe Bryant money with some 20 year olds exceeding his performance. If you say Odom is a complimentary player at this stage, so is JO. He is NOT the pinnacle of the offense in Indiana and the way that team is built (uptempo), I don't think he will be in the next 3 years.

I am staring at a 40-pt 1st quarter by Utah supposed to Indy's only 19. Not a good sign to think I bet on Indy +8.5 on this game.

[warren weel im]

-= original quote snipped =-



I agree with what you are saying. I have been saying it all along. JO for Bynum would have been great for both teams. JO would move LA to Championship contention again. As for the Laker fans who only go on stats, JO isn't trying to be our entire offense anymore, his points and rebounds are down because our teams points and rebounds are up, other people are contributing. JO is still a force defensively as well. You put him with Kobe, he has 1 on 1's and would torch other teams. Bynum would give the Pacers a team of the future. Bynum/Diogu/Granger/Williams would have been an incredible future. Bynum on the Lakers is great, but I feel by the time he becomes an elite center, Bryant will no longer be as dominate, he's logged a lot of minutes in his career.

Note: I'm not saying the Lakers should trade Bynum, frankly at this point it would be dumb to give away the future. I'm just saying JO could win them Championships now, while Bryant is still the best player in the league. I think that the trade not happening hurt both teams now, even though the Lakers will still have a great future in Bynum. Again, I'm not saying the Lakers should trade Bynum, just saying why it would have still been a good trade for them, thats all.

DRange, this is how every Laker envisioned the off-season to be. Big Bang with JO coming to LA without parting with Odom. Using Bynum and Kwame as the main factors (Bynum as potential, Kwame as fodder) I say 90% of Laker fans will do this deal in a heartbeat. We call this the "Bynum-based package for JO". We would have a 3-headed attack in Kobe, Lamar and JO that will supposedly supplant Boston's own trio.

Since Bird was insistent on Lamar instead of Kwame, that's why this deal did not materialize. We were bashing Mitch for not budging to Bird, but its seems, 11 weeks after, Mitch was right and we were all wrong. Better us wrong than him, I no longer advocate for any Bynum deal whatsoever even if it was Greg Oden involved. This is so because Bynum gives you a good chance to both WIN NOW and BUILD FOR THE FUTURE. I think his maturity is sped up with the current situation at hand and it has unleashed a beast in Mr. Bynum-ite.

As I have always said, Indy had more to lose if this deal broke off. I was right with my prediction and it seems Indy has to budge to LA's offer of Kwame and Lamar before it narrows even more. I am not forcing Indy fans to do it, but I think its a sensible thing to do be it for rebuilding reasons or for uptempo reasons. For what its worth, I was an Indy fan in the Reggie Miller era.

[warren weel im]

Wow, Am I the only person who doesn't think JO is worth max contract money????

Odom is way too versatile to give up. If you do give him up you need to get equal value in return...can't think of anyone who'd fit in with LA like that...

I disagree that Odom fits LA's style. He fits in any offense, preferrably uptempo, but not in the TRI where he is held back. He has no 3-pointer to showcase too. Many of our losses this year came from Lamar's poor shooting.

Question. Have the majority of Pacers fans finally abandoned their "Lakers won't get J.O. for anything less than Odom and Bynum" stance?

I think they have submitted to the fact that Bynum isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

[DanTown8587]

Anybody who proposes a laker trade with Odom in it really doesn't see what he does for this team. He takes the ball to the whole, doesn't complain that he takes six shots in a game, doesn't care that he is forced to play with four bench guys. Odom is a great pro, and I do not think JO is the answer in LA mainly because he is not a post presence, rather more a KG type where he likes the fade away along the baseline.

[bballpacen]

Bynum was reportedly never offered, wether it was with Odom, or Brown...