Rumors have Kemp going to the Lakers for Rice and Horry. Anyone know how close they are to this deal? That would give the Lakers the PF they lack. Rice wasn't doing all the much there anyway. Kemp isn't what he used to be but still can score and board.
SlamN, Assuming this deal does go down, who's the starting SF for the Lakers? Rice is a good SF, and Horry/Green, etc. fill in nicely at PF. This would be a stupid deal, IMO.
Slamn: I saw it mentioned under ESPNs rumors section. I agree with Pass that it would be a bad deal for the Lakers. They are desperate for a PF, but I think for kemp to be effective (just like Rice) that he needs to have the ball. The Lakers don't need a scorer they already have Shaq & Kobe who can create for themselves and everyone else. Kemp is a good PF but I don't think he is right for the Lakers.
Rick Fox gets the nod at SF. Fox can score but won't be as needy as Rice. That allows Kobe and Shaq to get more touches. Kemp is a big improvement over Horry/Green combo. He can rebound as well as score. Its great for the Cavs since they can dump the overweight and underachieving, Kemp and his huge contract. If this happens, I think the Lakers will be a dangerous team for the next few years.
Horry plays the 3 better than the 4, actually. He's complained about having to play the 4, and would be very happy w/a return to the 3. He certainly worked out well for us as a 3 .
Don't forget, LA has Rick Fox at small forward (a solid player) as well as Devean George, 6'8" rookie that plays small forward. I would make that deal if I were LA!!!
I think the Lakers would be crazy not to make the trade if it was available to them. Fox can play SF well enough, or you can put Bryant at SF and put someone else at SG. Kemp would take a lot of the rebounding duties off Shaq. And he at least decent at shooting free throws, so he could play center at the end of close games without being subject to hack-a-Shaq. And while Kemp's game looks like it has dropped off a bit, being on a good team wil probably make him look better, not to mention feel better and perform better.
Good move IMO, although it would ruin their chances of beating Portland this year. Maybe, though, they can hold off for a better fitting trade---like Eddie Jones and Elden Campbell for Rice
I Agree. Rick Fox can play small forward and would be able put up numbers similar to Rice. The Lakers don't lose a step by making this deal. And anyone who could first date tyra banks, and then marry Vanessa Williams is the the real thing. Mr. debonair makes this deal work.
If this deal goes down I'm pissed. HOW THE HELL CAN LA AFFORD 2 100 Mill MEN? Plus Kobe + Fox Rocket River The Salary Cap is krap HARD CAP!!!
I agree with Juan, that is a great deal for the Lakers. A Shaq, Kemp & Fox front line is much better than a Shaq, Green & Rice front line. Also, Horry and Fox are kind of interchangable too, and then Green can just play back up 4 (instead of Horry's minutes there, or can play a big 3 where Knight is at the 4) where Shaq and Kemp can move to the five. And I don't get why Portland now would match up better. Smith, Pippen and Schrempf have no chance to stay with Kobe whereas Shaq and Kemp can play Sabonis, Wallace & Grant much tougher defensively. The Lakers match us much better against both Portland and the Spurs if this goes down, and neither team has a young SG/SF who can remotely slow Kobe. I think this means big trouble for the rest of the league if it goes down. I would say the Lakers with this deal become even thinner in long distance shooters (their major weakness), but I think even Kobe, Fox, Fisher and Harper will hurt you there if you leave them wide open. I think because Kemp is a shadow of his former self ya'll are underestimating his impact. He still is a 30-year old 6'10" 260+ pound 9 guy who shoots free throws well and can block some shots and who is putting up 19 & 9 per game. Further, he might get motivated by smelling a title (not saying he SHOULD need that to be motivated) and he could play closer to his old form (at least for a while). [This message has been edited by sir scarvajal (edited February 17, 2000).]
Stranger things have happened, but I can't imagine that Jerry Buss would take on Kemp's contract. I think that rumor is very far-fetched.
