Yes, as I said it's called by low and sell high. That's what you do with assets, whether human or otherwise that over time depreciate. Don't try to change your argument, I called you on that trade exception BS and it stands, they had less need for a trade exception than a 2nd round draft pick, and even less need for a 2nd round draft pick than a 7-footer with trade value around the entire league as the reigning 6th man of the year. If you're going to call me on it you need to get it right. Lamar Odom was traded for the Mavericks NUMBER ONE pick in 2012 not NUMBER TWO and it was accompanied with $9M TPE equal obviously to Lamar's salary. I'd say more to the point, your generalizing how any franchise would go about adding to and pruning a roster. There are a few players. particularly at the high earning end that will undoubtedly have to be moved prior to the time their contracts have fully matured and Odom and Gasol fit that profile. The majority of players will most likely play out their contracts and either move on or move out of the league. Sometimes they ascribe the wrong value to a player's worth and provide to large and lengthy a contract and the pain for that wasn't nearly as painful under the old rules as it will be under the new. The Lakers salary cap issues are all fixable within a two year time period now that everyone knows what the new CBA rules are that everyone is supposed to follow. The exception for the Lakers of course being Kobe Bryant for which there is no particular remedy. Just a second here konver5ation. Lamar Odom was a Laker for 8 seasons. This isn't a guy the organization was unfamiliar with. They knew about the distraction of the TV show and they also (like every other NBA franchise) were paying attention to which athletes kept themselves in shape during the lockout and which ones didn't. It is common knowledge that Lamar showed up so far out of shape that he couldn't possibly have spent any devoted time on his off season conditioning the way he had the year before when he was playing on the USA national team. He obviously was banking on the possibility that the season would be wash out. Whether the New Orleans deal stuck or not, Mitch was predisposed to trading Lamar as quickly as he could PRIMARILY because he knew Lamar wasn't going to be able to help the basketball during a shortened season because he had let himself go. Will Lamar return to his prior playing state? It's unlikely but Cuban has a $2M buyout on him next year anyway so Lamar will most likely become UFA this off season and perhaps if he can get back in shape and persuade the Lakers that he's worth another go around at 33 he may be back. Who knows? Mitch knew EXACTLY what he was doing when he moved Lamar expediently and it had everything to do with his conditioning and overall readiness to help the team and the financial circumstances were secondary issues. And the facts bear out the reality of the situation. Lamar is unable to perform in Dallas because he hasn't been in basketball shape. The Lakers could have waited a year and bought out Lamar's contract for $2M just as easily as Cuban can. But they moved him to get the most value that they could capitalizing on his prior year's performance. You don't have a great grasp on this. it's a family owned and operated business for nearly 50 years. Jerry Buss has devoted his life to being a basketball executive. He hasn't sold the franchise off to the founder of Dunkin' Donuts or something horrific. His children, Jimmy, Johnny and Jeannie Buss have grown up in the Lakers organization. Jimmy didn't just begin to get involved with these affairs. He's been learning and advising Jerry on team matters for probably 15 years. Point is you need to be thinking of the Buss's similar to the Rooneys of the Pittsburgh Steelers. They're major operators of a family owned sports franchise for decades, they don't think in terms of taking it for granite or running it into the ground. Mitch Kupchak has been the Laker GM since Jerry West. The Buss family has only employed two. Where you get the idea that Mitch has been stripped of his authority is kind of laughable considering he and Jimmy Buss have been colleagues over strategic personnel matters for a number of years including the drafting and grooming of Andrew Bynum. There has been a split for sometime due to Phil Jackson's preferences for the organization versus Jimmy Buss. And so quite naturally, with Phil gone now, Jimmy is making his preferred changes. But that was inevitable. The best thing to say about that was that he didn't impose those changes whilst Phil was still present within the organization. These are smart basketball people who know when to leave a good thing alone and when to invoke changes. The team was rudely dismissed from the second round of the playoffs last year and Jackson departed. Time for the new era to begin. Let's separate out the Chris Paul debacle since in practical terms it has no bearing any longer on what lies ahead. The initial requirement from a cap space perspective as I understand at least, is to get underneath the $70M barrier to avoid luxury tax payout and they have this season and next to accomplish that mission. It will not be a complicated affair. As I mentioned, they are halfway there already if they eat the $9M Odom TPE which they may opt to do. If they move Gasol now or even during the off season they'll be at the doorstep most likely with further reductions but they should be able to get an all-star or potential star value in return for Gasol as the primary mission if they persist. I don't see the problem long term of the Lakers maintaining 3 All Stars and a supporting cast any differently then the blueprint established in Miami. It's certainly workable especially for the Lakers and especially operating out of Southern California which is both lucrative and attractive to NBA superstars and no doubt will remain so. The only complicated obstacle to getting there is Kobe since the team already has it's franchise center and is actively seeking an all star point guard. Business plans no. Contingencies? yes indeed. The reason to suspect that there is plenty of room to negotiate is because Kobe has reached a stage where the things he wants most are in alignment with remaining a Laker. That doesn't say that they will for sure strike an accord, but if worst case is that they decide to part ways then the Lakers would have back the dollars required to pursue another superstar into Los Angeles. Again it is very unlikely given the new cap constraints that any franchise in the NBA will cough up $30M for Kobe's contract two years from now when he probably is starting to show signs of decline. Kobe has said time and again, that he prefers to stay here now but you and I know things change. it's not a bad position to be in. The Lakers would love to be televising Kobe on their new cable network chasing the all-time scoring record which is years away if he can pull it off. You and I may differ slightly on just how unique the Chris Paul acquisition actually might have been. I don't think necessarily it would have served as much of a bridge for moving Kobe. The guy is too entrenched in Laker lore. It's clear Pau wouldn't be able to help with that bridging, you're right about that. I think actually Bynum if he's truly past his health issues at 24 could ascend somewhat dramatically over the next two years and has shown progress this year with more minutes. Lowry is intriguing because it's hard to say with a 25 year old what's the extent of his upside as a guard. I find it funny with people on this site having trouble with Gasol's age at 31 when you consider a player like Dwyane Wade is already 30. No argument from me on this really. Was just looking to point out that Mitch is conservative and stubborn in his trade dealings and almost always believes his players are worth more in return than is offered. So I wouldn't be surprised here if the hangup with Morey is around Kupchak insisting that it is Houston who needs to put more into this deal. No way to know if that's true but I've seen Kupchak operate that way before. I bring it up only because his name appears repeatedly as the alternative to Lowry in a deal with the Lakers by the so-called knowledgeable sources which of course, he is not or should not unless Mitch has lost his mind. I'm with you that Gorin has the potential to be much more than a back-up but on the fair market side, he hasn't achieved more than that and therefore doesn't covet that form of consideration except of course from his own team the Rockets who as you point out would serve themselves well to find a way to keep him and start him at point guard. I'm totally with you on this line of thinking.
Odoms contributions in LA were severly overblown. This is who he was alot of the time in LA as well. He's always been very inconsistent, but his games that he did big things that helped the Lakers win multiple titles. Dallas sold Odom to their fanbase as a big splash move, and that was mistake #1. Gasol, on the other hand, is one of the most underappreciated players in the NBA. Even though Kobe is their #1 scoring option, and possibly the 2nd greatest shooting guard ever, Gasol is their best player right now. You would never know it, but he is. What he can do on offense is something that nobody else in the NBA can do. Even Dirk at 7ft cant do alot of the things Gasol can do offensively. He's the most skilled 7 footer in the game, and the fact that Gasol doesn't touch the ball on every single offensive possession is an NBA travesty. If I was Gasol I would be salivating to play alongside a true PG in Lowry, great outside shooters, and a defensive center.
Pick and roll, pick and pop, high post plays for cutters..etc. That's the advantage of having versatile bigs. Not to mention his knack of getting offensive boards (which is our main issue now) and easy tip ins with his length. Just the thought of having Gasol protect the paint or defend at the post instead of Scola would be a huge relief already by itself. Yes to Pau if we keep Lowry. Simple as that.
Taking it for "granite"? That's a new one. I like that. Interesting post, though. I wonder if Lamar Odom being terribly out of shape had anything to do with Stern killing the Hornets trade?
I did watch last years finals, and guess what? The LA Lakers were not in it! So, did you watch last years finals? I'll give you that Pau Gasol sucked in the playoffs, but would your psyche be 100% if you found out one of your teammates (reportedly Shannon Brown) was banging your girlfriend? Didn't think so. http://aol.sportingnews.com/nba/story/2011-05-09/did-breakup-affect-pau-gasols-playoff-performance Shannon Brown also tweeted something along the lines of "for the last time, i did not bang Pau Gasol's girlfriend," and then proceeded to leave LA for Phoenix. You connect the dots. LeBron also disappeared in the playoffs last year when it mattered the most, does that mean any GM in the NBA would not want him on their team? NBA players are not basketball robots, they are human beings just like the rest of us and it is expected that they suffer from off-court problems that affect their performance. And just because Gasol is not confrontational does not mean he is "soft, lazy, and sensitive." You can't be soft in the NBA and pull down 10 rebounds every night year after year. You questioned his pedigree and toughness, but at the end of the day, Gasol is a 2x NBA Champion, a FIBA Gold-Medalist, and a high character guy that does not cause trouble for his franchise. I'm sorry he does not get technical fouls and flagrant foul people on a regular basis, but you need to get over that. Just because they Lakers don't win the championship every year does not invalidate my argument that a team can win a championship with Gasol as their second player. I don't know if you have realized, but the Lakers have won the last 2/3 of the NBA championships. When Kobe shot 6-24 in game 7 of the nba finals in 2010, it was Pau Gasol who had 19-18-4-2 in a clutch performance to beat the celtics. Nobody wants the Rockets to rebuild around Pau Gasol, but he can be a piece to the puzzle. Maybe if your reading comprehension was on a higher level, you would be able to understand that from my quotes. Unfortunately, it is not.
No, he killed the trade because of guaranteed contracts, and good players. They didnt want good players because they want to be terrible to get the #1 draft pick. He believed it would be easier to sell the team with as much of a clean slate as possible, and they didnt want to be good this year. I guarantee you the Hornets will have the #1 draft pick this year, and a new owner coming in this summer knowing they have a clean slate and a Anthony Davis coming in will make this franchise very very appealing to a new owner.
You know Patience it might've. But i doubt it because of the way that Cuban jumped on the Lamar train sight unseen and we know that was true by the early reports coming out of Dallas with the start of the season and Carlisle saying they would have to go slow with Lamar because of the poor shape he was in. Turns out they didn't do their proper due diligence because they just assumed they were getting a steal from the Lakers who they thought were just panicked over dumping salary and therefore were offering up Lamar like he was part of a garage sale. Now Lamar did demand a trade as well which made it all the easier for Kupchak to oblige.
Btw CDave... something I think you keep glossing over.. Jerry aint runnin the show in lala land anymore... and his kids are lookin pretty inept thus far... I think time will tell whether the organization is devoted to championships - or the bottom line...
+1. I don't even need to respond to CDave. This is the basis of any argument I make about LA's front office. It's a new age. LA won't have a $70 mil payroll. Point. Blank. Period. Stop trying to make random sports and golden age of bball comparisons, my argument is very specific to the Lakers organization TODAY, not 2 years ago, not 20 years ago and definitely not the Steelers or Yankees. Just stop, it's so unnecessary. As such, they need to move Gasol so Morey should wait them out and get some picks back if that's the player he wants, my only controversial assertion is that Lowry is worth Gasol and draft picks, I would understand you disagreeing with that since that's my personal opinion, but what else do you have an issue with?
Kjay, Jerry has been shifting from out of the mainstream for sometime now. There was talk as to whether or not Jeannie or Jimmy would wind up as the primary decision maker but this has been advancing for sometime. I agree we don't know whether or not the offspring will take care of the family jewels they're about to inherit but there is no denying they've had the requisite upbringing and background within the business to keep it successful.
.....Add PROFITABLE when you say "upbringing within the business". Viewing LA as a BUSINESS means you don't pay into the salary cap and sacrifice $20 million when your floor seats will sale for $10,000 as long as Kobe and Bynum are playing.... Gasol isn't driving up ticket prices, it's the Lake Show and what business would want to hand money over to its competing franchises? That's not good business. So I agree, they have good business training and will run the organization like a business as they should. You go into the luxury tax for CP3 and maybe 10 other players in the league... but when you have a healthy Andrew Bynum, Gasol definitely isn't one of those 10 players I'd presume. Gasol's $20 mil contract is essentially $20 mil in cap space, plus $20 mil in money directly out of the children's pockets. You're on the side of the argument that they are okay with giving $20 mil to other teams to keep Gasol, I strongly disagree and I think I have 20 million reasons on my side.
I didn't say they would. You either didn't read or comprehend what I said which was that the $70M barrier was the first one they would have to surmount and they could do that rather easily. Subsequently they would need to move towards a blueprint like Miami comprised of three All Stars. Not a terribly difficult shift to make considering the primary piece is already in place (Bynum). You're trying to assert that there are serious problems with the inner workings of the franchise and it's all based on your speculation, no supporting facts. It may be true. Only time will tell. My only reason for making those analogies is that the Lakers have been tremendously successful for a long, long time so there is less reason to assume that suddenly things would just fall apart on them. No issue. Thanks for covering the topic with your views. very informative and helpful.
You're 100% right about the Miami model but LA's contract structures aren't set up for that. People really undercovered the most interesting part of that big 3 signing in Miami, that they all signed contracts far below what they could get. So would Kobe/Bynum/Gasol do the same? Gasol may.... but I doubt Bynum would. If I'm Andrew Bynum and I've seen big men with lower leg injuries leave permanently the league year after year, I don't think I'm willing to take $13.5 like Bosh/Wade/LBJ when this next contract could easily be my last (I know I'm preaching to the choir on a Rockets board about big men retiring abruptly due to injury). So in the end I can agree with you, if they could get Kobe and Bynum to restructure and take $6-10 mil less a year then yeah, nothing I said matters because I think the FO would still pay $5 mil in luxury tax to keep that big 3 together..... paying upwards of $20 mil is ridiculous and isn't happening unless it's Dwight/Kobe/CP3 as the big 3.
Not at all but what you fail to grasp apparently is that the coffer is now shifting from butts in seats to monthly subscription cable fees that start regionally and grow nationally. Now which of the two would you suppose offer the greatest potential to grow the business? The cable contract in place will pay the luxury tax four times over. Whilst nobody wants to give away $20M there is a bigger picture at stake involving putting on the greatest show possible. So it isn't a question of reducing the expense side of the equation which clearly has to happen as much as it is how to do that whilst avoiding a Fire Sale which you insist is the only way to get there.
Not really accurate by my reading. if you look at the 5 year salary projections of the big three in Miami by 2013 all three of their salaries will be at the MAX salary limit as judged by today's standards and well in excess of that by 2015. Of course we would expect the cap to adjust as well. And again the Gasol question is forgone. He will be moved. They've already tipped their hand. The question is will it be now or sometime later. No argument. Bynum will expect a Max deal I suspect. No argument that they need to get to something more reasonable. I'm only balking at your assertion that this is somehow a cataclysmic event for the organization to scramble around for and they must respond with some sort of a fire sale which is not necessary.
Maybe its already been said, but I think its a 3 team trade. LA has no use for K Martin. So, Houston trades Scola to LA, Martin to Minn and Houston receives Gasol. LA sends out Gasol and receives Scola, Beasley, Martel Webster (cut 2 players). Minn sends out Beasley and Webster and gets Martin.
