I don't think anyone has posted this... if they have, sorry for the repost... http://www.nypost.com/seven/05312007/sports/jermaine__kobe_may_team_up_sports_peter_vecsey.htm May 31, 2007 1:31pm ET A New Bryant-O'Neal Duo May Form Peter Vecsey of the NEW YORK POST "The Post has learned a championship-caliber collaborator should soon be coming to Kobe's - the city's and the team's - emotional rescue. How poetically peculiar that the player's last name is O'Neal, as in Jermaine, not Shaquille! Interestingly, the teammates-in-waiting were chosen four spots apart in the '96 draft: Kobe No. 13 by the then Charlotte Hornets; Jermaine No. 17 by the Blazers."
Odom + Bynum? Bynum alone shouldn't get it done, unless Indy's as desperate to unload O'Neal as they were Jackson (doubt it). I'd assume everything Peter's hearing came from a 310 area code. Also, I don't see Kobe + Jermaine as being much better than Kobe + Odom. Evan
Three Way Trade Peter Vescey is reporting that the Pacers and Lakers are trying to put together a deal to bring O'Neal to the Lakers. The trade would have to involve Lamar Odom. I think we should try to involve ourselves with either the Lakers or the Pacers to try to get some more spare parts. Of course it would be nice to get Odom, but it would be very beneficial just to be part of the trade.
i think its not illegal to talk to teams that are out of the playoffs already since their season's pretty much over. but i dont think you cant make anything official until offseason officially starts. i just take it as a "friendly" conversation between two gms. im not really sure but are there any experts here in the board that can clear this up please?
www.nypost.com/seven/0531...vecsey.htm Vecsey reports an exclusive in the NY Post this morning. "No specifics were delivered. No negotiating has been done." Anyway, here is what he wrote: Quote: Within the last week, the Pacers and Lakers have laid the groundwork for a trade that would certainly placate both sorrowful All-Stars. L.A. inquired about O'Neal - another fake franchise player pocketing maximum money on the prowl for someone to save him from losing. And was told he was available. Indiana let it be known the Lakers have ample assets (players and/or picks) to make a fair deal. No specifics were delivered. No negotiating has been done. Still, Lamar Odom would have to be the principal of the package in order to adhere to NBA trade specifications. He's currently on the Laker salary cap for $12,348,596 and has two seasons remaining at 900G per raises. O'Neal earns Kobe-like numbers: $18,084M this season, and has three remaining at $19.728M, $21.372 and 23,016M. Kobe has an out after two more seasons. Should he exercise it to become a free agent, he'dHe also expressed hope at being a Laker for life. leave $47.8M on the table.
kobe/JO might be as good as yao/tmac but the team will be years behind in adding role players. they might be a 50 win team, but htere is a limit to how well a team can do in the west wehen you have the mavs, spurs, suns, rockets, and jazz.
If the Lakers trade Odom and Bynum for Jermaine..... If the Lakers trade Odom and Bynum for Jermaine, Mitch Kupchap is stupider than I thought. Larry Bird will be killing them from the GM office like he killed them on the court.
Why? Odom is injury prone and Bynum is still a question mark. O'Neal is a perennial all-star and Indiana's best player. Bird can get much better in return for Jermaine.
I agree completely. Bynum? I swear the Lakers intentionally create a false sense of potential with that guy to increase his trade value. Bynum's ceiling seems low to me.
Are you kidding me, outside of drafting Danny Granger, what has he done right? 1. He got hosed in that deal with Golden State. 2. He trades an expiring contract (Austin Croshere) for Marquis Daniels's long contract. And Daniels isn't exactly lighting it up. 3. He traded Brad Miller for Scot Pollard? 4. Traded James Jones for a 2nd round pick. He took a team that many thought were on their way to multiple finals appearances and turned it into garbage. The Larry Bird myth is like the Jerry West myth. Outside of his drafts (which were pretty decent), his trades and signings in Memphis were crap.
The Miller/Pollard trade was forced on him; but, yeah, he's stunk. I don't see this trade helping anybody much. LA's defense will be much better (JON was as good as defenders got last year), but the offense will be worse, and who runs the apex of the Triangle. Meanwhile, the league's worst offense gets better, a little bit, but what will it matter when the defense falters.
Did you see how much better Bynum was last season vs. the year before? It was a stunning improvement. At times, he showed flashes of being a dominant scorer and was basically unstoppable. He's only 19 years old. Bynum's potential is very real and he made a believer out of me. I thought he was a bust after his rookie season but that kind of jump from year one to two is exactly what the Lakers wanted to see. Bynum is verrrrrrry immature and inconsistent. 82 games is a long time to concentrate for someone so young. Next season or in a couple of years, it should be very evident why the Lakers want to hang on to him. Or Bynum could break their heart and not improve which would be fine with me. But this past season, he showed enough skills to justify why they drafted him, especially early on. He did let them down when Kwame got hurt by playing badly for a long stretch of the season. Neither PJ nor Kareem seem to communicate well with him. Bynum is also prone to discouragement when he misses his first couple of shots.
