Something Pau could easily do. Plus, we could have a functioning twin towers with Pau - Howard frontcourt.
Really I think that we need a PG who can run an offense, plays a lick of defense, and facilitates to Howard and Harden. I know that Harden likes to run the offense through himself but I think that he turns the ball over way too much and he would be better off playing off the ball. We need a guy like CP3 or Rajon Rondo to have that happen. I love Jeremy Lin but I don't think he can compare to either Rondo or CP3. I know that CP3 isn't an option but really neither is Aldridge or Love this year. The only guys I see that might be available are; Pau, Anthony, Rondo, and a bunch of guys that might be able to get you a star in the future.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Talks between the Lakers & Cavs on a Pau Gasol-Andrew Bynum deal have stalled: <a href="http://t.co/UbNlY4VxEk">http://t.co/UbNlY4VxEk</a></p>— Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN) <a href="https://twitter.com/WindhorstESPN/statuses/418777076523474944">January 2, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Shocking! Not. Lakers only interest in moving Pau is to get back a superstar. Cleveland couldn't find a 3rd team (Knicks) to engage in the discussion at this point so...no deal. Lakers aren't interested in saving $20 million unless they know they can't trade Pau for a superstar. So, this trade won't go down unless it's at the deadline and CLE gets Bynum to agree to a $7 million buyout so they don't have to cut him on Jan. 7th and can hold him until the trade deadline.
but the leak starts with Ramona Shelburn and espnla.com and travels from there as "espn reported it" and it becomes the story itself.
Maybe I'm missing the Lakers logic on this. They have their 2014 pick. They're not going anywhere this year, even if Kobe actually plays well when he comes back from injury (and he should just be made to sit). Too much pride in Lakers-land. Always running scared of Kobe. They need a high pick and it wouldn't hurt them to unburden themselves of repeat-offenders luxury tax. But nooooooooooo, we're the Lakers. We can't tank. Or maybe the Lakers let this "trade" leak so they could get some better deals offered them for Pau?
Think on the next level. How about tanking for a lottery pick and acquiring another superstar with Pau's expiring contract? The reason the Pau/Bynum deal can't and won't get done right now is because the Lakers are trying to leverage Pau's contract into another superstar. They are most likely trying to get Melo from the Knicks or DWill from the Nets. Running Pau to Cleveland for Bynum and picks gives a team like the Knicks or Nets even more incentive if both those teams wake up at some point and decide they're not going to win anything this year. For the Knicks the play is simple: Pau/Nash/Blake/Hill is enough outgoing salary to take on Melo AND Amare. If the Knicks don't want Pau, they can take Bynum and other assets (picks) from Cle to cut even more salary and possibly get under the luxury tax threshhold this year. While the Knicks have money to burn, if you're gonna lose there's no reason to throw good money down the drain to lose with. That's why I keep saying, watch for Melo to tell the Knicks he's leaving somewhere around Feb. 19th so they either have to trade him or let him walk. If faced with the possibility of Melo walking for nothing and trading him AND Amare away for cap relief and possibly some picks....the Knicks may fold and do the deed. For the Nets, it's a little more complicated but basically the same scenario. Gasol/Nash/Blake/Hill/Meeks is enough salary to take back Deron Williams, Kevin Garnett, and Paul Pierce. If the Lakers routed Pau to CLE and CLE sent Bynum and Gee to the Nets, the Nets would save well over $100 million in salary and luxury tax over the next 2 seasons. Nets would be out of the luxury tax next season and they would have 2 huge trade exceptions from Pierce and Williams' contracts for trade flexibility. Guys...the action is between Brooklyn and NY. Neither team has a snowball's chance in Hades of winning anything this year and very, very low odds of even making the playoffs without an extreme roster improvement that is almost impossible....almost impossible unless some team gifts one of those teams talent. Lakers know this. Lakers are trying to mate another superstar to Kobe RIGHT NOW. Not during the summer but NOW! Using Pau's huge expiring deal. And now we see the Lakers are wanting a first round pick or a young prospect to go with Bynum. Wonder why? isn't this the same thing Rox are trying to get for Asik???? For what reason?? To offer a better package to either NY or Brooklyn for Melo or DWill. This is why I say look for Bynum to agree to a $7 million or so buyout and still be a Cav on January 7th. An agreed to $7 million or so buyout allows the Cavs to keep Bynum in play for trades up until Feb. 20th without being on the hook for the entire $12 million. If it doesn't happen it is most likely because the Lakers or Cavs know that the Knicks would rather have Pau than to have Bynum and the savings. And if Bynum is actually traded to LA it means that a deal between the Lakers and Nets is much more likely than a deal between the Lakers and Knicks at the deadline since Bynum's salary cannot be combined with other players to match an incoming salary (Melo or Amare). The key to the trade deadline is in NY and Brooklyn. We're going to have to wait and see what direction those 2 franchises take. Are they going to fold down and restock for next year? or Are they going to stubbornly refuse to accept facts and not do anything?? The Lakers, the Rockets, and dare I say, the Hawks, Celtics, and many other teams are waiting and watching to see the drama unfold. Don't be surprised if Bynum is still a Cav after Jan. 7th and don't be surprised if Melo makes a very public trade demand to the Knicks around Feb. 19th.
The Lakers have an overblown sense of entitlement which prevents them from taking a step backwards to take two steps forward in the future....
to save 20M during a season where they obviously aren't going anywhere... and to start getting their ducks in a row for the post Kobe era....
The Lakers are tanking right now, they changed keel the moment kobe went down. But they do an NFL level of smokescreen to convince people it's not happening.
http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/1...land-cavaliers-make-progress-andrew-byum-deal After several days of stalled talks, the Los Angeles Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers made progress Saturday on a trade that would involve Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum, sources told ESPN.com. The Cavs want to execute a trade by Sunday so it can be completed ahead of Tuesday's deadline for Bynum's contract to become fully guaranteed, sources said. Trades need 48 hours to be finalized so that players can have physicals.
Either Pau or Bynum would be great with this team. Both would be great back-ups and Pau could even play alongside Howard.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Gasol-Bynum deal done, according to sources <a href="http://t.co/uZZqKZsN5C">http://t.co/uZZqKZsN5C</a></p>— Lake Show Life (@TheLakeShowLife) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheLakeShowLife/statuses/419722143945867264">January 5, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
