Tuesday, May 29, 2007

NBA RUMOR MILL


The NBA Rumor Mill is hot right now with the Kobe Bryant giving the Lakers an ultimatum. So lets get to it:

-Word out of Dallas today has a monster trade floating around: KOBE for DIRK. This would be one of the biggest trades the NBA has ever seen, so I doubt it would ever happen, but that still does not stop me from taking a look at each teams starting 5 after the trade.

MAVS: Desagna Diop, Josh Howard, Kobe Bryant, Jason Terry, Devin Harris
This makes the Mavs really small, so if this trade happens, look for them to look to move Terry for a big man. Would they be interested in the Blazers Zach Randolph or Knicks forward Channing Frye? Both guys are on the trading block and the swap would work for either teams. Imagine the Mavs lineup now with Randolph or Frye instead of Terry; pretty nasty in my opinion. A lineup of Harris, Kobe, and Howard would be the fastest in the league and killer defensively. The only worry would be rebounding in the front court, but Randolph did get 10 rpg last year. This team would also be able score the ball in so many ways it would be scary.

LAKERS: Andrew Bynum, Dirk Nowitzki, Lamar Odom, Maurice Evans, Jordan Farmar
On paper this gives the Lakers a really big squad, but upon further assessment of the big guys games shows that Nowitzki and Odom are both more comfortable at the high post. Bynum is a very skilled young big guy who is going to get better every year. How Nowitzki's game would develop without the team need of him being a post scorer? Odom is versatile enough to blend his game into whatever the players around him are best at. The real weakness would be in the backcourt where Evans and Farmar are both sub par. Would the Lakers be able to trade Luke Walton for a SG or pick one up via Free Agency?

Overall this trade opens the door for 2 teams struggling for an identity to swap superstars, and in take a step forward. Both squads would be noticeably different, but still in the playoff picture. If ever there was a time for 2 superstars to be swapped straight up, it is now.

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