Black Mamba Drama
Take it from the LA Times, people, because they know better than you. From this point on, they're the only news source I'm listening to on the matter. Kobe isn't going anywhere this summer. Not before the draft, not after it. And as much of a hump as Jerry Buss is, he'll be doing the right thing by keeping Mamba in town. Kobe's bitter as all hell about it (and rightfully so), but he's not going to Chicago... yet. Check back in a year.
Meanwhile, I cannot say the thought of a Jermaine O'Neal for Bynum and Odom swap is very enticing. Not unless the Lakers had another deal in line to follow that up. Why? Because I see it largely as a wash with regards to the Lakers. If they are to "compete" as Kobe desires, they'll need a player of Odom's caliber in a tertiary roll. Otherwise, a two-man show of Mamba and Jermaine doesn't have nearly the impact or the veteran supporting cast that the Shaq/Kobe teams did. Bynum, Walton, and a first round pick to Indiana for the big guy? Now we're talking.
Labels: Jermaine O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
posted by Alan at 5:47 PM
3 Comments:
I dunno, man. Odom's a guy who comes to play every third game, has never lived up to his potential. Face it: he's not as good as people want him to be. Jermaine is a competitor, one of the top five back-to-the-basket players in the NBA, and one of the top five post defenders in the league. I say pull the trigger, and go chase some decent free agent pieces with your mid-level exception. They are instantly a better team, and with two of the best players at their respective positions, stand a chance to win 50 games, even with 10 sacks of potatoes.
-B
6:28 PM
Yeah, I'm not completely anti and if that deal does go down (which it won't) then it definitely makes the Lakers a more attractive free agent destination, but I think you're still missing the point on Odom. The guy's got great vision and he's a great link player. The problem with him is that he has proven time and again that he isn't up to being a #2 guy. Apparently, it's more responsibility than he can deal with. But lessen that load, and all of a sudden you have perhaps the best supplemental player around. We'd essentially be talking about a totally different player whose periodic whiffs wouldn't have nearly as much impact on the team's performance.
6:36 PM
Then again, I suppose there isn't any real reason why Luke Walton couldn't continue to grow into that role in lieu of Odom. So who knows, I just want something to happen.
6:38 PM
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