Author Topic: Garnett Might Be Going to the Lakers.***  (Read 2286 times)

MB_722

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Garnett Might Be Going to the Lakers.***
« on: June 25, 2007, 03:08:37 PM »
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2916217

Quote
If the Lakers are trying to get Kobe Bryant to change his mind about leaving, they're off to a good start.

The Los Angeles Times cited league sources on Monday saying that the Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves are in discussions that could bring Kevin Garnett to Los Angeles.

Trade discussions initially involved the Lakers, Wolves, Pacers and a fourth team, and sources told ESPN that that team was the Celtics. They would have gotten Jermaine O'Neal from the Pacers and sent young players to the Wolves. The Lakers would have gotten Garnett, while the Pacers would have landed Los Angeles forward Lamar Odom and center Andrew Bynum. Minnesota would also have acquired at least one of the teams' draft picks, possibly Boston's No. 5 in Thursday's draft.

Later on Monday, the Times reported that the deal in that form had fallen apart because the Celtics did not like their end of the deal. According to the newspaper, the Lakers and Timberwolves continued discussions, trying to broker a deal just between the two teams.

Sources told the Times, however, that Wolves general manager Kevin McHale is not thrilled with the idea of getting Odom and Bynum, even if they come with the Lakers' 19th pick.

The St. Paul Pioneer Press contacted Pacers CEO and president Donnie Walsh and he denied any knowledge of the trade talks.

"I haven't heard of any of this," Walsh told the paper.

According to the Times, Lakers owner Jerry Buss and Wolves owner Glen Taylor spoke on the phone for about 20 minutes on Friday. Buss then suggested that Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak and McHale carry on the discussions on Monday.

Bryant repeatedly has asked for a trade over the past month, saying that he doesn't feel that the Lakers are trying hard enough to improve. After losing in the NBA Finals four years ago, the Lakers missed the playoffs in 2004-05 and were out of the postseason in the first round the past two years.
Garnett never has requested a trade publicly despite the fact that the Wolves have struggled to remain competitive in recent years. Minnesota finished with a 32-50 record last season. The Wolves haven't been to the playoffs since 2004.

With Garnett able to opt out of his contract after next season, the time might be right for the Wolves to pull the trigger on a deal. McHale said last week that he has not been actively shopping his star, but that was a bit of a departure from previous statements in which he said he would not trade Garnett.

The 12-year veteran is owed $22 million next season and $23 million in 2008-09, the final year of his contract. He has requested an extension and the Times is reporting that Buss has told Taylor he would be willing to do that.

Garnett averaged 22.4 points, 12.8 rebounds and 4.1 assists last season. He is a 10-time All-Star.

Bynum's name has come up often in any trade talks concerning the Lakers recently. He averaged 7.8 points and 5.9 rebounds last season but is only 19 years old and 7 feet tall.

Odom averaged 15.9 points, 9.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists last season, but he did miss 26 games because of injuries. He has shoulder surgery in May but is expected to return for next season.


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Re: Garnett Might Be Going to the Lakers.
« Reply #1 on: June 25, 2007, 04:36:36 PM »
I hope they can pull this off.  It has been a rough past few years for Laker fans.  I thought they would were going to overpay for J. O'Neal, but I'd give up Bynum and Odom for Garnett in a heartbeat. 

MB_722

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Re: Garnett Might Be Going to the Lakers.
« Reply #2 on: June 25, 2007, 04:52:31 PM »
They would still need a point guard.

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Re: Garnett Might Be Going to the Lakers.
« Reply #3 on: June 25, 2007, 05:04:11 PM »
They would still need a point guard.

And a center and a small forward (assuming they don't resign Luke).  I think Farmar is serviceable, but they should bring in a veteran point guard who can actually play, unlike Aaron McKee. 

That said, if you put another all star like Garnett next to Kobe the filler is pretty easy.  We won championships with Rick Fox, AC Green, and Derrick Fisher as starters. 

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Re: Garnett Might Be Going to the Lakers.
« Reply #4 on: June 25, 2007, 05:25:48 PM »
fisher used to irritate me, him and the headband. They should have never let him go.

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Re: Garnett Might Be Going to the Lakers.
« Reply #5 on: June 25, 2007, 08:54:41 PM »
fisher used to irritate me, him and the headband. They should have never let him go.

He left voluntarily and wanted too much money.  It was the right move at the time.  It would be good to bring him back. 

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Re: Garnett Might Be Going to the Lakers.
« Reply #6 on: June 25, 2007, 09:51:00 PM »
Letting Fisher go was a bad decision, IMO.

Laker fans have a tendency to underrate this little thing called chemistry, which is why this year's team was actually worse than last year's team.  If they'd kept Kobe, Lamar, and Caron together for this year, this would've been a 50-win team, even with no talent coming off the bench. 

I've never been a fan of Odom's game (because he's such a liability on defense) and never expected him to become a star, but he's a very serviceable NBA player and I like the guy.  I haven't seen any flashes of brilliance from Bynum.  Yes, he's 7 feet tall, but even though he gets a couple of blocks and grabs a few boards, I just don't think he has the raw tools to become the next dominant big man.  Even if he does, he's at least 3-4 seasons away from being even a good big man. 

Trading away Odom to get Garnett would leave the Lakers as a decent team with 2 superstars, meaning they'd still be 1 star short of contending in the West, especially if Utah holds that group together and improves.  Even with KG, the Lakers would still be fighting for 3rd in the West beyond San Antonio, Phoenix, Dallas, and possibly Utah. 

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Re: Garnett Might Be Going to the Lakers.***
« Reply #7 on: June 25, 2007, 10:47:09 PM »
I agree about the chemistry, but part of the problem is Caron Butler is more talented and would have been more helpful than Kwame.  That was a horrible trade for the Lakers. 

Bynum has shown flashes, but I think he's kind of lazy.  Does not bring the intensity every time down the floor.

I think the Lakers will battle San Antonio for best in the west if they do this deal (though they need to plug a hole or two with role players).  Keep in mind they almost beat the Suns last year when their roster was pretty average (like this year).  I'm trying not to get too excited, in case this doesn't work out.