#1
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Shaq to the Heat
Lakers get Odom, Butler, Grant and a future first round pick.
Obviously if you are the Lakers don't want to trade Daddy, but given that you are forced to, this is probabaly a decent swap. Your team is old, old, old and thin, thin, thin. This adds youth and depth. The future first rounder is valuable for a team that will still have cap problems. Butler had a terrible 2nd season, but did start to come around at the end of it and in the playoffs. Grant is a solid serviceable center. Odom keeps getting better and is a very good player with perennial All-Star potential. If Payton can change his 'tude under Rudy T, and Karl can rehab and come back, the Lakers could be the favorites in the West again. I think they did pretty well considering how much they were under duress. One has to assume they have received assurances from Kobe that he will re-sign. Younger and deeper isn't a bad combination, even if you do lose the unstoppable (when healthy) force. |
#2
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Re: Shaq to the Heat
is this official??
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#3
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Re: Shaq to the Heat
Clark,
If I am the Lakers, I like this deal. However, I hope Karl Malone gets hit by a bus so he can never, ever, ever chase Kareem for the all-time scoring record. I hate that man. Payton pissed me off so much this year that I hope they trade him too. Both of those guys were supposed to be team players and get the Lakers a championship, and Payton turned out to be a jerk and Malone, as always, was AWOL during the playoffs. Now if we can just convince that jury that what's-her-name was asking for it... [img]/images/graemlins/blush.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/blush.gif[/img] NT |
#4
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Re: Shaq to the Heat
ESPN is acting like it's a done deal both on their website, and on Sportscenter, but they are reporting it can't be official until Wednesday due to league rules.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=1837581 |
#5
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Re: Shaq to the Heat
"One has to assume they have received assurances from Kobe that he will re-sign."
Kinda like what Cleveland got from Boozer? [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/shocked.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img] |
#6
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ESPN Article On Shaq & Other Centers
http://tinyurl.com/2snrf
How sick are Chamberlain's stats? And I thought the stuff at the end about Hakeem being the only one to win a title w/o another HOFer was very interesting. Of course, he didn't have to BEAT any HOFers, either. I've always had a sneaking suspicion that Dream may well be the best center of all time, athough it's impossible to argue w/Wilt's stats or Russell's rings. Magic made Jabbar period, I don't care what happened at Milwaukee or UCLA. If you have your all-time team of Magic, MJ, & Bird; then move Russell to the 4; I think Dream "plays" better in that context than Wilt or Shaq, although you could have Ostertag in there and still go 82-0. [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] |
#7
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Re: ESPN Article On Shaq & Other Centers
[ QUOTE ]
Of course, he didn't have to BEAT any HOFers, either. [/ QUOTE ] If I remember correctly, didn't he go head to head with both Patrick Ewing and Shaq to win his two titles? |
#8
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Re: Shaq to the Heat
This is an awful, awful deal for the Lakers. In exchange for the most dominant player in the game you get...an undersized, cap-killing center (Brian Grant), an undersized, weed-puffing power forward that the Clippers didn't like enough to keep (Lamar Odom), a decent small forward (Caron Butler) and a future first which could be worth anything from lots to nothing (with the odds on the latter if it takes place during Shaq's time with Miami).
Even if Kobe resigns, this leaves the Lakers with a glut of SF-types (Odom, Butler, George) and massive holes in the post (Grant, Medvedenko). You'd think they could get at least one all-star for Shaq, and at least a serviceable center. This deal does nothing to help their cap situation. Odom and Butler are solid accessory players, and Odom could possibly turn into an impact player, but they play the same position and both come with baggage. Miami, of course, should be throwing a party. They've been trying to give Grant away for over a year now and Caron Butler is likewise rumored to be in nearly every potential Heat trade. So, they give up a player they don't want (Grant), a player they don't play (Butler), a guy they got as a FA last year (Odom) and a pick they won't need (Shaq should assure 50 wins in the East alongside Wade) in exchange for Shaq. Shaq is pissed off, motivated and will murder the East. *sigh* My only hope is that the Lakers pull a "Boozer" and find a better deal in the next two days before they're allowed to make that one. |
#9
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FYI
2004 postseason:
Lamar Odom, 39.4 mpg Caron Butler, 39.3 mpg Dwayne Wade, 39.2 mpg |
#10
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OOOOPS!
Forgot about Ewing. [img]/images/graemlins/shocked.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]
I remembered Shaq, of course. But wasn't he a rookie or soph? Not quite a HOFer at the time. But, uh, er, um, doesn't it all just make Dream look better then? [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img] |
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