TRADE OPTION # 1
Rajon Rondo and Jermaine O'Neal for Pau Gasol
NUMBERS:
Rondo -13.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, 9.5 assists ($10.05 million; 4 years)
O'Neal - 5.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, 0.4 assists ($6.23 million; 1 year)
Gasol - 16.7 points, 10.2 rebounds, 2.9 assists ($18.71 million; 3 years)
MY OPINION:
In all honesty, I think this is a good trade for both teams. If we're talking money, the C's are at $18.71 million for this trade, while the Lakers are at $16.27 million for this trade. It's no secret that the Lakers are in need of a point guard -- let's be real here Steve "The Spottiest Laker" Blake and poor ol' D. Fish just aren't cutting it. Kobe is still amazing, but imagine how amazing he could be if he didn't have to work so hard to get a shot! With Rajon Rondo handling the ball, Kobe could find his sweet spot and just wait for those sweet Rondo assists. Seriously, Kobe is doing so much extra work just to keep this team in the games all because of the lack of a decent point guard.
Now let's talk about what the C's would be getting, Pau Gasol. Gasol is still putting up great numbers this season despite all of the Laker drama (recall: the CP3 trade that wasn't), and I don't think he's gonna slow down anytime soon. The Celtics could play him at the 5 spot and have their very own twin towers in KG and Gasol. No arguments that Gasol is a HUGE upgrade from Jermaine O'Neal.Rondo would be a huge loss to the team, but I think if Avery Bradley were given the opportunity to start, he'd shine in the spotlight. He's not gonna be Rondo 2.0 overnight, but give him some time. On that note, would the C's even want Rondo 2.0? This is the team that tried to trade him for CP3 and Stephen Curry. I can see wanting to trade him for CP3 because the guy puts up great numbers and is pretty much a saint, but Stephen Curry?? Really?? The guy's ankles are made of glass and he is NOT an upgrade from Rondo.
All in all, I think both teams benefit from this trade. The C's get rid of O'Neal and Rondo (yeah, I said get rid of Rondo because that's how much the Celtics organization values him, that they see him as someone they need/want to get rid of) and get a versatile center. The Lakers part ways with Gasol and get an AMAZING young point guard.
TRADE OPTION # 2
Rajon Rondo and Jermaine O'Neal for Andrew Bynum
NUMBERS
Rondo -13.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, 9.5 assists ($10.05 million; 4 years)
O'Neal - 5.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, 0.4 assists ($6.23 million; 1 year)
Bynum - 16.5 points, 12.6 rebounds, 1.3 assists ($14.9 million; 2 years)
MY OPINION:
I think this is an even fairer trade considering the youth factor. Rondo and Bynum are both 25 years young. This means that they probably have not reached their prime and can still be molded into the players that their teams need. Again, the Lakers gain the best point guard in the league, but this time they must give up their coveted center. It would pain me (and Jim Buss) to see Bynum go, but in all reality Bynum & Gasol do NOT play well together. Sacrificing one of the two for the betterment of the whole team is something that must be done. Again, imagine how amazing it would be to see Kobe play with the assist machine, Rajon Rondo!!!!
As for the C's, they'd LOVE to have Bynum playing at center. When he's healthy, he's without a doubt the 2nd best center in the league. His knees are a liability, but this is the same team that blew up their roster last season in hopes of...uhmm I don't know what they were hoping for with that debacle, but you see my point that Danny Ainge loves taking
Overall, I think this trade is just waiting to be done. Danny Ainge and Mitch Kupchak needa get on it!
Hey im all Pau for Rondo that would be sick. But you know what would be better is if we sign arenas for a stop gap solution at PG and then wait for Brandon Jennings contract to be up. That dude is legit. Sure he's not all star caliber just yet, but he's super young and can fill up the bucket. He's got all the potential in the world.
ReplyDeleteInteresting, I had completely disregarded Jennings. Very good points, I'm just iffy because his contract isn't up until 2014. By then, it kills me to say, I think Kobe will be too old to win a championship. Another option besides Rondo would be Deron Williams.
DeleteOh yeah damn i love Deron. I forgot about him. I hope we could do a trade for Dwight because that would just open the door for Deron. Yeah i hope kobe gets another ring. But remember that Kobe is the same age as MJ was when he captured the first championship of his second three peat. Except Kobe has more wear and tear already. It would be amazing to see him have another three rings haha. Nice blog too by the way ;)
ReplyDeleteTrue, hopefully there's still something left in Kobe's tank by the time the Lakers get a good PG!
DeleteNot good trades at all. It's all downgrades besides at the point guard position. Lakers should never consider it. Twin towers and kobe must remain. They are the core of this team. Plus they're not too old. Jermaine is old and he just got off injury land. Rondo is good but doesn't have a jump shot. Lakers do not have shooters to compliment rondo's game. But he's a good choice.
ReplyDeleteIMO, the point guard position is exactly what the Lakers need to fix. Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum don't play well together, I think it's worth it to sacrifice one of them to acquire an elite point guard. I totally agree with you that Jermaine is trash, but the C's have to dump some salary in order for this trade to be plausible.
DeleteWhen I posted this, I had forgotten about Deron Williams, who I think would be an even better trade. Bynum for Williams is very fair.
While I agree with you that the PG position is where the real problem lies. However I would not give up bynum, nor gasol. The Lakers have already made a mistake of getting of Odom. After last deployment, all the Lakers needed was a point guard that's decent and a defensive minded coach like Doc Rivers. While I really do not like the Celtics, but i admire the way they play. That's how it should be for the Lakers. Kobe, Bynum and Gasol should be untouchable. Run some system that everyone feels comfortable in and every understand their part. Acquiring D-Will would be a major piece but not to the expense of losing bynum or gasol.
DeleteYeah, the Lakers definitely need an upgrade at the coaching position! It was a mistake to get rid of Odom for nothing, but he wanted out after the CP3 trade debacle. I still disagree that both Bynum and Gasol should be untouchable, if the right trade (Rondo or D-Will) came along, I think the gain would outweigh the loss. But we will agree to disagree on this. Thanks for your input!
DeleteGetting rid of*
ReplyDeleteAfter last season*
I would get rid of Gasol to acquire an elite PG any day! Why not focus on the Dwight Howard trade? Because once we grab him great players will follow. Deron is the one who is said to want to come to LA if they are able to swing Dwight.
ReplyDeleteRondo & Wilcox for Gasol
ReplyDeleteI'd agree with that trade, unfortunately it doesn't work.
Deletehttp://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=7fhumje