NBA Trade Rumors: Raymond Felton & Michael Beasley Too Little to Save LA Lakers
Losers don’t win championships.
As groundbreaking as that statement is, Jim Buss and Mitch Kupchak apparently don’t get it. The Los Angeles Lakers are rumored to be interested in acquiring Raymond Felton and Michael Beasley.
While they’d be bringing in a pair of well-known ballers, their championship puzzle would still be far from complete.
Yes, I’m calling Felton and Beasley losers.
Roland Lazenby reported the Lakers’ interest in the two trade-block-bound players tweeting:
"I hear they want both Felton and Beasley. That's their goal. But talk is cheap right now. The source is good tho.
— Roland Lazenby (@lazenby) February 25, 2012"
"The fact that Felton has fallen in favor in Portland seems to be the straw stirring this thing.
— Roland Lazenby (@lazenby) February 24, 2012"
Lazenby is referring to Felton’s benching after the Portland Trail Blazers’ seven-point first quarter against the Lakers. The punishment didn’t sit too well with the veteran floor general who ranted to the CSNNW’s Chris Haynes:
"“He (Nate McMillan) called me this morning and told me we got to have consistency from that position and that a 7-point quarter was unacceptable. I'm not just going to blame myself for that first quarter. We're a team. We win together, we lose together.”
"
The benching had been coming for a long time, though. Felton is only averaging 10.2 points and 6.2 assists a game this season. His 37.6 field goal percentage and 24.8 from downtown is pathetic.
Why is his performance plummeting? Plain and simple: Felton is fat.
He won an NCAA title at North Carolina, but he’s far removed from his days as a champion. A sloth point guard that can’t shoot isn’t what the Lakers need right now. The younger and more effective Ramon Sessions is by far the better option.
And Beasley is in the same boat as Felton. Since being selected second overall in 2008, Beasley has been caught with marijuana more times than he’s been voted into the All-Star game. Throw in his overwhelming maturity and he’s a real keeper.
Now, don’t get me wrong. Los Angeles needs to make a move; Rasheed Wallace isn’t enough. But Felton and Beasley aren’t the answer.
David Daniels is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report and a syndicated writer.
