For Los Angeles Lakers, No Deal Would Be The Best Deal

When Magic Johnson talks, people listen.

Thanks to his colorful and engaging personality, Johnson has been a media favorite since his college years at Michigan State.

Being the greatest basketball player to ever live (sorry, Michael) certainly helps his credibility, especially when it comes to talking basketball.

On Tuesday, Magic echoed a recent statement made by Los Angeles Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak, who said he would consider a trade amid the team’s recent struggles.

“I think we have to,” Johnson said. “[The Lakers] have to start looking at trade possibilities to improve the team and bring some energy and new life to the team.”

Unless Johnson circa 1980 magically becomes available, or the Denver Nuggets decide to trade Carmelo Anthony for Steve Blake, Ron Artest and two first round picks, as Memphis did with Pau Gasol in 2008, Kupchak should put Johnson on mute and hold onto his cards.

The apparent consensus is that the Lakers are playing uninspired and look old. They may be uninspired, but do they really look old?

Kobe Bryant scored 41 points on 16-for-29 shooting in Sunday’s loss to Boston—so his vitals look good. Lamar Odom is having arguably the best season of his career and Pau Gasol is averaging his typical 18 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks per game.

Los Angeles is one of the older teams in the league, but so is Boston and San Antonio, and they currently own the two best records in basketball.

Age isn’t the issue.

Are they uninspired? Probably.

The calendar just flipped to February, meaning we are officially in the dog days of winter. Why do you think the All-Star break is two weeks away?

Not because the players are chomping at the bit to play five games in seven nights in three different cities. That got old the second week of November.

The Lakers are the two-time defending champions. So, forgive them if they find it hard to get as excited about the 48th game of the season as the networks and fans were for Sunday’s NBA Finals rematch with the Celtics.

The Lakers are fine. On February 1st last year, they were 37-11, coming off of a 90-89 win over Boston. This year they are 33-15, fresh off a 109-96 loss to the Celtics. If Los Angeles won by that score and was a single game better in the standings, we're not even having this discussion.

This is a classic overreaction that occurs every week in professional sports.

The lakers are four games off of last year’s pace, but statistics show they might actually be playing better. The Lakers are scoring 103.4 points a night and allowing 96.6, for an average scoring margin of +6.8. Last year they scored 101.7 and allowed 97, an average margin of +4.7.

At the midway point of the season, a mere seven games ago, they were on pace to win 60 games, which would be three more than the 57 they won in 2009-10.

So, they’re scoring more, giving up less and on pace to win more games. Yet they look old and decrepit? How's that for some logic?

Magic was right when he said the team needed to be re-energized, but that doesn’t need to come from a trade.

For a group that is as talented and experienced as the Lakers, the energy comes with the rest and relaxation of All-Star Weekend and, come March when the playoff picture is clearer, the intensity will rise as each game becomes more important.

What would a trade do for Los Angeles? Again, unless Kupchak is prepared to trade Bryant, Gasol or Odom, he’s not going to be able to acquire someone capable of enhancing his team’s chances that much.

Will some GM be dumb enough to give up quality players for an oft-injured Andrew Bynum? I hope not, but we’ve seen crazier deals go down in the NBA before.

Unless the Lakers again become the beneficiary of a deal that David Stern should be under investigation for allowing, a minor trade or a change made for change’s sake will do nothing. In fact, it risks throwing off the chemistry of a team that has won the last two Larry O’Brien Trophy’s.

Then Kobe and Co. really will have an issue within.

All they really need right now is a vacation, and one happens to be just around the corner.

For more, visit my website at www.pointbartemus.com, a sports forum.