LA Lakers: The Pros (No Cons) of Trading Andrew Bynum for Carmelo Anthony
THE VECCHIO FACTOR SAYS...
Recently, on 710 ESPN Los Angeles, Jerry West, the successful former Laker and GM, said this:
“I don’t think the Lakers will be good for much longer. You can keep a car running for a long time by changing the tires, but you can’t change a player’s tires.”
West also said many of the Lakers’ current players are “getting long in the tooth.” and "age is a factor," referring to the present Laker team, and specifically regarding the accumulation of minutes (46,000) in Kobe Bryant's regular season and playoff career.
Magic Johnson then piled on, saying in essence that the Lakers needed to make a trade to revitalize the team; citing Laker struggles against the NBA's elite teams like the Celtics and Heat. (Magic said this prior to San Antonio's buzzer-beater win last week in LA, the Spurs second win over the Lakers.)
Regarding trades, Magic said, "I think we have to," Johnson told ESPN.com in regards to the prospects of general manager Mitch Kupchak making a deal. "We have to do something. The Lakers are not responding and two things showed me that—the Miami Heat Christmas game and then the Boston Celtics game. When you don't get up for your two biggest games during the season and you have flat performances, then you have to start looking at trade possibilities to improve the team and bring some energy to the team and bring some new life to the team."
Johnson added, "Unfortunately we're looking old and we're playing old," Johnson said, according to ESPN. "We're not responding to the more athletic teams and the quicker teams. So we must change something. I think we have to now look at this team and maybe say we're not good enough. Things might have to change
Whether age is catching up to the Lakers as a whole, and more so to Kobe Bryant, or simply that 24 is saving his energy for the playoffs, his minute load has seemingly caused a "slow leak" in his tires,' and there is no question that Laker ownership MUST start preparing for the day his career ends.
Bottom line: believe it or not, the future of the Los Angeles Laker brand is now at stake!
The question is how to ensure it's viability, not only as an every-year playoff team, but rather as an every-year title contender.
The answer is to bring in a young, established super-star player, or two.
My ideal player would be Kevin Durant, and Dwight Howard, but the Lake Show can't wait three years for Durant and two years for Howard when Carmelo Anthony is available NOW!.
Let's begin with the Pros of trading the Lakers only valuable trade piece, 23-year-old, 7'1" Andrew Bynum.
With inside knowledge that Dwight Howard, who will be an available free agent in 2012, would like to be a Los Angeles Laker, it makes sense for the Lakers to start their re-stocking process now by obtaining a young superstar like Carmelo Anthony, and hopefully signing Howard in 2012, who then would replace Bynum (one year removed).
However, what is also evident is that the Lakers have a need to re-tool in the back court, since DFish is at the end of his career.
That's why the ONLY trade that makes sense for the Lakers is to use Andrew Bynum (while he's still healthy) and Shannon Brown to get Carmelo Anthony and Ty Lawson from the Denver Nuggets.
Remember, Denver doesn't have many options. Anthony is gone to free agency this summer, and if they don't trade him, they get zippo in return.
While the so-called experts have said Carmelo wants to go to New York, the Nuggets are not too thrilled to get Wilson Chandler and Corey Brewer, via Minnesota's participation, plus a first round draft pick, when they can get two established, young players like Bynum and Brown from LA.
If you were the Nuggets ownership, what trade would you rather make?
Seems pretty obvious the Laker deal has a positive upside for the Nuggets allowing them to rebuild with a good, young, big man in Bynum, and a good, young, athletic, wing player in Brown.
In LA's case, with Lawson included, it gives LA the young, quick penetrating point guard they absolutely need to replace DFish, something they have sorely lacked since Magic Johnson retired.
Shannon Brown is expendable because the Lakers already have plenty of perimeter shooters with Kobe, Barnes, Artest, Fisher and Blake.
So, ladies and gentlemen, going out on a limb, here's what I believe will, and should happen for the Lakers sake.
Assuming the money works re: the Collective Bargaining Agreement as it pertains to this trade, and I think it does, LA will trade Andrew Bynum and Shannon Brown to Denver for Carmelo Anthony and Ty Lawson.
This is a "Pro" inasmuch as trading Bynum will act as the catalyst that begins the process of re-stocking the Lakers with an established superstar, and a young, quick, point guard.
it will also fortify and reaffirm the Lakers as a continuing NBA title contender by having their own "Big Three" in Kobe, Carmelo, and Pau Gasol.
With Dwight Howard due to be available in 2012, and knowing his desire to come to Hollywood, Andrew Bynum will have served his purpose and become a rumor.
Trading Bynum now allows the Lakers to get the much-needed superstar to replace Bryant, while also opening the door for Howard to replace him in the 2012-13 season..
What Jerry & Jim Buss, and Mitch Kupchak do is their choice, but I have made my thoughts clear to Laker management regarding the Pro, "No Con," decision to trade Bynum for Carmelo, but only with Brown and Lawson included.
This trade sets a re-tooling process in motion, which I believe will be for the future benefit of the Laker franchise.
And forget listening to the "gas bags" like ESPN's Stephen A. Smith or Chris Broussard, who speculate and regurgitate everything everyone else says, and who strongly believe Carmelo will end up a New York Knick.
Although to give credit where credit is due, Smith did predict correctly that :LeBron, Wade, and Bosh would go to Miami.
Most notably, however, he has been wrong, lest you forget, when he boldly (and loudly) predicted the Lakers would beat Detroit in the 2004 NBA Finals.
One more thing, if the LA-Denver trade fails to happen, sources say that LA will attempt to fill their need for a young, tough rebounder, and a young, quick, penetrating, point guard.
The names that have been mentioned as desirable to LA are Carl Landry of Sacramento and Kyle Lowry of Houston.
Let's recap.
All five potential trade players, Carmelo, Lawson, Landry, Lowry, and Howard are under 27 years of age. And all five players either are NBA starters or have NBA starter ability..
They all fill LA's needs, a superstar, a tough rebounder, quick point guards, and a Superman center.
In order to continue their supremacy as the MOST glamorous NBA franchise, there is no question that the Lakers MUST re-stock with one or more superstars who will one day replace Kobe Bryant, a day that could be approaching faster than you might think due to his injuries and accumulated minutes.
Superstar players don't come along that often, and LA has the piece or pieces now available to make the Carmelo trade happen.
Listening to West and Magic, there is an absolute need to get younger, and they should prepare to clear cap space to compete for Dwight Howard, who could become the Laker center in the 2012-13 season..
Note: in two years, Lamar Odom, Ron Artest, and Luke Walton will all have expiring contracts, which sets up perfectly for LA to be able to use those expiring contracts in a sign and trade to get D-Howard.
For these reasons, the timing is right for the Laker front office to be smart and stay ahead of the curve, using Bynum to trade wisely for Carmelo, thereby ensuring the continuation of the Laker brand on a highly productive, entertaining, championship level.
FYI, in my last Bleacher Report article, "LA Lakers: Will Phil Jackson and Kobe Bryant Author Another 3-Peat?" written on February 4th, I suggested trading Bynum and Brown for Carmelo and Lawson,
Co-incidentally, I had urged LA to trade Bynum for Bosh prior to the trade deadline last February.
Carpe Diem!
They say the universe has perfect timing, and the Laker stars are aligned perfectly to make bold moves.
NOW is the perfect time to get the Los Angeles Lakers' "future" player movement started.
And for their first move: the Los Angeles Lakers should trade Andrew Bynum and Shannon Brown to the Denver Nuggets for Carmelo Anthony and Ty Lawson!
JOE VECCHIO
THE VECCHIO FACTOR
