L.A. Lakers Trade Rumors: Carmelo Anthony to the Lakers Misses the Point
The Los Angeles Lakers have very publicly said that they have no interest in trading for Denver Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony, but after their recent three-game swoon to end a seven-game road trip, you have to wonder.
The good feelings garnered from the 4-0 start to the road trip seem like a distant memory compared to the stark reality of a blowout loss to the Charlotte Bobcats and a 104-99 loss to the NBA-worst Cleveland Cavaliers.
General manager Mitch Kupchak recently said he was disappointed in the Lakers' performance during the past month and I can only imagine how he feels now.
Desperation often fosters a false sense of urgency and the two-time defending NBA champions have never looked more desperate.
The Lakers have displayed little passion, limited focus and even worse, in games against Orlando and Charlotte they seemed resigned to their losing fate.
Los Angeles does not have the look or feel of a team chasing its third consecutive championship and furthermore, their prime competitors have seemingly distanced themselves as more probable contenders.
The San Antonio Spurs are ahead of the Lakers in the West standings and in their two contests this season, the Spurs justified their position with victories.
The Lakers were blown out against the star-studded Miami Heat team on Christmas, and judging by their recent play, the split the Lakers earned against Boston seems to be an anomaly.
It's possible that due to circumstances, Kupchak might be a little more receptive to the idea of adding Anthony to the roster in an effort to save the Lakers' season, but would he really help the situation?
Not unless Anthony switches to point guard.
The common thread in the Lakers' three-game losing streak and the majority of the regular season has been the horrible play of point guards Derek Fisher and Steve Blake.
In those three losses, Fisher and Blake combined for 34 points, 16 assists and six turnovers—but 24 of those points came in Wednesday night's loss to the Cavaliers.
Cavaliers reserve guard Ramon Sessions nearly equaled Fisher and Blake's three-game point total with his 32-point effort off the bench last night.
Age has eroded Fisher's skills to the point of irrelevance and Blake has failed to live up to the expectations that the Lakers had established for him.
Blake was seen as an improvement over departed guard Jordan Farmar, but Blake's inconsistent defense and inability to find his offense has me yearning for the athleticism that Farmar provided.
Fisher and Blake average a combined 10.3 points per game for the Lakers and shoot 43 and 37 percent, respectively, from the field, and for a team searching for a perimeter alternative to Kobe Bryant, those numbers won't get it done.
Anthony's scoring could definitely help the Lakers, but he does not address the team's need for defensive help at the point guard position, and the cost of his services are far too high.
Andrew Bynum's name has been the one most associated with the Anthony rumors, but his performance in the Lakers' first four games of their recent road trip should throw that notion out the window.
Bynum's presence in the middle played a huge role in wins against Boston and New York and the Lakers may have had a shot against Orlando if the non-Kobe perimeter players would have been able to establish any offense at all.
Bynum's ability to score forced defensive attention away from Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom and his toughness in the paint helped the Lakers establish an identity in the interior.
Some have pointed to Pau Gasol's inconsistent play and Ron Artest's nonexistent offense as major symptoms of the Lakers' illness, and while this theory holds some truth, their issues are not chronic like the point guard situation.
The Lakers have not fully convinced me that a trade is necessary, considering the nonchalant tendencies of their past three NBA Finals seasons, but the play of Fisher and Blake has convinced me that Anthony is not the answer.
The odds of Los Angeles reaching a fourth consecutive NBA Finals series looks very bleak right now, but chasing Anthony while ignoring their true issues could make a bad situation even worse.
