Los Angeles Lakers: Why the Chris Paul Trade Makes the Lakers a Worse Team

As of today, it has become official that Chris Paul will become the newest member of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Many Lakers fans are already excited for all the championships they assume the Lakers will win, but they do not understand that this trade has destroyed the Lakers' chances at a title.

Although Chris Paul is a top three point guard in the league, the Lakers gave up the greatest advantage any NBA team could hope to have: size. And not just size, they gave up skilled size.

Pau Gasol is arguably the most skilled big man in the entire league, as his great stats point out. No other big man can score in the numerous ways he can with his back to the basket, and he was also a great rebounder for the Lakers.

Gasol was not the only big man given up. The Lakes also traded fan favorite Lamar Odom, the reigning NBA Sixth Man of the Year. That's 15 points and close to 10 rebounds off the bench gone, added to the 18 points and 11 rebounds they lost in Gasol.

Was that really worth giving up for Chris Paul? Sure, Paul is a great player, but he's a point guard with injury problems. He already has knee issues, which the Lakers are just adding to the injury issues of Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum.

Many Lakers fans believe that they'll also be attaining Dwight Howard, but there is no way that can happen. Their only tradeable asset at this point is Bynum, and Orlando isn't going to trade the second best player in the league for a player who's surrounded by nothing but injuries.

Another argument Laker fans use is that they can include a third team. OK then, that can't happen because the third team would need to give a lot up and receive nothing back.

Orlando would get Bynum and another player or two from the third team, and Lakers would get Dwight Howard. What would that leave the third team with? Lakers have no one else to trade, and Orlando only has players over 30 with horrible contracts to offer.

Now, the Lakers are left with a starting lineup that would go a little like this:

PG: Chris Paul

SG: Kobe Bryant

SF: Metta World Peace

PF: Derrick Caracter

C: Andrew Bynum

Although that lineup doesn't look too bad, you have to factor in that their bench is completely depleted, especially since Shannon Brown has agreed to sign with the Phoenix Suns. Also, Andrew Bynum is suspended for the first five games of the year. So starting night should be a little more like this:

PG:Chris Paul

SG: Kobe Bryant

SF: Metta World Peace

PF: Luke Walton

C: Derrick Caracter

It may only be five games, but that's enough to mess up a team's chemistry. That's five games of complete despair for the Lakers, where their third best player is going to be Metta World Peace.

That's also five less games Paul has to mesh with Bryant and Bynum at the same time, which can go a long way in a shortened season. That's also five more games that Bynum has to wait to get on the court, meaning he is going to be very rusty.

Sorry, Lakers fans, but this trade has done nothing but give the Lakers no flexibility and made them a worse team also.