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THE NBA CBA WATCH (LOCKOUT IS OVER / OWNERS WIN)

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http://www.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/22748484/33582541

Report: Lakers want Chris Paul AND Dwight Howard
Posted on: November 29, 2011 9:31 am
Edited on: November 29, 2011 10:46 am

By Matt Moore


The Los Angeles Lakers have a championship core. This same group of players were responsible for two out of the past three titles, and even without the services of Phil Jackson, there's every reason to believe that this team as-is can win another title with Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, and Andrew Bynum as its engine. But what comes after? The Lakers have begun looking to the future. They don't just want to stay competitive towards the end of Kobe Bryant's career, they want to transition seamlessly into their next phase of dominance.

And that means acquiring one of the big free agents in 2012, Dwight Howard or Chris Paul. Except they don't want one of those two. They reportedly want both.

From Mark Heisler, who covered the Lakers as a beat writer before taking up with SheridanHoops.com:

When the NBA couldn’t get a full ban on sign-and-trades, it left his Lakers in position to pull off a coup they’re dreaming of, which would make signing LeBron James pale by comparison.

If Dwight Howard and Chris Paul wind up on the market — a safe assumption as far as I’m concerned — the Lakers could offer Andrew Bynum for Dwight and Pau Gasol for CP3, or vice versa.

Nothing says that they will be enough to land either player, but it should put the Lakers in the running for both.

Oh, and Dwight likes the Lakers. Asked which All-Star he would most like to play with last season, he answered “Kobe Bryant.”
via Lakers will look to acquire Dwight Howard and Chris Paul.

Just to review. We just had a five-month lockout because teams were upset about large market teams acquiring multiple stars, scavenging small markets and leaving them with nothing. And the Los Angeles Lakers and their 17 professional basketball championships are aiming for both Chris Paul and Dwight Howard. Glad we lost those 16 games over this.

There are a large numbrer of reasons why this is unlikely to happen. For starters, Chris Paul reportedly has New York as his first choice. Secondly, the biggest advantage the Lakers have is the assets to trade for Paul which the Knicks don't have. But the new CBA does have one new stipulation to prevent such dealings, the extend-and-trade adjustments. While sign-and-trade restrictions don't take effect until 2013, early reports indicate that extend-and-trade restrictions are immediate. The changes say that the same setup that Carmelo Anthony used to get his way to New York and get the extra year on his deal via Bird Rights is different.

The changes to the CBA suggest that teams that extend-and-trade a player can only extend him for three, versus the maximum four-year extension or five year re-sign he gets for staying with the home team. The only way around that is a six-month waiting period. The Hornets could re-sign Paul to the full Bird rights extension and then trade him, but they would have to wait six months. But a more likely scenario would see the following scenario: the Lakers can trade for Paul in the final year of his contract and then extend him, but that must be done after six months. Which means, they have to acquire him six months prior to his free agency beginning on July 1. Which means they have to acquire him by... January 1. With a season starting on the 25th. Not exactly a lot of time to pull that off.

All of these elements are in place for Dwight Howard, and Deron Williams (should the Nets just give up for some reason) as well.

The most likely scenario involves Paul entering free agency, and then signing a four year contract with Los Angeles or New York. But if the Lakers were to acquire Paul prior to free agency, it would give them an extra year to offer Paul, and it's hard to imagine him passing that up. Max contracts with bird-rights are five years, as opposed to the four-year counting option-year of an extension.

But if the Lakers want to acquire either player (or both, if we like fantasies), then they're going to need to trade some of that core. Specifically, Jim Buss would have to give up on his pet project, Andrew Bynum. Lamar Odom and pieces might be able to acquire Chris Paul, but there's no sense in bringing in Howard and pairing him with Bynum. Either playing power forward would be clunky and awkward. Where this leaves Pau Gasol is yet to be seen.

Hornets fans have to love all this. LOVE IT.
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Rondo > Odom

In the end it willing won't matter who offers the best package. It only matters who they are willing to sign with. The players will dictate unless a team is willing to take a risk without an extension.
 
Believeland-OH said:
Rondo > Odom

In the end it willing won't matter who offers the best package. It only matters who they are willing to sign with. The players will dictate unless a team is willing to take a risk without an extension.
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I realize that, but the way he worded it made it sound like he actually believed that Odom + scrubs is possible without Paul telling New Orleans that he wants to join the Lakers.
 
Reporters who say Odom is enough for Paul are just demonstrating their bias for a local team. Odom, like the rest of the laker bench, is over rated because of where they play. Lakers dont have the pieces. They are crippled with contracts, I expect them to be on a 5-7 year rebuild once Kobe retires
 
bigfoot5415 said:
Reporters who say Odom is enough for Paul are just demonstrating their bias for a local team. Odom, like the rest of the laker bench, is over rated because of where they play. Lakers dont have the pieces. They are crippled with contracts, I expect them to be on a 5-7 year rebuild once Kobe retires
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WTF was also my response when I read the article the first time because of the bias towards the Lakers

I agree Odom to the Hornets wouldn't be enough. I would have to imagine it would be Odom to a 3rd team that needs a player his style with that 3rd team sending assest to the Hornets. Just a thought, I could also see Gasol being the player sent to a 3rd team with assest going to the Hornets.

The only way the Lakers move Bynum though is for Howard imo.
 
Why would New Orleans do that?

If they really think Paul is going to walk, why would they pass on Rondo, who is 1) younger (not by much, but still) 2) almost as good as Paul in running an offense 3) has a reasonable contract until 2015.

Lamar and any other Laker are not getting it done, at all.

They are not getting Howard as well, NJ reportedly has a way better proposal than Lakers can offer. (Lopez+2 picks and taking on Hedo)
 
Jezzar said:
Why would New Orleans do that?

If they really think Paul is going to walk, why would they pass on Rondo, who is 1) younger (not by much, but still) 2) almost as good as Paul in running an offense 3) has a reasonable contract until 2015.

Lamar and any other Laker are not getting it done, at all.

They are not getting Howard as well, NJ reportedly has a way better proposal than Lakers can offer. (Lopez+2 picks and taking on Hedo)
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Howard and Paul hold all the cards in this situation. Ainge has said (from everything I have read) he will not make the deal without Paul agreeing to an extension first. I would imagine the same would apply to Howard if you deal Lopez and 2 firsts.

It doesn't matter what deal is better for the team, if Paul and Howard say I will only play for X team, Orlando and NO are left with a choice of either getting nothing, or whatever watered down package x team is offering.

Boston may indeed be offering Rondo, which would be a good deal for NO, but without Paul consenting there is no deal. They are at his mercy, and if I were him I wouldn't go anywhere near Boston considering their core has an average age of 35. Sucks for NO, but it is the way the NBA is now a days. The new CBA really did nothing to alter that dynamic.

Teams are just not going to leverage the franchise to trade for a player they know will walk after the season, which is why the players hold all the cards in this equation.
 
KB said:
WTF was also my response when I read the article the first time because of the bias towards the Lakers

I agree Odom to the Hornets wouldn't be enough. I would have to imagine it would be Odom to a 3rd team that needs a player his style with that 3rd team sending assest to the Hornets. Just a thought, I could also see Gasol being the player sent to a 3rd team with assest going to the Hornets.

The only way the Lakers move Bynum though is for Howard imo.
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Nobody wants the Lakers' garbage, and they'll find this out soon enough. The Lakers see that they are beginning to fade and are panicking, trying to throw around their only good players, none of whom are particularly young, and parlay them into young superstars. Amusing, to say the least.

The sound they make rattling their cage as the guard changes in the west should be fun to hear. Unfortunately, free agency 2012 will probably solve all their issues unless Howard and Paul find new homes during the season.

ps: Fuck Bynum. Nobody wants this guy, come on. I wouldn't trade a medium pizza for him let alone my young superstar. There will be a dozen better offers for both DH12 and CP3.
 
Noonan said:
Could be huge. Could lead to nothing.

WindhorstESPN Brian Windhorst
Not finalized,but NBA execs expecting to get lost time back on trade exceptions that expired in lockout.Biggest is Cavs $14.5M (9 days left)
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Was just abou to tweet this. Wouldn't be surprised if we don't use it. If we don't use it does the 14.5 million come off our cap
 
Wow - I was against using the amnesty on Baron - but if we use it on him and then use that space to acquire a bad contract / picks it could be huge.

I'm sure this is a pipe dream, but with the new 6-month rule in doing extend-and-trades, there is a small chance Paul or Howard could be moved and we could be a 3rd team in the team to make the money work.
 
daddywags said:
As with a lot of this stuff, we'll have to see how it looks when the ink is dry on the paper. If it's only teams below the salary cap that get this "first bid" chance, then it'll certainly be less than 25 won't it? Maybe not. I'm not sure. You raise an interesting wrinkle, though. What's to stop, say, Sacramento from picking up Davis for $3 million through the amnesty process, waiting a month, and then trading him to a contender for $3 million in contracts? Could it work that way?
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so amnesty players wont be able to just reject teams? lol
 
Chris Paul requesting trade to Knicks. Owners should vote down CBA.
 
catfish said:
Chris Paul requesting trade to Knicks. Owners should vote down CBA.
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How dumb are the players? Getting that close to playing again without losing much (if anything) and they try pulling this before a vote even passes?
 
Backstage said:
How dumb are the players? Getting that close to playing again without losing much (if anything) and they try pulling this before a vote even passes?
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The players did lose something, just not Paul's "class". As for the Knicks trade, denied. Simple as that. If he doesn't want to play, just sit at home and rot. Being on the high side of 30 is fun!!!

I just don't see the big deal. Show some balls and slap the punk down.
 
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