[King Glorious]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

This was one of your more confusing posts in a long series of confusing posts. First you want the NBA to disallow the trade. Then you say the trade is great for the Lakers. Then you say the trade has the potential to hurt the Lakers. Then you say it wont hurt the Lakers. Then you say that because the Lakers have Pau Gasol, Kobe is not a leader or capable if the dont win the title. ????

Ok, let's see if I can make it make some semblance of sense.

I was joking about the NBA not allowing the trade. I know they wouldn't do it. I had it in my mind what they did back in the 1980's because of the Cleveland Cavs. I'm not sure if I have all the details exactly right on it but the Cavs had in two or three straight seasons dealt away their top pick in the draft so the NBA stepped in and created what was called the Ted Stepien Rule. I believe it forbid teams to do that anymore. The point was that they put in a rule to stop teams from hurting themselves continually. So I was joking that the NBA should not allow it because it was so grossly uneven that it seemed like Memphis' only objective was to help the Lakers and in no way help themselves.

It is a great trade for the Lakers. Adding an all-star like Gasol is perfect for them...right now. I wasn't sure that while Bynum was out, the Lakers were going to be able to hold on to a top eight position in the West. They are currently in sixth, only 2.5 games over #9 Portland and 3.0 games over #10 Houston. They are on an extended road trip right now and it's not inconceivable to have seen them fall out of the top eight and therefore, out of a playoff spot in Bynum's absence. Now, with Gasol in there, they should be able to maintain their level of play until Bynum gets back. In essence, while he's much more than that obviously, Gasol in the interim is like the perfect "stop gap measure".

When I say that it could hurt them, I mean down the line. I am not sure how Gasol will blend with Odom and especially with Bynum. Bynum was really coming along and his development is, I think, key to the Lakers' success. If he's dropped down a little bit in the pecking order of the offense, how will he respond? There was a noticeable difference in his level of play from when he was a starter and had a prominent role in the offense and when he was a reserve. Also, with Brown gone and until Bynum comes back, they have to worry about defending big men in the West. I think that the defense is going to suffer a little bit with Gasol in there. But at the same time, the increased offense could overshadow that. Overall, I was only mentioning that I think these things are things to keep under consideration as potential problems and that the addition of Gasol doesn't automatically elevate the team to the top of the Western standings, that it remains to be seen. Personally, I think it will work out but I'm not as automatically sold as some others seem to be. Sort of like an all that glitters is not gold outlook.

As for Kobe and his leadership, I think he's got to win or else. He has always wanted to be the leader of a championship team. Everyone knows that the titles the Lakers won, Shaq was the driving force behind them. Now, Kobe's got his time to prove his leadership abilities. His brilliance as an offensive star (sometimes defensive too) are unquestioned. But there is a difference in being able to be great and being able to lead. The truly great ones are the ones that lead their teams to titles or at least to their highest possible levels. Kobe complained that the Lakers weren't committed to getting him the help he's needed. Well, with Bynum's improvement, the bringing back of a veteran point guard in Fisher, and now the trade for another all-star, they've given him the pieces to do some big things. Kobe has the team that he needs to prove himself as a true leader. This team is arguably better than the first three teams that Jordan led to titles. Kobe's got to put up or shut up, IMO. Now, I will back off a little and say that he doesn't have to win the title. But I do think that he's got to reach the finals to show that he can take a team that far on his own, without Shaq. I think Kobe would be the first to admit that it's time for him to prove himself in that area.