MV Mamba

"We don't rebuild, we reload!"

-Shaquille O'Neal, Los Angeles Lakers 2004

Those were the words of former Lakers Center entering the 2004 season, a season of turmoil that ended the last Lakers dynasty. Following that year Kobe Bryant opted out of his contract, Shaq was traded, Phil Jackson stepped down and the other role players on the team were scatter amongst the NBA.

Kobe ultimately re-signed with the Lakers amid the notion that playing for them provided his best shot to continue winning championships. But was it?

Following the breakup of the Shaq/Kobe Lakers, the organization did everything in their power to "rebuild" the team opting to surround Bryant with young talent instead of season veterans. Every move they made seemed to imply they were building a team for the next decade (rebuilding) instead of building a team to win now (reloading). Through the following three seasons of mediocrity, Bryant stayed on board, begging for some help. It was until the end of the 2007 season when he realized the organization had been lying to him. Their primary focus wasn't to build a championship caliber team around him; they intended to build a championship core to succeed him. This caused the maniacal and championship driven Bryant to present an ultimatum for the world to hear, "Build a championship around me, or trade me to an organization that will do so."

Listening to LA radio, days after Bryant won the 2008 MVP award and had lead the Lakers to a 6-0 record to start the postseason, many Laker fans still expressed disgust for the disloyalty Bryant showed to the organization.

Somehow these guys missed the point. Mitch Kupchack didn't turn into a genius overnight with the Pau Gasol deal, the history, location, power and appeal of LA had made LA an attractive destination for obtaining high quality free agents at a discount rate. Players like Jermaine O'Neal, Ron Artest, Jason Kidd and Baron Davis all expressed interest in playing in Los Angeles. Kobe and the Lakers could have been competing for championships for the past two years if properly motivated.

I am of the opinion that Kobe's demands done in the way he did so were the only way the Lakers would change their priorities. Without them, the maturation of the younger players (a bit of luck for everyone involved) and Kobe's newfound trust for his teammates, the Lakers present and future would not be as bright as it is today.

Sounds like an MVP to me.

So I guess we might be a sports blog

Did y'all see, did y’all see that we got Pau Gasol? Did anybody see that? Did you see the move Mitch pulled off? Did anybody see what Mitch pulled off for the Los Angeles Lakers? Did anybody see what he did? We got Pau Gasol, so now we have a beast to throw the ball down to. They’re scared now, Yeah! We've got help now! We've got help now! We’ve got Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum. Whatsup! Talk to me! I aint even got to tell you, you already know, Andrew Bynum on one side. Then you got a left hand southpaw switch it up, you think he’s shooting left but he’s actually shooting right.

Wait, a second why does that seem strangely failure. Everything about today seems like déjà. A huge trade, a (borderline) all-star was traded for pennies on the dollar. Everyone has heralded the trade as a steal. Nothing of “substance” was given up for a substantial upgrade in talent. Parades are already been planned in LA as the Laker roster is now seen as one of the best in the league. Personally this feels a lot like one of the numerous moves that Isaiah has been getting killed for making in New York.

(Alleged) Upgrade in talent: Check
Trading away Financial Flexibility/ Expiring Contracts: Check
Trading Away young talent: Check
Trading away multiple first drafts picks: Check

(A quick note about the draft picks traded away, they traded away 2008 and 2010 draft picks because based on the collective bargaining agreement: you are not allowed to trade away consecutive first round draft picks. You should think about this rule as a safeguard against GM’s engaging in numerous Isaiah/ Mitch “genius” type trades.)

Henry Abbot of True Hoops notes that Gasol will be making $50MM over the next three years, and that the Lakers significantly limited their financial flexibility. (Good Bye Free Agent signings!) Instead of patterning their championship quest after the Spurs/ Trailblazers (good character guys, great drafting, and a little bit of luck) they decided to take the Boston/ Miami approach and try to create a championship out of thin air. While I know Mitch was under some pressure to build the team to win now, Kobe Bryant is not a general manager. His goals are not in line with the long term goals of the Laker organization.

Theoretically this trade could work out beautifully if Kobe is appeased by the moves, the Lakers (and Bynum) continue to develop as expected and they challenge and eventually win a championship (s) in the upcoming years. In this scenario the drafts picks that they lose are low first rounders and are thus less valuable.
Here’s my problem with this scenario

Kobe:

This trade only makes sense if it appeases Kobe. If not and he walks after next year, then LA mortgaged their future to appease a superstar that is no longer a part of their organization.

Gasol:

Is he an NBA player who can only put up numbers on a bad team? A stat monster? I would like to see Dave Berri of Wages of Win’s analysis of the trade.

Odom:

What should LA do with him? Doesn’t he replicate a lot of what Kobe and Gasol do best?

Bynum:

How will the arrival of Gasol affect Bynum’s development? What is the status of his injury?

Basically my final analysis of this trade is that it is way too early to tell how the Lakers did in this trade, but as a fan I am glad that Mitch made a move. Only time will tell if it was the right move, but at least the City of Angels has something its basketball team hasn’t had in a while. Hope.