Could L.A. throne be fit for a King?
As unlikely as it probably is, Lakers franchise has been quite fortunate when it comes to landing elite talent
Vincent Bonsignore
Staff Writer
03/04/2010 12:02:55 AM PST
Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James (23) and Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe... ((AP Photo/Tony Dejak))
LeBron James playing for the Lakers next year is such a far-fetched, preposterous, outlandish fantasy we have no other choice but to completely and utterly embrace it.
And we have every right to, every reason to, because this is Hollywood. Crazy, whimsical dreams like this come true all the time for the Lakers.
Just look at their history.
They acquired Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the greatest player in the game at the time, from Milwaukee for four players in 1975. They lucked into Magic Johnson and James Worthy after acquiring draft picks (which turned out to be No. 1s overall) from lowly Utah and Cleveland.
The Lakers have always been fortunate like that, and probably always will be. It's part of their charm, and the main reason they've been the most glamorous team in the NBA since arriving here in 1960.
Players want to come here, star here. They understand they'll perform on one of sports' biggest stages, and they'll contend for championships every year.
So when the opportunity to come here presents itself, they do whatever it takes to make it happen.
Remember when there was no chance the Orlando Magic would allow Shaquille O'Neal to leave as a free agent at the height of his game in 1996?
Yet that is exactly what happened.
These are the Lakers, and this is where the biggest stars in the game come to play.
O'Neal went on to lead the Lakers to three consecutive championships from 2000-03.
While we're on the subject of the summer of 1996, keep in mind that was the same offseason the Lakers shipped Vlade Divac to Charlotte for the draft rights to a 17-year-old kid from Lower Merion High outside Philadelphia.
That's how the Lakers ended up with Kobe Bryant.
Yeah, dreams come true for the Lakers.
Crazy, impossible dreams that have no business even being talked about; yet somehow, someway, always seem to come to fruition.
You think the Pau Gasol trade just happened? Do you think someone just acquires a spectacular talent like Gasol for Kwame Brown and Javaris Crittenton?
Absolutely not.
Unless you're the Lakers, who always seem to bask in good fortune.
This brings us to James, and the crazy notion of him joining forces next year with Bryant and Gasol in Los Angeles.
For any other team, obtaining the greatest young player in the game is a fantasy too outrageous to even consider, and that includes the clubs currently jockeying for cap space to make a run at James when he becomes a free agent this summer.
But there is no dream too big for the Lakers, as they have proved throughout their charismatic existence.
The rumor has been out there for a few months now, with longtime NBA reporter Sam Smith floating it out of Chicago back in November. It picked up steam this week when a source close to Phil Jackson told Hoopshype.com that James had expressed interest in playing for the Lakers next year.
Within hours, talk radio and Internet message boards were buzzing with the possibility.
Some people dismissed it as far-fetched. The Lakers are too far over the salary cap, they argued, and there is no way James and Bryant can possibly coexist on the same team.
Details, I say, details.
Not only can it happen, if James really wants it to, it will happen.
Stay with me here.
First, the Cavaliers will do everything in their power to make sure he stays.
But if James wants to leave, he will. And it just so happens his desire to play for the Lakers also gives the Cavaliers a decent fallback plan should he go.
First, the Lakers have enough young talent to work out a sign-
and-trade deal with the Cavaliers. Instead of letting James walk away for nothing, Cleveland can reap something in return.
For the Cavs, getting Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom or Ron Artest, plus a couple of first-round picks, looks a whole lot better than the nothing they'll get if James signs with New York or New Jersey.
Second, it keeps James out of the Eastern Conference.
If you're the Cavaliers, losing James is easier to digest if you have to play him only twice a year compared with the handful of times they'd see him if he stayed in the same conference.
As far as James and Bryant not being able to coexist, that is nonsense.
Bryant coexisted with O'Neal well enough to win three championships with him, and James and Bryant played brilliantly together in the 2008 Olympics, leading Team USA to the gold medal.
It's the perfect situation for both.
Bryant has only a few more years left, and the opportunity to add to his championship collection is immediately enhanced with the addition of James.
By the time Bryant gets fazed out, King James will be entering his prime, ready to take over the franchise. Kareem once passed the torch to Magic, and Bryant took over for Shaq.
That's the way the Lakers do it. One great player turns over control to the next one. It's how they've managed to hang 10 championship banners over the past 40 years and become the NBA's flagship franchise.
So how does this all come about?
That's the easy part.
James goes to the Cavaliers and gives them an ultimatum. Trade me to the Lakers, or I will sign with the New York Knicks or Chicago Bulls - with you getting nothing in return - and I will haunt you five or six times every year for the next decade.
If you are the Cavaliers, what choice do you really have but to comply? If you're going to lose James, wouldn't you want something valuable in return, and don't you want him as far away from Cleveland as possible?
If you're the Lakers, you gladly deal Bynum and either Odom or Artest and a couple of first-round picks to ensure your dynasty continues for the foreseeable future.
Crazy? Far-fetched?
Certainly.
Possible? Absolutely.
April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008