Chris Paul, Dwight Howard, Kobe Bryant And Mike Brown

Exactly. The NBA almost reveled in the fact that they would keep us (and I think Miami was the other team mentioned) from getting 2-3 stars in Free Agency. The high luxury tax penalties, the incentives for guys to stay where they are, the high emphasis on profit sharing...

The whole thing was built to kill us and it did. Mitch and Jim managed to hold it off for a while with the Howard/Nash fiasco, but all-in-all we should have embraced it I suppose. It's too bad. We did our job, we reloaded, and the NBA instead of embracing us took us down a few pegs.

Now though, it's time to build us back up. I know they're profiting now from other markets being popular, but now that those markets have been realized they need to make sure their main profit centers come back strong. They need NY and LA to come back and be successful again within the next few years. They need people tuning in to Laker games again. I'm not saying they're going to give us anything because they've already proven the last few years that they won't. I'm saying it's in their best interests to help get us out of this basement. If business motives were the reason to kill us, then business motives will be the reason we're given some good "luck" again.

 

Yes. Stern did want to keep us from essentially rebuilding on the fly at the expense of a small market team. But I think a lot of people view it as Stern actively wanting to screw the Lakers which I don't think is the case. He was playing the business game. Like Real said, taking a gamble on building two teams up at the expense of one. Thus far, it has worked.

In the end, I' be happy if we got Stanley Johnson, and he ends up being a stud along with Julius Randle. They end up being Lakers through and through and we rebuild with them. It'd be more satisfying than winning with CP3 and Coward. And to be honest, I'm not convinced that team wins anything. Griffin right now is better than Howard and they are 6th in the West. Yes that team would have had Kobe, but its an old Kobe.

 

Isn't that the same thing though? He knowingly sunk us and knew what would happen when he did it. He did it for business reasons not out of spite, but doesn't it amount to the same thing?

I think if you get Paul/Howard/Kobe it's not just about them but all the veterans who line up to play with them too. Not to mention with the three of them there's no reason to overwork any single person and then their injury risk is cut down tremendously. Maybe Kobe doesn't bust an Achilles trying to drag a team to the playoffs...

I agree on Johnson/Randle. Johnson is an LA kid, grew up here. Whether he's a Laker fan or not, I'm sure he'd love to represent his city in the NBA. You build around him and Randle as an unusual combination, but two physical beasts on the court. I like the idea. If you give them a defensive Center and a PG who can get them the ball where they need it, I see good things in their future.

 

Yeah, I think we're pretty much all saying the same thing. Absolutely, Stern gave us plenty of lip service through the years, but he did hit us hard for Business Reasons when he wanted/needed to. And ultimately it worked for him. Now the NBA has essentially a new product to hype (without that cantankerous and hard to control Donald Sterling) in our backyard, with a lucrative TV deal upcoming that will benefit the league and other owners as well. He's created a rivalry where was there none and no hope to be one without his intervention (giving the team Chris Paul, finally giving them a head coach that has some power and beheading Sterling). No one is doubting the brilliant craft in Stern's handiwork. He pulled it off. And in the meantime he ameliorated Gilbert's situation by giving him all those number one picks and thus giving Lebron some motivation to return home. But we'll see if Lebronze actually sticks around. I wouldn't be terribly surprised to see him jump ship for the Knicks. Wouldn't shock me one bit.

 

I don't think I could see him running to that mess... I could see Love leaving if he sees greener pastures. I could see Dragic and Monroe leaving too. I can't see Marc or Aldridge leaving though.

 

Add Rondo to that list. I can see him leaving.

Unfortunately, from that list, I don't see any player having a significant impact on the team...unless we get two of them...if that's even possible. Lol.

 

Yeah we need two players this summer. Hopefully we get one through the draft and one through FA.

Towns/Dragic
Stan Johnson/Dragic

Basically any combination of Dragic and that Top 5 pick would be excellent.

 

You guys nailed it man. I remember being completely outraged by this and all my non-Laker fan buddies being pretty happy about it. I remember them rolling their eyes about it actually like it's not a big deal. Imagine if the Cavs moved for Love and that got vetoed. ESPN would break.