Lakers Acquire Gasol!!!

If you're a Laker fan like me, you've probably wondered 'what could be better than getting rid of Kwame Brown?' I was mildly intrigued with Brown's potential when they traded him for Caron Butler who quickly became a freaking all star. But after watching him fumble passes, miss dunks, and quit on defense, I would have settled for trading him to an old folks home for a terminally ill old dude with an enlarged prostate.

Enter Mitch Kupchak. Good ol uncle Mitch has redeemed himself this season as Andrew Bynum has blossomed, the genius trade for Trevor Ariza (who is the second coming of Rick Fox, only more athletic and a better defender), and draft picks Jordan Farmar and Rony Turiaf have started realizing their potential as well. Mitch further vindicated himself by acquiring Paul Gasol for Kwame, rookie point guard Javaris Crittenden, and two future first round draft picks (2008 and 2010). I always knew that Kwame would eventually go away, but I never thought they'd be able to get a 7 foot power forward that averages 18 points and 9 roubounds in return. This trade was no Vlade Divac for Kobe Bryant and cap room to sign the Diesel, but it's still a fantastic move.

The true value of this trade will be realized immediately as the Lakers have been floundering after injuries to Bynum and Ariza. Now they can start Gasol at the 5, and play Rony at the 4 which will give them a good amount of hussle and rebounding to help take the pressure off Kobe until Bynum gets back. And with the Lakers being two games into a franchise record 9 game road trip, this will help tremendously. And when Bynum gets back, Gasol moves back to the 4, and there you have one of the tallest, if not THE tallest frontcourts in the NBA.

But there is a drawback. Lamar Odom is currently the Lakers second offensive option behind Kobe. With a healthy Bynum, Odom will be the third or fourth option on offense. This could pose a problem if Odom feels he's being slighted. But if he can still play effectively in the triangle, the Lakers will have the team and more importantly the chemistry to make a serious run at the West this year. You might laugh at that last statement, but before Bynum was injured, the Lakers held the top spot in the West for a day or two. They may not get back there, but if they bring everything together by late April, there's a serious chance I will be convincing Amy to let us name our son Mitch.