Chris Paul Shows What the Lakers are Missing

It was only a preseason game, but the atmosphere was that of a playoff game. And in the end, the Chris Paul-led Los Angeles Clippers convinced me that they are a legitimate playoff contender.

The Los Angeles Lakers? They need more time to figure things out.

Chris Paul showed little rust and seemed very comfortable with his new teammates. Contrast that to what happened to the Lakers, who were without a dependable point guard and looked lost in a lot of stretches in their first preseason game of the season.

Without Derek Fisher, the team relied on Steve Blake and rookie Darius Morris. By now, we know that Blake is still at best a serviceable backup and Morris is the second coming of Jordan Farmar.

In any case, if you're a betting person, I think you'll agree with me when I say that the Lakers chances to win the championship have dipped a little bit and the Clippers' chances to be in the playoffs just jumped a whole lot. Some sites for online betting (TopBet.com, etc.) have already tabbed the Clippers to get home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

Talk about the difference Chris Paul makes.


Technorati: Los Angeles Lakers

Lakers Are Officially In A Bind

The season hasn't begun yet but it's already looking like a disaster movie for the Los Angeles Lakers.

First, it was the unfavorable stipulations in the NBA's new CBA, then it was the vetoed trade that would have sent Chris Paul to the Lakers. Now, we learn that Chris Paul has been traded to the Los Angeles Clippers!

This is one f$#%ed-up conspiracy, if you ask me. It's one grand conspiracy to screw the NBA's best franchise. (If you think otherwise, you're a fool.)

How can the NBA (who owns the New Orleans Hornets) choose Eric Gordon, Chris Kaman, and a few draft picks over Lamar Odom, Luis Scola, Kevin Martin, and Goran Dragic? Granted that Eric Gordon is blossoming into a dependable 2-guard, but this deal just stinks.

Since the vetoed trade, here's what happened that puts the Lakers in a hole:

• The aforementioned trade of Paul
• Odom was traded to the Dallas Mavericks
• Dwight Howard was taken off the trading block

If you think those developments threw a wrench on the Lakers plans, I'm saying the whole machine is collapsing bolt by bolt. 

As the roster stands now, I'm looking at a great team, but not a championship-calibre ballclub. Great job, NBA team owners! You're conspiracy has achieved its goal of screwing the Lakers.

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Unhappy Odom Sent to Dallas

This sucks.

After the NBA shot down the deal that would have sent Chris Paul to the Los Angeles Lakers, Pau Gasol to the Houston Rockets, and Lamar Odom to the New Orleans Hornets, it left a bitter taste to the players involved in it.

Nobody took it harder than Odom, who spent seven seasons with the Lakers and the reigning Sixth Man of the Year. He felt that he was unwanted by the team that he helped win two championships in the last two years.

This prompted him to request a trade out of the team and Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak obliged. Odom was sent to the Dallas Mavericks for a salary exception an draft picks.

As a fan, this is utter crap.

How do you replace a versatile big man who's always a threat to a double-double?

Some will argue that Odom will be less effective in Mike Brown's system than he was in the Triangle Offense. A double-double threat? A lot of people see an inconsistent power forward.

The way I see it, this deal is disadvantageous to the Lakers because 1) they give up a trade piece that could be packaged with other players to obtain an All-Star (like Dwight Howard), and 2) There's no immediate replacement for Odom's production. Yes the team saves salary, but the Lakers have never been about penny-pinching.

If this is the last deal the Lakers will make in the off-season, then we'll see more of Derrick Caracter off the bench. And that is NOT a good thing.


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The Chris Paul Saga Continues: Twitter Backlash on the NBA

New Orleans Hornets Chris Paul point guard was supposed to the Los Angeles Lakers in a trade. But in an unprecedented move, the NBA, which owns the Hornets, vetoed the trade. Why? Because of "basketball reasons."

After this announcement, public sentiment has been strong against the NBA in Twitter.


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Lakers Get Screwed By NBA Again on Chris Paul Trade

A couple of hours ago, I was already playing scenarios in my head with the trade of Chris Paul to the Los Angeles Lakers. With Pau Gasol going to the Houston Rockets and Lamar Odom going to the New Orleans Hornets, the team's thin frontline was a great thing to think about.

However, the Lakers got screwed by the NBA. Again.

Yahoo Sports reported that the deal was blocked by NBA commish David Stern. Why? Because the New Orleans Hornets is a team owned by the NBA (it's in the process of being handed over to a new owner) and the rest of the NBA raised hell because the Lakers supposedly got better.

Are you kidding me? The Lakers got better in this deal?

By sending two-thirds of the frontline that won the 2010 NBA championship, the Lakers lost their edge on defense and rebounding. Between Gasol and Odom, you're looking at 20 rebounds a game and 3 blocked shots. Yes, the Lakers get a top-flight point guard, who does he feed the ball into the post to? Derrick Caracter? You might as well count that as a defensive rebound by the opponent.

My point is, you can't say outright that this deal was lopsided in the Lakers favor.

If the deal does get permanently killed, then the Lakers' problems would be chemistry, since Odom and Gasol will have a cloud hovering over their heads all season.

Damn you, David Stern.


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