Another trade rumor . . .

[slimjimzv]

Ok, I heard this yesterday on the Sports Animal, and am wondering where it came from. Barry Trammel (I know, I know) asked Jim and Al what they thought about the 'rumor' that OKC was looking at trading the #3 pick to the Lakers IF Rubio was there in exchange for Bynum. Since he brought it up as a rumor, I wanted to see where it came from and did some searching, but I can find nothing about this supposed trade. Has anyone else heard anything about this? If it's true, and if Bynum is healthy, I absolutely love the idea for both teams. But is it just more fluff Trammel through out there, or is it an actual rumor?

zv

[DAK!]

sounds like total horsesh*t to me. I'd love it if it was true but that trade makes no sense for LA cuz he was very productive for them when healthy. I think this is just a hometown guy trying to create some news

[GP20]

Yeah LA won't benefit from that at all. Bynum, when healthy, is key for the Lakers as they can shift Gasol into his usual role at PF. Rubio for Bynum is like Collison for Amare.

[thunderquest]

It makes sense long term for the Lakeshow. They are looking for the next face of the program. Kobe has some good years left but not more than 4 or 5. Kupchic is thinking about the next step. Throw in that it is a huge latin market, the Lakers are already a global brand name . . . plus its a franchise based on "showtime." Not to mention that they would get a marquee player for 4 years on the cheap while trying to find the money to resign Odom and pay Kobe 20+ Mil a year. Bynum isnt cheap, I think his contract is between $12-14 M a year.

[slimjimzv]

Yeah LA won't benefit from that at all. Bynum, when healthy, is key for the Lakers as they can shift Gasol into his usual role at PF. Rubio for Bynum is like Collison for Amare.

You don't think their biggest weakness right now is PG?

Not being a smartass, just an honest question. I can totally see them getting frustrated with Bynum's injury problems and switching him out for a 'showtime' PG. Saying it's equivilent to a Collison for Amare trade is a little over the top, IMO.

[DAK!]

Well it doesn't make any sense to me but I'd be all for it. We'd have our center of the future and he's better than any big man we'd get in the draft outside of Griffin. There are plenty of outside shooting specialist's in fa. That scenario is way too good to be true cuz how old is Bynum anyway 22?

Imagine if he was in the draft right now with his age, size and current skill.....he wouldn't last till the 3rd pick. With Memphis looking for a true center you'd think they would be a bigger target for this rumor to guarantee LA Rubio

[GP20]

Maybe it is their biggest weakness, I really don't know. I don't really follow LA closely. But I do know that Bynum can be a monster, if he stays healthy. Everyone questioned DWades health, but look at him this year. He stayed healthy and killed it this year. Bynum to me can do the same. That's just my opinion.

And being that true centres are so hard to come by these days, I would think they would not trade him for Rubio, who may be a bust you never know. But at least Bynum has been tested in the NBA and you know he has that potential to be an AllStar.

The Collison for Amare thing was just a joke. I picked it up from some Clipper fan in this forum.

[Durantula]

Well it doesn't make any sense to me but I'd be all for it. We'd have our center of the future and he's better than any big man we'd get in the draft outside of Griffin. There are plenty of outside shooting specialist's in fa. That scenario is way too good to be true cuz how old is Bynum anyway 22?

Imagine if he was in the draft right now with his age, size and current skill.....he wouldn't last till the 3rd pick. With Memphis looking for a true center you'd think they would be a bigger target for this rumor to guarantee LA Rubio

He was only 17 when he was drafted in 2005, so he won't be 22 until later this year.

I have to believe that if he was in this year's draft, he would be the #1 or #2 pick. Of course, that would be assuming that he wouldn't have gone through the two knee surgeries that he has had with the Lakers.

[RicanThunder]

Always remember that the Spurs won championships with Bruce Bowen as their starting SG. We still have Thabo Sefalosha, who is a defensive genius and is a consistent jump shot away from being an excellent role player. So its not like we don't have a SG. So, we don't haaaave to draft a SG. Bynum would shore up our middle and he's young. Does he have some injury issues?? Yes, but nothing chronic like Tyson Chandler. Plus, I don't think he has ever been a fan of the spotlight. A town like OKC would fit him just fine. The only thing we would need would be to hire Kareem Abdul Jabbar as an assistant coach. Remember, his only coaching stint was with a minor league team out of Oklahoma and I believe he led them to a championship too. Bring on Bynum!!!!!!!

[DAK!]

I agree with everything you just said.....but I still think the rumor is bs

[thunderquest]

am i the only one who is more impresses with Perkins from Boston than Bynum?

[Jimmy Early]

I would rather stand pat with Robert Swift than take on "Half Season" Bynum's contract. NO WAY. There are much better trades for Rubio.

[GP20]

Yeah I agree. That's all I was saying too. Mate if it's true, I would love to have Bynum on our team. I just don't think that LA would take Rubio for Bynum on a straight swap.

[GP20]

Damn just realised my reply was about 3 reply spots too late

[Thunderstruck83]

If this trade went down, that Fegan moron would get his way and that alone makes me not wanna see it happen. Sam, if one of these posters is you, please get Harden and Gortat and move forward, stay far away from the Rubio drama.

[RedDirt717]

It makes sense long term for the Lakeshow. They are looking for the next face of the program. Kobe has some good years left but not more than 4 or 5. Kupchic is thinking about the next step. Throw in that it is a huge latin market, the Lakers are already a global brand name . . . plus its a franchise based on "showtime." Not to mention that they would get a marquee player for 4 years on the cheap while trying to find the money to resign Odom and pay Kobe 20+ Mil a year. Bynum isnt cheap, I think his contract is between $12-14 M a year.

This post made me completely rethink this rumor.

Makes sense for LA, drop a log and get a cheap offensive running PG for nickles.

Oklahoma gets an auto game changer.

[Obi-One-Ginobili]

This would be a steal if Bynum stays healthy. With Bynum at center JG could stay at the 4 since hes a 4/3 hybrid like Rashard Leiws Bynum could command double teams and kick it out to the open guy like Howard for the Magic. I'm not saying Bynum is as good as Howard but he is a much better offensive center than Gortat and Thabeet and just as good defensive.

RW
Thabo
KD
JG
Bynum

Whats wrong with that ?

Sadly this rummor is from Berry Trammel. I hope to find out he heard it from someone with more credit to give me a small small chance of hope.

[#1Thunderfan]

This would be a steal if Bynum stays healthy. With Bynum at center JG could stay at the 4 since hes a 4/3 hybrid like Rashard Leiws Bynum could command double teams and kick it out to the open guy like Howard for the Magic. I'm not saying Bynum is as good as Howard but he is a much better offensive center than Gortat and Thabeet and just as good defensive..

I agree Bynum isn't as good as Howard but he sure did do a good job defending him last night! I really hope Presti and the boys go after Gortat especially if we draft Harden.... Talk about a roster upgrade!!! That would be real nice!!

[ClarkMatthews]

Someone in the RealGM forums (basically, a message board) tossed out the idea of the Lakers trading Bynum for the rights to Rubio and asked for feedback. Someone read it and called the Sports Animal labeling it as a rumor. All the sudden all of the Oklahoma media (except for, I'm guessing, Darnell Mayberry who actually knows some things) thinks the Lakers have put that offer on the table.

Let's boil it down, though, if L.A. made that offer to Memphis, the Grizzlies would accept before Mitch Kupchak could say "Deal?" Rubio would be a headache for the front office there and they are open to making a trade if they can get good value. I'd call Bynum better than good value.

[Jimmy Early]

am i the only one who is more impressed with Perkins from Boston than Bynum?

No, you're not.

[DwightSchrute]

This doesn't make sense for the Lakers. Kobe has a few good years left, and as long as he is there, their goal is going to be to win championships immediately. You don't do that AND rebuild at the same time. I'm not a Kupchak fan, but I think even he realizes that. Kobe, who can opt out of his contract this summer, isn't going to be thrilled about trading his budding young center for an 18-year-old rookie, as good as Rubio may be and as impressed as Kobe may have been by Rubio's play in the Olympics. Also, as long as Phil Jackson and Tex Winter are on the Laker bench, they're going to be running the triangle offense, which doesn't cater to Rubio's strengths. The triangle doesn't cater to pure, play-making PGs. In the triangle, it's more important to just have guards who can hit jump shots, which is a weak spot for Rubio. Rubio isn't a good fit for the Lakers for many of the same reasons that people were criticizing a potential Jason Kidd to LA trade two years ago. He wouldn't be able to play his style, which would be a detriment to both Rubio and the Lakers.

[Durantula]

This doesn't make sense for the Lakers. Kobe has a few good years left, and as long as he is there, their goal is going to be to win championships immediately. You don't do that AND rebuild at the same time. I'm not a Kupchak fan, but I think even he realizes that. Kobe, who can opt out of his contract this summer, isn't going to be thrilled about trading his budding young center for an 18-year-old rookie, as good as Rubio may be and as impressed as Kobe may have been by Rubio's play in the Olympics. Also, as long as Phil Jackson and Tex Winter are on the Laker bench, they're going to be running the triangle offense, which doesn't cater to Rubio's strengths. The triangle doesn't cater to pure, play-making PGs. In the triangle, it's more important to just have guards who can hit jump shots, which is a weak spot for Rubio. Rubio isn't a good fit for the Lakers for many of the same reasons that people were criticizing a potential Jason Kidd to LA trade two years ago. He wouldn't be able to play his style, which would be a detriment to both Rubio and the Lakers.


Good post, Dwight.

[HotRocNRol]

This doesn't make sense for the Lakers. Kobe has a few good years left, and as long as he is there, their goal is going to be to win championships immediately. You don't do that AND rebuild at the same time. I'm not a Kupchak fan, but I think even he realizes that. Kobe, who can opt out of his contract this summer, isn't going to be thrilled about trading his budding young center for an 18-year-old rookie, as good as Rubio may be and as impressed as Kobe may have been by Rubio's play in the Olympics. Also, as long as Phil Jackson and Tex Winter are on the Laker bench, they're going to be running the triangle offense, which doesn't cater to Rubio's strengths. The triangle doesn't cater to pure, play-making PGs. In the triangle, it's more important to just have guards who can hit jump shots, which is a weak spot for Rubio. Rubio isn't a good fit for the Lakers for many of the same reasons that people were criticizing a potential Jason Kidd to LA trade two years ago. He wouldn't be able to play his style, which would be a detriment to both Rubio and the Lakers.

Best analysis I've seen on ALL the trade/draft rumors. Good Job Dwight!!

[DAK!]

I think Jim and Pam are completely stunned that you made such a lucid and coherent post. Maybe Angela will come back to you now.

[DwightSchrute]

I think Jim and Pam are completely stunned that you made such a lucid and coherent post. Maybe Angela will come back to you now.Fact: Jim and Pam are ignorant miscreants.

Fact: Angela's loins burn intensely for the embrace of Dwight K. Schrute, especially after experiencing the vile taste of Andrew Bernard.

Fact: Black bears eat hazelnuts, berries, ant brood, and message board posters name DAK!

[RicanThunder]

How does this not make complete and utter sense for the Lakers? Rubio is a big point guard with good defensive skills, excellent play making ability, and a keen understanding of floor spacing. If there is one thing the triangle offense is predicated on, its floor spacing. Rubio would be excellent for this offense. He's Jordan Farmar with better knowledge and skill. The jump shot will come in time. As far as Bynum goes, the Lakers made the Finals last year without him, and have made the Finals this year in spite of him. Pau Gasol can play center and is perfect to play center in the triangle offense. And the Lakers have seen this for 2 seasons now. The Lakers don't need Bynum to win. But, a young prodigious point guard would be great for the team. Fisher is getting up there in age and it seems like Jackson doesn't have confidence in Farmar. Although this seems like a long shot, this would be a great trade for both teams.

Oklahoma City gets:
Andrew Bynum
Jordan Farmar

LA Lakers get:
Ricky Rubio
Chucky Atkins
Nick Collison

[DwightSchrute]

How does this not make complete and utter sense for the Lakers? Rubio is a big point guard with good defensive skills, excellent play making ability, and a keen understanding of floor spacing. If there is one thing the triangle offense is predicated on, its floor spacing. Rubio would be excellent for this offense. He's Jordan Farmar with better knowledge and skill. The jump shot will come in time. As far as Bynum goes, the Lakers made the Finals last year without him, and have made the Finals this year in spite of him. Pau Gasol can play center and is perfect to play center in the triangle offense. And the Lakers have seen this for 2 seasons now. The Lakers don't need Bynum to win. But, a young prodigious point guard would be great for the team. Fisher is getting up there in age and it seems like Jackson doesn't have confidence in Farmar. Although this seems like a long shot, this would be a great trade for both teams.

Oklahoma City gets:
Andrew Bynum
Jordan Farmar

LA Lakers get:
Ricky Rubio
Chucky Atkins
Nick Collison
Making the Finals "in spite of Bynum?" You severely underrate Bynum. 21-year-old centers with two seasons of PERs over 20 are very rare. Even accounting for his games missed due to injury, 85 games over the last two seasons with a PER over 20 is outstanding for such a young center. The Lakers also got blasted by the Celtics with Gasol playing center.

Pau Gasol isn't a true center, at least defensively. He's soft and doesn't like contact. To get the most out of Gasol, you pair him with a physical big man who can guard legit centers. Otherwise, you're extremely vulnerable in the paint. The Lakers may also lose Odom this summer, which makes them even more unlikely to risk depleting their frontcourt depth.

Bynum gives the Lakers a better chance of winning over the next few years than Rubio does. Breaking an 18-year-old PG into the rotation of a championship contender is going to disrupt chemistry, and as much potential as Rubio may have, he isn't going to make the Lakers a better team in the immediate future than Bynum will over the next few years.

The Farmar-Rubio comparison doesn't make any sense. Farmar is an athletic 6'2" shoot-first PG; he's not a distributor like Rubio. The Laker backcourt would be better without Rubio, but he doesn't add as much value for them as he would for most teams due to their system, and he doesn't add as much value to the backcourt as the Lakers would lose in the frontcourt by trading Bynum. If you're already a contending team like the Lakers, you don't trade a young center who has proven to have some worth (and still has a ton of potential) so that you can give an 18-year-old prospect a few years to develop a jump shot. The Lakers don't have that kind of time. Kobe's window is closing quickly. He isn't going to want to wait on Rubio to develop.

[RicanThunder]

Remember, the puppet master in all of this may be Kobe who can opt out after next season. He may have been overly impressed with Rubio from the Olympics and may want him to play for the Lakers. Like I said, there is probably a 0% chance this happens. But since it was mentioned, I had to reply.

[DAK!]

I'm going to start a rumor that we're trading our #3 pick to Atlanta for Al Horford. That's something I'd be up for so why not make it reality in the forum.

[RicanThunder]

I'm going to start a rumor that we're trading our #3 pick to Atlanta for Al Horford. That's something I'd be up for so why not make it reality in the forum.

Hey, I already started the rumor that we are trading the #3 pick (Cookie Monster) to Cleveland for Lebron James' progeny.

[DAK!]

Hey, I already started the rumor that we are trading the #3 pick (Cookie Monster) to Cleveland for Lebron James' progeny.

Well, you can't bogart all the fun

[RedDirt717]

I've got an intense craving for celery and Vietnamese peanut sauce. Weird.

[DAK!]

I've got an intense craving for celery and Vietnamese peanut sauce. Weird.

I'm confused as to how to respond to this.....

[HotRocNRol]

I've got an intense craving for celery and Vietnamese peanut sauce. Weird.

Pregnant?

[RicanThunder]

I've got an intense craving for celery and Vietnamese peanut sauce. Weird.

Whatever you are smoking...I'll have two.