Lakers trade

[cmorioles]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

I have no idea why you think that losing Paul for nothing is a better outcome. Again they have 5 players under contract one (Okafur) who may evenutally be an amnesty case. How can the NBA allow a team to just go to the level that NO is headed, you know like all time worst team? The thing is that it isnt so easy to blow a team up anymore with a salary cap floor. The players they were getting were not only going to allow the team to compete (you know to appease the 10000 season ticket holders they crow about) but could also be used as future trade bait. The fact is that NO has pretty much zero chance to get marquee players through free agency if they are a team that wins 14 games this year and 10 next and they are supposedly courting an owner. "Hello Mr new NBA owner...meet your best player, Jarret Jack" isnt going to appeal to many potential owners. They will have to overpay desperados to get to the salary floor. How is that a good option. Again what good is cap space if no one wants to play for you?

Well, that is what we would find out. Lets look at who New Orleans was actually getting:

Lamar Odom, Luis Scola, Kevin Martin, Goran Dragic, and a 1st rounder in 2012. That core is not a 500 team. Scola can't guard anyone, Odom is pretty good, but he is more a sidekick guy, not a leader, Martin is a black hole that improved Sacramento by leaving, and Dragic a servicaeble backup PG. How are you going to market that team to a prospective new owner?

I would contend that any new owner would rather come in not saddled with some of those contracts. I wouldn't pay Kevin Martin 10 million for the next two years, let alone 25 million. Luis Scola is signed for 10 million per through 2015. Who would want that? I'd rather sign a bunch of scrubs for a year and get the lottery balls. There is a reason Houston is dumping Martin after a partial season and Scola to get only Gasol...they are bad investments at the price.