With O'Neal openly saying he wants to go to LA, what if Bird caves and gives the Lakers O'Neal for Bynum, Brown, Cook and, say, 2 first rounders? Does LA scare you then?
I think that'd make them a very tough team, maybe a contender depending on the glue players/chemistry.
Discuss.
I like O'Neal, but he isn't all that. He had a couple nice years 03 and 04 but really hasn't been healthy the vast majority of his NBA career, to include the past 3 years. He also needs alot of touches to be successful, and I don't think he would get that playing with Kobe (alone) and Odom. I think they would be better off, if they want O'Neal, to deal Odom and keep Bynum. This makes O'neal the #2 guy (more touches) and lets him play the 4.
I don't think the Lakers have a realistic shot at getting O'Neal unless Bynum and Odom are in the deal. They would need Odom's contract in order for the trade to work.
No.
You could put Magic, Kareem, Worthy, Rambis and Scott around Kobe and he would and moan and it up.
The Lakers could, technically, present a package that doesn't include Odom. But I've heard Indiana would like both Odom and Bynum, so I'm unsure why they'd even consider it. Still...
Brown .......... 9 million
Radmanovic .. 5 million
Bynum ......... 2 million
Farmar ........ 1 million
Future 1st ....
---------------------------
TOTALS ....... 17 million+
Jermaine O'Neal makes just over 19 million. I'm fairly certain it works.
I'm just not sure it would get the job done.
Maybe if the Crittenton was included over Farmar?
That gives the Pacers two young players, Bynum and either Farmar or Crittenton, and a future 1st, while knocking 9 million off their payroll at year's end.
Radmo has to be included to make money work. He's the thorn in the side of this trade. I included the future 1st to ease the pain of taking on his contract. Still, I doubt it'd be enough.
If it weren't for that contract, however, it's not a bad hall, and a very good hall if Crittenton is included. He and Bynum are a good duo to rebuild around.
Scare me? No. I would, however, have a healthy respect for a squad with those 3 players. Kobe is clutch enough to do well in a situation where the team keeps close. JO is not un-clutch, plays above average defense, and is like a mini version of Shaq, so Kobe will know what to do with him. Odom was playing out of his mind before his 2! injuries. He could be a force, but still a 3rd fiddle. I also think JO is tailor made for the triangle. He isn't stupid, and he can go inside or hit a little jumper.
It wouldn't be a bad big three, but there are health concerns all the way around on that, particularly O'Neal. If they were to play 82 games together they could make some noise in the playoffs, but if history is any indicator that wouldn't be the case.
As a Pacers fan, I would have to agree with all of the above. Many NBA fans seem to think that J.O. is a legitimate first option and franchise player. J.O. is best suited as a second option, and he doesn't seem to have the ability to elevate his team's play. Some of the problems the Pacers have are the result of a leadership vacuum. I'm not trying to be overly critical of O'Neal, just realistic.
Rebuilding around J.O. would only make the Pacers worse in the long run. In the weak East, there is always the chance that the Pacers are a perennial 7-8 seed with O'Neal, at least for a few more years. That means another 3-5 years of late picks and no real ability to lure free agents. Thanks to the Golden State deal, the Pacers are paying quite a bit of loot to untradeable players (unless the Clippers want Dunleavy).
My points:
1. J.O. is somewhat overrated, and may not be the quick fix L.A. desperately wants/needs.
2. The Pacers may be better off without him in the long run. However, they will be completely unwatchable for about three years in the process.
Jermaine doesn't scare me. He's so injury prone it's unhealthy.
Three guys you don't want + Bynum for one doesn't make much sense for Indy. The deal would dictate their roster for years. Odum/ Bynum for O'Neill and then even out the salary factors. Quan y for quality never works in any sport.
As a Spurs fan, it does scare me. This Lakers team, for some reason, has given us a hard time last year. Adding JO to the mix will just make it even harder.
If it means the Lakers could make the playoffs and face us, I would love it.
Anytime we can stomp on Phil Jackson, it's a good day.
Well, I hope they do something....either trade Bynum and Brown plus fillers for JO and leave Odom alone...or trade Kobe for youth and rebuild with AB. Still a starting 5 of....
Brown
Odom
Walton
Kobe
Fisher
...is very solid and has enough veteran talent to compete with any team. Kobe is a lot lighter <20lbs from last season and is looking very good on the US team. They have an unselfish 3rd option in Odom and have great team guys like Walton and Fish who knows the triangle and you could have a very dangerous team. Now, injuries is what it's all about and both Odom and Oneal have struggled with this in the past. Still, this is a very dangerous team..you can even start Mihm with Oneal playing the 4 and having Odom play the 3...very athletic and the interior defense would be tough to penetrate. I believe a top 4 team in the West.
I would be more afraid of a sexy can of SPAM.
new rumor is Bird wants Odom, Bynum and walton now for JO
Does Kobe, Odom and J O'Neal scare you?
NO! Team players scare me...
O'Neal sucks. I'd much rather have Bynum than that overrated has-been.
Kobe has a better chance at finding the real rapist with J O'Neal.
if brown and bynum are gone, wtf will be there frontline?
they have no bench if this trade goes through and thin on the frontline
seriously radman is crap....
I think that to a degree, O'Neal has got his reputation "Star player" reputation by playing against Eastern PF's. For several years the East has been very weak at PF, until Bosh and Howard came into the league the East only had one or two PF's that were worth a crap.
Its like when K-Mart left NJ to play in the West, all the Eastern fans were saying (Not here, elsewhere) that he was going to be an All-Star but in the West we are loaded with PF's and he was revealed to be just another PF in the West.
Adding O'Neal as what a third option. On a team with Kobe, maybe the second option will get enough touches to make a difference in a game ... the third option ... He may as well be Mark Blount
I wish I had said that, becuase that's a pretty accurate explanation for O'Neal's rise to "star" status. The decline and retirement of Miller also helped J.O. get the "star" tag. After all, EVERY team has a star player, right?
I don't want to seem down on the guy; J.O. could be a starter on any team when healthy. However, I have watched him in hundreds of games now, and there is no doubt that he is overrated. As I mentioned earlier, there was a huge leadership vacuum on the Pacers when Miller retired. O'Neal has not stepped up to fulfill this role, in my opinion.
This brings up anothe point if you are the Lakers. I think it will take a very strong personality to pair up with Bryant. Shaq and Kobe feuded all of the time, but at least they fought as equals. If you bring in another "star" who will defer to Bryant, rather than confronting him, I could see the Lakers getting much worse via a trade. Essentially, O'Neal could end up being another Odom.
^^ so if u are the Lakers...who will u be trading for to get to the next level?
No one scares me.
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