David Lord Makes a BOLD STATEMENT!

[birdsanctuary]

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From David Lord: Shaq is going to be traded and that the Mavs will get him. Period. Both teams have headed in a direction that can ultimately only be satisfied by the other. That is still true even after Nash opted for Phoenix; each team still has glaring needs, and the other has the most obvious way to satisfy those needs.
As I see it, the Lakers have made a corporate analysis: they don't have the talent to win a title, and Shaq's contract will prohibit their ability to rebuild. If they wait a year or two, they can let Shaq's deal run out and start rebuilding at that point, but in the meantime they have lost the opportunity to get started seasoning some youngsters into the mix to provide a supporting cast for Kobe. Dallas alone can fill an empty LA roster with 5 or 6 feasible players, including 2 to 3 young talented players (P-Pod, Howard, and Flores?) to start to work with, plus 2 to 3 vets with ability (Walker, Laettner, and Delk?) to fill in for a year and whose contracts quickly expire. No one else can offer that combo. And in such a package, LA gets a pretty nice complement to round out their roster: C/PFs - P-Pod, Laettner, and Walker, Swing Men - Howard and Delk, PG -Flores. Furthermore, none of those players would pose a threat to Kobe for team control. In a year, the Lakers would end up with tons of cap room to bring in some more pieces of their choosing to fit into their mix.
From Dallas' end, there exists right now a need for a center, and a need for a trade big enough to swallow up 4-for-1 or the like. Dallas can send away that much manpower to LA and still have a full and competitive roster here. Can anyone else send young talent PLUS a set of expiring contracts, and still remain competitive and well-rounded once Shaq arrives? I don't think so.
In the NBA the obvious trades rarely happen. The ones speculated about never come to fruition. So, including the reason that it is so public already, there are a million reasons why this trade won't happen. Yet write it in ink: I say Shaq is going to become a Mav this year.

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[MightyToine]

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Originally posted by: birdsanctuary
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Furthermore, none of those players would pose a threat to Kobe for team control.

Kobe Bryant.....Meet Antoine Walker. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]