NBA - How do you fix the Lakers?

[IrishHand]

I'm going to assume that Kobe's untradeable (he is) and that Kupchak's not one of the worst GMs in the NBA (he is) - or that Kupchak will get fired in the next year or so and be replaced by someone competent.

How then do the Lakers get returned to their rightful place among the league's elite?

PRIME ASSETS
Kobe - arguably top player in the league, in his prime, untradeable
Bynum - Lakers desperately need him to develop into a fringe All-Star calibre guy
Odom - All-Star in his prime, injury history a concern

OTHER ASSETS
Fisher - serviceable PG on good team, fits well with Lakers
Walton - serviceable SF on good team, fits well with Lakers
Crittendon - potential to be decent PG, still 1-2 years away
Farmar - less potential to be decent PG, likely still a year away
Mihm - serviceable backup C
Turiaf - potential to become serviceable PF

CAP FODDER
Kwame - $9M trade chip
Cook - $3.5M/yr for 2 years trade chip
Evans - $1.5M trade chip

CAP KILLERS
Radmanovic - Lakers can't give him away (owed $25M/4 years)

The Lakers evidently refused Odom for Marion, arguing that Odom knows the triangle and is a better fit than Marion. Seems to me that getting the more athletic, healthier, superior defensive Marion over the superior offensive talent Odom is a no-brainer, but who am I to question Kupchak?

The biggest problem is a flat-out lack of assets. They only have 3 that every other team would want, and you need 3 fringe-All-Star-or-better quality players to be championship contenders imo. Trading Odom for someone is largely a lateral move...trading Bynum for someone can only be helpful if the get an early-30s superstar who puts them over the hump, and I don't know who that is. (I agreed with not trading for Kidd - too small a window imo.)

If Bynum can develop into a quality C (say 15/10 w/ 2+ bpg this year), the Lakers are a playoff team...but unless he develops into an All-Star in the next year or two, the Kobe window starts to close and all of a sudden LA starts to look like Minnesota of the past couple years.

I think the best-case scenario is that the Lakers are good enough early on that Phil can showcase Crittendon, then as soon as he has a couple 16 point, 8 assist efforts and gets a little hype on Sportscenter, you ship him and Kwame for someone good.

Anyone else have a brighter idea? There just aren't enough Ainges and Isiah's who are willing to butcher their teams for the benefit of others (read: Phoenix, Orlando, Portland, Toronto, Dallas, Minnesota, Seattle).

[RedBean]

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How then do the Lakers get returned to their rightful place among the league's elite?

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Cure AIDS. DUCY?

[EvanJC]

Trade Kobe, wait 5 years and hope for the best?

[Veecee]

You do whatever it takes to get Shawn Marion on the team to play alongside Kobe.

Get rid of the worthless Kwame Brown.

[JuntMonkey]

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How then do the Lakers get returned to their rightful place among the league's elite?

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Cure AIDS. DUCY?

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No, he'd still be 48 years old. If he was 28 the supposed HIV wouldn't make a spot of difference, so what you need is a time machine.

[kidcolin]

Keep Odom because I doubt you get much better than him.

Bench Radmanovic. Seriously. Swallow it.

You've already gotten rid of Smush. That's another key step with the Expunge Awful Players Initiative.

Don't trade a peak Kobe. Man is that dumb.

I think the best you can do right now is package some combination of Kwame, Farmar, Turiaf, and/or Cook for a good PG or PF. I have no idea who that player is, though.

The other option is to ship Bynum and contracts for a stud like Kidd (I forget the details for last year's rumors.. not sure how the money works) and hope to have enough left over to get an average replacement for starting center.

[IrishHand]

Yeah...ultimately I think it comes down to that - the Lakers ability to package Kwame and fodder and a prospect or two (not named Bynum) for someone good. Hopefully some team will completely implode, some well-paid player gets all pissy a la Vince Carter in Toronto and the Lakers can pick him up on the cheap. I'm still hopeful that Jermaine O'Neal pulls an Artest or something. Just slapping Larry Bird in public would probably do the trick.

The Bynum deal last year was Bynum/Kwame/fodder for Kidd. NJ apparently said they wouldn't do it after last year's playoffs. I've gotta think they would, but I have concerns about trading a 20-year old potential stud C for a superstar PG with 1-2 years left at that level. Keep in mind that Bynum is the same age as Greg Oden or Durant (19) - and had he played a couple years of college, I'm confident that he gets drafted ahead or one or both this past summer.

[BobboFitos]

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The other option is to ship Bynum and contracts for a stud like Kidd (I forget the details for last year's rumors.. not sure how the money works) and hope to have enough left over to get an average replacement for starting center.

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Problem with this is Vince just resigned in NJ this off season, the nets are trying everything to make a run with what they have. Thye're not trading Kidd.

You need to look at teams going nowhere (Pacers, for example) with good players wasting away (Jermaine).

If you could work out a deal there, the Lakers have a shot at a fringe all star guy who could make them better.

Problem is there arej ust too many better teams then the lakers..

[kidcolin]

OK.. you're a lot higher on Bynum than I am. I like him, but I'm not huge on him. Big Al > Bynum. I do agree that if you pull a deal for a guy like Kidd, last year was the time to do it. I also don't think there are a lot of guys you can get for him where it'd be worth it, either.

I wouldn't be all that excited about Jermaine, to be honest. Maybe it'd rejuvenate him, but he's made of glass and is a fraction of his former self. I'd be happier with Sheed if Detroit implodes or Flip tries to touch his crotch or something.

[lastchance]

They need to make a lot of good, smart GM moves + draft very well the next year or two. Helps if they don't make the playoffs.

This team just isn't going to be able to make one or two good moves to be among the league's elite, because the Spurs/Mavs are so damn good.