[MB]

For Dallas trade exception... Just heard this from someone.

[doublej95]

haven't herd for sure yet. he did show up late today at lakers training then had a meeting with the gm and left after that.

[Mr KLC]

http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/s...ording-sources

[doublej95]

http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/s...ording-sources

hope they get howard.

[todd73nj]

I was hearing on the radio before that the grand scheme of the LAL plan was to get Rid of Gasol, Odom, Bynum and some parts and end of with Howard and Paul.

Im not a LAL fan or anything, and dont live in the area so not sure how accurate that info is.. but guess it could be done? Gasol and Odom net Paul, and Bynum and parts net Howard?

[Money]

Adding Paul and Howard does help for the future, but how good can LA be? They will have to trade away their whole team besides Kobe. The starting lineup would be like Kobe, Paul, Howard, Artest, and who? They wont have a bench to compete with Dallas, much less Miami.

[Darkside Magick]

lakers are very sneaky!!!! dont be surprised if they get both!!!

[Money]

How bad did David Stern mess up now?! New Orleans wont get a better deal then the one he vetoed and it sounds like NO is determined to trade Paul and not left with nothing like Cleveland. Wow, this might get messy.

[Mr KLC]

I'm already hating the NBA, and the season hasn't even started yet.

[Monitor-Tan]

Time after time, it has shown that these days, you need to have a good bench to win championship and be consistant at it too, Spurs, Pistons, Dallas, even Lakers had a very under rated bench..

[Ace_of_Spades]

What are the Lakers doing? They trade Odom for a 1st round pick. I thought they were going to trade him?

[Ace_of_Spades]

Helps the Mavs a lot.

[vyomguy]

great....now lakers have no chance next few years....odom is a great fit for mavs.

[Mr KLC]

Maybe they'll use that first round pick in a potential trade. Some teams might want the pick over Odom's salary.

[jjgold]

Great move for Mavs

They must be going all in trying to get Howard

[Glitch]

freeing up money for a big-timer

[DwightShrute]

More people might be wondering how Khloe Kardashian feels about Dallas than what Lamar Odom means for the defending champs. But that's just the way it is when it comes to Odom.

So let's ask the question: How does Khloe feel about this?

Just kidding. I meant the other question.

The Mavericks needed to replace the size they lost with Tyson Chandler signing with the Knicks and while Brendan Haywood is a serviceable replacement -- especially in terms of what he's already being paid -- Odom gives the Mavs a jolt of size, which is something they definitely needed.

I mean, just imagine the options Rick Carlisle has now. Odom and Dirk together in the frontcourt, Odom at small forward, Odom running point forward with Jason Kidd off the ball and two other guards or just Odom at the 5 and Dirk at the 4.

It was a bit curious to me that the Lakers would be so willing to unload Odom to the team that swept them out of the playoffs last season, especially when the deal helps their foe in a lot of ways. Because look at what Odom gives Dallas: A big body to rebound and defend the size in the West -- i.e., the Lakers with Gasol and Bynum (or Dwight Howard) -- but also another offensive weapon that can play inside and out.

How do you defend the Mavs with both Odom and Dirk together? That's got to be one of the more unique pairings that anyone in the league could deploy. Dirk's off-balance jumpers, Odom's passing and ball-handling -- two unconventional players playing in a very dynamic offensive system with a point guard like Jason Kidd passing them the ball. That could be some poetic offense.

A big question is, is this enough to make the Mavs contenders to repeat? Chandler meant so very much to them in terms of protecting the paint and Odom isn't replacing that. He's more giving them a little more offensive versatility while also a little bump in size. If we were just comparing Odom to losing Chandler, there's no comparison. The Mavs lost more than they gained.

But Odom isn't there to replace Chandler. He's there to give the Mavs a new look. It's more about Haywood and what he brings. Because if he's capable of turning in a season like he had in Washginton before signing a big deal with Dallas, you're looking at a Mavs team that's similar to last season except they've just added Lamar Odom. Sounds like an upgrade to me.

And what did they have to give up? Just a trade exception that they got a few hours earlier from the Chandler deal. Dan Gilbert has had the trade exception the Cavs got in their sign-and-trade with Miami for LeBron. Mark Cuban and Donnie Nelson turned theirs into Lamar Odom and it only took about 12 hours.

Maybe it was part of a master plan, or maybe it's just coincidence, but partly because of Mark Cuban's noise-making, the Mavericks just landed themselves a pretty nice piece for very little. Are they still championship material? It's a different look now because Odom is going to change them a lot. Without him, they'd be more of the same with Haywood trying to do his best Tyson Chandler impersonation. Now, they've got a fresh, versatile face that might make them as dangerous as they've ever been offensively.
http://eye-on-basketball.blogs.cbssp...48484/33810689

[Djstucky]

Fukk khloe...she is the ugly sister...

[jsmithj88]

definately a defensive nitemare for other teams
they are very versatile up front and both can stretch the floor
doesnt help them at all defensively
the mavs are still elite and they were b4 chandler arrived
but i dunno about their depth anymore, losing barea is gonna hurt them

[InTheDrink]

brandon haywood is a serviceable big man but he can't bang by himself

big problem defensively for the mavs....unless they got/are getting somoene im not aware of

[crustyme]

now they can sign kris humphries.

[todd73nj]

Adding Paul and Howard does help for the future, but how good can LA be? They will have to trade away their whole team besides Kobe. The starting lineup would be like Kobe, Paul, Howard, Artest, and who? They wont have a bench to compete with Dallas, much less Miami.

Paul/Howard and an aging Kobe for the next 3 or 4 years is still the best on the league. Doesnt look like any of that will come to be now, but they still had some pieces for the bench if it did happen. No way were they in the Heats situation thats for sure.

[Kindred]

was he traded to the cowboys cause they need help more than the Mavs

[jsmithj88]

Paul/Howard and an aging Kobe for the next 3 or 4 years is still the best on the league. Doesnt look like any of that will come to be now, but they still had some pieces for the bench if it did happen. No way were they in the Heats situation thats for sure.

the lakers have no bench RITE NOW
whos on the bench, walton?? blake??? hahaha
awful ........ lakers better hope they get howard
kobe mite need to score 30+ ppg this year
wats gonna happen if bynum or gasol get hurt?

[todd73nj]

Barnes, Kapono, Blake, Walton... And I was assuming Artest and Fisher in the starting lineup with Kobe, Howard, Paul.

Yes they need a big, but they ceratinly have more than no bench.

[jsmithj88]

Barnes, Kapono, Blake, Walton... And I was assuming Artest and Fisher in the starting lineup with Kobe, Howard, Paul. Yes they need a big, but they ceratinly have more than no bench.

u got to be kidding rite?
that bench is horrible and they not getting paul or howard

[hoop22]

good luck LO

[Goat Milk]

Terrible decisions by the mavs

They get rid of their best defensive player.

Get rid of their best bench player after terry.

Get rid of Caron Butler.

Now they got a 7 foot wanna-be point guard that played soft the whole playoffs last year and a washed up sean marion that is absolutely garbage.

Kiss a b2b season for dallas goodbye.

[HoulihansTX]

Barnes, Kapono, Blake, Walton... And I was assuming Artest and Fisher in the starting lineup with Kobe, Howard, Paul.

Yes they need a big, but they ceratinly have more than no bench.

Two of those guys you listed should not even be in the NBA.

[Sam Odom]

I'm still here

[todd73nj]

Barnes, Kapono, Blake, Walton... And I was assuming Artest and Fisher in the starting lineup with Kobe, Howard, Paul.

Yes they need a big, but they ceratinly have more than no bench.

Two of those guys you listed should not even be in the NBA.

Im not sure that bench would be as awful as you guys are making it, because what you arent factoring in is that If they did get Paul and Howard which was the master plan, and obvioulsy didnt happen, 2 of the three stars would be on the floor at all times with those bench players, which isnt that bad.

But didnt happen anyway.

[tatommack]

I think the mavs are trying to put together players to get Howard

[Sunde91]

lol vince carter, delonte west, and odom while they lose chandler, the heart of their defense

worst offseason ever unless they get Howard

[Big Bear]

is kris humphries any good? never heard of him until he was on the Kardashians show

[todd73nj]

Avged a double double for the Nets.

Id love to have him back in NJ. Very underrated for the price he can be had for.

Def no superstar. But one of those guys who will give you 100% every minute that he spends on the floor.