The No. 1 pick in the 2010 draft, John Wall is averaging a not-too-shabby 14.8 points and 9.1 assists.
John Wall may not win Rookie of the Year as many expected, thanks to the emergence of Blake Griffin, but he is showing All-Star potential. If he continues to develop, that should make for some interesting debates over the next decade in a conference that already has two elite point guards -- Boston's Rajon Rondo and Chicago's Derrick Rose. In fact, he's been compared to Rose quite often, in part because of the similar ways they reached the league, and like Rondo, he's a former Kentucky Wildcat with great speed, passing ability and defensive talent.
So let's compare and contrast: How does Wall match up with Rondo and Rose now? Can he surpass them? And when will he join them in the All-Star Game?
Let's break it down category by category:
[h3]Athleticism[/h3]One of the most exciting aspects of the NBA right now is the talent at the point guard position. No position in the league features the combination of skill and elite athleticism more than the current crop of point guards. It would be fun to see a version of "Superstars" featuring Rondo, Wall and Rose (and OKC's Russell Westbrook). They're all such special athletes, I'm not sure who would win.
Rondo appears to be the quickest in tight spaces and laterally; Rose is the quickest with the ball and Wall is the fastest in a sprint with or without the ball, I'd guess. (Westbrook is the most explosive vertically -- he's helped by extra long arms in making the most plays above the rim.) But it's not like any of these guys is not great in all of those areas.
Rose is also the most powerful of the group, a big help on his forays to the hoop (and perhaps a reason he takes fewer free throws than expected -- it's so hard to impede his progress). Wall is the weakest, in part due to being the youngest, but he should have no issues adding strength during the next few years.
Overall, Wall stands even with Rose and Rondo in athleticism, but I don't project him to pass either guy anytime soon. Rose is just 22 years old and Rondo turns 25 this month.
Of course basketball is not football or track, where sheer athleticism is king. It's a skill game, and the absence of skill in any area can give defenses a huge advantage when guarding great athletes, as Wall is finding out.
[h4]WALL'S SHOOTING STRUGGLES[/h4]
In November, John Wall displayed a bevy of bright spots: overwhelming speed, an above-average ability to finish in the paint, a great awareness and willingness to share the ball, and the ability to dictate some games with his defense.
But he also showed a major weakness: a below-average jump shot. And he's paying the price for that now.
Wall is still finishing at a good rate inside, connecting on 58.3 percent of his attempts at the rim, but he's making just 28 percent of his shots from 10-23 feet, a mark lower than almost every other point guard in the NBA.
He's actually shooting better from behind the 3-point arc (30 percent), but that is not who Wall is right now. His first instinct is to attack. But defenders have learned to give Wall space, inviting him to shoot, and too often that's what he's choosing. As a result, Wall ranks as one of the worst shooting point guards in the NBA; his 48.6 true shooting percentage is 49th among points guards and outside the top 100 among all guards.
His lack of a midrange game hurts him even more in the last few seconds of the shot clock, when he's forced to shoot jumpers to beat the buzzer. Currently, with three seconds or less on the shot clock, Wall has an effective field goal percentage (which factors in 3s) of 17.6 percent, an extremely low number. Compare that to Derrick Rose (48.8 percent) and a non-shooter like Rajon Rondo (44.9 percent) and it's clear how much work Wall has to do in this area.
But neither Rose, Rondo nor Russell Westbrook came into the league as shooters and yet all three rose to greater heights in their second seasons. So even though his shots might not be falling now, there's hope for Wall.
[h3]Shooting[/h3]Wall's lack of shooting ability causes him to commit turnovers (overpenetration is the typical problem because he lacks the confidence to stop and pop from midrange) and lose scoring opportunities simply because he makes so few shots (see sidebar). He's shooting 27 percent from 16-23 feet.
But Rose should give him some hope, because even though Rose was a better shooter than Wall as a rookie, he has improved each year and is now a legit threat to make any shot up to 25 feet. Rondo, too, showed an improved midrange shot in his second season (from 27 percent his rookie season to 43 percent in Year 2) and is making 44 percent from the 16-23 range this season.
At the free throw line and the 3-point line, Rose has also improved using better form and much better balance. Rondo, however, has struggled. His huge hands are troublesome, which is normally a problem for centers.
Wall's shot needs tweaking, not a major overhaul, and I'd expect him to be shooting 35 percent from 3 and 80 percent from the line two years from now. A player with his speed and quickness doesn't need to be a great shooter; just good will do.
[h3]Handle[/h3]As the primary ballhandlers and passers, these three men must be able to handle the ball when pressured by one or two players, while also executing plays under the pressures of time and score.
Both Rondo and Rose have a better handle than Wall -- they're tighter, crisper and more under control with the ball. As playoff veterans now, they also know how to focus on every possession -- something we can expect Wall to improve on toward the end of the season. Lately, however, it seems he is losing focus for a possession or two each game (he literally loses the ball while dribbling with no defender near him).
It will take some offseason work to catch Rondo and Rose in this category. Wall's length and size (Rondo and Rose have lower centers of gravity than Wall) also make it just a tad harder for him to maneuver around people while dribbling, but his ability to accelerate by his second step can make up for that.
[h3]Changing speeds[/h3]One area that Wall needs a lot of work in -- an area that Rondo has mastered and Rose has improved in -- is using mixed speeds to throw off defenders. Rondo is a genius at zooming to the rim after he gets a defensive rebound with a defender in hot pursuit of getting a block from behind. At the last second, though, Rondo decelerates and lets his defender pass him, messing up the shot-blocker's timing before easily laying in the ball.
It's a move that can work in the halfcourt as well, one that Wall hasn't shown. Consequently, defenders can time up Wall's attacks and make a play on his shot, blocking or contesting it.
Slowing down also allows for an extra second to read the defense and give a teammate more time to get open. Adding this to his game would make Wall a much tougher guy to defend.
[h3]Passing[/h3]As a passer, Rondo has few peers. He sees everything and plays the game with the mindset that he's the last scoring option on most possessions. On a team like the Celtics, it's sound strategy.
Rose, like Wall, needs to score to help his team best. But unlike Wall and Rondo, Rose doesn't have the natural vision and anticipation to see plays develop in his head before they appear on the court. Which is fine, because he's such a brilliant scorer (and he still has a better than 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio).
Wall sees the game like a veteran, similar to Rondo, and normally chooses to make plays for teammates before himself, despite a lack of talent around him on many occasions. If he played on a team like Boston, I wouldn't be surprised if he led the league in assists.
[h4]ROOKIE 50 RANKINGS[/h4]
We're keeping track of every NBA rook. Here are the latest Top 50 rankings.
• Click here for the complete rankings »[h2][/h2] [th=""]Rank[/th][th=""]Player[/th][th=""]Stock[/th]
1 Blake Griffin 
2 Greg Monroe 
3 DeMarcus Cousins 
4 John Wall 5 Landry Fields 6 Ed Davis 7 Wesley Johnson 8 Gary Neal 9 Paul George 10 Evan Turner
[h3]Defense[/h3]As rookies go, Wall ranks high on the defensive side of the ball, mostly thanks to his combination of length and speed, along with his desire to make plays on defense. Like Rondo, he creates chaos and has the tools to become a defensive stopper in time.
Rondo also got tutoring from one of the game's top defensive minds (Tom Thibodeau), so he is both savvy in strategy and physically capable of making big-time defensive plays. Rose is now getting the same coaching, though he's not likely to ever be the defensive force Wall and Rondo are. Both players are longer (Wall's standing reach was three inches longer than Rose's coming out of college, a huge advantage in contesting shooters), and their wiry builds help them slip around and through screens.
Rose had little interest in defending as a rookie and is much better now, but many people still consider him a liability on that end. Wall has the potential to be on the All-Defense team in a few years, where he will surely compete with Rondo, who was named to the first team last season.
[h3]Intangibles[/h3]A common thread for all three is their competitive drive, though Rose is more muted in this aspect. These guys have an edge about them when they play which helps inspire their teammates to play at a higher level. Rose has a swagger on offense that the others don't, simply because he's carried the scoring load for his team countless times in big games. That too can be an inspiration, and it doesn't require animated reactions to get the job done. Getting buckets is enough.
I don't see Wall ever being the prolific scorer Rose is, but he'll score enough and make enough plays to hold the reins of his team. Like Rondo, he's a joy to play with in that teammates who work and hustle will be rewarded with sharp passes. Plus, he's not afraid to defend great players in key moments.
[h3]So ... about the All-Star Game?[/h3]With Rondo and Rose seemingly cemented on the East squad for years to come, when will Wall break through and earn his first trip?
Well, just check out the West. Chris Paul and Deron Williams are just as locked into that squad, yet Westbrook broke through in his third season and was named as a reserve guard this year. The same thing can happen for Wall in the East.
Considering Ray Allen's age, it wouldn't be a shock to see Wall earn a reserve guard spot as early as next season. Joe Johnson still has some good years left, but beating him out is a possibility as well.
And I think Wall will be competing with Rose and Rondo for the starting slot in two years, maybe even next year. He's an easy player to love, someone that forces you to watch him when he's in the game, and a guy who is clearly willing to work on his game and get better every year.
Yes, two seasons from now, he'll be right there in the mix for best point guard in the East.
From yesterday:
Bynum for Melo.
Yep, sounds insane, and at first glance it sounds mostly like somebody -- either Carmelo Anthony's people or the Nuggets -- is blowing smoke to create leverage with other parties.
Nonetheless, it's too titillating not to discuss further. The idea of L.A. sending a core of Kobe Bryant, Melo, Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol onto the court, with any random civilian inserted at point guard, certainly is a scary proposition for opponents. And for the Nuggets, one has to concede that coming away with Andrew Bynum is vastly preferable to getting, say, Wilson Chandler and a draft pick.
Additionally, the Lakers can dramatically sweeten the deal with spare parts. By also taking on Chris Andersen using the trade exception created by dealing Sasha Vujacic to the Nets, for instance, the Lakers can help the Nuggets further clean up their cap situation and save them over $10 million in salary and luxury tax. That becomes $13 million if L.A. throws in cash, $14 million if the Lakers take back Shelden Williams too, and $17 million if they do a side deal of Renaldo Balkman for Theo Ratliff and Devin Ebanks.
[h4]NBA Trade Machine[/h4]
Put on your GM hat and make your own trades and deals.
Trade Machine
Adding Andersen and Williams to the mix also allays the greatest fear of this trade for the Lakers: L.A. would be short-handed up front, giving opponents free rein to beat Gasol senseless.
Still, some areas of concern obviously remain. The Lakers would be sacrificing their single greatest advantage -- two 7-footers who create matchup problems for opponents' frontcourts -- to add a high-volume, middling-efficiency shot taker ... a role that Bryant already fills more ably.
One could argue that Anthony is such a huge upgrade over Ron Artest that it doesn't matter that Melo is a poor fit schematically. But it's not clear how the Lakers would defend high-scoring wing players. That's a pretty important consideration when their most likely NBA Finals opponents (Boston and Miami) each own two such performers.
Remember, too, that the Lakers aren't the only team involved in these discussions, and that the logic behind this possible deal on some levels is just as shaky for Denver. Nene isn't Gasol; he's going to have trouble coexisting in the same frontcourt with Bynum because he's not a natural 4. While Nene can opt out and become a free agent after the season, presumably the Nuggets intend to keep him and feel they'll be able to -- if they don't, they should be pursuing Nene trades with just as much zeal as they've solicited offers for Melo.
Looking more deeply, even some parts that at first seem to make sense don't upon further review. Most notably, there's the notion that this deal would position the Lakers well for a post-Kobe era, because Anthony could take over the role as the main go-to guy.
That's true, but it's mostly irrelevant. This is hardly the time to be thinking about "positioning for the future." The Lakers have a window to win another championship right now, and it's not going to be open forever. Kobe's knees aren't getting any springier, and the smoke signals from Phil Jackson's tepee are that somebody else will be coaching the Lakers next season. One has to wonder if swapping Bynum for Melo only puts the Lakers further away from a three-peat goal.
Nonetheless, it's a workable kernel of a trade, and here's why. As I noted above, Bynum for Melo doesn't make a ton of sense if that's the whole deal. If that's part of the deal on the other hand ... well, then we're talking. As I noted above, a two-way deal with the Lakers could save Denver a ton of money if structured correctly, while also giving the Lakers some replacement frontcourt bodies. So that's a start.
http:///sports.espn.go.com/espn/gallery/enlargePhoto?id=6103040&story=6102816">http://sports.espn.go.com...103040&...idth=440,height=750,scrollbars=no,noresize'); return false;" href="http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/insi...umnist=hollinger_john&page=Bynum-Melo-110208#">[+] Enlarge
Mike Ehrmann/Getty ImagesGetting Melo would be nice. Add in Jose Calderon, though, and things could get very interesting in L.A.
However, the really interesting part is if they add other teams to the mix.
Let's think about these teams' goals for a second. For Denver, the big idea is to get as many young assets as possible for Anthony, but a second goal is to get the team under the luxury tax this season. Denver is $14 million over the threshold at the moment, but because of the cap exceptions owned by the Lakers and other potential trade partners, it's possible for the Nuggets to trade their way under.
And from L.A.'s side, if the Lakers got an upgrade at point guard along with Melo, then such a trade becomes a huge win for the Lakers as well ... regardless of whether Kobe and Melo get in each other's way a little bit.
Believe it or not, the framework of such a deal could work. Obviously, L.A.'s prime target as the point guard upgrade would be Chauncey Billups, but that's a pipe dream. It isn't possible to put together a realistic deal for Billups and Anthony -- the Lakers simply don't have the assets.
Jose Calderon, on the other hand, is very doable. And there's a really good three-way deal these teams could do that would land Calderon in L.A. along with Anthony; get Bynum to Denver while pulling the Nuggets all the way under the luxury tax via trade exceptions owned by the Lakers and Toronto; and save the Raptors about $16 million over the next two years by dumping the contracts of Calderon and Linas Kleiza on the Lakers. (My trade idea is here.) Draft picks and cash would almost certainly be part of the conversation too.
That's one thought, but there are plenty more workable scenarios. A Cleveland deal with Mo Williams, for instance, would work roughly the same way. So would one with Washington and Kirk Hinrich, although it's made more difficult by the Wizards' lack of a large trade exception.
The big-picture idea, however, is that there probably needs to be more to the picture than just Bynum and Melo for a realistic Lakers-Nuggets trade to happen. Bynum-for-Melo is certainly the centerpiece, but as a straight one-for-one trade there's more to dislike than like for both sides.
It's the other blocks that can be built around such a deal that make it enticing. While such a swap would be dramatically more complicated, it's that possibility that has me contemplating whether there really is some fire behind this smoke.
The No. 1 pick in the 2010 draft, John Wall is averaging a not-too-shabby 14.8 points and 9.1 assists.
John Wall may not win Rookie of the Year as many expected, thanks to the emergence of Blake Griffin, but he is showing All-Star potential. If he continues to develop, that should make for some interesting debates over the next decade in a conference that already has two elite point guards -- Boston's Rajon Rondo and Chicago's Derrick Rose. In fact, he's been compared to Rose quite often, in part because of the similar ways they reached the league, and like Rondo, he's a former Kentucky Wildcat with great speed, passing ability and defensive talent.
So let's compare and contrast: How does Wall match up with Rondo and Rose now? Can he surpass them? And when will he join them in the All-Star Game?
Let's break it down category by category:
[h3]Athleticism[/h3]One of the most exciting aspects of the NBA right now is the talent at the point guard position. No position in the league features the combination of skill and elite athleticism more than the current crop of point guards. It would be fun to see a version of "Superstars" featuring Rondo, Wall and Rose (and OKC's Russell Westbrook). They're all such special athletes, I'm not sure who would win.
Rondo appears to be the quickest in tight spaces and laterally; Rose is the quickest with the ball and Wall is the fastest in a sprint with or without the ball, I'd guess. (Westbrook is the most explosive vertically -- he's helped by extra long arms in making the most plays above the rim.) But it's not like any of these guys is not great in all of those areas.
Rose is also the most powerful of the group, a big help on his forays to the hoop (and perhaps a reason he takes fewer free throws than expected -- it's so hard to impede his progress). Wall is the weakest, in part due to being the youngest, but he should have no issues adding strength during the next few years.
Overall, Wall stands even with Rose and Rondo in athleticism, but I don't project him to pass either guy anytime soon. Rose is just 22 years old and Rondo turns 25 this month.
Of course basketball is not football or track, where sheer athleticism is king. It's a skill game, and the absence of skill in any area can give defenses a huge advantage when guarding great athletes, as Wall is finding out.
[h4]WALL'S SHOOTING STRUGGLES[/h4]
In November, John Wall displayed a bevy of bright spots: overwhelming speed, an above-average ability to finish in the paint, a great awareness and willingness to share the ball, and the ability to dictate some games with his defense.
But he also showed a major weakness: a below-average jump shot. And he's paying the price for that now.
Wall is still finishing at a good rate inside, connecting on 58.3 percent of his attempts at the rim, but he's making just 28 percent of his shots from 10-23 feet, a mark lower than almost every other point guard in the NBA.
He's actually shooting better from behind the 3-point arc (30 percent), but that is not who Wall is right now. His first instinct is to attack. But defenders have learned to give Wall space, inviting him to shoot, and too often that's what he's choosing. As a result, Wall ranks as one of the worst shooting point guards in the NBA; his 48.6 true shooting percentage is 49th among points guards and outside the top 100 among all guards.
His lack of a midrange game hurts him even more in the last few seconds of the shot clock, when he's forced to shoot jumpers to beat the buzzer. Currently, with three seconds or less on the shot clock, Wall has an effective field goal percentage (which factors in 3s) of 17.6 percent, an extremely low number. Compare that to Derrick Rose (48.8 percent) and a non-shooter like Rajon Rondo (44.9 percent) and it's clear how much work Wall has to do in this area.
But neither Rose, Rondo nor Russell Westbrook came into the league as shooters and yet all three rose to greater heights in their second seasons. So even though his shots might not be falling now, there's hope for Wall.
[h3]Shooting[/h3]Wall's lack of shooting ability causes him to commit turnovers (overpenetration is the typical problem because he lacks the confidence to stop and pop from midrange) and lose scoring opportunities simply because he makes so few shots (see sidebar). He's shooting 27 percent from 16-23 feet.
But Rose should give him some hope, because even though Rose was a better shooter than Wall as a rookie, he has improved each year and is now a legit threat to make any shot up to 25 feet. Rondo, too, showed an improved midrange shot in his second season (from 27 percent his rookie season to 43 percent in Year 2) and is making 44 percent from the 16-23 range this season.
At the free throw line and the 3-point line, Rose has also improved using better form and much better balance. Rondo, however, has struggled. His huge hands are troublesome, which is normally a problem for centers.
Wall's shot needs tweaking, not a major overhaul, and I'd expect him to be shooting 35 percent from 3 and 80 percent from the line two years from now. A player with his speed and quickness doesn't need to be a great shooter; just good will do.
[h3]Handle[/h3]As the primary ballhandlers and passers, these three men must be able to handle the ball when pressured by one or two players, while also executing plays under the pressures of time and score.
Both Rondo and Rose have a better handle than Wall -- they're tighter, crisper and more under control with the ball. As playoff veterans now, they also know how to focus on every possession -- something we can expect Wall to improve on toward the end of the season. Lately, however, it seems he is losing focus for a possession or two each game (he literally loses the ball while dribbling with no defender near him).
It will take some offseason work to catch Rondo and Rose in this category. Wall's length and size (Rondo and Rose have lower centers of gravity than Wall) also make it just a tad harder for him to maneuver around people while dribbling, but his ability to accelerate by his second step can make up for that.
[h3]Changing speeds[/h3]One area that Wall needs a lot of work in -- an area that Rondo has mastered and Rose has improved in -- is using mixed speeds to throw off defenders. Rondo is a genius at zooming to the rim after he gets a defensive rebound with a defender in hot pursuit of getting a block from behind. At the last second, though, Rondo decelerates and lets his defender pass him, messing up the shot-blocker's timing before easily laying in the ball.
It's a move that can work in the halfcourt as well, one that Wall hasn't shown. Consequently, defenders can time up Wall's attacks and make a play on his shot, blocking or contesting it.
Slowing down also allows for an extra second to read the defense and give a teammate more time to get open. Adding this to his game would make Wall a much tougher guy to defend.
[h3]Passing[/h3]As a passer, Rondo has few peers. He sees everything and plays the game with the mindset that he's the last scoring option on most possessions. On a team like the Celtics, it's sound strategy.
Rose, like Wall, needs to score to help his team best. But unlike Wall and Rondo, Rose doesn't have the natural vision and anticipation to see plays develop in his head before they appear on the court. Which is fine, because he's such a brilliant scorer (and he still has a better than 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio).
Wall sees the game like a veteran, similar to Rondo, and normally chooses to make plays for teammates before himself, despite a lack of talent around him on many occasions. If he played on a team like Boston, I wouldn't be surprised if he led the league in assists.
[h4]ROOKIE 50 RANKINGS[/h4]
We're keeping track of every NBA rook. Here are the latest Top 50 rankings.
• Click here for the complete rankings »[h2][/h2] [th=""]Rank[/th][th=""]Player[/th][th=""]Stock[/th]
1 Blake Griffin 2 Greg Monroe 3 DeMarcus Cousins 4 John Wall 5 Landry Fields 6 Ed Davis 7 Wesley Johnson 8 Gary Neal 9 Paul George 10 Evan Turner
[h3]Defense[/h3]As rookies go, Wall ranks high on the defensive side of the ball, mostly thanks to his combination of length and speed, along with his desire to make plays on defense. Like Rondo, he creates chaos and has the tools to become a defensive stopper in time.
Rondo also got tutoring from one of the game's top defensive minds (Tom Thibodeau), so he is both savvy in strategy and physically capable of making big-time defensive plays. Rose is now getting the same coaching, though he's not likely to ever be the defensive force Wall and Rondo are. Both players are longer (Wall's standing reach was three inches longer than Rose's coming out of college, a huge advantage in contesting shooters), and their wiry builds help them slip around and through screens.
Rose had little interest in defending as a rookie and is much better now, but many people still consider him a liability on that end. Wall has the potential to be on the All-Defense team in a few years, where he will surely compete with Rondo, who was named to the first team last season.
[h3]Intangibles[/h3]A common thread for all three is their competitive drive, though Rose is more muted in this aspect. These guys have an edge about them when they play which helps inspire their teammates to play at a higher level. Rose has a swagger on offense that the others don't, simply because he's carried the scoring load for his team countless times in big games. That too can be an inspiration, and it doesn't require animated reactions to get the job done. Getting buckets is enough.
I don't see Wall ever being the prolific scorer Rose is, but he'll score enough and make enough plays to hold the reins of his team. Like Rondo, he's a joy to play with in that teammates who work and hustle will be rewarded with sharp passes. Plus, he's not afraid to defend great players in key moments.
[h3]So ... about the All-Star Game?[/h3]With Rondo and Rose seemingly cemented on the East squad for years to come, when will Wall break through and earn his first trip?
Well, just check out the West. Chris Paul and Deron Williams are just as locked into that squad, yet Westbrook broke through in his third season and was named as a reserve guard this year. The same thing can happen for Wall in the East.
Considering Ray Allen's age, it wouldn't be a shock to see Wall earn a reserve guard spot as early as next season. Joe Johnson still has some good years left, but beating him out is a possibility as well.
And I think Wall will be competing with Rose and Rondo for the starting slot in two years, maybe even next year. He's an easy player to love, someone that forces you to watch him when he's in the game, and a guy who is clearly willing to work on his game and get better every year.
Yes, two seasons from now, he'll be right there in the mix for best point guard in the East.
From yesterday:
Bynum for Melo.
Yep, sounds insane, and at first glance it sounds mostly like somebody -- either Carmelo Anthony's people or the Nuggets -- is blowing smoke to create leverage with other parties.
Nonetheless, it's too titillating not to discuss further. The idea of L.A. sending a core of Kobe Bryant, Melo, Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol onto the court, with any random civilian inserted at point guard, certainly is a scary proposition for opponents. And for the Nuggets, one has to concede that coming away with Andrew Bynum is vastly preferable to getting, say, Wilson Chandler and a draft pick.
Additionally, the Lakers can dramatically sweeten the deal with spare parts. By also taking on Chris Andersen using the trade exception created by dealing Sasha Vujacic to the Nets, for instance, the Lakers can help the Nuggets further clean up their cap situation and save them over $10 million in salary and luxury tax. That becomes $13 million if L.A. throws in cash, $14 million if the Lakers take back Shelden Williams too, and $17 million if they do a side deal of Renaldo Balkman for Theo Ratliff and Devin Ebanks.
[h4]NBA Trade Machine[/h4]
Trade Machine
Adding Andersen and Williams to the mix also allays the greatest fear of this trade for the Lakers: L.A. would be short-handed up front, giving opponents free rein to beat Gasol senseless.
Still, some areas of concern obviously remain. The Lakers would be sacrificing their single greatest advantage -- two 7-footers who create matchup problems for opponents' frontcourts -- to add a high-volume, middling-efficiency shot taker ... a role that Bryant already fills more ably.
One could argue that Anthony is such a huge upgrade over Ron Artest that it doesn't matter that Melo is a poor fit schematically. But it's not clear how the Lakers would defend high-scoring wing players. That's a pretty important consideration when their most likely NBA Finals opponents (Boston and Miami) each own two such performers.
Remember, too, that the Lakers aren't the only team involved in these discussions, and that the logic behind this possible deal on some levels is just as shaky for Denver. Nene isn't Gasol; he's going to have trouble coexisting in the same frontcourt with Bynum because he's not a natural 4. While Nene can opt out and become a free agent after the season, presumably the Nuggets intend to keep him and feel they'll be able to -- if they don't, they should be pursuing Nene trades with just as much zeal as they've solicited offers for Melo.
Looking more deeply, even some parts that at first seem to make sense don't upon further review. Most notably, there's the notion that this deal would position the Lakers well for a post-Kobe era, because Anthony could take over the role as the main go-to guy.
That's true, but it's mostly irrelevant. This is hardly the time to be thinking about "positioning for the future." The Lakers have a window to win another championship right now, and it's not going to be open forever. Kobe's knees aren't getting any springier, and the smoke signals from Phil Jackson's tepee are that somebody else will be coaching the Lakers next season. One has to wonder if swapping Bynum for Melo only puts the Lakers further away from a three-peat goal.
Nonetheless, it's a workable kernel of a trade, and here's why. As I noted above, Bynum for Melo doesn't make a ton of sense if that's the whole deal. If that's part of the deal on the other hand ... well, then we're talking. As I noted above, a two-way deal with the Lakers could save Denver a ton of money if structured correctly, while also giving the Lakers some replacement frontcourt bodies. So that's a start.
http:///sports.espn.go.com/espn/gallery/enlargePhoto?id=6103040&story=6102816">http://sports.espn.go.com...103040&...idth=440,height=750,scrollbars=no,noresize'); return false;" href="http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/insi...umnist=hollinger_john&page=Bynum-Melo-110208#">[+] Enlarge
Mike Ehrmann/Getty ImagesGetting Melo would be nice. Add in Jose Calderon, though, and things could get very interesting in L.A.
However, the really interesting part is if they add other teams to the mix.
Let's think about these teams' goals for a second. For Denver, the big idea is to get as many young assets as possible for Anthony, but a second goal is to get the team under the luxury tax this season. Denver is $14 million over the threshold at the moment, but because of the cap exceptions owned by the Lakers and other potential trade partners, it's possible for the Nuggets to trade their way under.
And from L.A.'s side, if the Lakers got an upgrade at point guard along with Melo, then such a trade becomes a huge win for the Lakers as well ... regardless of whether Kobe and Melo get in each other's way a little bit.
Believe it or not, the framework of such a deal could work. Obviously, L.A.'s prime target as the point guard upgrade would be Chauncey Billups, but that's a pipe dream. It isn't possible to put together a realistic deal for Billups and Anthony -- the Lakers simply don't have the assets.
Jose Calderon, on the other hand, is very doable. And there's a really good three-way deal these teams could do that would land Calderon in L.A. along with Anthony; get Bynum to Denver while pulling the Nuggets all the way under the luxury tax via trade exceptions owned by the Lakers and Toronto; and save the Raptors about $16 million over the next two years by dumping the contracts of Calderon and Linas Kleiza on the Lakers. (My trade idea is here.) Draft picks and cash would almost certainly be part of the conversation too.
That's one thought, but there are plenty more workable scenarios. A Cleveland deal with Mo Williams, for instance, would work roughly the same way. So would one with Washington and Kirk Hinrich, although it's made more difficult by the Wizards' lack of a large trade exception.
The big-picture idea, however, is that there probably needs to be more to the picture than just Bynum and Melo for a realistic Lakers-Nuggets trade to happen. Bynum-for-Melo is certainly the centerpiece, but as a straight one-for-one trade there's more to dislike than like for both sides.
It's the other blocks that can be built around such a deal that make it enticing. While such a swap would be dramatically more complicated, it's that possibility that has me contemplating whether there really is some fire behind this smoke.
I don't think he'll ever be dominant but he's important to the Lakers' scheme. Not many teams can match up next to him, Pau and LO in the frontcourt. The defense is predicated on funneling opponents towards him. He alters/blocks shots and does a decent job of finishing around the rim. Even though he trouble getting lift off of his post moves, he still manages to get quality shots around the rim because he's so big.
I don't think he'll ever be dominant but he's important to the Lakers' scheme. Not many teams can match up next to him, Pau and LO in the frontcourt. The defense is predicated on funneling opponents towards him. He alters/blocks shots and does a decent job of finishing around the rim. Even though he trouble getting lift off of his post moves, he still manages to get quality shots around the rim because he's so big.
But with the Lakers getting older, you still wouldn't rather have a dominant scorer like Melo for years to come...I just feel like you can get a defensive center down the road. Missing on Melo would be a mistake I think. ( if all they have to give up is Bynum)
But with the Lakers getting older, you still wouldn't rather have a dominant scorer like Melo for years to come...I just feel like you can get a defensive center down the road. Missing on Melo would be a mistake I think. ( if all they have to give up is Bynum)
Originally Posted by Nowitness41Dirk
How awkward does it look though when they pan to the announcers and Mark and Bob were on one row and Skin is sitting a row below them and about 3 chairs down.
Originally Posted by Nowitness41Dirk
How awkward does it look though when they pan to the announcers and Mark and Bob were on one row and Skin is sitting a row below them and about 3 chairs down.
