what if KG had gone to the other coast...

[yall hate]

Just reading Jeff's post on the first page got me thinking...Which offer was better, the Lakers or the Celtics? Obviously it is easy to look now and say well Bynum is injured so the celtics, but looking at the deals without knowing the injury to Bynum, I think theirs may have been, although I am not sure.

Aside from Big Al, and maybe Gomes, Telfair and GG are close to useless.  We gave 2 firsts, while the lakers only offered one.  we also gave them Theo's expiring. 

But Odom could have been flipped for better young talent (not three guys, but...) then GG, Telfair, and Gomes right?

I dont know which I think is better...anyone else?

[adam8]

I may be wrong but I believe at that point in time Al Jefferson had his break out year but Bynum had not. Jefferson came on strong at the end of the 2006-07 season and Bynum was still mostly potential. Also Odom was not an expiring contract and we gave them back their first round pick which was better than any pick the Lakers could give. As much as Lakers fans would want to say KG was gifted to us i believe out package was much better

[Roy Hobbs]

I thought our offer was better at the time, and history has proved that right.  Only Golden State could have offered a better deal, in my opinion (it could have involved some combination of Biedrins, Ellis, Brandan Wright, Al Harrington or Adonal Foyle for contract reasons, and taking back a ton of salary with their trade exception).

The Twolves got one of the best offensive big men in the game, a versatile player in Gomes, cap relief, and a couple of draft picks (although it's likely that the Twolves pick they got back would have ended up being a #2).  Telfair has looked decent at times, as well.  That's a pretty good haul.

In terms of what the Celtics would have done, I was pushing for a Gasol trade at the time (so long as it didn't involve Big Al) so I would have been on board with that.  (I noticed wahz mentioned this same idea on the front page).  I'm not sure that Big Al / Gasol / Pierce / Ray / Rondo wins a championship, but it would have given the team a good front line to build around.

[drza44]

In Google searching to find that Pierce/KG block pic of Kobe I came across an article I'd forgotten about that fits this discussion (and also has a lot of irony in it, based on what actually happened).  Paul Shirley is an NBA journeyman/blogger, and he had a cup of coffee with both the Lakers and the Timberwolves.  He had some interesting perspective on the idea of KG and Kobe teaming up, casting them in a very good vs. evil light.  Here's the link, then a few of my favorite quotes from the article:

http://www.slate.com/id/2169154/pagenum/all/#p2

"It has been reported that Kobe Bryant (arguably the league's most marketable player) and Kevin Garnett (arguably its most talented) might … in theory … possibly … be traded …"

"Having spent a similar amount of time in the semi-intimate company of both men, I can say confidently that two people couldn't be more different. Kevin Garnett is one of the most impressive humans I've ever been around.

Kobe Bryant isn't.

As a strict contrarian, I wish it weren't so. But in this case, there have been no mischaracterizations. Garnett is noble, loyal, and larger-than-life. And, again, Bryant isn't."

"Garnett is a throwback superstar, a Bill Russell for the modern age. When some people conjure up Russell they visualize the consummate winner, a man who led his teams to 11 NBA championships. But I link the two men by personality. By all reports, Russell shares Garnett's intelligence, grace, and intensity. And, in his defense, Garnett has never had a Cousy or a Havlicek."

"As for the rumors of a Bryant/Garnett combination in purple and gold: The scenario might be plausible if everyone who's not on the Lakers payroll lost his mind at the exact same moment. Then again, Kevin McHale has long been considered a rather ineffectual GM. It is possible that he would be dumb enough to help create the most unstoppable pairing since He-Man and Battle Cat. But I've gathered that his IQ hovers above the level needed to button a polo shirt in the morning, so I'd wager that he's smart enough to avoid bringing about the basketball apocalypse in his own conference.

Should McHale's neurons stop firing and the trade get made, the resulting cauldron of intensity would be impressive to behold. For all their differences, Garnett and Bryant do share one trait. They might be the two most focused human beings I've been around. In fact, if they were on the same team, they'd probably each reach new heights as a result of their efforts to outdo the other. The Lakers would cease to exist as a team, per se. Instead the "team" would be two dudes screaming at each other while three others ran around trying to avoid their wrath. Should the trade happen, the Lakers' front office would immediately begin a search for players with only one trait: "enjoys being subjected to extreme levels of verbal abuse."

[Who]

Bynum was a very risky prospect at the time of the trade, while Big Al had already established himself - that made the Celtics offer superior.

[xmuscularghandix]

then the lakers would have won the championship and we would have probably lost in the second round with a decent starting 5 of

RONDO
RAY
PIERCE
AL JEFF
PERKINS

[Redz]

if KG had gone to the other coast...

He'd have a ridiculous commute to home games.  It just wouldn't be very practical. 

[BigAlTheFuture]

In terms of what the Celtics would have done, I was pushing for a Gasol trade at the time (so long as it didn't involve Big Al) so I would have been on board with that.  (I noticed wahz mentioned this same idea on the front page).  I'm not sure that Big Al / Gasol / Pierce / Ray / Rondo wins a championship, but it would have given the team a good front line to build around.

But it sure would be a fun team to watch.

[RebusRankin]

As I recall the issue for the Lakers was they refused to include Bynum and the deal centered around Odom and Kwame who the Wolves didn't want.

[RAcker]

Why even ask this question today?  Shame shame. 

[bostonfan23]

Gerald Green is useless. Telfair is not.