helps thunder beat lakers?

[wiley]

http://www.realgm.com/src_tradechecker/3/

Sacramento was obviously preparing to win some games when they signed Carl Landry, a starter for a Houston squad that won a lot and gave the Lakers a hard time in the playoffs a couple years back....so far not so good for the Kings, however.  They have too many bigs and the other night they had 11 players with double digit minutes.  So, pretending they're desperate, we have them send Carl Landry and Jason Thompson to the Thunder for Cole Aldrich and James Harden.
The Kings bigs rotation then includes Dalembert, Cousins, Aldrich and Darnell Jackson, with Whiteside ready after a good long while.....and they get Harden, a solid player.

The Thunder improve their lineup, starting either Kristic or Ibaka alongside Landry, who will score and rebound, Durant at the 3, etc...with Jeff Green subbing for Durant and for Landry, and Jason Thompson getting time at PF as well....

A good anti-Laker lineup?

[StartOrien]

There's a trade to be made here using these principles, but I think you probably have to include another team. Landry's a real nice player, but the Thunder would need to get another swing they could put in their rotation.

[PosImpos]

Landry is not really the kind of player to give the Lakers trouble, considering he's well undersized for his position.  Jason Thompson has size, but he's soft and can't even get playing time ahead of Sammy Dalembert or Cousins.

[Change]

Don't you want to meet them in the finals and crush the Lakers? It would be nice if they meet some resistance, but at the end of the day I want Lakers/Celtics finals. Epic Showdown!

As far as the trade Thunder should be all over that trade. Kevin Thompson instantly makes them better.

Edit: Jason Thompson

[wiley]

Don't you want to meet them in the finals and crush the Lakers? It would be nice if they meet some resistance, but at the end of the day I want Lakers/Celtics finals. Epic Showdown!

As far as the trade Thunder should be all over that trade. Kevin Thompson instantly makes them better.

Edit: Jason Thompson

True, I'd like to toast the Lakers....But I also wouldn't mind taking out some team 4-0 after they've edged the Lakers in 7.

I know Ok. City is more in need of a Varejao type, if there is such a thing, as opposed to Carl Landry, but I just think Ok. City is close, and with a better bigs picture of any sort, might get over the hump.

Not sure they can fill the hole left by Harden, as mentioned above, unless D. Cook could come in and start actually putting the ball in the hoop...Mo Pete?

[PosImpos]

What the Thunder need more than anything is experience.  Until they win a playoff series or two and get used to playing together as a cohesive unit in crunch time situations, they won't be able to beat a team like the Lakers in 7 games.  No way.

The Thunder have a lot of talent, and in a year or two it might be enough to get them past a dominant force like the Lakers even without a better frontcourt rotation.  But in the meantime they don't have SO much talent that it is enough to make up for their lack of experience and size.

[Who]

I think Aldrich and Harden help the Thunder a lot more than Landry and Thompson would in a matchup against LA.

This trade would make OKC a worse team. Both in general and specifically when matching up against LA.

Thompson is a very poor defensive player while Landry is an undersized but decent defender. Cole Aldrich on the other hand has a real physical presence on the court. He can play interior defense, he can alter some shots, he can defend the post and he can rebound the basketball. Aldrich is a useful asset in matching up against Andrew Bynum. He makes OKC stronger against LA. Then there is James Harden who is a good rotation caliber wing.

[Who]

The basic tenet of Jason Thompson's value is that he is currently a weak player, a borderline rotation figure, a player that will not help any team in the immediate future but has enough potential to become a very good role player down the road once he learns to play some defense and hopefully improves his scoring efficiency.

In other words, he is a player for tomorrow. Not today. If you give up a rotation worthy player for him, your team will get weaker this season ... but you'll gain a quality prospect for the future.

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As for Carl Landry, you acquire Landry for a scoring threat off the bench as an undersized PF. He is not a positive defensive player + he has become a major liability on the backboards (6/7 boards per 36 minutes -- very good rebounder when he first came into the league but has declined hugely since then). So you don't bring him in for defense/rebounding + his lack of size makes him a liability (defensively) against taller longer PFs. If your second unit needs some scoring punch, Landry can help you out.

Landry would be a useful backup PF for Oklahoma. I don't like how small OKC's frontcourt rotation would get with J.Green starting at the four and Ibaka shifting over to the backup five though. That puts a lot of pressure on whoever would be starting at center (Krstic?).

That said, trading Jeff Green for Carl Landry would be (somewhat) interesting. Move Ibaka into the starting lineup as a four and let Landry become their sixth man and scoring threat off the bench. Keep Krstic, N.Collison and Aldrich as your center rotation.

Giving Ibaka more minutes as a starting four improves their defense + rebounding + their ability to matchup against bigger front-lines defensively. Landry is a more reliable shot-creator and scorer than Jeff Green. Something OKC needs. A third scoring option behind Durant and Westbrook.

Carl Landry does not have as much range or versatility in his offensive repertoire as Jeff Green though. So, OKC's starting lineup would have some problems spacing the floor with Thabo, Ibaka/Landry and a starting C + Westbrook's limited jump shooting. Neither Ibaka or Landry could hide that. Green is quite useful here.

But it's an interesting idea ... some pluses, some minuses.

I'd probably make a J.Green for C.Landry trade ... although I'd look for a better offer elsewhere first. Jeff Green would likely have better trade value than that around the league. His reputation has always been bigger than his game.

[LakersFan_33]

I probably like Landry a little more than Thomson, but I don't think either matches up with Gasol/Bynum. The only players that I've seen give L.A.'s front court problems are Nene, Duncan, KG, Shaq, Perkins...and probably a player like Okafor. The only threats I see to their front court in the west are Denver and Houston (if Yao is healthy). I'm not completely sold on Dallas, but Chandler helps their cause.

[wiley]

I probably like Landry a little more than Thomson, but I don't think either matches up with Gasol/Bynum. The only players that I've seen give L.A.'s front court problems are Nene, Duncan, KG, Shaq, Perkins...and probably a player like Okafor. The only threats I see to their front court in the west are Denver and Houston (if Yao is healthy). I'm not completely sold on Dallas, but Chandler helps their cause.

I agree they don't match up.....the problem is that very few do match up against Gasol/Bynum.  So, how on earth will Ok. City make a serious run?

The trade idea above, good or bad, is about having a deeper bigs rotation of quality.  More fouls to give while not dropping off the face of the earth in terms of scoring and rebounding.

I'm glad Who is high on Aldrich.  He hasn't been playing, so I was thinking he wasn't going to make it into the rotation any time soon, or be ready for meaningful minutes.  I was thinking he's a four-year college player, but maybe I've misremembered and he's a bit younger...hopefully that or a nagging but minor injury is what's holding back the rook.

As far as Ok. City needing to win a series, they already did last year.  I don't remember who, but they nailed a good team I thought.  And won 2 games against the Lakers, and almost stole one in L.A.  ( better stop going by memory now....).  In other words, they're not light years away.