BLOCKBUSTER TRADE Howard, Bynum, Iguodala (ESPN confirming its done)

[CelticsFan9]

How can they not give up Pau? How? The Lakers get these absurd trades every single time, every single year, it's **** nonsense.

They would've never given up both Pau and Bynum.  You are dreaming.

Why would they make their team worse?  The Lakers aren't stupid.  You really think two top 5-10 big men is the price for the top big man?  No way were the Lakers ever going to do that.

The point is that other teams don't have to be stupid enough to play along, and that the Lakers gave up surprisingly little to land Howard.  I mean, seriously, Bynum and the 28th pick for Howard?  It's the Gasol heist all over again.

Not really. Bynum is an All-Star, averaged 19-12, and is arguably the second best center in the NBA.

They dealt the second best center in the NBA for the best center in the NBA.

They won the trade, no doubt, but the Gasol trade comnparison is going way overboard.

When did Bynum become Ryan Hollins?

Let's pretend this is a two-team trade.

If you were Orlando's GM, would you trade Dwight Howard and Jason Richardson for  Andrew Bynum, Arron Afflalo, Nikola Vucevic, Maurice Harkless, and 3 late first-round draft picks?

I wouldn't.

I absolutely would. My problem with the trade has nothing to do with the talent involved and everything to do with how none of that talent went to Orlando.

The reason I wouldn't do it is because Vucevic and Harkless are unproven, those draft picks probably won't be that valuable, and while Bynum is the 2nd best center in the NBA, Afflalo doesn't make up the difference between Howard and Bynum.

An interesting thought:  what if Howard's back hampers him?  Back spasms are a serious thing, especially for centers.  If he doesn't respond well, then the Lakers might be in some trouble.

Dwight is a free agent at the end of the season.  If you wait for equal value, it will never come and you will end up with nothing for him as he leaves as a free agent.

Here are your choices: Bynum, Afflalo, and 3 1sts, Houston's offer, or absolutely nothing.  Don't act like Miami is suddenly going to offer LeBron.

All I'm saying is Orlando didn't make the right decision here.  They should have either taken Houston's offer or gotten Gasol, maybe Gallinari or Chandler instead of Afflalo.

Plus, I wouldn't be a Celtics fan if I didn't find any move the Lakers make suspicious.   

[celticmania]

wow i dont know if we will be able to beat the Lakers.....
...  this should motivate Ainge to get another all-star...

we should trade Fab Melo and Keyon Dooling for Kevin Love..... oh yea i forgot..... we're not the Lakers. we cant give up nothing and get an all-star.

Delonte West, Wally Sczerbiak and Jeff Green for Ray Allen.

this trade is WAY more lopsided. Ray Allen was like 33 years old. Howard is still in his prime and 1 of the most valuable if not the most valuable player in the NBA.

Except for the part where the Lakers gave up the 2nd or 3rd best center and a draft pick for Howard and we gave up Delonte, Wally Sczerbiak and Jeff Green.

they still got Dwight Howard and we got Ray Allen !

[laker-bob]

The Lakers franchise is blessed, and the fans are spoiled.  L.A. will always be a desired destination for players. 

[WeMadeIt17]

what did Orlando get in this deal?

No names worth typing.. so basically a bunch of protected picks

[celtsfan84]

How can they not give up Pau? How? The Lakers get these absurd trades every single time, every single year, it's **** nonsense.

They would've never given up both Pau and Bynum.  You are dreaming.

Why would they make their team worse?  The Lakers aren't stupid.  You really think two top 5-10 big men is the price for the top big man?  No way were the Lakers ever going to do that.

The point is that other teams don't have to be stupid enough to play along, and that the Lakers gave up surprisingly little to land Howard.  I mean, seriously, Bynum and the 28th pick for Howard?  It's the Gasol heist all over again.

Not really. Bynum is an All-Star, averaged 19-12, and is arguably the second best center in the NBA.

They dealt the second best center in the NBA for the best center in the NBA.

They won the trade, no doubt, but the Gasol trade comnparison is going way overboard.

When did Bynum become Ryan Hollins?

Let's pretend this is a two-team trade.

If you were Orlando's GM, would you trade Dwight Howard and Jason Richardson for  Andrew Bynum, Arron Afflalo, Nikola Vucevic, Maurice Harkless, and 3 late first-round draft picks?

I wouldn't.

I absolutely would. My problem with the trade has nothing to do with the talent involved and everything to do with how none of that talent went to Orlando.

The reason I wouldn't do it is because Vucevic and Harkless are unproven, those draft picks probably won't be that valuable, and while Bynum is the 2nd best center in the NBA, Afflalo doesn't make up the difference between Howard and Bynum.

An interesting thought:  what if Howard's back hampers him?  Back spasms are a serious thing, especially for centers.  If he doesn't respond well, then the Lakers might be in some trouble.

Dwight is a free agent at the end of the season.  If you wait for equal value, it will never come and you will end up with nothing for him as he leaves as a free agent.

Here are your choices: Bynum, Afflalo, and 3 1sts, Houston's offer, or absolutely nothing.  Don't act like Miami is suddenly going to offer LeBron.

All I'm saying is Orlando didn't make the right decision here.  They should have either taken Houston's offer or gotten Gasol, maybe Gallinari or Chandler instead of Afflalo.

Plus, I wouldn't be a Celtics fan if I didn't find any move the Lakers make suspicious.   

Orlando didn't make the right choice.  At all.  On that we agree.  But that wasn't at all what you were saying.

[Ogaju]

I tried to tell you guys that the Lakers get the sweetest deals ALL the time. Someone tried to put up the Joe Barry Carroll deal as a heist. No it was not. That was a trade that worked out well for Boston. Lakers go out and outright steal players from other teams.

And folks should stop saying that Stern blocked the Chris Paul deal NO HE DID NOT!!!!

He approved the deal, the OWNERS that owned the Hornets at the time BLOCKED THE DEAL, not STERN.

Stern loves LA.

No, you're actually quite wrong.  Stern blocked the deal.  If Stern wanted it to go through, it would have and the owners would have had no recourse, legal or otherwise.

And three different front offices had to agree to this deal.  Philadelphia, Denver, and Orlando.  The conspiracy theories here are such nonsense.  Geez.  You people act like we're Charlotte.  Boston has had some good players too, you know.

You are wrong I dont know why people dont get this. The Paul deal was nixed by owners not Stern. Stern nixed it in his capacity as the owner's rep not in his capacity as the commissioner.

Wrong again.  He vetoed it as acting owner of the Hornets.

Danny has to run major trades past Wyc. Wyc can veto them. Dell Demps ran his trade past Commissioner Stern (acting owner of the Hornets). Stern vetoed it. 

Stern did it for the better of the Hornets.  And it worked out to be for the better of the Hornets.

Slowly but surely you are getting to my position he was not acting owner of Hornets he was agent of all the other owners and they told him to nix the deal. No need to thank me..you are welcome.

[Who]

All I'm saying is Orlando didn't make the right decision here.  They should have either taken Houston's offer or gotten Gasol, maybe Gallinari or Chandler instead of Afflalo

Yeah, I think Houston's offer was better than this.

[laker-bob]

You've got to hand it to the Sixers and Nuggets. I mean, seriously, just BEAUTIFUL leveraging of this Dwight-mania:

• The Sixers traded Iggy and spare change for Bynum; was there really a better offer on the table for Iggy, a guy they all but announced with a neon sign they were going to trade? And Richardson, while not anywhere close to the player he used to be, is still a serviceable backup and a solid veteran presence in their young locker room
• Denver traded Affalo -- a young intangibles guy, but one who was arguably overpaid for what he does -- and Harrington for Iggy, who is coming off a heck of a series so far in London and basically does what Affalo does but a little better for a little more money

Yeah, sure, they have to give up a couple of picks each, but they're in the 20s, and they're likely to be spread out enough that Orlando won't get too much help from them.

Seriously, I get that the Lakers didn't want to give up both Gasol and Bynum in the deal, but I'm not sure how everyone else LET them avoid it. Nevertheless, unless this is a precursor to further moves for the Magic (maybe Harrington's actually sought after somewhere? I've never gotten how so many teams have wanted him in the past), I just can't see how they justify taking this deal over Houston's. There has to be more to this story, something that hasn't come up yet.

Gasol does have a big cap number, and on the downside of his career.  He's not 27, he's 32.

[celtsfan84]

I tried to tell you guys that the Lakers get the sweetest deals ALL the time. Someone tried to put up the Joe Barry Carroll deal as a heist. No it was not. That was a trade that worked out well for Boston. Lakers go out and outright steal players from other teams.

And folks should stop saying that Stern blocked the Chris Paul deal NO HE DID NOT!!!!

He approved the deal, the OWNERS that owned the Hornets at the time BLOCKED THE DEAL, not STERN.

Stern loves LA.

No, you're actually quite wrong.  Stern blocked the deal.  If Stern wanted it to go through, it would have and the owners would have had no recourse, legal or otherwise.

And three different front offices had to agree to this deal.  Philadelphia, Denver, and Orlando.  The conspiracy theories here are such nonsense.  Geez.  You people act like we're Charlotte.  Boston has had some good players too, you know.

You are wrong I dont know why people dont get this. The Paul deal was nixed by owners not Stern. Stern nixed it in his capacity as the owner's rep not in his capacity as the commissioner.

Wrong again.  He vetoed it as acting owner of the Hornets.

Danny has to run major trades past Wyc. Wyc can veto them. Dell Demps ran his trade past Commissioner Stern (acting owner of the Hornets). Stern vetoed it. 

Stern did it for the better of the Hornets.  And it worked out to be for the better of the Hornets.

Slowly but surely you are getting to my position he was not acting owner of Hornets he was agent of all the other owners and they told him to nix the deal. No need to thank me..you are welcome.

I think you misread my post.  Or your own.  You seem quite confused, so I will be clear and slow.

Stern run Hornets. Stern no like deal for Hornets. Stern nix deal. Stern find better deal for Hornets. Stern sell Hornets.

[Who]

Celtics need to find another high level player to compete.

Someone who is a top 10/12 player at his position.

With how weak the 2 guard spot is in the NBA, it's not outrageous to think Bradley could become that guy.

I was already banking on Bradley being at that level.

I think we need another one in addition to Bradley. Jeff Green seems like the only guy on the roster who has a chance to be that extra guy next season. Very much a long shot though.

You think we need a 5th guy on that level?

To beat LA in a seven game series ... yeah, I think so.

[ManUp]

Wait the Magic didn't take Bynum?

[CelticsFan9]

How can they not give up Pau? How? The Lakers get these absurd trades every single time, every single year, it's **** nonsense.

They would've never given up both Pau and Bynum.  You are dreaming.

Why would they make their team worse?  The Lakers aren't stupid.  You really think two top 5-10 big men is the price for the top big man?  No way were the Lakers ever going to do that.

The point is that other teams don't have to be stupid enough to play along, and that the Lakers gave up surprisingly little to land Howard.  I mean, seriously, Bynum and the 28th pick for Howard?  It's the Gasol heist all over again.

Not really. Bynum is an All-Star, averaged 19-12, and is arguably the second best center in the NBA.

They dealt the second best center in the NBA for the best center in the NBA.

They won the trade, no doubt, but the Gasol trade comnparison is going way overboard.

When did Bynum become Ryan Hollins?

Let's pretend this is a two-team trade.

If you were Orlando's GM, would you trade Dwight Howard and Jason Richardson for  Andrew Bynum, Arron Afflalo, Nikola Vucevic, Maurice Harkless, and 3 late first-round draft picks?

I wouldn't.

I absolutely would. My problem with the trade has nothing to do with the talent involved and everything to do with how none of that talent went to Orlando.

The reason I wouldn't do it is because Vucevic and Harkless are unproven, those draft picks probably won't be that valuable, and while Bynum is the 2nd best center in the NBA, Afflalo doesn't make up the difference between Howard and Bynum.

An interesting thought:  what if Howard's back hampers him?  Back spasms are a serious thing, especially for centers.  If he doesn't respond well, then the Lakers might be in some trouble.

Dwight is a free agent at the end of the season.  If you wait for equal value, it will never come and you will end up with nothing for him as he leaves as a free agent.

Here are your choices: Bynum, Afflalo, and 3 1sts, Houston's offer, or absolutely nothing.  Don't act like Miami is suddenly going to offer LeBron.

All I'm saying is Orlando didn't make the right decision here.  They should have either taken Houston's offer or gotten Gasol, maybe Gallinari or Chandler instead of Afflalo.

Plus, I wouldn't be a Celtics fan if I didn't find any move the Lakers make suspicious.   

Orlando didn't make the right choice.  At all.  On that we agree.  But that wasn't at all what you were saying.

I said let's make it a two-team trade to simplify, and I said I wouldn't do that.  Then I gave reasons why I wouldn't do it.  Finally, I concluded by saying Orlando made a bad decision.

At least that's what I meant to say.  Maybe you perceived it differently.

[Ogaju]

Mar Cuban and some owners told Stern no agree to deal. I am done with this topic.

[Atzar]

What was Orlando thinking?  They traded the second- or third-best player in the league for a bunch of scraps and bad picks? 

Incredible.  What an incompetent franchise.  How do you not just keep Bynum, if this is what you want?  He's likely not a longterm cap hit, and he probably would have relished the opportunity to be the alpha dog.  Instead, no - they'd rather have a collection of average-to-worse roleplayers and low-value draft picks. 

[j804]

What is this crap I wake up to? wow

let's see how Howard's back holds up