Bottom line on trades: Lakers gain West edge
If all of Kobe Bryant’s wishes were granted, the Los Angeles Lakers could be suffering through a miserable season.
But Bryant runs the offense, not the team’s front office, and the Lakers are emerging as NBA championship contenders as a result.
The Boston Celtics are 5-2 favorites to win the title, but the league has a dramatically different look after last week’s trade deadline, and the Lakers’ future looks the brightest.
“I think the Lakers are the team to beat,” MGM Mirage sports book director Robert Walker said.
The Lakers made a shrewd move by acquiring 7-foot Pau Gasol from Memphis on Feb. 1. That trade triggered a series of deals by Western Conference rivals Phoenix, Dallas and San Antonio.
After blowing out Seattle on Sunday for their eighth straight victory, the Lakers improved their record to 39-17, best in the West. They own the league’s top point-spread mark (36-19-1) and are riding a 13-1 run against the spread.
Los Angeles is the second choice to win the title at 3-1 odds, followed by the Spurs and Suns (both 9-2) and Mavericks (5-1).
Two trades Bryant wanted the Lakers to make never materialized. Before the season, Bryant requested the Lakers deal him, and the team wisely refused. Last season, he was angered that the Lakers would not trade young center Andrew Bynum to New Jersey for point guard Jason Kidd, and Bynum has blossomed into a force.
Bryant, meanwhile, is no longer a malcontent.
“Without a sliver of a doubt, the mother of all trades was the Lakers acquiring Gasol,” handicapper Jim Kruger (Vegassportsauthority.com) said. “The addition of Gasol led to other trades in the West like falling dominoes to combat the Lakers’ improvement.
“The Lakers being favored to win the West is justified to me.”
Injuries to Bryant and Bynum are the only question marks following the Lakers.
Bryant has a torn ligament in his right pinkie finger, but is trying to play through the injury. Bynum was sidelined in mid-January by a dislocated left kneecap, and he plans to return in early March.
What’s ironic is that if Bynum had not been hurt, Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak said the team would not have traded for Gasol.
“The trade keeps the Lakers at the top of the playoff mix, and once Bynum returns, the Lakers will be a very difficult team to match up with in their triangle offense,” Kruger said. “Assuming Bynum comes back healthy, the Lakers, with offensive threats galore coupled with their depth, should make it to the NBA Finals.”
The Suns responded with a desperation deal, sending former UNLV stars Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks to Miami for Shaquille O’Neal.
The Mavericks got Kidd from the Nets, and the defending champion Spurs found low-post help by getting Kurt Thomas from Seattle.
“I’m surprised with the Suns trade. I’m not sold that’s going to get them over the hump,” Walker said. “How long can Shaq play? Is he going to play 25 or 30 minutes a game? He will be rejuvenated a little bit, but motivation is not his problem, it’s Father Time.
“I don’t think the Suns and Mavericks did anything to get ahead of the Spurs and Lakers.”
Kruger said Phoenix was forced to gamble on O’Neal, and the positives might not be evident until the postseason.
“I understand the Suns’ rationale for disposing of Marion, soon to be a free agent,” Kruger said. “But to get Shaq, with so many miles on him and in direct conflict to your offensive style, initially didn’t make sense to me.
“One thing that will be hard to measure is Shaq’s leadership and experience. The pace of the game slows down in the playoffs, and perhaps that is where the trade will have its most value. The Suns weren’t going to win the West before the trade, so why not take a roll of the dice and see what happens?”
Kruger said he does not expect to see Boston’s Kevin Garnett or Cleveland’s LeBron James in the NBA Finals.
“In my mind, you have three teams with the potential to win the Eastern Conference title — Boston, Cleveland and Detroit,” Kruger said.
“The Pistons’ style is well-fitted for the playoffs, and I expect them to represent the East against the Lakers in the Finals.”
Contact reporter Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or (702) 387-2907.