Lakers Are Lucky Shaq Is Gone
Remember how angry fans were when the Lakers traded Shaquille O'Neal in 2004? Kobe Bryant was trashed for allegedly pushing for the departure of The Big Aristotle. Management was savaged. How could the Lakers do that?
It might have been the smartest thing Jerry Buss and Mitch Kupchak ever did.
They had just seen Shaq labor through the playoffs, unable to put together consecutive strong games. He already clearly was in decline. Unable or unwilling to keep his weight down and get in top shape. And with his contract coming up.
Turns out, Shaq had one more significant season in him, one more good playoffs and one more title.
But had the Lakers kept Shaq, what would they look like now?
They would have an injury prone, 36-year-old (in March) center who is getting $20 million this season -- and the next TWO seasons. (Shaq already is averaging a career-low 14.2 points per game, and a puny 7.8 rebounds per game.)
The Lakers would not have Lamar Odom. They would have severe salary-cap problems. They would owe Shaq $40 million for two seasons in which he likely will produce little, if anything.
Maybe the Lakers win one more title with Shaq and Kobe together. (Assuming they didn't kill each other.) Probably not.
But they certainly wouldn't be a team on the rise, in 2007-08, as they are now. They wouldn't have Andrew Bynum because they wouldn't have been in the lotter in 2005.
Here is a stat to mull: Shaq has seven double-doubles this season. Bynum has 15 -- and he hasn't played in two weeks.
Shaq was great -- six, seven seasons ago. He was The Man.
But the Lakers did what good franchises do -- they traded a guy a year early rather than a year late. And now they have a future -- instead of nothing but a past.
Comments
Come Now! Shaq is gone and the Lakers haven't won anything.maybe they will when they trade Koba...You guys are so in love with Koba that you forget that he wanted to trade their young center(Bynum).When Bynum become a star,Koba will have problems with him.
Posted by: Robert | January 24, 2008 10:37 PM
I hope Mitch learned his lesson in dealing Shaq to the Heat. The Lakers ended up with three players taking up the Shaq's salary and they ended up trading the best player IMHO (Caron Butler for Kwame Brown). Now they have been stuck with those salaries instead of letting Shaq opt out and using that cap room to sign some quality players. One more ring would have been nice here instead of in Miami.
With Kobe being the only player in the league with the no-trade clause, he probably isn't going anywhere and if he opts out, he will be leaving money on the table to do so. All while possibly leaving a team with a developing star center in Bynum. I can't imagine he would be stupid enough to leave the Lakers, but if he does, good riddance.
Posted by: Scott in R.C. | January 25, 2008 10:19 AM