Four years ago at the trade deadline, the Los Angeles Lakers made what was considered a blockbuster move — they traded a package centered around Marc Gasol (although at the time we thought it was Kwame Brown) for Pau Gasol. Pairing him with Kobe Bryant led the Lakers to three straight finals and two NBA titles.
After tonight, Pau Gasol may be offensive option No. 4 on the Lakers.
To what is certainly the frustration and consternation of Mark Cuban and other owners (nice competitive balance), the Lakers have had the best offseason they have had since 1996 (getting Shaquille O’Neal and drafting Kobe Bryant). The Lakers were able to work trades for both point guard Steve Nash and the most dominant center on the planet today, Dwight Howard.
The Lakers are now the team best positioned to challenge the Miami Heat for the NBA title, they can match up in raw talent. And with real strengths at point guard and center — the two weakest links of the Heat — Los Angeles may well be the best team in the NBA.
We have 82 games and a long playoff run to formally answer the question of who is best, but the Lakers are in that conversation. Yes, the Oklahoma City Thunder certainly are as well. But the Lakers suddenly look like the team to beat. Again.
Their starting five will be Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant, Metta World Peace, Pau Gasol and Dwight Howard. That can compete with the Heat and Thunder, and Howard instantly improves the Laker team defense dramatically. The bench isn’t terribly impressive — Antawn Jamison, Steve Blake, Josh McRoberts, Jordan Hill, Chris Duhon and Earl Clark (the later two filler on the trade) — but it doesn’t really have to be.
There will be a lot of burden on coach Mike Brown’s shoulders to fit it all the pieces together. The Lakers have talked about running a Princeton style offense and those kind of sets certainly can work, Gasol passes well as a big and in the Olympics we have seen Kobe work well from off the ball on the weak side.
But if you have Steve Nash with Dwight Howard and you don’t run a lot of 1/5 pick-and-rolls you are a fool.
It is a massive and stunning overhaul and improvement of what was already a good roster. Other owners like to complain about the Lakers advantages of market and money — and those exist — but the Lakers also just tend to be both more patient and smarter than other front offices. This doesn’t keep happening by accident.
Getting Howard does not assure the Lakers of an NBA title.
But they may just have become the team to beat. Even for the Heat.