Lakers: Garnett a Reality?

How different things were back on May 16th when I wrote "Don't Overpay for the Ticket." Those were the good old days before Kobe Bryant declared war on the Los Angeles Lakers.

Now the Los Angeles Lakers stand at the precipice. Either give in to their superstar's demand for a trade . . . or give him no choice but to recant.

Team owner Dr. Jerry Buss wasn't about to give up the star of the biggest show in Hollywood, so he stepped in and brokered what may be the Hail Mary solution . . . Kevin Garnett.

While the LA Times reported a potential multi-team deal involving the Minnesota Timberwolves, Indiana Pacers, Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers . . . can anyone see three ex-Celtics getting together (Kevin McHale, Larry Bird and Danny Ainge) to save the Los Angeles Lakers?

LA and Indiana have discussed Jermaine O'Neal for Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum, the Wolves aren't going to make a Garnett deal without getting at least Andrew Bynum. To make all parties happy, the Celtics would allegedly give Al Jefferson and the 5th pick in the draft to the Wolves instead of Andrew Bynum, with Boston landing Jermaine O'Neal.

Except Celtic fans are extremely fond of Jefferson and he appears to be why the multi-team angle has lost some steam.

At a minimum, the Los Angeles Lakers and Wolves have some serious potential to swap Odom, Andrew Bynum and Kwame Brown for Garnett and Marko Jaric. While the 19th pick and/or Troy Hudson could be involved . . . until a deal is done it's nothing but talk.

Both sides would like to selfishly improve their yield which is where the other teams come in, but that may be too much to ask.

If such a deal did go through, it would take serious gall for Kobe Bryant to continue his battle with the Los Angeles Lakers front office. While his unofficial ESPN spokesperson suggested nothing was guaranteed to change, Kobe Bryant would have some serious questions to answer if he didn't back off.

Back in May I wrote "While some might think a package built around Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum would be the starting point; that already is too much for the former league MVP."

The theory was that the Los Angeles Lakers simply couldn't give up their two key trade pieces without bringing multiple pieces in return. Basketball is a team game and the two-star model may be untenable in today's NBA.

Though that all remains true the picture has changed significantly.

Brining in Garnett and pacifying Kobe Bryant gives the Los Angeles Lakers two superstars. Passing on Garnett because it isn't the perfect deal only feeds the Kobe Bryant stalemate. The result would likely take LA down the road leading to a team without a star altogether . . . and that's just not how the Buss family runs their franchise.

Under the circumstances it's a deal the Los Angeles Lakers have to make.

That's why they're more likely than the Phoenix Suns or Chicago Bulls to land Garnett. Both teams are already contenders in their respective conferences.

The Los Angeles Lakers are a first round knockout . . . with a star allegedly calling the owner of the team an "idiot."

While the Timberwolves would like to keep their star for the remainder of his career, Garnett is asking for a long-term extension. Considering how poorly the Wolves have played with rock bottom yet to be hit, Minnesota is not prepared to pony up the cash.

Key to the Los Angeles Lakers landing Garnett is Dr. Buss' willingness to appease Garnett financially. It's another reason why LA might have the advantage over other teams willing to give up the talent but not willing to make a large, multi-year commitment.

The Wolves would like to have a decision before Taylor goes on vacation Tuesday to China (do they have ownership specials? Dr. Buss just returned from a similar respite), though that's an artificial deadline.

Certainly the hope is everything can be resolved before Thursday's NBA Draft, but any team moving a superstar is not likely to rush.

The Bottom Line
The Los Angeles Lakers may overpay to get Garnett but it may very well be the lone solution to the Kobe Bryant dilemma.

How the Los Angeles Lakers and Kobe Bryant clean it up is another story . . . but then Coach Phil Jackson came back to the team after writing his tell-all book.

As far as filling out the rest of the roster?

That's going to take some creative decision making, the likes of which current management has yet to display.

Then again, maybe Garnett was the plan all along and the last three years of complaining was nothing more than fan impatience?

KEY NEWSLINES
Boston Herald: "The oft-maligned “You'll Love the Kids'' line that this organization fed to the crowd for three years actually grew some roots. They believe in Al. They believe that some hope can come in the form of a Corey Brewer, Joakim Noah or Jeff Green on Thursday night, and they'd rather witness growth than a quick-fix attempt like the 31-year-old Garnett."

New York Daily News: "According to a teammate who spoke with Garnett last week, Minnesota's franchise talent was angered by the team's recent trade talks with Boston. The Celtics never had a shot at landing Garnett - who wanted no part of a reunion with ex-teammate Wally Szczerbiak - because they didn't have the pieces. "What got Kevin upset is that he thought he might be going to Phoenix, but then he heard about Boston and that really got him p----- off," the teammate said."

Newark Star-Ledger: "About those KEVIN GARNETT-to-Phoenix rumors: From the moment his agent started floating them, the Suns volley-smashed them back in his face through their local media. It's virtually impossible, if only because you'd have to be an idiot to give up a 24-year-old AMARE STOUDEMIRE for a 31-year-old KG with 35,500 miles on his legs -- even if Garnett is still the gold standard at this point in his career. And no, the Wolves won't take SHAWN MARION, because he would undoubtedly opt out on them one year hence. What about a third team, such as Boston? Marion doesn't want to go there, either. One last issue: Garnett has a 15-percent trade kicker that would give him a salary bump to $25.3 million, which inflates Phoenix's tax burden even further, and trimming that remains Job 1 this summer."

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