[Old Style]

Report: Lakers want Chris Paul AND Dwight Howard

By Matt Moore


The Los Angeles Lakers have a championship core. This same group of players were responsible for two out of the past three titles, and even without the services of Phil Jackson, there's every reason to believe that this team as-is can win another title with Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, and Andrew Bynum as its engine. But what comes after? The Lakers have begun looking to the future. They don't just want to stay competitive towards the end of Kobe Bryant's career, they want to transition seamlessly into their next phase of dominance.

And that means acquiring one of the big free agents in 2012, Dwight Howard or Chris Paul. Except they don't want one of those two. They reportedly want both.

From Mark Heisler, who covered the Lakers as a beat writer before taking up with SheridanHoops.com:
When the NBA couldn’t get a full ban on sign-and-trades, it left his Lakers in position to pull off a coup they’re dreaming of, which would make signing LeBron James pale by comparison.

If Dwight Howard and Chris Paul wind up on the market — a safe assumption as far as I’m concerned — the Lakers could offer Andrew Bynum for Dwight and Pau Gasol for CP3, or vice versa.

Nothing says that they will be enough to land either player, but it should put the Lakers in the running for both.

Oh, and Dwight likes the Lakers. Asked which All-Star he would most like to play with last season, he answered “Kobe Bryant.”
via Lakers will look to acquire Dwight Howard and Chris Paul.

Just to review. We just had a five-month lockout because teams were upset about large market teams acquiring multiple stars, scavenging small markets and leaving them with nothing. And the Los Angeles Lakers and their 17 professional basketball championships are aiming for both Chris Paul and Dwight Howard. Glad we lost those 16 games over this.

There are a large numbrer of reasons why this is unlikely to happen. For starters, Chris Paul reportedly has New York as his first choice. Secondly, the biggest advantage the Lakers have is the assets to trade for Paul which the Knicks don't have. But the new CBA does have one new stipulation to prevent such dealings, the extend-and-trade adjustments. While sign-and-trade restrictions don't take effect until 2013, early reports indicate that extend-and-trade restrictions are immediate. The changes say that the same setup that Carmelo Anthony used to get his way to New York and get the extra year on his deal via Bird Rights is different.

The changes to the CBA suggest that teams that extend-and-trade a player can only extend him for three, versus the maximum four-year extension or five year re-sign he gets for staying with the home team. The only way around that is a six-month waiting period. The Hornets could re-sign Paul to the full Bird rights extension and then trade him, but they would have to wait six months. But a more likely scenario would see the following scenario: the Lakers can trade for Paul in the final year of his contract and then extend him, but that must be done after six months. Which means, they have to acquire him six months prior to his free agency beginning on July 1. Which means they have to acquire him by... January 1. With a season starting on the 25th. Not exactly a lot of time to pull that off.

All of these elements are in place for Dwight Howard, and Deron Williams (should the Nets just give up for some reason) as well.

The most likely scenario involves Paul entering free agency, and then signing a four year contract with Los Angeles or New York. But if the Lakers were to acquire Paul prior to free agency, it would give them an extra year to offer Paul, and it's hard to imagine him passing that up. Max contracts with bird-rights are five years, as opposed to the four-year counting option-year of an extension.

But if the Lakers want to acquire either player (or both, if we like fantasies), then they're going to need to trade some of that core. Specifically, Jim Buss would have to give up on his pet project, Andrew Bynum. Lamar Odom and pieces might be able to acquire Chris Paul, but there's no sense in bringing in Howard and pairing him with Bynum. Either playing power forward would be clunky and awkward. Where this leaves Pau Gasol is yet to be seen.

Hornets fans have to love all this. LOVE IT.

http://eye-on-basketball.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/22748484/33582541

[Old Style]

Report: Knicks are 'first choice' for Chris Paul

Posted by Ben Golliver.

That didn't take long.

Less than a week after NBA owners and players tentatively agreed to terms on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement that was designed by the league to improve competitive balance, a report has surfaced that a small-market perennial All-Star wants to play for a star-studded, marquee big-market franchise.

ESPN.com reports that New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul is intent on signing with the New York Knicks.
Paul’s first choice by far is to team up with the Knicks’ Anthony and Amare Stoudemire to form yet another Eastern Conference Big 3, according to sources close to the situation.

The Knicks should have enough room beneath the salary cap next summer to offer Paul, who can become a free agent after this season, a contract starting around $13.5 million, just below the maximum. And while New Orleans could offer him more money, Paul, like his buddies James and Wade did a year ago, will gladly take a little less to join the team of his choice.

Paul’s current team, the poor, league-owned New Orleans Hornets, will of course do everything they can to avoid losing Paul for nothing. That means trying to trade him before or during this truncated 66-game season, according to sources.
This is not the first time that Paul and the Knicks have been linked. Last month, a report surfaced that Anthony wanted Paul in New York. In September, a report surfaced that former Knicks GM Isiah Thomas is close with Paul and was "working behind the scenes" to convince Paul to sign with the Knicks.

While this is not the first report of mutual interest between Paul and the Knicks, it's certainly the most detail laden. The Knicks have obviously planned to make a big splash in the summer of 2012 by stocking up on contracts that expire this season. They can make a compelling financial case, even if it's not the best possible offer available to him.

As with Anthony, if Paul's heart is set on New York he certainly has the leverage to get there. It's just a matter of when and how. Whether Paul gets there quickly via a direct trade, slowly by waiting to sign with the Knicks in the summer, or by taking a circuitous path, like the one traveled by New Jersey Nets point guard Deron Williams, who was traded without warning by the Utah Jazz and recently said he's keeping his options open for this summer, remains to be seen. But if Paul has the will expressed in this report, there's a way for him to land in New York.

The Knicks have staggered their superstar acquisitions more than the Miami Heat did in landing LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh during the summer of 2010, but they're following essentially the same blueprint and strategy. Even though Paul's biggest salary payday would come by staying with the Hornets, we've learned it's not always about maximum NBA salary for elite basketball players. Paul, like Anthony, is a featured Jordan Brand sponsored athlete and would surely have access to new, additional off-court revenue streams playing for a championship-contending Knicks squad.

This report didn't take long to surface, but it will feel like forever until the script plays out, especially for Hornets fans.

http://eye-on-basketball.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/22748484/33581116

[cubbiefan009]

Bulls forum?

The only major NBA fans on this board are Bulls fans. The few guys who still support their Bucks don't even post hardly.

I think CP3 wants New York. I hope he stays in NOLA, and I hope Dwight stays in ORL. This shit will get old real quick. I am not completely sure but I think the new CBA has a say on some of this which makes this stuff harder to occur.

[Indianplaya17]

The getting together and making a BIG 3 is starting to piss me off. These players are already pre-determined to where they want to go. Which doesn't give a fair chance to any other team that wants to enter the sweepstakes.

That being said, I'd love for that to happen for the Bulls. Get Dwight to Chicago. The last thing we want is a powerhouse coming from NY, we already have to deal with Boston and Miami.

[Old Style]

Go ahead and move this to the Bulls forum. I didn't think about the fact that Bucks fans probably don't care about any of this. I don't know how to move threads, or I'd do it myself.

[Macha Man]

The getting together and making a BIG 3 is starting to piss me off. These players are already pre-determined to where they want to go. Which doesn't give a fair chance to any other team that wants to enter the sweepstakes.

How is it unfair? If Paul really wants to go to New York, and goes to New York, that is completely fair. Other teams still HAD a chance to get him in free agency, they just weren't as desirable a destination to him as New York.

[Macha Man]

Moved to the Bulls' forum, left shadow topic in General NBA.

[Old Style]

Moved to the Bulls' forum, left shadow topic in General NBA.

Thank you.

[betroit02]

making "Super Teams" like this is why i no longer support the NBA. Not that i have really ever anyways. the bucks wont ever be able to compete.

[Old Style]

Pacers trying to get Rajon Rondo:

http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/216862/Pacers_Exploring_Trade_For_Rondo

Boston is shopping him:

http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/216856/Boston_Shopped_Rondo_Green_To_Thunder_For_Westbrook_Perkins

[Old Style]

Nets going after Dwight Howard:

http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/216861/Nets_Preparing_Trade_Offer_For_Dwight_Howard

[Old Style]

Rose Won't Recruit Free Agents
Dec 02, 2011 10:03 AM EST


Chicago Bulls star Derrick Rose didn't recruit LeBron James or Dwyane Wade during the summer of 2010, so it shouldn't be a surprise that he's not reaching out to free agents now.

"I'm fine with my teammates," Rose said Thursday. "If they choose to [go after another scorer] that's up to them. But my teammates that I have right now, I'm fine with them."

Rose said he has heard from several players throughout the league who want to play in Chicago.

"I know there are a lot of people that want to play here," he said. "Just being that Chicago is a great market, a great city to live in. The fans are great. We have the No. 1 fans in the world.

"But it's not up to me, it's up to [the players] to make that decision, meet with [executive vice president] John [Paxson] and them, [general manager] Gar [Forman] and them, and see what they're going to do."

Via Nick Friedell/ESPNChicago.com

[anotheridiot]

The knicks have nothing left to offer to get Paul and have billups on the books for 14 million already.

I also thought most of this 150 days was spent trying to eliminate players like Paul and Carmello holding owners for ransom dictating where and when they will accept to get traded. Now its right back there. Howard wants to go somewhere warm, the lakers will make it happen. The bulls need to move noah and his 12 million a year to make room for howard and I highly doubt anyone thinks tornado shooting garbage basket center is worth 12 million.

Right now we wait til Carter gets released and pick him up or Richardson.

How about the idiot players that went to communist china that wont be let out of their deals lol. Someone should have studied harder in college.

[jammin481]

JR Smith's 53 pts, 22 rebounds, 7 steals would look damn good in a Bulls jersey. Too bad he's retarded and broke.

[The Stache]

JR Smith's 53 pts, 22 rebounds, 7 steals would look damn good in a Bulls jersey. Too bad he's retarded and broke.

Thats a stat line!

[cubbiefan009]

I highly doubt anyone thinks tornado shooting garbage basket center is worth 12 million.

Noah is a Top 5 Center in the NBA

[sedgy145]

I highly doubt anyone thinks tornado shooting garbage basket center is worth 12 million.

Noah is a Top 5 Center in the NBA

He's worth $12 million considering he is easily top 5 center in the league. It's the years making him a $50 million investment. That's when it becomes questionable.

[cubbiefan009]

CP3 to Lakers for Gasol/Odom.

[Indianplaya17]

CP3 to Lakers for Gasol/Odom.

Not done. Just talks.

[The Stache]

CP3 to Lakers for Gasol/Odom.

How does this make the Lakers better?

CP3
Kobe
Artest? ewww
???
Bynum - injury prone