As trade demands and disappointment swirls around Los Angeles like the Santa Ana winds, Cowherd urges fans to stay calm, because succumbing to trade demands right now might not be in the Lakers’ best interests.
“The ‘Melo situation is tough. Kobe is clearly out of his window of his prime, so is Odom, so is Artest, and so is Fisher. Gasol’s got about two more years of prime. But in this league, Boston and the Lakers’ window is closing. And Miami (Heat) is getting better. New York (Knicks) is getting better. I think, for this year you don’t make the deal. And hopefully Andrew Bynum has a really good playoff, and his trade value goes up.”
While this may not be the answer that many Laker fans agree with, Cowherd does bring up another good point later on. Trading Andrew Bynum now will eliminate the Lakers’ biggest bargaining chip for trades in the near future. And in the future the Lakers may be much more desperate for help via trades than this season.
“You’re going to have to make some moves, not minor ones, here in the next year. Whether it’s Dwight Howard or whether it’s Chris Paul, but you better make a big move because this is, for Boston and L.A., you can sense it coming. These are old rosters that you’re not only asking to play another regular season, but you’re going to ask them to play another 25 playoff games. Next year, the Lakers in the off-season have to make a major move.”
This was one of the main points where I agreed with Cowherd. While adding Carmelo Anthony might greatly help the Lakers current offensive quandary they’re facing, he isn’t going to be the long-term answer to their many questions. There is no doubt that the Lakers don’t have a problem taking shots, but they do need help in other areas.
