Unfortunately, even the acquisition of Nash wasn’t not enough to prove to the rest of the league that the Lakers had done enough to truly contend for a title for the foreseeable future considering his advanced age at 38.
Even though it appeared that the Lakers might be done wheeling and dealing in terms of trades, GM Mitch Kupchak was able to pull another rabbit out of his hat a little more than a month later. The blockbuster trade to acquire Dwight Howard sent shockwaves throughout the league with many already crowning the Lakers the favorites to win the Western Conference next season.
Apparently, the reloaded Lakers roster doesn’t make Chris Paul feel any different about the Los Angeles Clippers’ chances moving forward. Paul made an appearance on The Dan Patrick Show recently and was asked if he feared the new-look Lakers via Derek Page of Hoopsworld.com:
“No,” Paul said on The Dan Patrick Show, “why should I be [nervous]? At the end of the day you have to play the games. When we got to the Olympics, if you looked at our roster, you could’ve just given us the medal but you have to play the games and that’s what makes it so exciting.”
Obviously, this response was to be expected from Paul as he’s not one to back down from a challenge or give any team in the league a leg up on his beloved Clippers squad, especially the crosstown rival Lakers. Chauncey Billups also had a similar response claiming the revamped Lakers don’t scare him heading into next season.
With the Clippers also making moves in the off-season to acquire Lamar Odom, Jamal Crawford and Grant Hill, it’ll be interesting to see how the two teams in L.A. match up in the regular season.
The first showdown or battle for L.A. will take place on Friday, November 2 with the Clippers hosting the Lakers.
As usual, the Lakers and Clippers will square off four times during the regular season with the other three matchups scheduled for January 4, February 14 and April 7.
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In case you missed it – our fan reactions to the Nash/Howard trades!
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