As a lot of us probably anticipated, the Carmelo Anthony trade saga has been torching sports headlines as of late, with the NBA’s February 24th trade deadline closing the gap in the rear view. Much of the chatter clearly surrounds the New Jersey Nets, a franchise willing to dismantle most of its team to acquire Melo along with Chauncey Billups and Detroit’s Rip Hamilton. Surprise, surprise, more trio action.
The theme has all but lost its originality.
The drama is quite serious at this point however, and if there’s anything true about the NBA, the league never fails to serve as everyone’s form of universal soap opera.
While it’s clear that Carmelo’s primary trade destination is and always has been the concrete jungle that houses Madison Square, oddly enough, he runs the risk of forfeiting millions upon millions, pending the new collective bargaining agreement.
That is of course, assuming the league and Players Association ever agree on terms.
The bottom line is, Melo has $65 million waiting for him in New Jersey. It’s take it or leave it at this point. We’ll see if the supposed move to Brooklyn, Anthony’s hometown, is enough to coax the three-time All-Star and obviously, $65 million never hurts.
Although, we’re not talking $65 million in Florida.
Amid all of this newswire chaos, I couldn’t help but think about a scenario that I screamed out in anger during the Lakers’ recent, now seemingly of the past, struggles. What I berated the TV with was,
“Trade Pau for Melo!”
All in good fun and frustration, of course. Think about it for a second though. What if some sort of trade package with Carmelo and Pau being the centerpieces of the deal came to fruition?
NEXT: The Spaniard or Melo?
Pau Gasol. Personally, he epitomizes the notion of a love/hate relationship. However, just to set the record straight, there is absolutely no question whether or not the Lakers could have returned to championship prominence without him.
Definitely not.
Kobe would not be chasing his sixth chip if not for the acquisition of Pau back in 2007. You remember 2007, the season when all Laker fans were dealing with an uncomfortably similar situation that the Nuggets must reluctantly embrace right now.
But isn’t a Melo for Boom Boom swap so intriguing, albeit with a dab of guilt on the side?
Imagine a starting five that features Bynum, Odom, Anthony, Bryant and Fisher (assuming Lamar nor Drew are included in the deal). The Los Angeles trio could easily be Kobe, Carmelo and Lamar or even switch out LO for Drew. Well, a healthy and nasty Bynum that is.
I know, I know, another trio.
What the Lakers would lose in experience, length and perhaps interior defense, the already championship-caliber franchise would be gaining a superstar who is arguably the best pure scorer in the Association and one of Mamba’s closest friends.
You don’t think those two would make it work?
Before I get carried away, I will say that Pau Gasol is in my opinion, the most skilled big man in the NBA and with Odom playing the best basketball of his career, the case could most certainly be made that we already have a fearsome threesome in L.A. That’s the love part.
The hate part comes from the fact that aside from his length against smaller players against whom he can provide the wall effect, Pau is often the most infuriating player to watch on defense. It is the too common instances when he just stands flat-footed in the paint and lets guards drop in layups with about as much difficulty as reciting the English alphabet.
Clearly though, the other side of the coin has plenty of images of the Spaniard getting huge blocks inside and on the perimeter in must-win situations, not to mention clutch baskets as well. Look, I’m not saying Pau hasn’t continued to be the force we need him to be as he’s averaged a solid 18 and 10 this season, even carrying the Lakers early on while Kobe regained his form, but the fact of the matter is, teams have now learned how to defend him, push him around and neutralize some of his game.
How do you think the triangle offense would operate with Melo able to work both in the post and on the perimeter instead of Pau being limited to 15-feet and in?
Just a reminder, this discussion is all in good fun. Sort of.
NEXT: Melo in Purple and Gold
I can only wonder how teams would defend the floor with Drew locking down the paint and Kobe opposite Melo most of the time on either wing. While Pau provides the Laker offense with deadly precision and skill in the post, as I said, Anthony is not only a beast in the paint, but as he’s shown throughout the last couple of years, his range is about as versatile as Mamba’s – meaning, he is as lethal of a scoring threat as you can hope for in the NBA. Don’t forget that he’s shown a propensity for hitting clutch buckets too.
However, the adage holds true in basketball, defense wins championships. What sets the Lakers apart from the rest of the league is the saucy length of Bynum and Gasol, which is beginning to truly take shape and pay dividends to the tune of six straight wins. If Pau was out of the picture, that advantage would undoubtedly be missed.
Then again, couldn’t the argument be made that against freakish threats like LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony is the perfect counter because he’d force James to play defense for most of the game and could equalize his scoring?
Take a moment to reflect back to last February when Anthony scored 40 points at the Q along with the game-winner, which he drilled while being checked by Bron, who finished with 43 points.
Kobe wouldn’t have to work nearly as hard to try and do it all by himself if our bigs are being collapsed upon in the paint, as we saw on Christmas Day.
The sort of equalization effect Anthony could provide would be a non-conventional interpretation of defensive strategy, sure, but it could work. If only the offensive possibilities weren’t so enticing, I’d say defensively, it’s a no-brainer to stick with Pau, given his length.
My basketball logic tells me that for the sake of being a true championship-caliber team with the cast of players we have here in L.A., Pau is the more natural choice, especially given the fact that he embraces his role as Kobe’s wingman.
Even so, the pure basketball fan in me, who is secretly in love with all of the drama that every new NBA season has to offer, tells me that Carmelo would make things a whole lot more interesting and yes, irresistibly dramatic.
Just to give you a final bit of food for thought, Melo turns 27 this year while Pau will turn 31. Who do you figure to be a better long-term investment, especially with Kobe in the twilight of his career?
I’ll leave this back and forth argument by simply saying…
As much as I got love for Boom Boom, I sure wouldn’t mind seeing the swap if it ever happened.