Scott Howard Cooper trade idea: Artest/KT for Odom

[nbrans]

http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/sports/kings/archives/013363.html

Personally I think it's a pretty great idea for both teams. Odom is a terrible fit with Kobe, and he's in the last year of his deal. Lakers swallow KT's deal for the Artest experiment.

Also, Odom will be in the last year of his deal and the Kings could either re-sign him in the offseason (probably for less money) or let him walk and get farther under the cap a year early.

 

[Vlade4GM]

http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/sports/kings/archives/013363.html

Personally I think it's a pretty great idea for both teams. Odom is a terrible fit with Kobe, and he's in the last year of his deal. Lakers swallow KT's deal for the Artest experiment.

Also, Odom will be in the last year of his deal and the Kings could either re-sign him in the offseason (probably for less money) or let him walk and get farther under the cap a year early.

I'd do it, but I don't know if lakers are willing to take on KT. It's still speculation whether they're ready to deal with Artest's ticking.

 

[beb0p]

I don't think the Lakers are going to move any of their key pieces until they see how they fit with Byum on the floor.

But heck I'll do this trade.

 

[NoBonus]

Would Artest be happy there, though? He likes to have the ball quite a bit... of course, if Kobe would be willing to sacrifice his own stats for the good of the team (see KG), they might really be onto some significant dominance with this team.

 

[Bricklayer]

Would Artest be happy there, though? He likes to have the ball quite a bit... of course, if Kobe would be willing to sacrifice his own stats for the good of the team (see KG), they might really be onto some significant dominance with this team.

In that pairing, Ron would have to be the one to sacrifice. Not only is Kobe better, but the Lakers just got done playing in the Finals. And everybody is down on them right now, but they were still the #2 team in the entire league this year. If Ron goes there, it would be his job to blend, not the other way around. Now whether he would be willing to do that, whether playing with the MVP would be enough for him to shelve the ego...no idea.

Am a little bemused by all this given a nasty letter I wrote the the Kings/Geoff a few years back after there were rumors that Geoff had idiotically refused to trade Peja for Odom (no idea if the rumors were true or not). And here, if this came about, we would basically have finally consumated that deal. Peja -->Artest -->Odom.

As an aside, while KT's contract is a posion pill, its not as if its 100% he could not help the Lakers. Especially with Odom gone, he could provide a mobile option at PF, help wiht the rebounding, and maybe be an extra vet big off the bench that they were struggling to find in the Finals.

 

[ovrush]

It's not terrible but I still would love to see Artest moved for a draft pick more than a vet. If we're rebuilding lets go young, like the year we had 4 firsts. I know it went terribly when we tried, but this draft is incredibly deep and GP generally is fantastic at drafting (Douby year excluded).

Plus, we could get some talent to develop and have a fun athletic hustle team to watch. Hopefully that team would be young (and bad) enough to finally secure us a franchise changing draft choice along with maybe scoring another Kevin Martin level start with GP getting multiple cracks at the first round in a deep draft.

Getting rid of KT is kind of a moot point at the moment since we're pretty much tied into waiting for 2010 for cap space, and he will actually be a valuable trrade piece (gasp) if we have the patience to wait just one more year so he becomes an expiring. Look at how the Sonics and Portland turned expirings and cap space into more young picks. Look how Boston turned young talent and expirings into a championship.

Odom does balance our lineup better, since we can start Beno/KMart/Salmons/Odom/Spencer, which is solid. It's still not nearly enough to be a force in the west. I just want to see us commit fully to rebuild mode, and this trade doesn't do it for me.

 

[Packt]

If they move Odom it'll be for a shooter. Bynum, Gasol in the paint, and Kobe slashing, they'll need someone to catch the kick outs.

 

[Bricklayer]

If they move Odom it'll be for a shooter. Bynum, Gasol in the paint, and Kobe slashing, they'll need someone to catch the kick outs.

Ron is a better shooter than Odom, and while we oftne forget this:

Ron Artest: .454 FG%, .380 3pt%
Vlad Rad: .453 FG% .406 3pt%

And Ron is what its obvious they really need after that Finals -- a defensive captain.

Of course he's also a nut who might tear the team apart as easily as help it, but hey, Phil dealt with Rodman so he's probably thinking he can deal.

 

[LPKingsFan]

It's not terrible but I still would love to see Artest moved for a draft pick more than a vet. If we're rebuilding lets go young, like the year we had 4 firsts. I know it went terribly when we tried, but this draft is incredibly deep and GP generally is fantastic at drafting (Douby year excluded).

Plus, we could get some talent to develop and have a fun athletic hustle team to watch. Hopefully that team would be young (and bad) enough to finally secure us a franchise changing draft choice along with maybe scoring another Kevin Martin level start with GP getting multiple cracks at the first round in a deep draft.

Getting rid of KT is kind of a moot point at the moment since we're pretty much tied into waiting for 2010 for cap space, and he will actually be a valuable trrade piece (gasp) if we have the patience to wait just one more year so he becomes an expiring. Look at how the Sonics and Portland turned expirings and cap space into more young picks. Look how Boston turned young talent and expirings into a championship.

Odom does balance our lineup better, since we can start Beno/KMart/Salmons/Odom/Spencer, which is solid. It's still not nearly enough to be a force in the west. I just want to see us commit fully to rebuild mode, and this trade doesn't do it for me.

I, too, would rather see a pick. But Ron's ability to opt out after the draft (until June 30) makes trading him for a pick difficult, I would think.

 

[Peter_Gibbons]

Looking at the trade itself, it doesn't seem bad considering Kmart will be the offense focus. We lose some toughness and defense but gain an all around player that can rebound.

But why would we do that favor for a division rival? Artest may be the missing piece that they need. What are the chances of Lamar resigning with us after playing with us for just 1 yr? I mean a lot of other teams will be after Odom in a yr if he is asking around $10-$12 for a long term contract. If we lose him, we free up cap space but who are we going to sign realistically?
I think we can get a similar deal elsewhere without helping a team that we compete with in the division.

 

[Smills91]

Keep Artest the HELL away from the Lakers. Just don't facilitate that. Their are by far BETTER options than taking on Odom and GIVING the Lakers Artest, namely TJ Ford and pick.

 

[jimbodan]

I was actually thinking of something like this after watching Paul Pierce completely dominate the Lakers. I think we would be much better off though if we could get a 3rd team involved to ship Odom off to. I don't think he really fits in our rebuilding plan. We'd need a 3rd team willing to take Odom and give up good draft picks, and or good young players with real potential. I think that would be the only way I'd do the deal, especially since it would help the Lakers out tremendously.

 

[Big Cuz 15]

Ron is a better shooter than Odom, and while we oftne forget this:

Ron Artest: .454 FG%, .380 3pt%
Vlad Rad: .453 FG% .406 3pt%

And Ron is what its obvious they really need after that Finals -- a defensive captain.

Of course he's also a nut who might tear the team apart as easily as help it, but hey, Phil dealt with Rodman so he's probably thinking he can deal.

great stats.

if they had ron inthe finals. pierce would not have gone on a tear like he did.

 

[king07]

No thanks to that idea..Lamar Odom is a bum

 

[Big Cuz 15]

hes a huge expiring contract that is a bum. he will be worth quite a bit at the trade deadline for teams trying to get under the cap.

 

[Kingster]

Sure I'd do it. And it's possible the Lakers might think about it. The Lakers get a championship - he can guard Paul Pierce - and with Bynum, they'd be the best in the NBA. The Kings get a nutcase off the books and KT's mug out of the building. Both get something from the deal.

For one year Artest would blend with the Lakers, provide toughness, defense, and at least as much basketball IQ than Odom. The Kings would get sanity and a coachable player in return, salary cap flexibility, and the huge anchor of KT off the books.

Of course, if the Lakers did get a championship, whooa, that bell in Artest's belfry is gonna be ringing...

 

[Smills91]

Some of you people are delusional. Keeping artest is MUCH better than dealing him to the damn lakers.

 

[CruzDude]

While it may sound good, I think the Maloofs would commit Hari Kari before dealing directly with the Lakers. And give RonRon and his grit and defense to the hated Lakers to help them in the playoffs?? No Way, Jose!!

 

[Bricklayer]

Some of you people are delusional. Keeping artest is MUCH better than dealing him to the damn lakers.

You have a signature promoting keeping Brad Miller, you are desperate to keep Ron Artest...there are some people here who appear not to get it, but its not those, like the NBA writer, pondering shifting the loose cannon down to L.A. in exhange for a damn good player and freedom from KT's contract.

P.S. has anybody else considered how much Lamar Odom might be worth around the trade deadline next year to a contending team looking to make a deal? More than Linas Kleiza I am going to speculate.

 

[Vlade4GM]

Who cares about the lakers? The only thing that is important is if it benefits the kings.

 

[bajaden]

Who cares about the lakers? The only thing that is important is if it benefits the kings.

Ahh, sanity speaks. Take care of your own business, and the rest will take care of itself. You don't win races while looking back. God, I just love those little sayings..

 

[ikillz0mbies]

It makes perfect sense for the Lakers to do it. They have had MAJOR trouble in defending the three. What better way to fix that problem than trading for the best perimeter defender in the league? Do I like Odom? Hes a nice player. Hes great in the post, being that hes left handed and he can go right. He can create for his team mates and is a good ball handler. Hes a point forward. So should the Kings do it? No, mainly for the fact that its a DIVISIONAL trade and if it benefits the Lakers, it DOES NOT benefit the Kings.

 

[Bricklayer]

No, mainly for the fact that its a DIVISIONAL trade and if it benefits the Lakers, it DOES NOT benefit the Kings.

Um...that makes no sense.

1) the only team we would lose ground to would be the Lakers. If you gain ground on the ohter 28 teams you are stilll benefitting the Kings, which is all that matters

2) more to the point the ONLY thing that matters is whether it helps us at this point. I would have been a bit reluctant to aid the Lakers with Artest at a time when we were still remotely on the same plane, but we are no longer close, and such niceties are irrelevant. We need to do WHATEVER it takes to rebuild this thing around here, and whether the lakers win 59 or 61 is almost completely irrelevant to a lottery team. Clearing a salary (KT) and gainng a major trade chit (Odom) are important gains for us.

3) of course the beauty of Ron Artest is that maybe he helps them...or maybe he ruins them. Given that they might be good enough to win the whole thing anyway next year even without him -- they do get Bynum back and will have the extra experience -- slipping them a Ron Ron mickey might even be the single best chance we have at derailing them.

 

[ikillz0mbies]

Um...that makes no sense.

3) of course the beauty of Ron Artest is that maybe he helps them...or maybe he ruins them. Given that they might be good enough to win the whole thing anyway next year even without him -- they do get Bynum back and will have the extra experience -- slipping them a Ron Ron mickey might even be the single best chance we have at derailing them.

I wouldn't mind sabotaging the Lakers.....

But in general, I just don't see it happening as much as it benefits both teams. Personally, I'd like to see Odom play for the Kings for the reasons I mentioned above.

 

[BawLa]

West Coast Swap?

How about a little divisional swap...

Lakers IN: Artest, Thomas

Lakers OUT: Odom

Why they do it: They get a perennial 1st team defensive player to give them what they really need...perimeter defense. Artest can knock down the three and can slide inside with Bynum when Gasol slides out. The cost of this valuable addition is Odom and taking on KT's contract. Seems fair to me.

Fisher/Farmar
Bryant/Vujacic
Artest/Walton
Gasol/Radmanovic
Bynum/Mbenga


Suns IN: Odom, Miller

Suns OUT: Shaq, FILLER(S&T), #15 pick in 2008

Why they do it: Shaq was never the right fit in Phoenix. They just made that move to make a move and now they make this move to get back to where they want to be. Shaq ruins the flow of the run-and-gun offense and Phoenix doesn't care enough about defense to keep Shaq around, especially a Shaq that is in the twilight of his career. Miller and Odom coming in accomplishes much. 1. They get back to run and gun, 2. they upgrade at SF, especially with the departure of Hill, 3. they get to keep Amare at PF where he belongs. Miller and Odom bring in scoring, rebounding and passing, plus they can both run the floor well. Contractually they are even better off than keeping Shaq.

Nash/Barbosa
Bell/Strawberry
Odom/Diaw
Stoudemire/Marks
Miller/Skinner

Kings IN: Shaq, FILLER(S&T), #15 pick in 2008

Kings OUT: Artest, Miller, Thomas

Why we do it: We combine 3 contracts into 1 mega contract of Shaq. He only takes up 1 roster spot giving us more flexibility for our rebuild. Plus his expiring will become a valuable chip a year and a half from now. Bringing Shaq in allows Hawes to develop at a steady rate. Shaq can play about 30 min/game this season and he can play less they year his contract is up. The added benefit of getting the 15th pick in this draft helps solidify this move as a rebuild move. Combined with the 12th pick we can get some additional talent moving forward.

?????/Douby
Martin/Garcia
Salmons/Garcia
Moore/Williams
Shaq/Hawes

 

[Bricklayer]

Oh egads.

After all of Shaq's mouth vomit he is one of a very small number of players that I have said I would never root for in a Kings unifrom. He has directly insulted and denigrated me, the Kings, and every fan on here. Not just played on the Lakers. But spit on us while he was doing it.

Fortunately despite whatever advanatges there might be, the Suns are not going to trade Shaq after they gambled so much on him, and the Lakers aren't going to help the Suns catch back up.

 

[bajaden]

How about a little divisional swap...

Lakers IN: Artest, Thomas

Lakers OUT: Odom

Why they do it: They get a perennial 1st team defensive player to give them what they really need...perimeter defense. Artest can knock down the three and can slide inside with Bynum when Gasol slides out. The cost of this valuable addition is Odom and taking on KT's contract. Seems fair to me.

Fisher/Farmar
Bryant/Vujacic
Artest/Walton
Gasol/Radmanovic
Bynum/Mbenga


Suns IN: Odom, Miller

Suns OUT: Shaq, FILLER(S&T), #15 pick in 2008

Why they do it: Shaq was never the right fit in Phoenix. They just made that move to make a move and now they make this move to get back to where they want to be. Shaq ruins the flow of the run-and-gun offense and Phoenix doesn't care enough about defense to keep Shaq around, especially a Shaq that is in the twilight of his career. Miller and Odom coming in accomplishes much. 1. They get back to run and gun, 2. they upgrade at SF, especially with the departure of Hill, 3. they get to keep Amare at PF where he belongs. Miller and Odom bring in scoring, rebounding and passing, plus they can both run the floor well. Contractually they are even better off than keeping Shaq.

Nash/Barbosa
Bell/Strawberry
Odom/Diaw
Stoudemire/Marks
Miller/Skinner

Kings IN: Shaq, FILLER(S&T), #15 pick in 2008

Kings OUT: Artest, Miller, Thomas

Why we do it: We combine 3 contracts into 1 mega contract of Shaq. He only takes up 1 roster spot giving us more flexibility for our rebuild. Plus his expiring will become a valuable chip a year and a half from now. Bringing Shaq in allows Hawes to develop at a steady rate. Shaq can play about 30 min/game this season and he can play less they year his contract is up. The added benefit of getting the 15th pick in this draft helps solidify this move as a rebuild move. Combined with the 12th pick we can get some additional talent moving forward.

?????/Douby
Martin/Garcia
Salmons/Garcia
Moore/Williams
Shaq/Hawes

No comment.. Well, I guess that was a comment. How do you make a no comment without making a comment.. Hmmm...

 

[Kingster]

It makes perfect sense for the Lakers to do it. They have had MAJOR trouble in defending the three. What better way to fix that problem than trading for the best perimeter defender in the league? Do I like Odom? Hes a nice player. Hes great in the post, being that hes left handed and he can go right. He can create for his team mates and is a good ball handler. Hes a point forward. So should the Kings do it? No, mainly for the fact that its a DIVISIONAL trade and if it benefits the Lakers, it DOES NOT benefit the Kings.

First year it probably helps Lakers a lot. After that, Artest will do his thing and the drama will begin in LA. It's not like we are going to be competing next year with the Lakers for the division, is it?

 

[1kingzfan]

Although the Artest/KT for Odom deal makes total sense for the Kings, and even MORE sense for LA, I just cannot see Petrie giving the Lakers the missing defensive/toughness link to sustain their championship-caliber position for several years with all those up-and-coming young guys on the Laker roster. The Lakers with Artest (and a healthy Bynum) are likely better than Boston, perhaps much better.

What we certainly do not want to happen is to find an impassable western roadblock in 3 years or so as we try to rise up from the rebuilding ashes. So my view is that we do indeed worry, in this particular case, about how a key trade helps a division rival to sustain an upper echelon position for the intermediate term, and not just look at what it does to help us advance along the lowly path of rebuilding.

 

[Vlade4GM]

Although the Artest/KT for Odom deal makes total sense for the Kings, and even MORE sense for LA, I just cannot see Petrie giving the Lakers the missing defensive/toughness link to sustain their championship-caliber position for several years with all those up-and-coming young guys on the Laker roster. The Lakers with Artest (and a healthy Bynum) are likely better than Boston, perhaps much better.

What we certainly do not want to happen is to find an impassable western roadblock in 3 years or so as we try to rise up from the rebuilding ashes. So my view is that we do indeed worry, in this particular case, about how a key trade helps a division rival to sustain an upper echelon position for the intermediate term, and not just look at what it does to help us advance along the lowly path of rebuilding.

The lakers are going to be a great team for a while regardless of whether they have Artest or not.

And I don't think Petrie really cares about whether he's helping the lakers or not, It's the Maloofs. Remember the Bibby deal he almost pulled, but the Maloofs nixed it?