Kwame the Laker?

[Cwebbmvp]

Kwame For Caron?12th July, 2005 - 3:09 am

Akron Beacon Journal - According to David Aldridge, the Washington Wizards may already have their potential replacement for Larry Hughes in sight.

Sources involved with the discussions say that the Wizards are talking to the Los Angeles Lakers about a sign-and-trade deal in which forward Kwame Brown, the top pick in the 2001 NBA draft, would go to the Lakers in exchange for swingman Caron Butler.

The Wizards have other options on the table that could bring them a much-needed big man in return for Brown, but Butler would make a lot of sense.

Butler has been available during most of his yearlong stay in Los Angeles. If the Lakers move him and, as expected, release forward Brian Grant in order to save money under the luxury tax, they would have precious little to show for their blockbuster trade of Shaquille O'Neal to Miami.

 

[Bricklayer]

Yeah, saw that. Assuming its not part of a larger deal, you really REALLY have to hope that Kwame does not blossom under PJ. If he did, Kobe, Odom, Kwame could be a nasty 2/3/4.

 

[KingKong]

Good move by the Lakers if this is true. Kwame's still a project, but under PJ he might thrive. I just don't see PJ using a young, undeveloped player like Kwame starting at the 4 though. But I have to say Kobe, Odom and Kwame (with guidance) is a scary thought.

 

[funkykingston]

I don't know.

I mean, we criticize the Kings for being soft, but Odom, Brown and Mihm are going to be a scary frontline?

Kwame Brown is finesse all the way, and Odom has yet to show any consistency of effort after several seasons in the NBA.

I think Washington would actually get the better end of this deal and I only see LA as being interested because Jackson wants to move Odom to the 3, putting Butler on the bench. Still, Butler has shown he can be a 20 ppg scorer. Brown has shown that he's the kind of guy a team would remove from their playoff roster.

I'd be lying if I said I had no fear that Brown might blossom under Phil and alongside Kobe, but I think the chance is remote.

 

[Bricklayer]

Whether that frontline would be soft or not is entirely dependant on Brown. Odom at the 3 is a tough physical matchup, and Mihm at least can block shots. If Brown flops, same problem as before for them. If Brown succeeds -- well how does 6'10" 6'11" 6'11" of young guys across the front strike you? Strikes me as big and dangerous if Phil can reach them. And that's before we even get to whether the 7'0" kid they drafted eventualyl develops.

 

[BobbyJ_for3!]

The Shaq trade was almost useless...if the lakers had been smart they would have pulled off a trade with dallas or something

anyway, i dont think brown is going anywhere even under pj, altho i also hope he doesnt, because him with kobe and odom isnt good for "the-kings-must-be-better-than-the-lakers!" principle...

anyway, this would be a wonderful deal for washington

i kinda hope LA does this, so i can laugh at them even more

 

[hoopsfan]

The Shaq trade was almost useless...if the lakers had been smart they would have pulled off a trade with dallas or something

anyway, i dont think brown is going anywhere even under pj, altho i also hope he doesnt, because him with kobe and odom isnt good for "the-kings-must-be-better-than-the-lakers!" principle...

anyway, this would be a wonderful deal for washington

i kinda hope LA does this, so i can laugh at them even more

People fail to remember that Shaq would only have gone to certain teams, or he said he would have an "injury".
Personally , I don't want Brown..Caron has kinda grown on me.

 

[AriesMar27]

well.... jackson is only there for 3 years.... so he had better get the most out of brown while he can.... he might as well start cook....he could easily be a cheap mans robert horry..... at least he was against us last year.... being left wide open...

either way i really dont care with brown they are still worse than the clippers.... if phil were coaching there? then we could have some problems...

 

[BobbyJ_for3!]

either way i really dont care with brown they are still worse than the clippers....

i disagree with that, and i think people will back me up here.

sure hte lakers hav kobe, and now the "phenom" bynum, but they dont hav a whole lot of talent. odom is good, but we all know he is soft and doesnt try hard all the time.

the clipps have elton brand, chris kaman, maggette...and of course, livingston, who could very well be amazing. also, they drafted korolev and daniel ewing. i think they ahve more talent and skill than the lakers, and i thin they will win more games than the lakers

at least this coming year.

 

[LPKingsFan]

Kings should go after Kwame now at least to make sure he doesn't go to the Lakers, if for no other reason.

 

[Lamar_Odom]

Good move by the Lakers if this is true. Kwame's still a project, but under PJ he might thrive. I just don't see PJ using a young, undeveloped player like Kwame starting at the 4 though. But I have to say Kobe, Odom and Kwame (with guidance) is a scary thought.

Brown has been around for a while, no longer a rookie. Who does Jackson have that would be a better than him if this happens? Plus, Brown will be motivated, and will want to bust his butt for Jackson and the Lakers. I like this move. Hope it happens.

 

[Lamar_Odom]

well.... jackson is only there for 3 years.... so he had better get the most out of brown while he can.... he might as well start cook....he could easily be a cheap mans robert horry..... at least he was against us last year.... being left wide open...

either way i really dont care with brown they are still worse than the clippers.... if phil were coaching there? then we could have some problems...

3 years is his contract but I really doubt they won't extend it if the Lakers keep improving and Jackson still wants to coach.

 

[G_M]

If they are giving away Kwame why not sign and trade Mobley?

Caron Butler is a small forward who plays the same position as Jamison. Is Butler that much better than Jarvis Hayes?

 

[Lamar_Odom]

Mobley is old, Butler has lots of upside.

 

[G_M]

Mobley is old, Butler has lots of upside.

I think you are missing the point. Butler is a SMALL FORWARD with limited ball handling skills. Mobley is a SHOOTING GUARD. Lary Hughes was a SHOOTING GUARD. I'm not saying Butler is a bad player, he just plays the same position as Jamison.

It seems that with Arenas and Jamison that you might want to through in another semi-ball handling guard who is a good outside shooter.

 

[Gargamel]

Strikes me as big and dangerous if Phil can reach them.

One thing to mention is that Phil is predictable. Back in 99/00, he was proactive in teaching and stressing defense. He was a completely different coach only 2 years later, sitting on his hands for much of the year, letting the team figure out their own mistakes. He's doing the teaching thing again, came back from Montana to watch the Summer League. That's unheard of from Phil. I think he's serious about next year.

 

[Gargamel]

I think you are missing the point. Butler is a SMALL FORWARD with limited ball handling skills. Mobley is a SHOOTING GUARD. Lary Hughes was a SHOOTING GUARD. I'm not saying Butler is a bad player, he just plays the same position as Jamison.

It seems that with Arenas and Jamison that you might want to through in another semi-ball handling guard who is a good outside shooter.

Butler is young AND cheap. The Whiz might have the notion of trading Jamison while he has value??? Anyway, this is the Whiz we're talking about. They didn't go on a 17 year playoff drought for nothing.

 

[Lamar_Odom]

I think you are missing the point. Butler is a SMALL FORWARD with limited ball handling skills. Mobley is a SHOOTING GUARD. Lary Hughes was a SHOOTING GUARD. I'm not saying Butler is a bad player, he just plays the same position as Jamison.

It seems that with Arenas and Jamison that you might want to through in another semi-ball handling guard who is a good outside shooter.

From what I'm seeing, they're obviously intersted in Butler. Have you heard of them contacting the Kings for a sign and trade deal for Mobley?

 

[Venom]

Butler would make a lot more sense than Mobley. And PJ could turn Brown around the same way he did Horace Grant. Grant had been beaten down mentally by Collins and MJ before PJ came to town. Then Grant started having All-Star type years. Great move by both teams, really. If Brown develops, the Lakers are a perennial contender again, which would be sweet. Oh wait, no it wouldn't.

 

[KA_2]

double post

 

[KA_2]

My first impression of this trade rumor was "God no", and since I didn't think it had any legs I ignored the rumor. My second impression upon hearing the surge of rumors since then was, well, since Caron Butler isn't that good, and the frontline is charmin soft, maybe it's a decent deal. My final impressions after thinking it over a little more is that you should always jump at the chance to trade small for big, even if the big you're trading for has a tin heart. After all, the Lakers are overloaded with smalls, mostly swingmen.

But I'm still 50-50 on this one. It really depends on how the assistant coaches deal with him (Rambis especially) and if PJ has enough Zen in the bag to convince him he's physically superior to 99% of the 4's in the NBA.

Of course, this is assuming this deal even happens.

Whether that frontline would be soft or not is entirely dependant on Brown. Odom at the 3 is a tough physical matchup, and Mihm at least can block shots. If Brown flops, same problem as before for them. If Brown succeeds -- well how does 6'10" 6'11" 6'11" of young guys across the front strike you? Strikes me as big and dangerous if Phil can reach them. And that's before we even get to whether the 7'0" kid they drafted eventualyl develops.

Actually, Mihm is a legit 7' and Kwame grew since his Chicago measurements back in his rookie season (6'11.5" then to 7'0.5" now). So he's closer to 7'1" at the moment. Just to clarify.