Tornicade
2018 RBF League Champion
- Joined
- May 11, 2011
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This is what pisses me off. When one Laker superstar's career is ending, they are gift wrapped a stud.
That is what makes the Lakers, The Lakers.
A rebuild for them is always about upgrading and going forward. never in reverse. Even in their "down" years they make the moves that makes them better for that year.
They arent content with having the 2nd best center in the league when they can get the best.
If they lose howard to free agency. then they just move on looking for the next piece and hope they get a ring out of that year.
they set the standard high. which is good for the NBA because it forces their competitors to push the envelope as well.
from a USA today article:
The Lakers have a long history of acquiring elite centers:
- They received Wilt Chamberlain in 1968 from the 76ers for three players who were not better than Wilt Chamberlain.
- They got Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (and Walt Wesley) in 1975 from the Milwaukee Bucks for four players who were not better than Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
- They signed Shaquille O'Neal away from the Magic as a free agent in 1996.
- They traded for Pau Gasol in 2008, sending the Memphis Grizzlies three players and two draft picks, none of whom ended up better than Pau Gasol. (Though Marc Gasol, one of the pieces of the trade, is an excellent NBA center in his own right.)