Submitted by ben, Jan 31, 2008 01:41

i agree that jason kidd isn't the right fit for the lakers at the moment, or atleast not what they need. derek fisher is the veteran presence necessary at the point. i really think that farmar is ready for the starting spot at the 1, with fisher backing him up and offering solid advice. javaris is perfect for garbage time and in case of injury higher in the ranks; and will come in handy in a year or three when fisher is no longer useful. vujacic can also play the point, so i really don't see a great need for additional talent at this position (or at the two-spot for that matter).
andrew bynum being out for [almost] another two months is devastating; he was looking as legit as m.c. hammer for the last couple months there. with bynum and mihm on the I.L., kwame being kwame, and mbenga serving as nothing more than a [very thin] band-aid - a legitimate backup center is something the lakers could use at this point. chris webber would have been a great sign for the lakers; since that's not going to happen it would be nice to see the lakers pursue players like mikki moore, rasho nesterovic, joel przybilla or jamaal magloire. of these; jamaal magloire and mikki moore can be stricken, as the aforementioned kidd and mike bibby, respectively, would likely be the focal pieces of any trade either team may make. as a canadian living two hours from toronto, a confirmed raptors fan and admirer of rasho's dirty work (there should be a stat for tipping offensive rebounds to a teammate in the backcourt) i hope that mr. nesterovic stays where he is (although derek fisher would be a near perfect addition to toronto right now). finally - given their surprising success so far - the blazers aren't likely to make any moves; with their young, talent loaded roster, basketball in portland looks incredibly good for the next 10 years - thanks, primarily, to the 2007 and 2009 rookies of the year. unless L.A. can find some impressive unknown big man across the pond, they'll likely have to gritt their teeth for another two months and hope that bynum's return to his pre-injury form is expedient when he is healthy again.
bynum woes aside, the lakers' greatest weakness is at the small forward position. luke walton is a more than serviceable backup at the 3 (and really not even a terrible start), but if the lakers are interested in showing bryant their willingness to spend on talent, they should package off a combination of vlad rad, kwame, coby karl and/or chris mihm as well as pick(s) and reel in a slasher/scorer who can rebound and defend, as well as pull in 2 and 2 a night.
players like ron artest, andrei kirilenko, josh howard, tayshaun prince, luol deng, josh smith and shawn marion would be great for the lakers, but all or most of them would likely force L.A. to surrender lamar, and i'm not sure they're ready to [or need to] part with mr. odom just yet. i don't know that i'd take marion for odom straight up, and i seriously doubt that phoenix would do it either. with the exception of josh howard, odom would be off the table in any deal i'd advise the lakers to make. between keeping lamar and the chore of matching salaries, the two players that los angeles could likely obtain without losing too much are ron-ron or AK47. given his past, i would avoid artest. kirilenko, despite his minor off-season drama, would probably make the best fit. according to the espn trade machine, a trade of kwame brown, vladimir radmanovic, coby karl and picks for andrei kirilenko and kyrylo fesenko would work out on paper. whether or not utah would give the o.k. is unknown, if not doubtful. the lakers would benefit immediately with a strong defensive presence who can score (albeit shakily) and fesenko serving as an extra body in the middle, while the jazz would pick up the large and expiring contract of kwame brown (as well as an improvement to the roster as far as backup centers go), a long-distance threat in radmanovic (although one with an iffy contract) and two potential pieces for the future in coby karl and future potential draftee.

as a lakers fan (raptors in the east, lakers in the west, raptors any time they meet) i would love for dr. buss and mr. upchuck to get that deal done.
alas, the most likely trade scenario for los angeles before the deadline is nothing at all. which is fine too, because kobe's kobe, fisher's been there, and the sky's the limit for bynum. if odom can stay consistent then a title is within grasp for the lakers within the next two or three seasons.

Note: Comments are screened, and in some cases edited, before posting. We reserve the right to reject anything we find objectionable.