A recent rash of trades is likely to
produce the familiar: By the end of
the season, there is a good chance
that either Kobe Bryant or Shaquille
O'Neal will hoist the Larry O'Brien
Trophy. The Lakers and Suns, locked
in a fierce Pacific Division duel, have
clearly vaulted themselves to the top
of the pack in the Western Conference
with their respective acquisitions of
Pau Gasol and Shaq. Yet while the
Suns traded away a valuable asset in
Shawn Marion, what some may argue
was addition by subtraction, the Lakers
fleeced the Grizzlies by adding Gasol
in the biggest steal since the Louisiana
Purchase.
Make no mistake, I firmly believe
that both teams have put themselves
in a better position to win the NBA
championship. The Suns weren't going
anywhere with the incompatible, and
possibly combustible, combination of
Marion and Amare Stoudemire. Now,
with a core of Steve Nash, Amare, and
Shaq, not to mention a stellar supporting
cast, the Suns will still compete with
the rest of the best. The big difference,
however, is that the Suns can now
count on a much stronger clubhouse
chemistry, which should never be
underestimated.
Yet while some may question whether Shaq for Marion represents
a true improvement, no one will doubt
that the Lakers went from Bruce Banner
to Hulk when they upgraded from
Kwame Brown to Gasol--let's just
hope they don't tank as badly as the
film. Andrew Bynum, Gasol, Lamar
Odom, Kobe, and Derek Fisher form
one of the most well-rounded starting
fives in the league. And no, it doesn't
hurt to have the league's best player,
either.
The Suns did not acquire the same
Shaq who won three titles on the Lakers.
They didn't even get the Shaq
who rode Dwyane Wade's coattails
to a fourth with Miami. Rather, they
got a Big Aristotle who is increasingly
resembling the real Aristotle--ancient.
For starters, he's nowhere near fullstrength,
and there's no guarantee that
he'll ever be effectively healthy again.
Superman found his Kryptonite, and
the 325-pound behemoth from LSU will
be 36 come March. While his career
averages are beyond excellent, they're
way down this year. In fact, he's averaging
fewer points and rebounds than
Gasol, all the while recording more
fouls and continuing to be an ineffective
presence down the stretch. His
inability to hit from the charity stripe
has reached new lows, dipping below
50 percent this season.
With Gasol, the Lakers will face no
such problems. The Spaniard averages just under 20-10 in points and rebounds,
which will prove critical in taking some
pressure off Kobe. More importantly,
Gasol represents a second big body
along with Bynum, causing impossible
mismatches around the league.
The Lakers have no discernible flaws,
which bodes well for their championship
prospects.
Phoenix is banking on Shaq's experience
in the postseason and all-around
locker room karma to keep them
playing deep into June. But it's going
to be the on-court production of Gasol,
coupled with the ferocity of Kobe, that
will have the Lakers revising their summer
plans. And for those who think
Gasol lacks the experience to keep
up his level of play in the postseason,
remember, he was the leader of Spain's
World Championship-winning team.
More importantly, if both teams
fail to achieve glory this season, the
Lakers have set themselves up much,
much better for the foreseeable future.
The Suns are aging. Shaq isn't getting
any healthier, or less expensive. The
Lakers, on the other hand, with Gasol,
Kobe and Odom in their primes, not to
mention a rapidly improving Bynum,
have a core that could very well contend
for years to come. No matter what
Schmidley argues, the facts speak for
themselves: Gasol makes the Lakers
more dangerous title contenders than
the Suns. Sorry, Shaq.
