OT: Darius Morris to backup Chris Paul in LA
The Los Angeles Lakers have agreed to surrender Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom in a trade for New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul, sources tell ESPN.com's Marc Stein.
December 8th, 2011 at 7:13 PM ^
Lamar's wife know about this deal yet? She is the one person who can blow this deal up!
IT'S HUNGRY AND PISSED!
December 8th, 2011 at 7:30 PM ^
Khloe's Angry!
December 8th, 2011 at 8:26 PM ^
That's a huuuuuuuge bitch
December 8th, 2011 at 7:08 PM ^
What a sneaky way of you to make a thread about this trade...
December 8th, 2011 at 8:20 PM ^
Way to get a non-Piston nba thread to remain. Even if I wished it wouldn't.
/admitted hater
December 8th, 2011 at 7:08 PM ^
And the NBA just got a lot more/less exciting.
December 8th, 2011 at 7:08 PM ^
What a day for LA.
Pujols AND CP3?
Wow.
December 8th, 2011 at 7:45 PM ^
An owner putting another city's/county's name in front of the one his team actually plays in doesn't have the power to actually change geography.
December 8th, 2011 at 8:21 PM ^
Amen. Anaheim's not even in LA County. I do not understand why this happened/was allowed/isn't completely and mercilessly ridiculed.
December 8th, 2011 at 8:25 PM ^
the Orange County Angels.
December 8th, 2011 at 8:46 PM ^
Facts:
1) They are in the greater Los Angeles are.
2) They were originally called the Los Angeles Angels.
3) Their genius owner wanted to change the name to get more name recognition for merchandise / southern california market share, but the small city of Anaheim was going to sue him due to a lame ass contract Disney signed when owning the team.
4) The Detroit Lions used to play in Pontiac.
5) The Detroit Pistons still play in Auburn Hills.
6) The Dallas Cowboys play in Irving.
7) The New York Jets / Giants play in New Jersey.
I have never understood the stink about this. It was just a move by a brilliant owner not wanting his market to be defined by a predominantly white suburban area when the Dodgers were killing it in the major latin markets.
December 8th, 2011 at 8:52 PM ^
They should have just stayed the California Angels all along.
December 8th, 2011 at 9:10 PM ^
The owner Moreno made his fortune in advertising, so he knows that city names, especially ones like New York and LA, have way more global recognition than states. I don't think many people around the world even know what California is, but everyone knows what Los Angeles is.
Also, it is way more effective in getting the Dodgers' market share (couple with the McCourt meltdown, it has worked wonderfully).
December 8th, 2011 at 11:04 PM ^
Signed, a fan of the former Kansas City/Omaha Kings
December 8th, 2011 at 8:49 PM ^
Screw this! Go Detroit Pistons!
December 8th, 2011 at 7:09 PM ^
Ok trader joe...lets go get Gasol.
December 8th, 2011 at 7:09 PM ^
So it begins... who does LA even have left to trade for Howard (assuming they're still going for the him and CP3 both)? Any chance D-Mo is traded? I don't think so, because he seems like a low value guy who would be a good backup for Paul, but I'm not sure who else they have to trade unless they totally clean house.
December 8th, 2011 at 7:13 PM ^
I think they hold on to him though
December 8th, 2011 at 7:16 PM ^
They can get Dwight Howard, they won't be holding onto him. Every GM in the NBA makes that trade any day of the week.
December 8th, 2011 at 7:44 PM ^
Except Orlando's.
December 8th, 2011 at 7:41 PM ^
I was actually surprised to hear that they dealt Pau instead of Bynum. Everyone here has been saying Bynum is gone since the season ended.
December 8th, 2011 at 7:52 PM ^
They kept Bynum because he is the key to then getting Howard.
December 8th, 2011 at 8:09 PM ^
While I think you're right, I just don't get why anyone would want Bynum.
Is that really the best deal Orlando has available to them? No-knees McGee and, potentially, one of the last few picks in the first round?
December 8th, 2011 at 11:19 PM ^
December 8th, 2011 at 7:16 PM ^
they though they would have to give up gasol and bynum to get either paul or howard. now they can trade bynum with a 1st rounder for howard
December 8th, 2011 at 7:28 PM ^
I'm not gonna lie i'm not even sure morris makes the team, lakers have steve blake who already knows the team so lockout won't hurt him, has a better outside shot than morris and is a pass first point gaurd with a history as a good backup in the NBA, gonna be tough for morris to find playing time.
December 8th, 2011 at 7:39 PM ^
I think Morris makes the team. Blake is 31 and had a rough year last year with the heat. I dont see the Lakers just throwing away a 2nd round pick by not signing D Mo
December 8th, 2011 at 7:44 PM ^
Blake is making 4 million for the next 3 years (and is thus hard to trade) and Derek Fisher has been a staple in starting lineups for ages. I doubt a rookie pushes either of them out of the rotation. If Kobe's still on the team he will push management and the coaches to win now.
2nd rounders not making the roster of the team that drafted them happens all the time. It's all too common for players to be stashed overseas or in the NBDL.
December 8th, 2011 at 8:02 PM ^
Tough deal with Blake for Morris... he's making too much to trade, yet not enough to make much of a difference if he's amnestied.
I'm sure the Lakers would probably prefer Morris to Blake, given they could get away with paying Morris the league minimum on a one-year, making room to resigns CP3 and potentially Howard with little risk of Morris working out or not. But it's hard to see how they get Blake off the books.
December 8th, 2011 at 8:02 PM ^
Second round picks are total fliers in the NBA -- if it works, great. If not, no harm no foul. They aren't guaranteed contracts, so it doesn't hurt at all.
December 8th, 2011 at 7:16 PM ^
Darius Morris hasn't signed a contract with LA yet.
and Steve Blake, Derek Fisher, and Shannon Brown are all on the roster, haven't been mentioned in the trade talks, and would receive minutes at PG before Morris would.
Sneaky sneaky.
December 8th, 2011 at 7:23 PM ^
Shannon Brown is NOT on the roster. Pretty sure he signed with Phoenix today...
December 8th, 2011 at 7:30 PM ^
My go-to salary site did NOT indicate that he opted out in June and I did NOT check to see which fringe starters the Phoenix Suns signed when Tayshaun Prince and Jonas Jerebko were re-signed by my favorite team and rumors swirl around several all-stars.
My point is NOT changed that Darius Morris would be no better than fourth on the depth chart at PG under the current trade proposal.
December 8th, 2011 at 7:24 PM ^
Shanon Brown's gone. He's an unrestricted free agent. The rumor is the Suns. Steve Blake had a rough year last year, we'll see what he does under Brown's system. If they make the Howard trade I would think it's Bynum and a 1st rd pick.
December 8th, 2011 at 7:18 PM ^
may find his way out the door with this trade. He was hoping to be the heir apparent to Fisher, but now Chris Paul is there, Fisher is the backup. I doubt the Lakers will keep 3 PGs on the team. Although I sure hope so for Darius' sake
December 8th, 2011 at 7:48 PM ^
Morris' jump from his freshman season surprised me but he's going to need that much and more I would think if he's going to make the Lakers roster. Without a consistent jump shot or above average defense I'm not sure it's in the cards for him in LA.
December 8th, 2011 at 7:49 PM ^
You've seen the brutal 66 season and playoff schedule right? You'd think that Fisher would probably have issues. (side note, a lot fo the older guys like KG are probably going to be dragging at the end of the year)
Blake looked a little washed up last year as well. Still... looks like Morris might be headed to the D-league for now.
December 8th, 2011 at 7:21 PM ^
1. probably bad for Darius since he now sits behind Paul, Derek Fisher and Steve Blake, they MAY give D-Mo a contract, but unless they get rid of some guards, he's not playing much this year
2. Don't think this makes the Lakers any better since outside of Bynum the Brittle, they now have no proven big man at all, can't win like that
December 8th, 2011 at 8:17 PM ^
on the way. People seem to forget that there is an additional unnamed player coming over to the Lakers, and the rumors seem to indicate that Emeka Okafor is a strong possibility. If that is the case, the Lakers certainly improve as a team. They certainly have the best backcourt in the league with CP3 & Kobe, and lose nothing with Okafor in comparison to Odom, as he has essentially averaged a double double for the duration of his career. Not to mention Okafor is a much better fit with CP3 because he is much more likely to benefit from Paul's penetration and lob passes, whereas Odom is basically a guard in a PF's body.
Even if the Lakers don't get Howard, if they can pull in Okafor, I still think they improve as a team.
December 8th, 2011 at 8:57 PM ^
Hadn't heard the Okafor rumors, if true, that is a Game changer...as long as someone beats the Heat I'm good
December 8th, 2011 at 7:23 PM ^
Knicks were looking at him at 17 for the draft. They're going to get rid of Billups now. Definitly a need
December 8th, 2011 at 7:27 PM ^
Yeah, they were close. And just think - only 24 more teams passed on him after the Knicks did. Almost a New Yorker.
December 8th, 2011 at 7:24 PM ^
Is no one going to mention that this is yet another sign of the league being fixed? The Hornets are OWNED BY THE NBA. Gasol leaves LA the same way he came there -- in a sweet deal rigged to make the Lakers better.
And I really hope the OP wasn't being serious (though sadly I think he was). This pushes Morris off the roster. Change the title.
December 8th, 2011 at 7:40 PM ^
I wouldn't go as far as to say that the league is rigged.
The Lakers have done a good job of poaching talent off of teams without a direction. The Grizz finished with only 20 wins in 2008 and the Hornets lost in the first round (to the Lakers, no less) without much hope to improve this upcoming season. Gasol was going to want out eventually, and there was virtually no way Paul re-upped to play for that sinking ship.
If your marquee player wants out he likely wants to go to a contender and/or a big market. This makes sense for Paul and New York and New Orleans to a large degree.
December 8th, 2011 at 8:08 PM ^
And Kwame Brown was the best player Memphis could have received for him? Wake up, dude.
This has been going on for many years. The Lakers got #1 picks to draft Magic and Worthy through delayed compensation for an ancient Gail Goodrich and then later a nobody named Don Ford.
We all know you're an NBA fanatic but you can't turn a blind eye to the obvious.
EDIT: "Flamebait" for educating you on your league's shameful history. Take it to MLIVE, gajensen.
December 8th, 2011 at 8:14 PM ^
I haven't moderated you yet. In fact, I've upvoted you like four times today. I actually upvoted your post above for you being aware that the Hornets are league-owned.
See? I just modded this post as 'funny'.
December 8th, 2011 at 10:11 PM ^
is nonsense. The Grizzlies got substantially better after they traded away Pau. And they got substantially better largely through pieces that they acquired directly or indirectly from the Pau trade. The Hornets knew they weren't going to keep Paul around through the end of the year, so they made the move that they thought would get them the most value in a very tough situation.
A GM's job isn't to avoid giving the Lakers a clear path to the championship; it's to make his own team better. The Grizzlies certainly did that in '08, and the Hornets most likely did that today.
December 8th, 2011 at 8:10 PM ^
Eff I meant Los Angeles, not New York. But I was thinking about Carmelo forcing Denver's hand into sending him to New York, so, vindication.
December 8th, 2011 at 7:29 PM ^
I don't understand what Houston is doing. Giving up Martin AND Scola for Gasol? Sorry, I think they way overvalue Gasol to give up their top two players for him. New Orleans is actually getting a great deal considering the other offers they've gotten.
As for some of the other PGs for the Lakers, Shannon Brown is a free agent and Fisher is 37. Blake wasn't much of a factor last year. With the Lakers sending multiple roster spots away and getting few in return, I would imagine signing draft picks just to fill up the roster might be at a premium, but playing time would be garbage minutes.