Sources -- Los Angeles Lakers want both Dwight Howard and Chris Paul - ESPN Los Angeles

The L.A. Lakers have always been my favorite team and I'm really excited about the news of them possibly getting Dwight Howard and Chris Paul. That would be awesome having those guys playing along side Kobe Bryant.

Although I would like this threesome better than the one Miami has, you would have the same problem that Miami had last year, that is what's left to fill the rest of the team? No matter how good your three are, they can't beat a good five.

The players mentioned as tradebait are Gasol, Odom and Bynum. First off, you wouldn't get Paul and Howard for those three, you'd need to put in a lot more. Frankly, I think Bynum is less than worthless, he is a cost with no benefit. The only thing he has shown is that he doesn't have the body, despite appearances, for the NBA. If a team wants someone to fill out their disabled list roster, they can pay me, I'll do it. For Gasol and Odom, along with some cash, you could get one of either Paul or Howard but I don't think the Lakers are much better off just doing that.

I know there are people who say that New Orleans and Orlando don't have a choice because they will eventually lose these players and get nothing, but that doesn't mean you give them away and there will be 2 or 3 or 4 other options they have to choose from besides the Lakers.

Yeah I don't think they could get both, a former Laker like Jerry West doesn't influence the front office of those 2 teams like what happened when they got Pao Gasol from Memphis for very little. Neither of those 2 guys would solve their problem anyway that they had nobody to matchup with Dirk at power forward. They should look for whatever team held Dirk to the lowest scoring average last year, and try to trade for their defenders.

OK, the first part of this tried to go down yesterday with Chris Paul going to the Lakers in the 3-team deal that cost LA both Gasol and Odom. I thought the trade was OK but the league blocked it (the New Orleans franchise which was trading Paul is actually owned by the league). I read some reports that said the Lakers could still get Howard with draft picks, etc. but, to me, this doesn't work. NBA 1st round picks aren't that valuable unless they are the first 1,2,3 picks in the 1st round which the Lakers picks wouldn't be.

My guess is that the Paul trade will still go down in some slightly altered form. I'd be certain of that if this was a 2-team trade. That there were 3 teams involved in exchanging players makes it a bit more complicated in keeping all three teams happy.

I was looking forward to the new E Entertainment series "Khloe and Lamar Take New Orleans".

Looks like Howard is going to New Jersey today...

Clippers > Lakers

Originally Posted by golden

Clippers > Lakers

hmmm, maybe. But I bet the Clippers end up sucking again.