Just got back from some time off -- and leave it to Danny Ainge to swoop in and nab Kevin Garnett while I was away. Interesting note in the Minneapolis paper has Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor saying Charlotte was the third team the Lakers and Minnesota were working with to make a KG trade work ... but Charlotte never really wanted to play along.
With KG gone, that leaves Jermaine O'Neal as the big man whom the Lakers can still get, but so far the Lakers and Pacers can't come to an agreement on whether O'Neal is worth both Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum (he's not if the Lakers are trying to win immediately). It's obvious other clubs are misjudging the Lakers' feelings about Odom, whom they still like a lot and aren't going to give away just to change or appease Kobe Bryant in a big deal.
In any case, it makes sense for O'Neal to be putting more public pressure on the Pacers by saying he wants to go play with Bryant on the Lakers and will opt out next year if he isn't moved.
That prompted Larry Bird to release a statement today regarding the Pacers' plans to get a great deal for O'Neal (see below)... but it's obvious that the Pacers will deal.
“In response to Jermaine O'Neal's published comments today regarding a trade, we have stated repeatedly that if we can make our team better through a trade, we will do so. Jermaine has become an All-Star player with the Indiana Pacers and in any discussions regarding him or any of our other players, the expectations for the franchise and our fans is to receive fair market value in return if a trade is to be considered.
“Jermaine has worked out very hard this summer while rehabilitating his knee after surgery. We believe under Jim O'Brien that our team as a whole and Jermaine as a player can be successful. You never know what will happen, but for now Jermaine is an Indiana Pacer.”
O'Neal is not the player Garnett is -- and I don't think the situation between O'Neal and the Pacers is as far gone as I said KG-Minny was, making a divorce a sure thing -- but the same thing applies for the Lakers here (actually more so, because it's a lot more realistic for the Lakers to land O'Neal than it was to land KG). Mitch Kupchak should be knocking himself out trying to come up with a multi-team deal that gets O'Neal just for Bynum and Kwame Brown and other parts ... giving the Lakers a real shot at something with Bryant, O'Neal and Odom. Other clubs don't really want to help the Lakers out, but there should be something out there. The Pacers have always loved Bynum, so that's a great foundation for a deal, even if Bird and Donnie Walsh never wind up settling for just Bynum, Brown, Brian Cook and whatever else coming directly to them for O'Neal.