Editor's Note

Option #5: The Lakers?

There is new information linking the Nuggets and Lakers in a potential deal that would revolve around Andrew Bynum for Anthony. This would be the best deal for both teams. The Lakers are on shaky ground. With a team as experienced as this, there is always a good chance the media is blowing their struggles out of proportion (they are half a game behind Dallas for second in the west) but it doesn’t feel like it at this point. This team seems to have serious chemistry, consistency, and defensive issues.

That being said, if they pull this off, it would be a bigger steal than when they plucked Pau Gasol from Memphis three years ago, leading to two NBA championships in three appearances. Kobe and Carmelo would be the best pure shooting guard/small forward combination since Jordan and Pippen. Dwyane Wade and LeBron James play hybrid point guard so often I don’t consider them a “pure” 2/3 combo, but they obviously are right there, too.  Which brings me to my next point:

Kick it up a notch

A deal like this would bump an already incredible NBA season up another notch. This trade would be historic. I don’t see any chance Carmelo wouldn’t sign the extension to get this deal done. That being said, it would extend the Lakers’ championship window another five years, as Kobe, assuming he can check his alpha dog ego (no guarantee) could take his foot off the accelerator, and extend his career as a second scorer/clutch assassin. This trade would lock up the Western Conference for the Lakers. Assuming the Celtics or Heat take the East, can you imagine the match-ups?

Heat:

Mario Chalmers vs. Derek Fisher

Dwyane Wade vs. Kobe Bryant

LeBron James vs. Carmelo Anthony

Chris Bosh vs. Lamar Odom

Zydraunas Ilgauskas/Erik Dampier vs. Pau Gasol

The media’s collective heads may explode. They have the one dream matchup that would trump LeBron vs. Kobe, the matchup they’ve wanted for years (remember the puppets?) in LeBron vs. Carmelo. Remember back in 2004, when this was supposed to be the next Magic Johnson vs. Larry Bird rivalry for the next decade plus? And then both players went to opposite ends of the NBA spectrum, and would only play each other four times per year, in meaningless regular season games? Well Melo-vs.-Lebron-mania would be back in flight. Squared.

And then there’s the matchup at shooting guard. Wade and Bryant are the two deadliest late-game finishers in basketball. Wade carried his team past Dallas in 2006 with Jordanesque performances to win his lone championship, and Kobe’s exploits are repeated and unquestioned. This would be the closest thing the world will ever see to Jordan vs. Kobe. They are far and away the two best shooting guards in the league, and Wade is the only player in the world that can challenge Kobe for title of second best shooting guard of all time, behind His Airness. Epic. And then there’s the…

Celtics:

Rajon Rondo vs. Fisher

Ray Allen vs. Kobe

Paul Pierce vs. Anthony

Kevin Garnett vs. Lamar Odom

Shaq vs. Pau Gasol

By my count these teams combine for six surefire hall-of-famers. Rondo and Gasol aren’t surefire, but the fire is warm. Eight potential hall-of-famers, on the same court? Are you kidding me? I might ruin my credit to get DVR so I could record this entire series, for posterities’ sake.  The storylines here are too many to count. Shaq’s best chance to match Kobe for rings. The Celtics’ big three trying to get those elusive second rings to extend their legendary career. The league’s best three-point shooter of all-time trying to match one of its greatest scorers. And poor Paul Pierce. You’re reward for slowing LeBron down enough to beat the Heat? Seven more games of guarding Carmelo Anthony!! With no Bynum, the Lakers would be looking at the same problem they had in the teams’ first matchup—Celtics bigs beating up the Lakers’. However, with ‘Melo they have the additional outside scoring to give them a fighters’ chance.

Denver Doom-O-Meter: This is the best deal the Nuggets—and the NBA— could hope for. Due to Bynum’s injuries he is no sure thing. However, his talent and size are unquestionable, and the Nuggets are running out of options. If they can keep Bynum on the court for even 70 games a year, they have a legitimate rebuilding block. This is the best you can hope for. Do it Denver. Make history.