The Unthinkable: Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard

[DFish]

Before you scoff in disbelief, let me say this. Look at the current teams in play for CP3 and Dwight. The Nets want Dwight, CP3 might want the Knicks, the Clippers seem to think they have a choice at either. We can pretty much rule out the slim chance of these players staying on their respective teams of NO and ORL. They've both expressed their desires to move, and those teams will want to maximize their gains by losing them. Neither will make it to free agency because they'll both be traded this season.

As for the Nets... New Jersey could be offering the sun and the moon to Orlando, Dwight does not want to play there. There isn't a snow balls chance that it happens. He wants a big market team that can be immediate contenders and he wants a warm-weather city. But most importantly, Dwight wants to win a ring. And with Miami in the East, he will most likely go West. As such, his best bet would be the Lakers. They will put together a very appealing package with Bynum, Odom and other pieces. Odom was 6th man of the year, and Bynum is the only 7'1" 290 lb back-to-the-basket center out there now that Shaq is retired. The Dwight trade will happen, just like it happened Shaq, and as I remember it NO ONE thought the Lakers could land Shaq AND Kobe together. And they did.

New Orleans (and Chris) are going to have to make an ultimate decision: New York or Los Angeles. And the Lakers win that battle. For one, they have the pieces that the Knicks simply don't have. Pau Gasol, which would be a huge asset for New Orleans, Brown/Barnes, a couple of draft picks, plus cash to take Paul and Okafor off NO. Second, after Dwight is secured as a Laker he will be a far more powerful allure for Chris Paul than Carmelo and Amar'e in New York. Paul wants a ring just like Dwight does, and he'd have to be blind not to realize that a stacked Laker team with CP3, Kobe and Dwight wins a title immediately and more likely than a CP3, Melo and Amar'e team with a gaping hole in their defense.

The Lakers roster will soon look something like this, mark my words.

Chris Paul
Kobe Bryant
Ron Artest
Emeka Okafor
Dwight Howard

[DFish]

And that, my friends, is how you simultaneously usher in the Lakers' next era of dominance and Kobe's 6th, 7th and possibly 8th ring.

[9erEmpire]

many many rings..

[Quickening]

[BGriffin's Dad]

Chris Paul
Kobe Bryant
Ron Artest
Emeka Okafor
Dwight Howard

if that happens..

[SunsCaptain]

Just by skimming through this it seems you are gutting the entire team for 3 players... Whats the bench?

[JohnnyWall]

I saw an article about this on CBS Sports. Apparently the trades are possibilities, either Bynum->Dwight and Gasol->Paul or vice versa.

If the Lakers pulled this off, it would basically be the Heat 2.0 and bring new meaning to "the Big 3".

[D-Wade316]

if that happens..

[SAKOTXA]

Brown opted out of his contract.

[Trentknicks]

Before you scoff in disbelief, let me say this. Look at the current teams in play for CP3 and Dwight. The Nets want Dwight, CP3 might want the Knicks, the Clippers seem to think they have a choice at either. We can pretty much rule out the slim chance of these players staying on their respective teams of NO and ORL. They've both expressed their desires to move, and those teams will want to maximize their gains by losing them. Neither will make it to free agency because they'll both be traded this season.

As for the Nets... New Jersey could be offering the sun and the moon to Orlando, Dwight does not want to play there. There isn't a snow balls chance that it happens. He wants a big market team that can be immediate contenders and he wants a warm-weather city. But most importantly, Dwight wants to win a ring. And with Miami in the East, he will most likely go West. As such, his best bet would be the Lakers. They will put together a very appealing package with Bynum, Odom and other pieces. Odom was 6th man of the year, and Bynum is the only 7'1" 290 lb back-to-the-basket center out there now that Shaq is retired. The Dwight trade will happen, just like it happened Shaq, and as I remember it NO ONE thought the Lakers could land Shaq AND Kobe together. And they did.

New Orleans (and Chris) are going to have to make an ultimate decision: New York or Los Angeles. And the Lakers win that battle. For one, they have the pieces that the Knicks simply don't have. Pau Gasol, which would be a huge asset for New Orleans, Brown/Barnes, a couple of draft picks, plus cash to take Paul and Okafor off NO. Second, after Dwight is secured as a Laker he will be a far more powerful allure for Chris Paul than Carmelo and Amar'e in New York. Paul wants a ring just like Dwight does, and he'd have to be blind not to realize that a stacked Laker team with CP3, Kobe and Dwight wins a title immediately and more likely than a CP3, Melo and Amar'e team with a gaping hole in their defense.

The Lakers roster will soon look something like this, mark my words.

Chris Paul
Kobe Bryant
Ron Artest
Emeka Okafor
Dwight Howard

Yeah sorry to burst the dream bubble but Kobe stands to make nearly $30 Mill this coming season with it only further increasing in the future. How do you plan to fit all these players under the cap? Even Okafor commands a $12.6M salary....

[boyle777]

Have you just ignored the whole past few months and the recent CBA? You think everyone keeps saying the new CBA makes it nearly impossible for other teams to do what Miami did and form a superteam? Know what a salary cap is?

If that happened, dynasty. And the Lakers become the most hated sporting team in the world ever.

But, no chance. Keep dreaming.

[shootingcomets]

Salary count:

Kobe 25mil+
D12 20mil+
CP 20mil+
Okafor 13mil+
Artest?

salary of starting lineup 80mil+ with 0 bench

verdict = delusional

[pmj]

They went from Phil Jackson to Mike Brown, but somehow Lakers fans are still in denial.

[maybeshewill13]

Not happening.

[blacknapalm]

lots of cap room left man. just sign nene to come off the bench, then trade walton for derrick williams to get younger. LA can probably also trade brown for bogut. then nene will come for free.

cp3/fisher
bryant
artest
okafor/williams/nene
howard/bogut

bust or ship