The summer of 2010 is starting early. You may or may not be aware but the NBA trade deadline is quickly approaching. The most popular topic on the table is none other than Los Angeles’s Andrew Bynum for Chris Bosh. As crazy as this sounds it is possibly the best possible scenario for Toronto, and a for sure upgrade for Los Angeles. I can see the rest of the league going into a frenzy already. I can see the small markets blaming it on a conspiracy. Yet, let me point out why the odds are this will happen.
As we all know this upcoming summer in the NBA is a big one for free agents. Bigger than it has ever been. This summer has been hyped up for the last two years. Some of those names on the table include LeBron, Wade, Bosh, Stoudemire, Dirk, Ming, Howard, Chandler, etc. The list is long and good. With this upcoming summer we all know that Bosh is going to bounce from Toronto. Who would ever want to play up there?
With Bosh leaving on his own terms Toronto gets nothing, zero, zilch, nada. Currently, of the available big men in the league who is the best scenario for Toronto? Andrew Bynum. Bynum recently has been on a tear with Los Angeles due to the absence of Gasol and the injury to Bryant. He has shown the league, if he is the featured player on the team and everything is run through him he can bang with the best. Yet in a star studded operation when Los Angeles is healthy, he is a streaky player, with a lack of intensity at times.
On the other end, would it be good for Los Angeles to trade their young up and coming center? One the few true centers in the NBA. I say yes. The biggest thing Bosh has that Bynum does not is the ability to spread the floor on the defensive end. Along with his shooting range is the ability to get up and down the floor quickly to defend against the smaller teams that seem to give the Lakers lots of trouble with the pick and roll.
If the Lakers do land Bosh, what are the chances he signs for another year? If Los Angeles lands Bosh, they will sign him to a 5 or 6 year contract. Any where else he is looking at 4 to 5 years. He will get that extra year which will make him bank. He will also be playing along side Kobe, Gasol, Artest, and Odom. Who would not want to play in that line up? Finally, coming from Toronto to Los Angeles, he will not be able to leave the sunshine.
As a Laker fan, this trade is a win win. If it does not go through well, we still have a great young center. If it does, we get an upgraded version. Among other things this trade could stop the summer of 2010 before it ever begins. There are rumors left and right that LeBron and Bosh will be a package deal to a team like Chicago, New Jersey, or New York. LeBron wants to play with a legit big man. If Bosh is gone, I bet LeBron stays in Cleveland and signs a 1 year contract. This will force the Knicks to hold out yet another year. If this happens where will D-Wade go? Dirk will not leave Dallas and the summer of 2010 will come and go.
Bynum Stats
Bynum Stats
Bynum Stats
Bosh Stats
Bosh Stats
