I woke up Thursday morning ready to write another one of my college football previews when I read that the Lakers have agreed in principle to trade Caron Butler and Chucky Atkins for Kwame Brown. A friend and diehard Laker fan came up to me today and said, "Say it ain't so, Avery, say it ain't so!" Unfortunately for Laker fans, this trade looks like it will go through and it might end up being the worst one in their history.
It looks like D.C. is still the thievery capital of the world. The Wizards will get Caron Butler and most likely Chucky Atkins for their malcontent. The Lakers are trading away two legitimate starters on a Western Conference team to get a guy who couldn't even stay on the playoff roster on an Eastern Conference squad. I wonder who got the best of this one?
This is the classic example of the Lakers "selling low, buying high." If there is anyone who thinks this is an equal trade, I've got a mountain cabin in Omaha I'd love to talk to you about. Caron Butler improved his stock tremendously in the final third of the NBA season and will be one of the primary threats on a team who now misses Larry Hughes a lot less. The Wizards are also getting Chucky Atkins or Devean George, players who have proven themselves in the league. These guys have value, and the Lakers should have waited for a better offer to come along. Instead, they pulled the trigger faster than a guy on Cialis.
Kwame Brown is a joke. Let's start with the stats. He's averaged an inexcusable 7.7 points a game in his career. Even Kareem Abdul-Jabbar at age 60 would've gotten double figures in the East. Brown's offensive skills need more work than Tori Spelling's boob job. It is no coincidence that Michael Jordan's rumored favorite two words while in Washington was "Bleepin' Kwame!"
Okay, maybe he can dish the ball. Maybe he can join the list of great Laker centers like Shaq, Kareem, and even Vlade Divac, who could not only score, but also distribute the rock to the open shooter when needed. Nope. This guy has averaged 1 assist a game in his "illustrious" three years in Washington. These are numbers that only World B. Free could be proud of. This guy is a black hole, a-not-so supernova.
On top of all of that, his attitude is far from stellar. He has feuded with many in the Wizards organization, including ex-coach Doug Collins and Michael Jordan, his former teammate and boss. I thought everyone wanted to be "like Mike." Not Kwame — he'd rather fight with him. There is substantial evidence that Jordan and Brown despised each other. I guess we can assume that M.J. never offered Kwame to "Come Fly With Me."
Last year, Kwame raised his outlandishness to a new level by getting kicked off of the Wizards' playoff roster. That's a pretty tough thing to do considering he was their best hope of guarding Shaq. As you can see, this is why Mr. Brown was best in Washington, a city where people make a good living out of being full of hot air and unfulfilled potential.
I guess the Lakers must be looking at his "potential." I sure hope that this guy can develop, because at this point, Kwame the rapper even has a better legacy. It seems to me that if this guy had any chance of being a star, he would've already done in Washington, whose system was designed to showcase his talents. He has been a complete disappointment and has consistently underperformed in D.C. I'm sure Ernie Grunfield, the Wizards' general manager, was more than happy to unload him.
Conversely, Mitch Kupchak, the Laker GM, will try to put some kind of spin on this trade and convince everyone how good it is. Even Bob Cousy can't put enough "English" on this one to make it palatable. If Kwame thought Mike was unnerving, just wait until he meets Kobe. This acquisition has made the already fragile Laker chemistry much worse. This will definitely be the trade the ends up getting Kupchak fired. It breaks down like this, with Brian Grant's impending release — the Lakers have now traded Shaq for Lamar Odom and Kwame Brown. Wow.
I'm sure there must have been a memo, but since when did the Lakers and Clippers switch places? The Clippers are now the young, exciting team with loads of potential. Cuttino Mobley, a proven veteran, will only add to the probability that only one L.A. team will make the playoffs. Unfortunately, that team is not the Lakers. The Lakers have morphed into the West Coast version of the Knicks — a team that shells out a lot of cash, but whose playoff prospects are dim.
The deal for Kwame Brown only makes the chance of Laker success that much more remote. Kupchak and the Lakers are on the wrong end of this game of "Texas Hold 'dem Ankles." L.A. needed to acquire a player like a Jermaine O'Neal, who could contribute and blend in with the triangle offense. Instead, they got a guy who can't even blend in.
July 15, 2005
Micah Adler:
Your just wrong, On paper Caron Butler and Chucky look like legit NBA players but as a Lakers fan Chucky was unbearable and Caron, no question he is good, but he is not the star you made him out to be. Mark my words he might score 10-15 ppg at most next year. Furthermore, the lakers have a glut at small forward and don’t need Caron - who plays the exact same position as Lamar - Luke - Cook - Jones - and sometimes even Kobe. On the other hand the lakers do need someone like Kwame. I’m not saying I know what will happen - but w/o Kwame they are less than a playoff contender w/ Chucky and Caron. Thank you
Sincerely
Micah
July 15, 2005
jon:
i like this deal and while I think Caron has some potential, he was helped tremendously by the double and triple teams Kobe routinely gets (same goes for Chucky).
I would’ve rather seen the Lakers pick up Tyson Chandler but his stock soared after his rebounding numbers last year.
Kobe + Odom + Phil plus some role players could make this a very good team.
July 15, 2005
Frank:
I do not agree with this column. I think this was a great trade by the lakers any way you look at it. By giving up Caron Butler, who is a good player but is not needed on a team with two quality small forwards in Odom and Devean George, and Chucky Atkins, who has been a back up his entire career, the Lakers gave up nothing for a boat load of potential. Even if Kwame never lives up to his #1 Draft pick potential the Lakers won’t be hurt because that is not what they are looking for. The Lakers simply need a big body who can defend and rebound.
July 15, 2005
J B:
What did you think of Jermaine O’Neal when he came into the league? He was drafted out of high school. It was five years before he even played 30 minutes a game. He averaged 13 points, 10 boards and 1.2 assits his fifth season. Kwame was also drafted out of high school and he got to play 30 minutes a game his 3rd year in the league. He averaged 11 points and 7 rebounds and had 1.5 assists per game. I think the Lakers got an athletic power forward with potential. Also, the Lakers only have to pay him for two years which opens up cap space in ‘07 if Kwame doesn’t pan out. Your article offers criticism but, what is the alternative? What power forward should the Lakers have signed or traded for? Would you have them start the season with the roster they had before the trade?
July 15, 2005
Avery:
To all,
I appreciate your comments, they are all very insightful.
I don’t think this is a good trade for the Lakers at all. Yes, Butler was expendable, but my point is that they could have gotten MORE for him. I’m not questioning the fact that the Lakers needed to move him, I’m questioning who they got.
There is no way anyone can tell me that the Lakers got an equal trade with this move. Like I said in my article…the Lakers have basically traded Shaq for Kwame & Odom….to try and justify that is outrageous.
July 15, 2005
J B:
So lets see… you say Shaq for Kwame and Odom is a bad trade? I think you are wrong. Shaq is old and overpaid. Shaq averaged 23 points 10 rebounds and 3 assits last year, a year in which he was supposed to be “motivated” to perform. Kwame and Odom averaged 25 points, 17 rebounds, and 5 assits a game based on Kwame’s third season and last season for Odom. Odom and Kwame are young with potential and relatively cheap when compared to Shaq’s bloated salary. You say that the Lakers did not get equal value. What trade would you have proposed as an alternative?
July 15, 2005
ryan:
This is another classic case of sports reporters jumping on a risky move way too fast. its safer for you to judge the trade than praise because its high risk… but it also could be high reward. stats prove that prodigy young big men don’t come into their own until the reach their second team. you would have probably said the same thing about jermain oneal joining the pacers. second of all the wizards basically destroyed his confidence. you make him out to be someone who enjoyed fighting with jordan… but you forget that mj was rediculously mean to the kid. he called him a flaming faggot, yeah thats a guy a want to play with. lastly who do you really think they would have gotten for butler?we needed size and think of one other quality big man they could have gotten. certainly not eddie curry. we couldnt even get carlos boozer for the guy and frankly id rather have kwame than boozer anyway. face it this was the only big guy with possible talent they could get. when he starts to average double doubles youll have to eat those words.
July 15, 2005
Hank:
Next year the lakers will have six guys on the roster above 6-10 under 25 years old, that is a far better foundation than last year’s squad and not a bad legacy to gather from the trade of shaq.
Andrew Bynum 7-0 285 17 years old
Chris Mihm 7-0 265 25 years old
Lamar Odom 6-10 230 25 years old
Ronny Turiaf 6-10 249 22 years old
Slava 6-10 250 25 years old
Kwame Brown 6-11 248 23 years old
Atkins was garbage last year on defense. Probably the worst on the ball starter in the NBA. He is a great back up point guard but not a starter. I think Caron is a great player and he will avg. 15-5 next year in washington if he gets the pt, but he wasnt going to start next year for phil.
If they can add daniels for the mid-level to start at point, cut brian grant’s contract out of And you got yourself a tall, athletic playoff contending squad and still on pace to be competitive under the cap within 2 years, if mitch can pull this off, hats off imo.
Brown’s a gamble, but at 2 years not a huge one for a 23 year old number one pick that might just blossom within the next 2 years. If he does, then he and a 25 year old lamar odom for an aging shaq is not a bad deal.
July 16, 2005
Rodney Henderson:
Say, Avery why don’t you be creative. You are just like all the other media types. Lets talk about how bad this deal is. Well just like the Andrew Bynum draft, you nor I will truly no how good or how bad the Kwame deal will be for a few years. Hey be different. Tell your readers about Mitch having the balls to make a gutsy trade. The Lakers was not going to retain Caron next year anyway and what actually did they loose with Chucky Atkins. Say man, stop walking in lock step with other media types. Be different and give both sides. This could be a bad deal but it also could be a great deal. “Only time will tell.”
July 16, 2005
Sean:
Avery,
I feel what you’re saying, dude. I just don’t know if Kwame will ever get it.
The bottom line is that he has been a bust so far. He has been way too fragile mentally and emotionally- and let’s face it, these are not traits one usually learns at age 23.
Equally problematic is the fact that he clearly does not understand how to play professional baskeball after 4 years in the league with considerable pt (remember that Jermaine O’Neal who was at a similar stage of development after 4 years and who we all hope will be the model for Kwame, barely played on the Portland juggernaut that really gave the Lakers a run for their money). Happily in this case, history has shown that most players have not understood the professional game by age 23- this has been especially true for 1s and bigs (although quality bigs have traditionally made an impact before they actually learned the game based on their physicality alone- see Amare).
Having said all that, we should not forget that Kwame was the undisputed number 1 overall pick coming out of high school for a reason- his physical talent is tremendous. This talent has not gone anywhere- his body has developed and he is HEALTHY.
As far as his attitude is concerned, there is a long, long list of players whose attitudes have improved greatly when they’ve changed teams (See Vince and T-Mac for the latest examples). And the bottom line is that Phil called Mike before this deal happened and obviously got Mike’s approval or this deal would never have happened.
Now as far as Chucky and Caron are concerned, I loved them last year. They showed they had game and they never quit. But neither one of them is good enough defensively (although Caron may be some day), and, more importantly, they both need the ball in their hands to be effective. You simply don’t want 4 of those on your team (nor do you want 5 3s). So the Lakers did what they should have, they got rid of the two with less talent.
They now have 4 players with huge upsides (although 3 of them may never get close to reaching theirs)- all for a reasonable price. If 1 of the 3 talents besides Kobe breaks out- the Lakers are in business. If not- the Lakers will have a lot of flexibility in the near future (importantly, with talented bargaining chips) to find someone who can.
July 16, 2005
rob dorato:
to tell you the truth the lakers have made every kind of move they have needed to make… it was obvious shaq was on his way out…i used to wish for odom got em…briant grant useless gone…caron was cool but halle berry was getting to keen on him had to get him outta town fast…. lets get rid of george keep chucky get kwame watch thats a great move with phil around…great draft turiaf is awesome bynum is a baby-shaq still growing at 17 and now we have a young super-athletic team thats willing to play around kobe for a couple of rings and help him attain his MVP status (even though nobody in the world wants that to happen excep us laka’s)
July 17, 2005
MJ:
Dumping an unproductive malcontent like Kwame is a no-brainer, and to get a versatile stud like Caron Butler, who has a terrific attitude on and off the court, makes this a totally lopsided deal.
Caron contributes in every statistical category: he can do whatever his team needs to win. he’s a gifted scorer and decent rebounder, but most people don’t notice that he also gets an unusually high number of assists and steals for a small forward.
Caron could be an even better player in the East. He really flourished when Kobe was injured last year (not with Kobe on the floor, still taking all the shots even if he is triple-teamed). If he is the featured scorer for the Wizards next, I think he will have the Paul Pierce-like breakout season everyone predicted for him when he was drafted.
July 17, 2005
Looking for a decent sportwriter...:
There were several mistakes in your article. First off, Kwame was with the Wizards for 4 seasons, not 3. And you stated several times that the lakers traded shaq for what now amounts to odom and kwame. Hello??? Did you forget that the lakers got a 1st round pick out of the deal? Last I checked, first round picks in the NBA are usually pretty valuable. Please do your homework if you’d like to be taken seriously. Thanks.
July 17, 2005
Avery:
Yes, Kwame has spent an uneventful 4 years in Washington instead of 3. Please find ANYTHING else that is inaccurate, and I’ll resign.
Also, like I said in my email to you, go ahead & stack the first round pick (most likely late first round) w/Odom & Brown and it still doesn’t even come close to Shaq’s value.
Please know something about basketball if YOU are to be taken seriously.
July 18, 2005
derek:
Avery u couldnt be more wrong. The lakers lost nothing in the trade but gained potential & and 7 foot 272pd body. I dont see where Caron would have gotten playing time next season. Chucky will never start on a pjax defensive team. Odom gets to create mix matches at SF now. Kwame improved every year except last year because of injuries. In Kwames 3rd year he avg 11ppg 7.4rebs. Think about Mihm kobe made him better and now he’ll do the same with Kwame. expect a 15ppg 9rebs season. Also kwame was given 6 shots per game lol even mihm avg more than that last season (about 8) Caron avg 12.8 shots per game those shots are now kwames he’ll be happy with Kobe & Odom. I cant wait till see your article after Opening night (think mihm)
Mihm/Brown/Odom/Kobe/ Daniels?
How would that team be worst than what we had last season????
July 18, 2005
Avery-YOU JUST GOT BLASTED!!!:
HAH! I was about to put you on blast for that ridiculous article you just “wrote” but all my Laker fans did it for me! It’s obvious Avery that you’re just like the rest of those media types that claim to know alot about basektball and know absolutely nothing! Even if Kwame puts up Wizards like numbers, 11pts, 7 rebs it will still be good for Cali cuz Odom will be playing the postion where he’ll be dominating cats, he’s a virtual ALL Star at the 3 and is a defensive nighmare for the other teams! And as bad as Kwame has been, he’s still better than Will Perdue, Luc Longley and some of those Chicago guys that parked on Jordan’s back and won all those rings! Avery we at Lakernation.org have some advice for you and your kind, until it stops being complicated read “The Cat in the Hat” and “Green Eggs and Ham,” until then shut your mouth and stick with something that’s not to hard for you, cuz obviously writing an intelligent article about basketball is!
July 19, 2005
shawty:
I don’t think ya’ll should have traded Caron Butler because he was good.Ya’ll need to get rid of Chucky Atkins because he wasn’t doing nothing ya’ll made a big mistake getting him in the first place. I can tell ya’ll one get thing ya’ll did ya’ll got Phil Jackson back. Ya’ll need to build the team around Kobe. Ya’ll need to get a point gaurd