There is too much focus on the short-term implications of the Los Angeles Lakers' trade for Pau Gasol, even by the man who made the deal.
Did it make the Lakers the immediate favorites in the Western Conference? Not necessarily, but that's not the point. Right now, the Lakers' mid- to long-term prospects look better than anyone else's in the NBA. And that's the real benefit, especially if they just increased the chances that Kobe Bryant will be part of their future.
Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak simply was trying to keep a promising season from going down the drain after Andrew Bynum injured his knee Jan. 13. With him, the Lakers looked like one of the best teams in the West. Without him, it became evident almost immediately that they would struggle to beat anyone.
So even their worst-case scenario doesn't look so bad now. And the upside, all of a sudden, looks brighter than at any point since the last presidential campaign. They could close out the decade the same way they started it, as NBA champions.
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