Would you guys trade Bynum for anyone in the whole league?

[milesfides]

This is really OT, check the title of the thread, since now we're now comparing Kobe and Jordan, and Kobe and Gasol. I'll summarize my points given in response to this comparison, then bring it back to Gasol and Bynum (which is a bit OT in the first place).

Kobe v. Gasol:

Perhaps Kobe's numbers do fall off a bit in the playoffs than in the regular season, but not in the same way as Gasol. The difference in Kobe's reg season and playoff averages is mainly due to the limitations of his role with the team. Gasol's difference in numbers is mainly due to the limitations of his individual game.

The argument is being made statistically, but I think there's several fallacies being made here.

1) Not recognizing that Kobe was the second option to Shaq for most of the playoffs. He still boosted his production in the championship seasons 00-01 and 01-02. But by and large, he was a perimeter 2nd option. Naturally, one would expect Kobe's gains to be marginal in the postseason, considering his role with the team. This is a significant reason why you can't compare Kobe and Gasol, and the truth of this point is blatantly obvious when looking at Kobe as a first option.

2) Kobe as the first option has stepped it up in the playoffs. In the 05-06, 06-07, and 07-08 seasons, Kobe maintained his shooting percentages in one year, boosted his shooting percentage from around 45% to 50% in the other two years. That's incredible. Gasol? 3 out of 4 playoff averages were significantly below reg season averages. That's not stepping it up.

And in terms of point totals, Kobe boosted his 06-07 by +4.5 points. This season? +3.1 points. The one year that brings Kobe down is 05-06, when he dropped 7.5 points. But we know why that happened, and anyways, his efficiency was still improved significantly, shooting 50%.

Gasol? 0.8 gain in one, 3.5 gain in another (his best), -0.1, -1.3. And again, aside from one playoffs, his percentages all dropped.

And rebounds? Dropped from 8 to 5 rebounds in one year (5 rebounds in the playoffs for a big man?) and from 9 to 7 in another. And that's why Gasol has the "soft" label, because it's not about being lazy or not trying hard, it's about other players able to push him around and limit his impact on the game.

In short, Kobe can step it up individually if he wants to. The larger question is whether that's good for the team or not. As we saw in 05-06, the team was struggling to find that balance. That doesn't reflect on Kobe's ability. And for most of his career, Kobe had to curb his game and accommodate Shaq as the first option in the offense. That doesn't reflect his current role as the first option either.

On the other hand, Gasol can't step it up if he wants to. There's a built in limitation to his playoff games. He playoff average is 19 points and never exceeded 21 points, his rebounds average to 8 boards in the playoffs despite playing significantly more minutes (he averages 9 in fewer minutes in the regular season)

But there's nothing meaningful to that. Kobe can go off if he wants to, while Gasol is a talented but not dominant player. Surprise. So, Gasol is not a first option. Surprise. We needed several pages in a thread to establish that? It seems so. Then again, I'm not trying to compare Gasol with Kobe - you guys are.

Bringing it back on topic, I'm trying to compare Gasol with Bynum, and as I continue to assert, Bynum's game is more suited to the playoffs than Gasol, as a rebounder, a better low-post presence, and a defender (doesn't show up in the statsheet). Thus, while Gasol's presence is indisputably significant in the regular season, his impact on the postseason is limited because they take away his strengths (post passing, transition) and magnify his weaknesses as a player (post scoring, rebounding).

So when you guys counter my assertion that Gasol falls off in the playoffs with Kobe's statistics, I think that's a tangential discussion. Hopefully this gets it back on-topic.

[milesfides]

^Oh, forgot the summation point to bring it really back OT.

Therefore, we can't trade Bynum because Gasol does not replace Bynum's unique and essential contributions to our championship aspirations.

[Erik Eleven]

Stats, schmats. Watch this video and tell me who you want to trade him for.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bimViNFfzIo

[hermes]

Stats, schmats. Watch this video and tell me who you want to trade him for.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bimViNFfzIo

NO ONE

[tayzer]

I would trade him for no one, base on the salary we would have to take to get another player with his caliber.

[Leonidas]

nobody.......

[SPuL]

I'd do Rashard & D12 for AB & Odom..

Not sure if we get the best of that as far as talent goes, but I think it would be a better fit.

[Dr Aki]

bynum wouldve easily made any future matchups with the hornets easy wins

simply because he takes away chandler's game and paul can no longer score consistently in the paint

[CDB]

I wouldnt unless their name is LeBron

[hermes]

better keep him. Lakers will need someone to match up with GODen.

http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/vid ... 8&n8pe6c=2

ok no offense here but "GODen"? that is bad

you could say Odin- referring to the norse god
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odin