 |
|
| Friday, September 22 The season's already over, with us winning ESPN.com |
|||||||||||||
|
So what did you think about the big Patrick Ewing trade? We asked ESPN.com users immediately after the deal went down and for most of the next day what they thought, and nearly 3,000 e-mails later we have a pretty good idea.
Anyway, here are some of the better e-mails we received on the Lakers' part of the trade. User comments on the Knicks and Sonics can be found to the right.
It seems that all four teams either broke even or came out ahead. Being an LA native, I'd like to focus on the Lakers in particular. They definitely needed to do something in response to Portland's seemingly endless series of upgrades and San Antonio's re-signing of Duncan. Horace Grant's addition fills the most obvious need. And Foster, if they decide to keep him, is a serviceable big man who could provide some help against Portland and San Antonio on the defensive end.
However, the low-risk (i.e., low salary) gamble on Rider could pay dividends that are just as important as the trade. He and Bryant could play in tandem, presenting an athletic one-two punch that many teams may have trouble matching up against. Or Rider could be insurance against the possibility of foul trouble or injury at either the two or three positions. Of course, we should not be naive enough to think that Rider couldn't just as easily slip into his old habits and disrupt the team altogether. All things being equal, I think that this Lakers team is somewhat stronger than last year's.
Yeah, I'll take Shaq, Kobe, a side of Horace Grant and why not add yet another championship for the Los Angeles Lakers!!! Great deal for L.A. This secures yet another ring. Thank you, New York. We owe you one. Jerry Geiges Las Vegas, Nev.
Fit the Lakers for rings again. Grant will fill the glaring need the Lakers had last year, and Davis will help improve the guard situation. The Lakers far and away got the best of the players involved in the trade. Ken Mann Valrico, Fla.
I think the Lakers made a mistake. They make all the moves to obtain a team that can win a championship, and after they do they get rid of one of their main keys. They say Rice can't play defense, but nobody can stop Jalen Rose. As you saw Kobe could not guard any of the Blazers. They should of just went after a backup center and a power forward and got rid of some of the bench, like they did with Travis Knight. At least with Rice on the court he will draw a defender away from Shaq. Hey, anybody who can average 16 points a game playing with Kobe and Shaq must be doing something right. Ewing is past his prime, and the Knicks benefited big. Four draft picks, Rice, Longley, etc. ... it seems they are trying to build a championship. Chris Pasadena, Calif.
It's the OFFICIAL start to the Lakers' dynasty. The power forward position was their only weakness, and Portland did a lot of work in the offseason getting some kryptonite with the likes of Kemp and Davis. But now, with Ho Grant, the Lakers have another team player who's already experienced with the triangle offense and the Zen Master's philosophies. Portland has just as much talent as the Lakers, but too many egos looking for their own shots. The Lakers, on the other hand, know what they need to do again to win another championship, and another, and another, and another ... Watch out league, a real TEAM has been born. Mike Luley New York City
I say things look good for the Lakers in the post-Jerry West era. Mitch Kupchak, in his first trade (a blockbuster, no less), addressed, if not fully solved, five different Laker problems. He unloaded an undermarketable and unhappy shooter along with an overpriced big man, and he acquired a presentable power forward who fits the system and knows the Laker coach and star center, as well as a useful backup center and big guard. That took some doing for the NBA champs -- a team supposedly nobody wants to help! John Patton Los Angeles, Calif.
The Lakers definitely came out of this mega trade smelling the best. All the talk since last season was about the Lakers "needing" a power forward. Yes, they did need one, but they claimed the ring anyway. Getting Ho Grant just makes them even more complete and dangerous for next year. There's more to this good trade for the Lakers than just Grant, as Eric Karabell points out. Derek Fisher will be out six months after having surgery to repair a stress fracture on his foot. Emanual Davis, also acquired in this trade, will immediately take Fisher's place and he's a taller guard like Phil Jackson prefers. The Lakers also got an OK backup center for Shaq in Greg Foster (better than Travis Knight). Aubin Galston Colorado Springs, Colo.
Horace Grant said before the trade that if he were traded to the Lakers, they might as well fit them all with rings. I couldn't agree more. Christian Laettner? Give me a break. P.J. Brown? No thanks. I don't think there is a better fit in all of basketball for the Lakers than Horace Grant. I still cannot believe Seattle allowed this to happen. They should have taken notes from Portland, which shipped Brian Grant to the East, and that's why the Lakers and Blazers are on top and Seattle will be stuck rebuilding with an aging center. Michael Moore Long Beach, Calif.
Oh boy, the Lakers are going to have a juicy season. Check it out: Portland has no chance. Pippen against Kobe, Kobe's twice as good. Shaq against Sabonis and Kemp? Shaq won't even notice they're there. Horace Grant and Dale Davis cancel out, and Harper and Stoudamire are basically the same. Finally, Smith vs. Rider, Rider will breeze by him every time. Shaq, Kobe, J.R and Grant, wow. Remember, last year was the Lakers' first year with the triangle, so they're bound to be way better this year, and Rider and Grant are an added plus. I feel your pain, Portland fans, but don't worry: Kobe will be retiring in, oh, about 15 years. Nima Johnson Sacramento, Calif.
I think the Lakers got the most out of this deal. Grant is going to come in and get his boards and bring that thug mentality that Shaq wanted. Rice isn't going to fit in with the Knicks unless they ship out Spree or Houston. He is going to have the same problems there that he had in L.A.: not enough touches. As far as Ewing is concerned, he's old, can hardly run and he won't have a chance against Shaq. Playing in Seattle he's going to see Shaq throwing it down on him a lot more than when he was with the Knicks. By the way the Knicks can have Knight's six fouls in six minutes a game. Craig Auger Fountain Valley, Calif.
|
|
||||||||||||
