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Nuggets, Knicks make trade that brings neither closer to a title

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by Piotr Rasputin, Feb 21, 2011.

  1. Trey Beamon

    Trey Beamon Active Member

    If I remember correctly, didn't Kobe refuse to play for the Hornets? That fact alone takes away some of the risk factor on the Lakers' end, right?

    Whatever the case, hell of a job by Jerry West to recognize Bryant's potential greatness and swing a deal.

    On a related note, that 1996 draft class has to be one of the best in NBA history.
     
  2. Mizzougrad96

    Mizzougrad96 Active Member

    I may be wrong, but I think the Hornets were taking Kobe knowing they were going to trade him to LA for Divac.

    Yeah, that was a damn good draft.
     
  3. JackReacher

    JackReacher Well-Known Member

    Really? I looked back and only five players really knocked me over as being part of a draft class that could be called the best in NBA history: Iverson, Kobe, Allen, Nash, Fisher. Camby, Marbury and Peja would be on a second-level type thing, I guess.

    Now, I have to waste what's left of my workday looking up draft history. Thanks for that. :)
     
  4. JackReacher

    JackReacher Well-Known Member

    OK. The 96 class is pretty damn good.

    1984 Draft didn't suck, either.
     
  5. Trey Beamon

    Trey Beamon Active Member

    Welcome. :)

    Antonie Walker and Shareef Abdur-Rahim were very good pros, too, and Dampier and Big Z have been in the league forever. Deeeeeeep draft.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 1, 2015
  6. Mizzougrad96

    Mizzougrad96 Active Member

    Tier 1: Olajuwon, Jordan, Barkley, Stockton
    Tier 2: Thorpe, Robertson, Willis
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 1, 2015
  7. BTExpress

    BTExpress Well-Known Member

    Yeah, the whole Kobe-orchestrated-the-trade-to-LA theory is just myth. Not on the level of "Magic fired Westhead", but still a myth.


    "The deal was actually done a day ahead of time, and it was Vlade for a player to be named," said Bill Branch, the Hornets' head scout at the time who still operates out of Charlotte as a scout for the Seattle-now-Oklahoma City Sonics. "If I remember right, they didn't even tell us who they wanted us to pick until about five minutes before the pick was made. So it was never a matter of us actually drafting Kobe."

    The Hornets won a franchise-record 54 games with Divac. The Lakers did the deal not because they knew Kobe was a future superstar, but because they needed to clear cap space to go after Shaq.

    It just happened to turn out wonderfully for L.A., as these things often do.

    They got the first pick in the 1980 draft as compensation for losing Gail Goodrich to the Jazz.

    They got the first pick in the 1982 draft because a couple of years earlier they made a deal with the Cavaliers that included a swap of first-round draft picks. Lo and behold, the Cavs fell to 15-67 and were the worst team in 1981-82, and the Lakers got the Cavs' pick.
     
  8. Mizzougrad96

    Mizzougrad96 Active Member

    That was when I started hating the Lakers, when they had Magic and Kareem and had just won a title and they somehow had the No. 1 pick in the draft with Worthy coming out of a NC team that had just won the title.
     
  9. Mizzougrad96

    Mizzougrad96 Active Member

    Yeah, I can't paint Anthony as a bad guy in this one. He told his current team of his wishes. He allowed them to get something in return. He is going home.
     
  10. Mizzougrad96

    Mizzougrad96 Active Member

    He told them where he wanted to go and they made it happen. Sounds like good communication and a good agent.
     
  11. JackReacher

    JackReacher Well-Known Member

    Home? Didn't Anthony grow up in Baltimore? I'm under the impression he was born in Brooklyn and spent about 5 minutes there before moving. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.
     
  12. zagoshe

    zagoshe Well-Known Member

    I disagree - the Knicks now have two of the best 10 or 12 players in the game. They are absolutely closer to a title.
     
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