Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak is the latest Don in L.A.’s version of the Corleone family, and he just whacked his Magic counterpart, neophyte Rob Hennigan, in broad daylight, with witnesses galore, and those opposed helpless to do anything but watch it happen.
The one trade Hennigan could never allow to materialize is the one that will forever hang over him in all its disgrace.
He willingly sent another transcendent center to go play with Kobe Bryant in Hollywood. The difference this time: Orlando decision-makers had a choice and plenty of history to tell them this wasn’t the right one.
While a delirious Laker Nation celebrates, I am left to wonder about the credibility of a league where the ultimate glamour franchise can just waltz into the stalled proceedings without ski masks or firearms, steal Howard and walk away locked into probable dominance instead of handcuffs.
AMC aired Goodfellas last weekend, and the NBA I love so much has never looked more like an organized crime ring.
The association that filled my childhood with precious, timeless memories has never felt more like a sham.
The Lakers didn’t have the best deal on the table, and yet, as if to make Jimmy Conway proud, they took Howard anyway.
ESPN first reported the four-team trade, which will send Howard to L.A. and Andrew Bynum to Philadelphia. Orlando received three first-round picks, multiple second-round selections, Aaron Afflalo, Al Harrington, Nikola Vucevic and Moe Harkless. The Lakers even kept Pau Gasol.
The Magic waited many months before pulling the trigger to pull it on this abomination?
The Houston Rockets offered a roster full of talented youngsters on rookie deals, a probable lottery pick acquired from Toronto, their own unprotected 2013 pick and the chance to unload regrettable contracts.
Hennigan settled...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
