NBA Trade Rumors: LA Lakers Should Look Beyond Phil’s Era and Go After Chris Paul

The Los Angeles Lakers should've traded Andrew Bynum for Chris Paul when they had the chance.  Phil Jackson was reportedly against any deal for Paul, which is why nothing materialized.  I think the window of opportunity may still be barely open.  If the CP3 trade rumors surface again, I think Los Angeles can and should try to get him.

Jackson is the most successful coach in the history of the NBA, and one could argue the greatest basketball coach that has ever lived.  He led the Chicago Bulls to six titles and is looking for a sixth with the Los Angeles Lakers this year.

Chris Paul is undoubtedly one of the top five point guards in the league right now, even after missing a significant amount of time due to injury last season.  He's average 19.3 points and 10 assists per game over the course of his five years playing for the Hornets.

So when trade rumors involving Paul heading to the Lakers emerged this past summer, why didn't Phil Jackson jump at the opportunity?

Paul was said to be a bad fit in Jackson's triangle offense.  The Lakers coach is typically inclined to want bigger point guards who don't mind having the offense run through someone other than themselves.  

In Chicago, the offense ran through Michael Jordan.  In Los Angeles, Kobe Bryant is the man.

Another reason they hesitated to make any deal was because the Hornets would've wanted Andrew Bynum in return.  He's a young, talented center and combined with Pau Gasol gives the Lakers a size advantage inside against almost any other team.

OK, so Chris Paul doesn't exactly fit in to Phil Jackson's scheme.  However, Jackson is almost certainly going to be done coaching after this year.

In addition to that, outside of Andrew Bynum, the team is going to start showing its age soon.  Nine players on the roster are on the wrong side of 30, including Kobe, Pau Gasol a...