Dwight to LA!

[Funky Bunky]

Got it. Thanks.

[Fifty8_Black O]

I just don't see how the Magic thought THIS offer was better than the ones they got from Brooklyn or involving Houston. Mitchy K must have a sexy sexy phone voice. It's always hard to get equal value back when you trade a superstar like orlando did, but man, I don't know if I could come up with a more atrocious combination of 4 players to give up Dwight Howard for than Arron Afflalo, Al Harrington, Nikola Vucevic and Moe Harkless. But I guess this proves that in the NBA you either wanna be the best, or you wanna be the worst. Props to PHI who came out of nowhere and turned Iggy (who they didn't really want) and a first (Harkless, who they didn't really need) into Bynum, the East All-Star's (and hopefully Philly's with an extension) starting center for the next 5 years.

[DarkJourney]

So the NBA is pretty much a 2 team league. Color me so excited

[CDixonDesign]

I hate this s@#%. They need to seriously fix the scales of big vs. small markets in the NBA. This coming from a Celtics fan, and maybe, on occasion a "homer" Bobcats fan supporter.

[Lights Out]

Meh... this really isn't an egregious gift like the Pau trade was. The Lakers did have to give up Bynum. There's also no guarantees that this experiment will work, considering Dwight refuses to extend and might not even be healthy enough to play until December.

Additionally, two "small-market" teams (the Nuggets and Sixers) were easily the big winners in this trade - especially the Nuggets. They were able to fit Iguodala into a sizeable trade exception and still maintain a lot of flexibility. If I were an NBA GM, I would hate to deal with Masai Ujiri - he's mastered the art of fleecing the teams he's trading with.

Not to mention, there's still plenty of contenders in the NBA who can kill the Laker hype before it really gets started - Miami, LAC, San Antonio, and, as much as I hate them, the Thunder come to mind. It helps matters that the Lakers have no depth, and there's no really solid bench players left on the market because Miami and the Clippers already signed pretty much all of them.

As a Clipper fan, I'm kind of glad we're going to be under the radar this year even though we got a lot better this summer. All the hype last year swirled into a :censored:storm of backlash. I'm going to love not having to read or hear "LOLZ FLOP CITY" every five seconds when the Lakers are getting all the negative attention.

[patsox]

Additionally, two "small-market" teams (the Nuggets and Sixers) were easily the big winners in this trade

How on god's green earth do you consider the Sixers a small market team?

[The_Admiral]

I don't know. What is their spending like? The Bulls, inasmuch as they aren't allowed to go into luxury tax under any circumstances, are in effect a small-market team.

[aci]

Additionally, two "small-market" teams (the Nuggets and Sixers) were easily the big winners in this trade

How on god's green earth do you consider the Sixers a small market team?

I think it has a lot to do with them sucking major ass year in and year out, and not really attracting any star players. The 'Philadelphia' part just goes over peoples' heads, and I don't just mean Light Out's. It was the same with the LA Kings in the NHL before last year... people tend to forget they're a large market team just because they have gone a while without some continued success.

[NJTank]

Looking at what Orlando got in return they should rename the team the Orlando Tragic.

[BBTV]

Meh... this really isn't an egregious gift like the Pau trade was. The Lakers did have to give up Bynum. There's also no guarantees that this experiment will work, considering Dwight refuses to extend and might not even be healthy enough to play until December.

Additionally, two "small-market" teams (the Nuggets and Sixers) were easily the big winners in this trade - especially the Nuggets. They were able to fit Iguodala into a sizeable trade exception and still maintain a lot of flexibility. If I were an NBA GM, I would hate to deal with Masai Ujiri - he's mastered the art of fleecing the teams he's trading with.

Not to mention, there's still plenty of contenders in the NBA who can kill the Laker hype before it really gets started - Miami, LAC, San Antonio, and, as much as I hate them, the Thunder come to mind. It helps matters that the Lakers have no depth, and there's no really solid bench players left on the market because Miami and the Clippers already signed pretty much all of them.

As a Clipper fan, I'm kind of glad we're going to be under the radar this year even though we got a lot better this summer. All the hype last year swirled into a :censored:storm of backlash. I'm going to love not having to read or hear "LOLZ FLOP CITY" every five seconds when the Lakers are getting all the negative attention.

In what universe are the Sixers a "small-market" team? I get that in this era they're not a "glamour" team like the Lakers, Celtics, Bulls, etc., but they're still top 5 media market, have nearly unlimited funds, and now have an ownership that's not just using them to fill programming on what is essentially the Flyers TV network.

[Lights Out]

Additionally, two "small-market" teams (the Nuggets and Sixers) were easily the big winners in this trade

How on god's green earth do you consider the Sixers a small market team?

They aren't a destination franchise, and they spend a similar amount of money as true small-market teams. Payroll-wise, they were in the Portland, Orlando, Golden State, Detroit, etc. tier last year. I feel like "small market" doesn't necessarily correlate to actual market size in the NBA, it's just a nicer way of calling certain franchises "have-nots".

[OnWis97]

Additionally, two "small-market" teams (the Nuggets and Sixers) were easily the big winners in this trade

How on god's green earth do you consider the Sixers a small market team?

They aren't a destination franchise, and they spend a similar amount of money as true small-market teams. Payroll-wise, they were in the Portland, Orlando, Golden State, Detroit, etc. tier last year. I feel like "small market" doesn't necessarily correlate to actual market size in the NBA, it's just a nicer way of calling certain franchises "have-nots".

Yeah. In a true sense, Philly is a big market, the NBA's divide is going to be about which destinations key free agents (and superstar malcontents like Howard) may go to. Philadelphia, despite its size and franchise history, does not seem to be emerging as one of those teams. Right now it's the Lakers (and always will be), Knicks, and maybe Bulls, Celtics (but that may be going away soon), and the Heat. Miami sort of fell into that because other guys joined Wade. But the weather is great. Weather and glamor are going to be the big draws. Golden State is a HUGE market, but they and Philly are not free agent draws right now. Hell, even Dallas, with a player friendly owner that really wants to win, does not seem to be.

Think of the next start to leave a meaningless team. Now think of what teams he could possibly end up in. To me, Philly is not one of those teams; and if I am right, then they are kind of a de-facto small market team.

Outside of New York, Chicago and maybe Boston, I am not sure there is really no reason to keep any bad weather teams around.

[Lights Out]

Yeah. In a true sense, Philly is a big market, the NBA's divide is going to be about which destinations key free agents (and superstar malcontents like Howard) may go to. Philadelphia, despite its size and franchise history, does not seem to be emerging as one of those teams. Right now it's the Lakers (and always will be), Knicks, and maybe Bulls, Celtics (but that may be going away soon), and the Heat.

I wouldn't call the Celtics a "destination franchise". CP3 turned them down, and LeBron and Dwight never even considered them. The Bulls aren't a "destination" either - LeBron picked Miami over them, Wade snubbed them despite being from Chicago, and Dwight threw a :censored:fit at the slightest whisper of a possible trade there.

IMO, judging from the past three offseasons, the destination teams around the league right now are the Lakers, Knicks, Nets, Clippers, and Heat. Four of those teams play in the two largest media markets in the nation, and the other plays in one of the biggest party/nightlife cities. As long as those teams continue to be managed competently (or in the case of the Knicks, manage to avoid another colossal Isiah screw-up), they'll be able to keep getting talent for the duration of the league's current "big-market superteam" era.

[BBTV]

Additionally, two "small-market" teams (the Nuggets and Sixers) were easily the big winners in this trade

How on god's green earth do you consider the Sixers a small market team?

They aren't a destination franchise, and they spend a similar amount of money as true small-market teams. Payroll-wise, they were in the Portland, Orlando, Golden State, Detroit, etc. tier last year. I feel like "small market" doesn't necessarily correlate to actual market size in the NBA, it's just a nicer way of calling certain franchises "have-nots".

Yeah. In a true sense, Philly is a big market, the NBA's divide is going to be about which destinations key free agents (and superstar malcontents like Howard) may go to. Philadelphia, despite its size and franchise history, does not seem to be emerging as one of those teams. Right now it's the Lakers (and always will be), Knicks, and maybe Bulls, Celtics (but that may be going away soon), and the Heat. Miami sort of fell into that because other guys joined Wade. But the weather is great. Weather and glamor are going to be the big draws. Golden State is a HUGE market, but they and Philly are not free agent draws right now. Hell, even Dallas, with a player friendly owner that really wants to win, does not seem to be.

Think of the next start to leave a meaningless team. Now think of what teams he could possibly end up in. To me, Philly is not one of those teams; and if I am right, then they are kind of a de-facto small market team.

Outside of New York, Chicago and maybe Boston, I am not sure there is really no reason to keep any bad weather teams around.

This is true. They were becoming one of those teams in the early part of the century with AI et al, and I really think that their uniforms and "hip hop" connections were helping them. Then the management shifted more to the Flyers staff, who just didn't care, and eventually scrapped everything and then sold them. There is certainly not much attraction to being there now.

Their plan is to use money to become a destination, but I think history has shown that's only a temporary solution.

[The_Admiral]

Remember when we used to call the Detroit Pistons "the league of supervillains" and such? Was that adorably quaint or what?

[cohenj21]

Additionally, two "small-market" teams (the Nuggets and Sixers) were easily the big winners in this trade

How on god's green earth do you consider the Sixers a small market team?

They aren't a destination franchise, and they spend a similar amount of money as true small-market teams. Payroll-wise, they were in the Portland, Orlando, Golden State, Detroit, etc. tier last year. I feel like "small market" doesn't necessarily correlate to actual market size in the NBA, it's just a nicer way of calling certain franchises "have-nots".

Yeah. In a true sense, Philly is a big market, the NBA's divide is going to be about which destinations key free agents (and superstar malcontents like Howard) may go to. Philadelphia, despite its size and franchise history, does not seem to be emerging as one of those teams. Right now it's the Lakers (and always will be), Knicks, and maybe Bulls, Celtics (but that may be going away soon), and the Heat. Miami sort of fell into that because other guys joined Wade. But the weather is great. Weather and glamor are going to be the big draws. Golden State is a HUGE market, but they and Philly are not free agent draws right now. Hell, even Dallas, with a player friendly owner that really wants to win, does not seem to be.

Think of the next start to leave a meaningless team. Now think of what teams he could possibly end up in. To me, Philly is not one of those teams; and if I am right, then they are kind of a de-facto small market team.

Outside of New York, Chicago and maybe Boston, I am not sure there is really no reason to keep any bad weather teams around.

This is true. They were becoming one of those teams in the early part of the century with AI et al, and I really think that their uniforms and "hip hop" connections were helping them. Then the management shifted more to the Flyers staff, who just didn't care, and eventually scrapped everything and then sold them. There is certainly not much attraction to being there now.

Their plan is to use money to become a destination, but I think history has shown that's only a temporary solution.

This. Philly is not technically a small-market team, seeing as they play in the nation's fourth largest media market. However, the way the organization has been run in the last 6 to 8 years is very reminiscent of a small-market team. The new management in the Sixers organization is trying to turn around this trend by using money to lure free agents (which has not yet been successful) and jumping into trades as buyers (which just was). As BringBackTheVet said above, history has shown that throwing money around is rarely a formula for long-term, sustained success in a franchise (unless you are the Yankees, but that's a discussion for another day). All I'm saying is, don't expect the Sixers to turn into a "destination franchise" overnight.

[masterchaoss]

That is the main resaion alot of teams suck is becuase of a lack of good management,look at OKC and SA you need good management to win in the nba. Big and small market don't mater . Being in LA isn't why the Lakers are good it's because of buss and kuptcept(sorry I butchered it) that is why they are good all the time.

Meh... this really isn't an egregious gift like the Pau trade was. The Lakers did have to give up Bynum. There's also no guarantees that this experiment will work, considering Dwight refuses to extend and might not even be healthy enough to play until December.

Additionally, two "small-market" teams (the Nuggets and Sixers) were easily the big winners in this trade - especially the Nuggets. They were able to fit Iguodala into a sizeable trade exception and still maintain a lot of flexibility. If I were an NBA GM, I would hate to deal with Masai Ujiri - he's mastered the art of fleecing the teams he's trading with.

Not to mention, there's still plenty of contenders in the NBA who can kill the Laker hype before it really gets started - Miami, LAC, San Antonio, and, as much as I hate them, the Thunder come to mind. It helps matters that the Lakers have no depth, and there's no really solid bench players left on the market because Miami and the Clippers already signed pretty much all of them.

As a Clipper fan, I'm kind of glad we're going to be under the radar this year even though we got a lot better this summer. All the hype last year swirled into a :censored:storm of backlash. I'm going to love not having to read or hear "LOLZ FLOP CITY" every five seconds when the Lakers are getting all the negative attention.

In what universe are the Sixers a "small-market" team? I get that in this era they're not a "glamour" team like the Lakers, Celtics, Bulls, etc., but they're still top 5 media market, have nearly unlimited funds, and now have an ownership that's not just using them to fill programming on what is essentially the Flyers TV network.

[BrySmalls]

If the League owned Hornets (at the time) couldn't trade their franchise player, Chris Paul, to the Lakers; then how on earth will the League approve a four team trade in which Orlando's franchise player, Dwight Howard, is sent to the Lakers?

[Sport]

thats the main resion alot of teams suck look at okc and SA you need good management to win the nba big and small market don't mater u don't. Being in LA is why the lakers are good it because of buss and kuptcept(sorry I butchered it) there good all the time

This is my new favorite post.

[BBTV]

If the League owned Hornets (at the time) couldn't trade their franchise player, Chris Paul, to the Lakers; then how on earth will the League approve a four team trade in which Orlando's franchise player, Dwight Howard, is sent to the Lakers?

What was the "official" reason for them vetoing the trade? Was it because of competitive balance, or because the de-facto GM (Stern, I guess) didn't think it was a good trade personnel wise?

thats the main resion alot of teams suck look at okc and SA you need good management to win the nba big and small market don't mater u don't. Being in LA is why the lakers are good it because of buss and kuptcept(sorry I butchered it) there good all the time

This is my new favorite post.

Wow, that's bad. I'm imagining a person actually speaking like that, and I'm getting more than a few laughs out of it.