Posted by technomaster:

Phoenix has the cap room... and a bunch of young prospects. Thinking sign & trade, Marion + change for Kobe seems fair... perhaps including some euro combination of Zarko/Maceij/Vujanic and perhaps a sign-and-trade low salary McDyess.

It'd give the Lakers youth, potential, and with Marion, a guy who in some ways is better than Kobe (but overall, not so much). He's arguably a better defender/rebounder... and is perhaps more proficient from behind the arc. He puts up fairly comparable numbers, but does not have Kobe's organic feel for the game nor quite the versatility, so to make this trade isn't really outlandish.

I highly doubt the Lakers/Phil Jackson would be interested in Marbury or Houston. Phil Jackson has already experimented with one trick ponies (Glen Rice) and got tired of him quickly, thus Houston is out (besides, Rush is close enough).

We've seen the ineffectiveness of Gary Payton in Jackson's system... and I can't imagine Marbury doing any better... thus Marbury is out.

We've given up a whole bunch of prospects already... so really, what you see is what you get in terms of trading commodities. We're out of 1st rounders and young euro prospects to deal.

i would'nt call rice a one trick pony. he was a big reason they won that first year. the only reason it did not work with rice, which is the same problem with payton right now, is he did not receive the amount of touches he thought he deserved. he was vocal with his opinion as with payton. the difference is houston is a team player who would be happy and adjust to any system and not make waves. the triangle offense would be great for him at this stage of his career. but if la is even thinking about trading kobe, other teams will give up a lot more to attain him than what we have. we know thomas will pursue intensely but to no avail. the only possible way is if kobe said that he wanted to only be traded to new york or else he will go to phoenix without any compensation for the lakers. i can't see that happening.