Let's do baseball first because my thoughts on the Rockets/Lakers/Hornets blockbuster will be longer and more in depth.
250 Million Dollars for Albert Pujols......really? Maybe I'm just a jaded Red Sox fan, but is there ANYONE in the league that you would feel comfortable with signing to a 10 year contract worth a quarter of a billion dollars? The last person (and only other person) to sign a contract that large had to be traded halfway through it because his team couldn't afford to sign anyone else. In five years is Albert going to be a Yankee, because I'm not sure that anyone else will be able to afford that contract? Taking nothing away from Pujols, he's a great player who is absolutely a first ballot hall of famer, but he's on the wrong side of 30 (32 years old) and already showed signs of breaking down at the beginning of last year. If the Angels can win a World Series with him, then it will be considered a good signing. To be honest, they will probably be able to pay off his contract just from all the merchandise that he'll sell.
But then again, maybe I'm just pissed that the Red Sox spent 225 million dollars on John Lackey and Carl Crawford......maybe it's for the best that Theo left.
The Angels weren't done today though, signing C.J. Wilson to a 5 year 75 million dollar contract. I wasn't crazy about this signing until I looked at the salary that John Lackey and Dice-K have been pulling in over the last few years. At 32, C.J. is also on the wrong side of 30 and has only been "great" for two years. This situation is perfect for him though. He gets to join an Angels staff that already has Jered Weaver, Dan Haren, and Ervin Santana. CJ gets to be the 3rd starter on the Angels, taking the pressure off him signing a big new contract.
So that's my take on the two big baseball signings today. The Angels should easily win the division this year, as they just took Texas' best pitcher.
Now onto the MAIN EVENT
Let's first just break down all the moving parts.
New Orleans Hornets Receive: Lamar Odom, Kevin Martin, Luis Scola, Goran Dragic
Houston Rockets Receive: Pau Gasol
Los Angeles Lakers Receive: Chris Paul
There's the trade, possibly with some picks thrown in going to New Orleans. So lets break it down and see who won. I'll be honest, I'm not sure that the Lakers are the big winners in this trade, although they certainly didn't lose. The winners of the whole trade might be the Boston Celtics, Golden State Warriors, and Los Angeles Clippers. I know it sounds weird to say that these teams were winners, but with the packages that the Hornets were asking for these teams were better off keeping the players they had. The Celtics were being asked to part with Rajon Rondo, which reportedly they were only too happy to do, but looking forward if Chris Paul refused to re-sign then they'd be left with an old Paul Pierce and not much else. Much better off to still have an all star point guard next year, than nothing. New Orleans wanted Eric Gordon from the Clippers, who for the first time in a VERY long time are looking to be competitive. Showing remarkable restraint, the Clippers refused to include Gordon, and it was the right move because with Blake Griffin, Eric Gordon, and Deandre Jordan, they might be the OKC Thunder of this year. The Warriors were asked to include Steph Curry, but refused and cut off negotiations when the Hornets insisted on Curry instead of Monta Ellis. Smart move by the Warriors, because they need someone bigger in the back court to go with Curry, not another small, ball dominant player, to go with Monta.
For the teams that actually participated in the trade, I give the edge to New Orleans as the winner. They got a very good haul for a player that had already said he wasn't going to re-sign. They did what the Raptors and Cavaliers should have done during the last offseason, entertained offers and got the very best one they could. For the Hornets it isn't about winning this year, but getting assets for the future. Kevin Martin is a scorer who will keep them in games this year, Scola is an above average big man, and Goran Dragic can step in and start at the point guard spot this year. I would be very surprised if Lamar Odom ever suits up for the Hornets, he'll either be traded quickly or bought out.
The Lakers of course got the best player in the trade, but they aren't going to get any better this year. They now have a serious lack of big men, with Andrew Bynum being their only big time big man left, and Andrew Bynum is a member of the Greg Oden school of injuries. The Lakers do now own the best backcourt in basketball with CP3 and Kobe Bryant, but a front court that boasts Bynum, Derrick Caracter, Devin Ebanks, Ater Majok, Theo Ratliff, and Joe Smith isn't scaring anyone. Obviously the offseason isn't over yet, in fact it hasn't even officially started, but if the Lakers don't fix their front court, then I have to change my NBA champion pick. And if they somehow get Dwight Howard I have to light myself on fire. Be prepared.
The Rockets got Pau Gasol. I'm confused as to why they bothered with this trade. They needed a big man, but they needed to team him up with Scola and Martin, not trade them away to get him. They are the loser of this trade, unless they have something else lined up to get themselves some back court help.
Also Lamar Odom really lost. Not only did he get sent to New Orleans, but now Khloe Kardashian is DEFINITELY going to divorce him, she's not leaving LA.
Well thanks for reading, leave a comment letting me know if you agree or disagree with my assessment, follow me on twitter @JoshViola19.
-Josh
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