Lakers: Chris Paul and Kobe Bryant and What Could Have Been
A decade ago, David Stern nixed a trade that would have sent Chris Paul to the Lakers. Chris Paul and Kobe Bryant in a Lakers uniform. A past that never happened, a legendary backcourt that never was.
Chris Paul recently spoke with Taylor Rooks from Bleacher Report. Paul was mostly candid, although he alluded to saying more about this experience after his playing days are done.
"It’s even crazier to think about it now, given the situation of the past few months, losing Kobe and David Stern. Man it would've been special. You know I'll talk about it at some point, but me and Kobe had actually got on the phone and talked about, you know, this and that, and me and my brother was about to get on a flight to fly to LA… There are times where I’ll be like ‘Man, this would have been..’ but I can’t get caught up in that, it all worked out."
Nobody knows what truly would have happened. Laker fans are quick to forget that this would have sent Pau Gasol away, leaving LA with a big presence missing in the paint. Andrew Bynum was well on his way to having one or two good seasons before washing out, and Odom was also included in the trade. Paul and Bryant would have been one of the most elite 1-2 tandems in NBA history, but every team needs a big man.
Paul has proven that he doesn't need to shoot all the time to be relevant on the court, although he can score in bunches. With Bryant on the court, he would have had numerous opportunities to hit wide-open threes, jumpers, and driving into the lane. While handling the ball, he could have commanded a ton of attention which would have given more open ball opportunities to one of the greatest scorers the NBA has ever seen.
Paul of course did find his way to LA eventually but unfortunately playing for the other LA team. When he retires, he will go down as one of the best point guards of all time, but his window for winning that elusive championship is dwindling.
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