Los Angeles Lakers executive Jim Buss opens up about the nixed Chris Paul trade – NBA Update
Nearly four months after Chris Paul to Los Angeles Lakers deal was sabotaged by the NBA Commissioner David Stern, Jim Buss, the Lakers executive vice president of player personnel has opened up about the whole saga. And after seeing
his side claim the third spot in the Western Conference, son of the Lakers owner Jerry Buss, is willing to put the situation behind him;
"I'm going to put it in the books, just like the season. I'm over it," Jim Buss told 710 ESPN's "Mason & Ireland Show" on Friday. "Watching Pau Gasol play, he's just a work of art and there's half of me that says that's fantastic
that we still have Pau Gasol. Then of course you watch a Clipper game and you see how great Chris Paul is, too. To me, I'm going to just close the book on it. I think the season went great; we won the (Pacific) Division. With all the changes that we've made,
I think we've come out smelling pretty good."
The trade at the centre of controversy involved three teams, the Lakers, Houston Rockets and New Orleans Hornets, which was owned by the NBA at the time. The proposed deal would have sent one of the Lakers twin tower Pau Gasol
to the Rockets and reigning ‘Sixth Man of the Year’ Lamar Odom to the Hornets, while the California franchise would have got Chris Paul in return. That deal never materialized as NBA commissioner David Stern, who was technically the Hornets owner at that time,
dropped the axe. The fallout because of it was huge though.
In the days that followed a disgruntled Odom demanded an immediate trade and was sent to the Dallas Mavericks. Gasol also remained under a cloud of uncertainty and there were vibes that he will be traded before the mid season trade
window. The situation was so bad that Kobe Bryant, the face of the Lakers, publically lashed out at the management while supporting Gasol.
One other factor that added to the pinch that the Lakers felt was that Chris Paul eventually ended up at the Clippers. To see him playing in the same building but with different colours certainly was an irony that Buss and the
Lakers never envisioned.
However, the Lakers led by vintage Kobe Bryant overcame all odds, and after a shaky start, eventually ended the regular season as the leaders of the Pacific Division, beating Paul and the Clips 2-1 along the way.
With what Buss has seen so far, he believes that his side has the potential to go all the way this time around;
"I still think this team has just a tremendous chance to find its stride in the playoffs and win the whole thing," Buss said. "I know if I was an opposing team I sure wouldn't want to face this team."
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