The trade that makes too much sense

Jason Kidd officially said he wants out. So what that everyone knew that already. It'd be like Brittney Spears officially announcing to TMZ that indeed, she is completely insane. This gives us a chance to discuss how the Lakers could obtain Kidd and puts some more pressure on the Nets to actually entertain Laker offers for Kidd -- if those offers are being made by that genius we call Mitch Kupchak.
Anyways, after just five minutes of playing with the NBA Trade Machine, here's what I conjured up. It seems like this trade makes too much sense for both teams.

The Lakers get: Jason Kidd ($19.7 million per year, 2 years left) and Jason Collins ($6.1 million, 2 years left)
The Nets get: Lamar Odom ($13.2 million, 2 years left) Kwame Brown ($9.1 million, 1 year left), and Jordan Farmar ($1 million, 2 years left)

Let's start with the Nets. They get a terrific up and coming point guard in Farmar who has proven he can play at an elite level. Farmar is 14th among all point guards in PER even ahead of Kidd.

He's shooting 49 percent from the field, 40 percent from 3-point range, and averaging 10 points a game in just 21 minutes.

The Nets also get a expiring contract (Brown), who creates $9 million dollars in cap space.
And they get Lamar Odom, a tradeable commodity who can play a multiple positions. Sure, the Nets already have Richard Jefferson and Vince Carter, but it's not like they're gearing up to the win the title this year. It's time to break up the Nets. They have a new general manager in place and he's going to want to put his own stamp on the organization. In the meantime, they can stick Odom at the 4 and go small with Odom, Carter, Jefferson, Farmar/Marcus Williams and Kwame/Josh Boone.

Eventually they can throw Odom and likely Carter, who's gonna want to leave soon in a deal to get a legitimate post player.

In the meantime, the Lakers get a second star next to Kobe and more importantly, a star that won't take shots away from him. Once Andrew Bynum and Trevor Ariza come back, the Lakers would have Kidd, Kobe, Ariza, Ronny Turiaf and Bynum with Derek Fisher coming off the bench. If they want to go small, they could put Kobe at the 3 and put Fisher in with Kidd in the backcourt, sending Turiaf to the bench.

Jason Collins makes sense because it gives the Lakers a backup big man who's good in the locker room, a local kid (went to Harvard Westlake), and can play defense. The Nets don't want him because he makes $6 million a year, averages 1 point a game, and they have a nucleus of young big men (Boone, Nenad Krstic, Sean Williams).

Of course the two teams discussed as possible trading partners thus far have been Dallas and Denver. According to Mark Heisler of the LA Times, sources say the Lakers "are not expected to be a player" in the deal. Heisler also said Phil Jackson is thought to be skeptical of the deal.
That's likely because Jackson's triangle offense is a no point guard offense.

As a man named Habil once said. Go figure.

The Lakers snap three game losing streak: Thanks to 20 points from Sasha Vujacic and a near triple double from Kobe, the Lakers fended off the Knicks despite playing no defense, 120-109.

Lebron vs. Kobe

Lebron owns Kobe says Paul Oberjuerge of the Daily News. Here are a few of the stats to back it up:

In the past three games, Lebron:

• has outscored Kobe 111-87
• out shot him 49.4 percent to 41.5
• has won all three games, and the two before that as well

Love for Ronny:

Ronny Turiaf was listed on John Hollinger's list of the top 15 sleeper players in the NBA.

Must read: Jerramy Stevens is lower than scum. It's a little bit long, but Stevens makes Michael Vick look like a choir boy.

More shocking revelations: Remember the must read story I posted last Thursday I called the saddest story I've read in a long time? Well, apparently there's more to the story. The coach who lost his ex-wife and son in a murder suicide is now being accused of sexual contact with a minor.

In case girls basketball interests you: Here's my Daily News article on Oaks Christian, who's coached by former CSUN star Andre Chevalier.

As always, an updated Lakers +/- (through 43 games) Lakers: 28-15 5th in West

Fisher +131
Kobe +267
Turiaf +50
Odom +131
Mihm -16
Walton +121
Bynum +236
Farmar +118
Radmanovic +134
Brown -35
Vujacic +48
Crittenton -40
Karl +4
Ariza +5
Mbenga +2

Up Next: at Detroit Thursday 4:30 p.m. PST KCAL