As if Los Angeles Laker Fans don't already know it. But ESPN writer Mark Stein confirms what we already knew. Here is an excerpt from ESPN
1. Pau Gasol to the Lakers
Did someone say impact?
Getting Gasol influenced the thinking of every team around the Lakers in the West, immediately vaulted L.A. into the league's top tier of teams and, most of all, lifted Kobe Bryant to new levels of intensity while giving him no reason to even think about forcing his exit any time soon. No matter what happens this season.
When you remember that the deal with Memphis -- as we keep saying -- also cost the Lakers none of Phil Jackson's 10 favorite players, you are forced to wonder: Can a trade get any better?
The new Lakers have quickly convinced lots of smart folks in this league that they can win the championship on their first attempt, even with Andrew Bynum still out indefinitely and Kobe allegedly vulnerable with a pinkie injury that didn't seem to be troubling him too much in Phoenix on Wednesday night. If it doesn't happen right away? Bryant doesn't turn 30 until August; Bynum doesn't turn 21 until October; and Gasol is just 27.
Either way, I already find myself backing off my Power Rankings premise that the Lakers have too much going on healthwise and newnesswise to get out of the West this June, especially after a serious scolding Friday from a trusted Western Conference scout who said: "They've replaced Smush Parker with Derek Fisher at the point, which is a huge upgrade, and nobody's talking about Lamar Odom. If Lamar is the third-best player on your team, you're really good. And he might be the Lakers' fourth-best player."
The full article can be found here
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