With Addition of Gasol, Lakers Are Poised for Championship Run

The 2007-2008 NBA basketball season has been quite a roller coaster for the Los Angeles Lakers. It began in the off-season with Kobe Bryant's frequent and emphatic trade demands. Then, the Lakers got off to a sluggish start (including blowout losses to New Orleans and Utah). Things then began to look up as the Lakers rode the emergence of Andrew Bynum all the way to the top spot in the tough Western conference.

Bynum was far eclipsing any realistic expectations. In December and January, the young center averaged 15 points and 10 rebounds per game. Most importantly, the Lakers were sporting a 24-10 record and sitting atop the heavily contested western conference. The Lakers' spirits were riding high, until Bynum went down with a knee injury during the second half of a January game against the Memphis Grizzlies. The Lakers squeaked out a one point win against the lowly Grizzlies, but suffered a much greater loss when it was revealed that Andrew Bynum would miss two months of action.

In the first 34 games of the season, Bynum had established himself as the Lakers second best player, a reliable scorer to play alongside Kobe Bryant, and the defensive anchor Los Angeles had been missing the previous three seasons. With his injury, the Lakers surprising season appeared to be up in smoke.

The Lakers were forced to proceed with Kwame Brown as their starting center. To make matters worse, they were entering the most difficult portion of their schedule which included games against top-tier Western Conference teams and a nine game road trip. The depleted Lakers suffered losses against Phoenix, San Antonio, and Dallas. They would also drop the first game of their nine game road trip to Detroit. With Bynum out, the wheels had fallen off and the Lakers found themselves in desperate need of a skilled big man.

There were rumors that Los Angeles was in talks with former fab-fiver, Chris Webber about an NBA comeback. But nobody could have envisioned the move the Lakers would actually make. On the first day of February, the Lakers put together a trade package for Pau Gasol that sent shockwaves through the NBA.

In Gasol, the Lakers added a 7-foot-tall power forward that can pass, score, and rebound. The one knock on Gasol has been his defensive ability, although he is considered a strong weak side defender and shot blocker. Gasol has averaged nearly 20 points a game in his NBA career and can create his own shot which will help take some of the scoring burden away from Kobe Bryant.

The best part of the deal for the Los Angeles Lakers is that they didn't give up any of their top ten players. They only sent Kwame Brown and Javaris Crittenton from their active roster. Brown had failed to live up to his potential during his three seasons in LA and Crittenton was a rookie playing sparingly behind Derek Fisher and Jordan Farmar. For all intents and purposes, the Lakers added Gasol without sacrificing any key members of this year's squad.

The Lakers have already been a surprising contender in the West this year, now they are contenders for the NBA title. When Andrew Bynum returns (likely mid to late March), the Lakers will be able to put three 7-footers on the court at the same time. This will create matchup problems for any team in the league. Not to mention, that Kobe Bryant guy is an okay player.

It has been a roller coaster for the Los Angeles Lakers this year. Amidst all the uncertainty and chaos, the Lakers have put together a team that will contend for many years to come. With a 29 year old Bryant, a 27 year old Gasol, and a 20 year old Bynum, Laker fans will enjoy the ride for the next few years.