With each and every trade rumor the Los Angeles have been associated with this season comes have heaping helping of salt. In the case of Chris Paul it was a spoon full of castor oil. But since then the Lamar Odom deal, the cap conscious crushing of the Michael Beasley offer and now the rejection of a Ramon Sessions trade have all been more bitter than a 40-ounce of a double IPA with much less flavor.
Mike Bresnahan mixes in an interesting tidbit of news in his Laker musings that appeared in the L.A. Times today. According to Bresnahan the Lakers were in talks to acquire Sessions from the Cleveland Cavaliers but backed out when the asking price got too steep for their taste.
"The Lakers were close to a smaller deal with Cleveland for backup point guard Ramon Sessions but didn’t want to part with the future first-round pick they acquired from Dallas for Odom."
Not too big a surprise the Lakers are unwilling to give up yet another first round pick. Since the Pau Gasol trade the Lakers haven’t had much scouting to do as they’re regular first-round outsiders. For the record, I felt Beasley wasn’t worth a first round pick either so no way Sessions could be.
However the message is very clear. The Lakers are looking much further down the road, seemingly unconcerned with the current team.
The writing is on the wall and Jerry Buss would prefer said writing isn’t etched with company ink. The front office isn’t going to put any more cash into this sinking ship. Sessions is a definite upgrade at point guard but no so that he’ll turn the tile tide in favor of the Lake Show.
Bresnahan also says the possibility of acquiring Dwight Howard has all but vanished like so many call girls from Charlie Sheen’s house once the coke runs out.
So, here the Lakers are, mired in the middle of the Western Conference playoff scrum, struggling to stay afloat with no rescue ship in sight and the captain of the vessel (some random member of the Buss family) nowhere to be found.