The dust is settling on the blockbuster trade that shook up both Eastern and Western conferences. Here is the final damage done from the trade:
CBS Sports posted more details on the deal now that it is final.

Lakers get Howard, Earl Clark and Chris Duhon

Philly Gets Jason Richardson and Andrew Bynum

Denver Gets Andre Iguodala

Orlando Gets Christian Eyenga, Josh McRoberts, Al Harrington, Arron Afflalo, Nikola Vucevic, Moe Harkless, Lakers 2017 first round and 2015 second round picks, Denver's 2014 first round pick, Philly's 2015 1st round pick. (All the picks are conditional and protected to some degree)

My first reaction was that Orlando surely could have gotten a better deal for Howard. But then I remembered that their new GM has been with Thunder I believe he is going to follow the pattern followed by Presti in building that team. He didn't want to bring players in with big salaries and try to contend now. He's going to clean house, start from scratch, and build in the draft. They will be very bad for a few years and then develop their young talent and hope to become successful like the Thunder.


Denver is the team that made out the best. They gave up Aaron Afflalo and Al Harrington and a draft pick and got an All Star in return. I think it makes them better and they really didn't give up that much to get him.

Now, the Sixers. They have made some puzzling moves this offseason. They basically have one point guard (Holiday), five wings (Turner, Wright, Young, Richardson, Young). They have five bigs (Bynum, Brown, Hawes, Allen, Moultrie).
They have one small forward and 4 shooting guards and they have one power forward and 4 centers. They'll be having players playing out of their natural positions, which may or may not be a problem for them, depending on how well their players can adapt.

The big story, however, is the fact that they acquired Andrew Bynum. Bynum can be a beast inside and stopping him now becomes the story for the Celtics. If the Celtics still had Perk, it wouldn't be a problem as this is the kind of matchup that Perk thrives on. Perk, however will be thriving in his matchup against Howard out west. Danny had great foresight and of all the centers available at the time, Danny signed Jason Collins. Collins is not much of an offensive threat and he's not the best rebounder, but what he does very well is defend big tough centers. So, if Bynum becomes a problem, Collins can be brought in to slow him down.

Bringing in Bynum is a gamble for Philly. He has been vocal about only signing an extension with the Lakers. If he's not happy with 76ers organization or with the team around him, he will be a free agent at the end of the year. Bynum is originally from not far from Philly and so could decide that he likes it there and could be a problem for the Celtics for years to come. Hopefully Fab Melo can develop into a defensive beast by then. Another gamble for Philly is that Bynum has not been able to stay healthy for full seasons. He also has had a problem with maturity and has caused problems with his attitude and behavior at times. Only time will tell how this one works out.

Now, for the Lakers. On the surface it seems like they have made themselves the team to beat, and maybe they have. But looking a little deeper, there are some flaws. First, their prize center is coming off back surgery. How much will that affect him? He's also been less than mature in his behavior. He also has said that he wouldn't sign an extension no matter where he was traded and we could see the Dwightmare all over again if he won't commit to signing an extension before the end of the season.

Another question mark about the Lakers is Steve Nash. He was their prize free agent acquisition this season but presents a few questions. First is Nash's age and the fact that he is leaving the magical training staff in Phoenix. Nash has had injury problems in the past and it's a gamble that he will stay healthy. Second, even in his prime, Nash was never a great defender. Now, even the proverbial chair gets the best of him. Point guards like CP3, Rondo, and Westbrook will be able to get past him at will. Whatever he adds to their offense, he will give up on the defensive end.

Next is Kobe. He had that procedure on his knees last summer and has been playing well in the Olympics. But, his knees are still a question mark and he appeared to be slowing during last year's playoffs. Will his knees hold up after a tough summer of Olympic play and a full season? Will he run out of steam by the playoffs? And that leads to another question mark. Their bench is not exceedingly deep and if their starters are plagued with injury, that could spell trouble for them. Yet again, only time will tell how these moves work out for the Lakers.

There was another Lakers team that brought in the best center in the NBA at that time to try to beat the Celtics.  That team was loaded with all stars and future Hall of Famers.    In the end, team and heart won out and they must have spent days taking those balloons out of the ceiling of the Forum in 1969.  

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