Could L.A. throne be fit for a King?

As unlikely as it probably is, Lakers franchise has been quite fortunate when it comes to landing elite talent

Vincent Bonsignore

Staff Writer

03/04/2010 12:02:55 AM PST

   

Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James (23) and Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe... ((AP Photo/Tony Dejak))

   

LeBron James playing for the Lakers next year is such a far-fetched, preposterous, outlandish fantasy we have no other choice but to completely and utterly embrace it.

And we have every right to, every reason to, because this is Hollywood. Crazy, whimsical dreams like this come true all the time for the Lakers.

Just look at their history.

They acquired Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the greatest player in the game at the time, from Milwaukee for four players in 1975. They lucked into Magic Johnson and James Worthy after acquiring draft picks (which turned out to be No. 1s overall) from lowly Utah and Cleveland.

The Lakers have always been fortunate like that, and probably always will be. It's part of their charm, and the main reason they've been the most glamorous team in the NBA since arriving here in 1960.

Players want to come here, star here. They understand they'll perform on one of sports' biggest stages, and they'll contend for championships every year.

So when the opportunity to come here presents itself, they do whatever it takes to make it happen.

Remember when there was no chance the Orlando Magic would allow Shaquille O'Neal to leave as a free agent at the height of his game in 1996?

Yet that is exactly what happened.

These are the Lakers, and this is where the biggest stars in the game come to play.

O'Neal went on to lead the Lakers to three consecutive championships from 2000-03.

While we're on the subject of the summer of 1996, keep in mind that was the same offseason the Lakers shipped Vlade Divac to Charlotte for the draft rights to a 17-year-old kid from Lower Merion High outside Philadelphia.

That's how the Lakers ended up with Kobe Bryant.

Yeah, dreams come true for the Lakers.

Crazy, impossible dreams that have no business even being talked about; yet somehow, someway, always seem to come to fruition.

You think the Pau Gasol trade just happened? Do you think someone just acquires a spectacular talent like Gasol for Kwame Brown and Javaris Crittenton?

Absolutely not.

Unless you're the Lakers, who always seem to bask in good fortune.

This brings us to James, and the crazy notion of him joining forces next year with Bryant and Gasol in Los Angeles.

For any other team, obtaining the greatest young player in the game is a fantasy too outrageous to even consider, and that includes the clubs currently jockeying for cap space to make a run at James when he becomes a free agent this summer.

But there is no dream too big for the Lakers, as they have proved throughout their charismatic existence.

The rumor has been out there for a few months now, with longtime NBA reporter Sam Smith floating it out of Chicago back in November. It picked up steam this week when a source close to Phil Jackson told Hoopshype.com that James had expressed interest in playing for the Lakers next year.

Within hours, talk radio and Internet message boards were buzzing with the possibility.

Some people dismissed it as far-fetched. The Lakers are too far over the salary cap, they argued, and there is no way James and Bryant can possibly coexist on the same team.

Details, I say, details.

Not only can it happen, if James really wants it to, it will happen.

Stay with me here.

First, the Cavaliers will do everything in their power to make sure he stays.

But if James wants to leave, he will. And it just so happens his desire to play for the Lakers also gives the Cavaliers a decent fallback plan should he go.

First, the Lakers have enough young talent to work out a sign-

and-trade deal with the Cavaliers. Instead of letting James walk away for nothing, Cleveland can reap something in return.

For the Cavs, getting Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom or Ron Artest, plus a couple of first-round picks, looks a whole lot better than the nothing they'll get if James signs with New York or New Jersey.

Second, it keeps James out of the Eastern Conference.

If you're the Cavaliers, losing James is easier to digest if you have to play him only twice a year compared with the handful of times they'd see him if he stayed in the same conference.

As far as James and Bryant not being able to coexist, that is nonsense.

Bryant coexisted with O'Neal well enough to win three championships with him, and James and Bryant played brilliantly together in the 2008 Olympics, leading Team USA to the gold medal.

It's the perfect situation for both.

Bryant has only a few more years left, and the opportunity to add to his championship collection is immediately enhanced with the addition of James.

By the time Bryant gets fazed out, King James will be entering his prime, ready to take over the franchise. Kareem once passed the torch to Magic, and Bryant took over for Shaq.

That's the way the Lakers do it. One great player turns over control to the next one. It's how they've managed to hang 10 championship banners over the past 40 years and become the NBA's flagship franchise.

So how does this all come about?

That's the easy part.

James goes to the Cavaliers and gives them an ultimatum. Trade me to the Lakers, or I will sign with the New York Knicks or Chicago Bulls - with you getting nothing in return - and I will haunt you five or six times every year for the next decade.

If you are the Cavaliers, what choice do you really have but to comply? If you're going to lose James, wouldn't you want something valuable in return, and don't you want him as far away from Cleveland as possible?

If you're the Lakers, you gladly deal Bynum and either Odom or Artest and a couple of first-round picks to ensure your dynasty continues for the foreseeable future.

Crazy? Far-fetched?

Certainly.

Possible? Absolutely.