Gary Payton Traded To Boston!

[Jake]

Lakers acquire Mihm in five-player deal

ESPN.com news services
BOSTON -- The rebuilding Lakers, in need of a big man since trading Shaquille O'Neal to Miami, had to give up Gary Payton to get one.

Los Angeles resumed its makeover Friday by trading Payton and Rick Fox to the Boston Celtics for Chris Mihm, Chucky Atkins and Marcus Banks.

The Celtics also received a conditional first-round draft pick and cash in the deal and sent a second-round pick to the Western Conference champions.

The teams were once among the NBA's fiercest rivals, but Boston has fallen on hard times since winning its 16th championship in 1986. Since then, the Lakers have won five titles and lost three times in the Finals, including this year's five-game upset by the Detroit Pistons.

The Lakers then traded Shaquille O'Neal to Miami and replaced coach Phil Jackson with Rudy Tomjanovich. Derek Fisher left for Golden State and Vlade Divac, Los Angeles' center from the early '90s, was brought back for another stint.

Payton and Karl Malone took a large pay cut to join the Lakers as free agents last summer, each All-Star hoping to win their first championship.

Despite struggling through his first year with the team, the 36-year-old Payton exercised a $5.4 million option to come back for another season.

A nine-time All-Star who averaged 18.3 points per game over his first 13 seasons, Payton averaged 14.6 points -- his lowest since the 1992-93 season -- and a career-low 4.2 assists in the regular season last year. He averaged 7.8 points and 5.3 assists in the playoffs.

The 36-year-old point guard's departure is just the latest in a series of radical offseason changes in L.A. In the weeks following the Lakers' loss to Detroit in the NBA Finals:

O'Neal accepted a trade in early July, with Los Angeles receiving guard Caron Butler, forwards Lamar Odom and Brian Grant and a future draft pick from the Heat.

Tomjanovich succeeded Phil Jackson as coach, but only after Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski turned down the Lakers' multiyear offer. The Lakers announced three days after losing to the Pistons that Jackson would not be returning.

Kobe Bryant flirted with the Clippers as an unrestricted free agent before re-signing with the Lakers for more than $136.4 million over seven years.

Fisher, frustrated with losing playing time to Payton, opted out of the final two years of his deal and signed with the Warriors.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

GP Sent to Beantown

[JansenFan]

It would have been funnier if they traded Kobe to Miami.

[Texas Hog]

no love for the glove

[Skinsfan55]

If any of you have ever read Bill Simmons' articles on Page 2 then you will know about the vengence scale which he believes the Glove will rate on during the next NBA season:

"And here's the even bigger question: If you're one of the best 10 guards of all-time, and you were just humiliated for an entire season in L.A., and your teammates were pulling your coach into a bathroom telling him to start someone else, and Jamie Foxx was cracking "The Glove, that sumbitch had a hole in it this year, didn't it?" jokes toward you at the ESPYs, and the Lakers were saying, "We don't need you," and everyone now thinks you're D-U-N done ... wouldn't you be killing yourself this summer for one last run? Wouldn't you be trying to make a splash on the Vengeance Scale? In fact, that's what GP has been doing, working out in Vegas like a madman, obsessed with getting in the best shape of his life. And guess who one of his neighbors is? That's right, Mr. Paul Pierce. Apparently they've been doing everything short of re-enacting the Rocky-Apollo beach sprints from "Rocky III."

If you think GP doesn't have a chip on his shoulder for next season, you're insane."

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/st ... ons/040806

As a C's fan myself, I like the move a lot.

[joebagadonuts]

boston still needs to get themselves a quality big man. they won't be able to compete without one (see seasons '87 through '03).

[Skinsfan55]

I dunno Joe, I still think Raef LaFrentz is quality. He can run and he can shoot and that's from a 7 footer...

And if you want defense the Celtics resigned Blount.

Oh, and the C's think that 6'9'' high schooler (who may yet add another inch or two) may develope into a franchise player!

I think Boston is pretty well set for big guys

[JansenFan]

I don't get why everyone is so hyped about 7 footers who can shoot. If a 7 footer is on the perimeter, who is in the low post. Why do you think Shaq is so dominent. He knows where he is supposed to be. He concentrates on dominating under the basket. I miss the old days when 7 footers just blocked shots, rebounded and dunked.

[Texas Hog]

I'd like to see Payton come back and play well, as long as it's not with the Lakers