Curry for Kwame, and a guard or two. Kwame has worse hands than Curry if you’d believe it, but if the Lakers would kick in Jordan Farmar, it’d be a boondoggle. That kid has great court vision. Getting Trevor Ariza back is also an option.

I think Kwame’s contract is expiring soon, so cap relief is also avail. The Lakers have a need right now for a post scorer like Curry, since Bynum is out for at least 2 months.

My problem with the trade is swapping Balkman, who I love (for the above reasons) for Charlie V. (who might be a decent prospect but is, like you say, Zach-lite).

I am also interested in the Curry market… I keep reading that it’s below zero (since he’s uninsurable) but I wonder… he’s been healthy for a few years, is only 24, and his contract isn’t THAT bad. Chad Ford just posted these suggestions, which might or might not be likely… but it’s nice to know someone smart thinks Curry might be unloadable:

From ESPN’s Chad Ford:
“First I’d hit up the Hawks, who are making a push for the playoffs. Although Al Horford has been great for them in the middle, he’s much more suited for the power forward position. A deal that sends Zaza Pachulia and Tyronn Lue to the Knicks for Curry (or if the Hawks won’t part with Pachulia, then Lorenzen Wright) would give the Knicks cap relief.

Another team that might be willing to take Curry is the Magic. They have Dwight Howard dominating in the middle, but he and Curry could play together in the front court. Two expiring contracts (take your pick of Carlos Arroyo, Keyon Dooling, Keith Bogans and Pat Garrity) along with J.J. Redick might be enough for the Knicks.

They may also try to entice the Wizards with a deal of Curry and Malik Rose for Antawn Jamison, whose contract comes off the books at the end of the season.”

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/insider/columns/story?columnist=ford_chad&page=Knicks-080118b

Wallace and Balkman are actually very alike. Yes, Wallace has added a bit of a shot the past two years, but look at the rest.. These are Balkman’s lifetime numbers, vs. Wallace last year. I did it that way because Wallace played a few years as a teenager which brings down his lifetime #s; this year his numbers are about even with last (a bit more scoring, a bit less rebounding) so I just used the full season):

All these numbers are per/40

Scoring:
Balkman 11.6
Wallace 19.7

As for efficiency, Wallace’s TS% was 55.4 last year; Balkman’s was 53.. .down this year, but coming up fast.

Rebounding:
Balkman 10.5
Wallace 7.8

Assists
Balkman 1.6
Wallace 2.8

Turnovers
Balkman 1.7
Wallace 2.4

Steals
Balkman 2.0
Walalce 2.2

Blocks
Balkman 1.6
Wallace 1.0

Balkman is a better rebounder; both are big blocks & steals guys. Balkman fouls too much, but his plus-minus numbers are off the charts.. better than Wallace. Both are big impact defenders.

Wallace gets to handle the ball more, but they seem about even in that ability. Wallace is much more of a scorer, but the difference might not be as huge as some would say. Let’s see how Balkman does in more minutes; if he can be even a 60 percent free throw shooter, his TS will probably be right in the Wallace neighborhood.

Plus, he’s two years younger, and when Wallace was Balkman’s age he couldn’t shoot at all, either…

As far as trade value goes, don’t forget Renaldo has two more years on a rookie contract while Wallace is pulling in $10 million per. In other words, that proposed trade with Milwaukee is one of the stupidest ideas ever… if Milwaukee really turned it down, their GM should be fired and we should pray that it never comes up again.

I’m actually going to watch this game, so I apologize in advance if i’m the jinx. :)