Marion could be key to Laker success

Phil's new Pippen?

A while back I remember reading some reporter's opinion that Boston Celtics GM Danny Ainge was pulling a fast one on his organization's fan base with insinuations that he was stockpiling young talent and draft picks to pull off a deal for a NBA mega star.

Although Ainge has been on the short list of many sportswriters take on the NBA's worst GM's, now that he has landed perennial league superstars Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett to play alongside Paul Pierce in the Eastern Conference he is certainly having the last laugh.

Now, another NBA GM who has been lambasted for his alleged ineptness on how to build a championship caliber team, has a chance to improve his ball club by leaps and bounds and silence his critics and perhaps even silence them for quite a while.

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After a summer where several teams made moves that have bordered on desperation in efforts to piece together a squad that could try to offer themselves up as fodder for the San Antonio Spurs next June, Laker GM Mitch Kupchak may have just caught his flush on the river by standing pat and not falling into the trap set by the tirades of his current malcontent superstar Kobe Bryant.

The announcement by Shawn Marion that he has reached a point where he believes that he and the Phoenix Suns are probably better off severing ties at this point was amplified when he slid in the hint that he would welcome a move to the Staples Center to play alongside Bryant, a nine time NBA All-Star.

We've heard this before, in fact earlier this summer the Pacer's Jermaine O'Neal supposedly threw his hat into the 'Save Kobe" effort, as it appeared the Pacers' bread and butter player would welcome a change of scenery.

Kupchak and Pacers GM Larry Bird were both pretty stoic about the possibility of that deal actually materializing and it seemed as though both teams would just head into the upcoming season with melodrama hanging over training camp that could threaten each team's ability to field a motivated, cohesive unit.

Bryant's continual berating of Kupchak's performance as General Manager, which by way of implied logic also said in so many words, my "teammates suck", was certain to be the dominating story for the Laker's organization coming into camp.

Now, Kupchak's saving grace has come in the form of 'The Matrix'.

Many people questioned, and rightfully so, whether or not O'Neal would've improved the Laker's chances of moving deeper into the playoffs after successive first round exits and no major roster improvements.

Marion on the other hand should be exactly the type of player Laker's Head Coach Phil Jackson and the entire Lakers' organization needs to accomplish two goals, satisfy Kobe and improve their roster by leaps and bounds.

In Bryant's never ending quest to be the reincarnation of Michael Jordan, the primary component he has been missing is his own version of Scottie Pippen. A slashing, capable scorer and finisher who could match Kobe's defensive prowess. Bryant's recent experience in the FIBA tournament this summer has probably done leaps and bounds for improving his ability to be a team player and focus on winning as opposed to trying to dominate every aspect of the game.

Enter Marion, who is everything that Lamar Odom was supposed to be for infamous Triangle Offense, but never measured up to be. Marion and Bryant however would definitely raise the level of defensive pressure the Lakers could put on opposing swingmen and offer up another fast breaking, dunking, three point threat to go along with Bryant.

Marion, along with Luke Walton, who just signed an extension with L.A. earlier this summer, the newly reacquired Derek Fisher and the steadily improving Kwame Brown give Kobe the type of teammates who by now should understand their role in the system.

The return of Chris Mihm, Jordan Farmar and this summer's first round draft pick Jarvis Crittenton give the Lakers some promise coming off the bench and the rest of the non starters are already players who have their own particular specialties, mostly cheering Kobe on. 

Odom would have to be considered the biggest component in a trade with L.A. as far as the Suns are concerned, as he is essentially Grant Hill with younger legs, moderately healthy body parts and two more inches in height.

The player who helps match salaries and gives the Suns more depth at the guard position would be Sasha Vujacic, alternatively Brian Cook might be aother option the Suns could consider.

The Lakers need to figure out a way keep Andrew Bynum to give them depth on the block and plus a player like Bynum probably wouldn't mesh with Nash's style of play anyway. Although Bryant will probably have difficulty mending his relationship with Bynum after throwing him under the bus this summer, Like Kobe, Marion has given teams a little more leverage in negotiating for his services now that he has gone public with his wish to be traded.

Marion is actually a better fit for Kobe than Garnett anyway. Marion excels on the break and would allow the Lakers to push the ball of of defensive rebounds ( 7.4 per game of which will now come from Marion himself) as a well as provide Kobe a 'bail-out' when he finds himself double and triple teamed. Leaving Marion alone on the court for extended periods of time would be seriously detrimental to Lakers opponents and Marion would probably see his numbers and popularity increase, playing and winning, alongside the leagues' most watched player.

We might even see Kobe get that long overdue MVP trophy that Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki have been jacking from him recently. Most importantly, Marion would have an ax to grind against his former team if the Lakers should manage to run up on Phoenix again in the playoffs.

Marion, with his athleticism and court savvy, could be the player that manages to disrupt the Suns offense enough to keep them honest and with him being the absolute number two man on offense, he could have a monster series against his former mates.

As for the Mavs and the Spurs, Kobe has always owned both of those teams and has managed to impose his will on either ball club pretty regularly. Adding Marion to the mix only makes things easier for him.

Like Ainge, forces have conspired to allow Kupchak one opportunity to prove that indeed he had some master plan working in his head all along. Which is why he pretty much stayed quiet and took the high road during 'Kobe-gate'. Then again, maybe not.