While the rest of the basketball universe is busy condemning David Stern for blocking a blockbuster trade that could have jumpstarted interest in the NBA, I am wondering if the Los Angeles Lakers would be that much better with if they had acquired Chris Paul and traded away Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom.

Without Gasol and Odom the Lakers are going to be starting Andrew Bynum at center and a free agent to be named later at power forward. Bynum is hyped as a developing superstar every year, but the fact the Lakers front office was talking about acquiring Dwight Howard is pretty solid anecdotal evidence Bynum is not the man in the middle of the future.

Even with the best backcourt in basketball (CP3 and Kobe), the Los Angeles Lakers would have to survive with Metta World Peace jacking up unadvised three point shot, whoever is playing backup center, and the future free agent power forward. This would require Kobe and Chris Paul to score a combined 70 points a game.

I venture a guess that Lakers tickets would not go much farther into the postseason than with a three-headed monster. Meanwhile, the teams involved are appealing the decision to veto the trade. If anything, the other teams in the trade actually benefited from the trade. The Houston Rockets get the center they wanted to replace Yao Ming as well as a few first round draft pick. The New Orleans Hornets get Odom, Luis Scola, and Kelvin Martin, warding off futile seasons for a few years.