By
Billy
Witz
FOXSports.com
WITZ
ARCHIVE
LOS ANGELES -- In a moment of weakness, or perhaps just unvarnished truth, Commissioner David Stern once revealed his dream matchup in the NBA Finals.
"The Lakers versus the Lakers," Stern said.
In years past, Stern could only do so much. Maybe give the Lakers a nudge toward home-court advantage with a favorable schedule. Or provide them an assist by assigning the proper referees to their games. But there were only so many strings a puppet master could pull.
Until now.
The NBA's recent purchase of the New Orleans Hornets, taking them off the hands of their broke former owner George Shinn, has presented Stern with the mother of all opportunities to help the Lakers; donate Chris Paul.
What better way for the Lakers to re-energize themselves, to refresh themselves from the day-to-day drudgery, than to pick up one the NBA's premier point guards?
If Paul dreams about running the pick-and-roll with Dwight Howard, or joining Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire in Gotham, how about lining up alongside Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom?
Phil Jackson raised the possibility last week when, during the Lakers' trip to New Orleans, he was asked what he thought of the league buying the team and acting as caretaker until a buyer could be found who wasn't looking for a fire-sale price.
"Not happy," Jackson said.
Why not?
"Who's going to trade whom to whom?" Jackson said, raising the conflict-of-interest issue. "Who's going to [push] the button on trading players? When Chris says he has to be traded, how is that going to go? Someone has got to make a very non-judgmental decision on that part that's not going to irritate anybody else in this league."
When it was suggested the league might try to aid the Lakers, Jackson nodded in agreement.
"That's what everybody's going to be afraid of," he said, no doubt recalling how many people in the NBA were angered that the Grizzlies handed Pau Gasol
