As it stands, I'm not worried about the Lakers with Chris Paul; I'm not even worried about the Lakers with Chris Paul AND Dwight Howard. I actually welcome this deal they've made; I don't think it's panic time yet, and here's why.

1. Problems on offense

Say what? A team with Kobe Bryant having problems on offense? Yeah, I think so. I know, Kobe Bryant is damn near impossible to defend, and at times you could throw 9 guys at him and he'll still score. But you remember there's only 1 ball. I believe our defense is capable of holding, given the defensive prowess of Eric Gordon, and I'd assume that Caron Butler would have at least some idea, from the time he and Kobe played together. I've had visions of the Laker offense falling apart, and here's my favorite:

CP3: Kobe, give me the rock I'm gonna do something amazing.

Kobe: *runs around a screen, takes a contested fadeaway jumper over Butler (on the switch), misses, then yells at Theo Ratliff (or the ghost playing PF) for not getting the rebound, but it's not Ratliff's fault that he's 100 years old and his knees don't work anymore

Yeah, I don't buy Chris Paul and Kobe being able to share the ball somewhat like Wade and LeBron.

2. Problems on defense

Bring on Dwight. Go ahead. I fully believe that if it's just Andrew Bynum involved in a trade for Dwight Howard, NBA fans will congregate and burn down NBA headquarters. Bynum and Fisher for Howard? Hahahahaha. Nobody wants Fisher. I don't think anyone would take Fisher even if you threw in a draft pick for taking him. Throw in Metta World Peace? Fine, seems the average fan can take that with minimal rioting. That's fine; but you're going to play defense with 3 guys? Sorry, 2 and a half. I forgot Kobe doesn't play defense anymore; that NBA All-Defensive 1st Team Award threw me off. Dwight can stop Griffin from breaking the rim. He can stop Jordan from breaking the rim. He can stop Eric Gordon from getting to the rim. I think Bynum could have done that as well. But I'll be damned if he could stop all 3 from breaking the rim. Defensive Player of the Year or not, he's still just one guy with two arms. You come up on Griffin from posterizing you? FIne. Griffin with some crazy Steve Nash-esque pass to Jordan, who shares a telepathic communication link with Griffin. No worries. What, Theo Ratliff is gonna come swat that shot? Nah, he's standing next to Kobe and Kobe's trying to adjust his hearing aid so he can hear the crap Kobe's spewing at him. What, Kobe's "All-World Defense" is going to come and stop Eric Gordon? No man, that used to be what The Basketball Player Formerly Known as Ron Artest does. But he's gone. Matt Barnes comes to pick up Eric Gordon? Sure, he'll pick up 6 flagrant fouls before the end of the first quarter. Caron Butler will torch Kobe -- I mean, Luke Walton, since Kobe and his All-World Defense is on EJ.

I think there was more, but in my ramblings, I've completely forgotten, and I still believe we have enough to stop the Lakers. Without really any form of big man after Dwight Howard (assuming they get him), the high-flying Clipper attack will demolish them. I'd be really concerned about Emeka Okafor if he's in this deal, but outside of that, I'm good. I think we'll be just fine without a ball-dominating point guard like Chris Paul because instead, we'll have many different people handling the ball. EJ, Mo, Butler and Griffin bringing the ball means the Lakers will have to scramble and play up on them. Anyway, I completely acknowledge that I am biased against Kobe, Dwight Howard, and the Lakers, so I can easily be wrong. If there is in fact a reason to panic, please let me know, so I don't look like a complete idiot if/when I present this to the Laker bandwagoners.

I don't want to start another thread on Carmelo for Kaman + etc., but I am going to talk about this to start so I can lead into what I want to say about the current Clippers centers.

If Denver was willing to take Kaman, Aminu, and the Minnesota pick for Carmelo (granted he does sign an extension), I think the Clippers should jump on it right away. Now, I am a new member here, and it seems like the consensus here is that Chris Kaman really is the center he was last year and not just a product of the man on the team. I personally feel that his stats last year were a bit inflated. I did not get to see too many Clippers games last year due to lack of cable, but I did attend a handful of them. Yes, there were nights where Kaman was brilliant, but it seems to me like there were more nights made me wish he would stop shooting.

I think Kaman is soft. He seems to settle for jump shots and isn't as strong attacking the rim. For me, I like a guy who goes after the rim, like a Shaq-type player. Perhaps Kaman's skill set fits the Clippers better, but I couldn't really tell since they were just feeding him the ball the whole time last season. Kaman got showcased, in my mind, last year, so I don't really need to go on about what he can do or can't do.

DeAndre Jordan? The consensus here seems to be that he may turn out to be a decent player, but I actually really like DeAndre. He's the power guy I like, the guy who can serve up a facial on someone and still get back on the other side of the court to block someone trying to dish payback. He's entertaining to watch, and I think he showed just how strong he could be in the 08-09 game against the Lakers (11/12 FG, 12 Reb, 4 Blk). I love watching him serve up a power dunk in other guys' faces. I think and really hope he could turn out to be another Shaq, and he's already got the free throw shooting down. Does he need some more work? Well I mean who doesn't? Sure a jump shot or something would make him harder to stop, but that won't really matter if we get...

Carmelo for Kaman and parts. I'll take it in a heartbeat, because I think DeAndre is ready to start, and even if he isn't ready, letting him start would develop him faster than getting him 15 minutes a game. Again, I feel Kaman's stat-line is misleading, and he would put up "disappointing" numbers if Griffin is healthy and Baron is motivated to play. Plus, Ilike the idea of Davis and Carmelo driving to the hoop, Gordon and the bench waiting on the corner for the 3, and Blake and Jordan cleaning up the mess on the glass. I would totally be willing to give up Minnesota's pick for it, because Denver sure as heck would need it more than we do. Would Denver be willing to take this? I don't know; it seems like it won't be nearly enough to pry away Carmelo, but if they don't have any other options, this would help them the most. So let me get your thoughts on the Clipper's centers. Thanks for reading.