Mark Heisler of the L.A. Times asserts that the Worldwide Leader promoted the dead on arrival Carmelo Anthony/Andrew Bynum trade rumors just to get ratings and hits.
ESPN’s Chris Broussard reported “preliminary discussions about a blockbuster trade.”
Cellphones on the Lakers beat started ringing like the hot line from Moscow.
With the advantage of years developing Lakers sources . . . as opposed to trusting a single source, like the one who assured everyone Anthony was New Jersey-bound . . . local writers got denials across the board and, significantly, nothing suggesting Jim Buss doesn’t still dote on Bynum.
This is a beat writer (who has multiple sources with the team he covers) taking aim at a national writer (who may only have one source). Heisler’s accusation falls squarely on the shoulders of Broussard and those producers at ESPN who decided to promote this story/rumor based on Broussard’s source(s).
This doesn’t change the fact that the Lakers should absolutely trade Bynum for Carmelo, if they have the opportunity.
