The Trade That Wasn’t Becomes Afterthought

Nobody even talks about it anymore, but back before Glen Rice was the answer, before Dennis Rodman was the answer and before Kurt Rambis was the answer, Tom Gugliotta was supposed to be the answer to the Lakers’ problems.

Remember the preseason trade proposal with the Minnesota Timberwolves that was supposed to bring him here in exchange for Eddie Jones and Elden Campbell?

For some reason a lot of people thought it was a good idea at the time, even though Gugliotta didn’t necessarily bring anything to the team they didn’t already have.

A combination of leftover Celtic pride on the part of Minnesota General Manager Kevin McHale and Campbell’s hefty contract killed that deal.

Sometimes it takes a while to see the fallout of moves that weren’t made, the same way it’s necessary to wait before fully analyzing deals that do go through. The Gugliotta trade became The Trade That Wasn’t That Wasn’t Missed. Because if they made that trade during training camp, perhaps they wouldn’t have Rodman and they definitely wouldn’t have Rice, whom they obtained by sending Jones and Campbell to Charlotte on March 10.

It’s safe to say the Lakers are happy with the way things turned out.

“Very much so,” Kobe Bryant said. “Very much so.”

Even Gugliotta has to say, “I think they’ve got it all covered now.”

The Lakers know Rodman is there to rebound and Rice is there to shoot. Gugliotta’s role would have been a little tougher to define.

“On that team, probably keep [opponents] honest as far as hitting the open shot,” Gugliotta said. “Whatever they needed me to do.”

Gugliotta has always been a little hard to figure. His current averages of 18 points and nine rebounds are in line with his career numbers, and he plays tough defense. But he isn’t a classic thug in the Rodman or Charles Oakley mode, and the Lakers already have enough players who can score.

Nevertheless, Jerry West wanted to make the trade and Shaquille O’Neal was in favor of it. Gugliotta wanted to be a part of the Lakers, but the trade didn’t happen so he signed with the Suns. “Once I made up my mind to come [to Phoenix], that was it,” Gugliotta said.

That meant no thinking about what could have been with the Lakers, no looking back to what once was a promising team in Minnesota.

Gugliotta thought his long-term prospects for winning were better in Phoenix than they were in Minnesota, primarily because he had reservations about Stephon Marbury’s commitment to stay there. After Marbury and his agent forced the Timberwolves to trade Marbury to New Jersey or risk losing him to free agency, Gugliotta was shown to be right on that front.

“That’s what he always talked about: going back East, where his family is, playing in a bigger market,” Gugliotta said. “He did what he wanted to do.”

Gugliotta did whatever the Suns needed to do early on Wednesday night at the Great Western Forum, muscling inside for layups, running the floor, wrestling with Rodman and hitting the boards. Gugliotta seemed to do just enough, with 12 points, eight rebounds and six assists. His jumper over Rodman with 1:41 left in the game basically wrapped up the 106-101 victory for Phoenix. Gugliotta made more of an impact than Rice, who scored only six points through the first three quarters and finished with 14 for the Lakers.

In the back of our minds there will always be that comparison between Rice and Gugliotta, prompting an occasional imaginary trip to an alternate universe in which the trade with Minnesota did go through.

Gugliotta helped the Suns get off to an 18-4 lead in the first quarter. Then the Lakers turned to their drug of choice, Rodman.

After he came in, the Lakers scored 15 of the next 21 points and were back in business.

The Lakers need to find out if they can get a group rate at the Betty Ford Clinic, because right now they’re addicted to Rodman and can’t function without him. He’s their upper, and it’s impossible not to notice the difference in their energy level when he steps on the court.

When he’s not around they go into withdrawal, as evidenced by their uninspired performances in Sacramento, Cleveland and Philadelphia while Dennis was off dealing with his “personal issues.”

The one definitive advantage over Gugliotta and Rice that Rodman has to offer the Lakers is his postseason success. He does have those five championship rings, while Gugliotta never won a playoff game and Rice has won only one playoff series, with a postseason record of 6-14 in Miami and Charlotte. (Granted, half of his losses came to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. The Eastern Conference is like a junkyard filled with players that Jordan has dented in the postseason.)

It’s doubtful Gugliotta will inspire a lot of “what ifs” in Lakerland. What they really missed Wednesday night was a defensive presence; this made it six times in the last seven games the Lakers have given up 100 points in this shooting-deficient league.

Gugliotta or Rice? It should not be a question that needs to be asked. But Wednesday night’s game didn’t help put it to rest.

J.A. Adande can be reached at his e-mail address: j.a.adande@latimes.com