Kidd may be a good antidote against the Suns but what about the other teams out West: San Antonio, Dallas, and Houston. The league looks like it''s getting quicker but who said that a young Bynum can't keep up with it. San Antonio is the next road block to the quicker Suns. After that, they may face the Rockets. I'm sure that the importance of a dominant big man would come in to play in those series. A healthy Amare is the reason why Phoenix has a window now.
I think that the importance of a dominant big man is not going away. With Bynum, the Lakers have that in their future. Next year, Oden will come and perhaps play a major role. But Bynum has 2 seasons under his belt so I'd like to think that it's at least a wash regarding Bynum vs. Oden.
My wish list for new Laker additions would be: Garnett, Gasol, O'Neal, Kidd, and Billups (in that order). If the Lakers can get any of the 3 bigs mentioned, they'll need a defensive-minded PG like Earl Watson to guard those quick PGs out west.