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With the action on the court in the NBA Playoffs occuring in drips and drabs (more on that in a bit), fitting for a season widely reviled as one of the worst in history, most basketball fans attention has already turned to the offseason. Last week's draft lottery set the stage, watch out for the Blazers in about '09, and potential changes of address for names like Jermaine O'Neal, Shaquille O'Neal, Kevin Garnett and Rashard Lewis makes for a lot of interesting discussion. Should we be throwing Kobe Bryant onto the heap?
ESPN's Ric Bucher reported over the weekend that the Laker guard said he wants the team to bring Jerry West back into the fold and if they don't he'd be willing to waive his no-trade clause to facillitate a move away from L.A. Kobe denied saying those things, explaining that he was making a suggestion to help improve a club he does not, in fact, want to leave.
"I would love for him to be a part of this," Bryant said. "But it's not something where I demand he comes here. All I can do is offer my thoughts. I love being a Laker. I want to retire a Laker. I want to fix this thing, or at least help any way I can."
West is leaving Memphis on June 30 but reiterated that he has no plans to work for anyone next season. And if he were to go back on that pledge it's unlikely he'd do it in Los Angeles where he'd be undermining his protege Mitch Kupchak. Peter Vecsey agrees with that analysis while reporting that Bryant has said he would agree to a trade to one team, a team Vecsey believes is the Chicago Bulls.
Vecsey floats the idea of a Shaq-Kobe reunion at the Staples but the truth is that any move made to bring in a better supporting cast will cost the Lakers Lamar Odom and/or Andrew Bynum. That makes the core weaker unless they bring in a Garnett and even then the team will be thinner than the other Western contenders. Trading Kobe, however, could help stock the pantry for a brighter future. Take those Bulls, for instance. Tyrus Thomas and the #9 pick would be a good starting point for any trade and with the Pacers, Grizzlies and Timberwolves, among others, possibly looking to make moves with high-profile players a three-team deal could also work. There are other options out there and if Kobe's ready to orchestrate his departure from Los Angeles there may not be a better off-season to do it than this one. If he can't, well, Bryant made his bed when he pulled the strings to get rid of Shaq three years ago and he will continue to suffer for his hubris.
It doesn't matter whether Mark Cuban or Donnie Nelson makes the phone call, but one of them needs to contact Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak today and find out what it takes to get Kobe Bryant. If the answer is Dirk Nowitzki, then so be it...This is not a knee-jerk reaction to Nowitzki's performance in the Mavericks' shocking first-round playoff loss. This is about positioning the Mavericks to win a championship by acquiring a player who embraces pressure and plays best in big games. (Jean-Jacques Taylor, Dallas Morning News)
The only problem: Either the Lakers would get back 50 cents on the dollar OR the team
Kobe
is traded to would be gutted to the point where they're no better than his Lakers team now. A Dallas Morning News columnist offers "Dirk for
Kobe
, straight up." The problem: Even if it made sense for the Mavs, they'd be nuts to give up so much value to a team under pressure to trade its star. If I was Mark Cuban, I'd say: No, how about Josh Howard for
Kobe
, straight up? And if I was the Lakers, I'd still do it. (Dan Shanoff)
Now don't go running through the streets, like the over-amped Bull in the pregame United Center video, shouting, ''Kobe is coming!'' Paxson again would have to stand in line and hope his package of players would one-up everyone else's. But my point is this: Three years later, the Bulls finally have attractive goods to offer in the NBA's volatile trading scene. And if their future doesn't involve Bryant, whether he officially demands a trade or opts out of his contract in two years, it's good to know the Bulls can be major players when established stars are available. Let the Kobe stunner serve as another reminder that Paxson can't stand pat with what he has. The Bulls have made progress, winning their first playoff series in nine years, but they don't want to grow too comfortable with being on the fringes of contention. Their current core of good players and solid citizens will maintain respectability for years to come. But is respectability really what we want? (Jay Mariotti, Chicago Sun-Times)
As hypothesized, this episode was just another push by Camp Kobe to make sure we all know THINGS ARE NOT OKAY. Kobe's doing everything he can to get a superstar running mate. This isn't an uncouth babbler we're talking about -- this isn't Ron Artest saying he wants to go play ball in the Bundesliga. This is Kobe Bryant. He knows exactly what he's doing, and Ric Bucher (and the rest of us, really) were just his tools. (Tom Ziller, The Fanhouse)
That’s a nice way of saying “get your ass in gear or I’m taking my ass elsewhere.” In a conference that’s already stacked for years to come, the road to glory got that much more difficult when the Trail Blazers and Sonics came out as big winners in this year’s draft lottery. Greg Oden and Kevin Durant–two potential franchise cornerstones–will transform their respective teams into two more formidable opponents LA might have to deal with down the road. In Bryant’s eyes, everyone is making tangible improvements except the Lakers. (Empty The Bench)
I agree that Kobe is making the situation worse by going public. Whether Kobe's right in thinking West is an upgrade over Kupchak isn't the actual issue. West likely would be better. At the very least, I doubt he'd be worse. But that's not the point. Kobe shouldn't be voicing these sentiments because they cut off management at the knees in a way that creates a point of no return. In so many words that don't require much "between the lines" reading, Kobe's declaring his front office faith as roughly "zip." For what it's worth, I get why. Their drafts over the past few years have yielded mixed results. For every good trade along the margins (Mo Evans), there's a front-and-center bad swap (Caron Butler for Kwame Brown) or a free agent acquisition with a penchant for snowboarding. This team, as it's more or less currently constructed, ain't winning a championship any time soon. And by "soon," I mean "ever." Therefore, Kobe's absolutely correct in questioning both the current path and front office competency. (Laker Blog)
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