Only trade that makes sense is Kobe going to Phoenix. He wants to win a championship now and the Suns are on their way to winning one next season. The Bulls are nowhere close so Kobe would be just as unhappy on that team as he is right now with the Lakers.
no they committed to money he may bring, they gambled on him because his case in Colorado was still outstanding, if he had been tried and convicted the loss to the lakers would have been staggering not only would he have been loss but the lakers support of him would have made them look bad in the public eye... as it was he had to change his number to get jersey sales back up... yes they make money off of kobe, but when they signed him it was very far from a sure thing...
i find it funny that the only person who didn't know the lakers were building for the future is kobe, mitch knew, phil knew, phil even told kobe that when he signed on they told him that, the press knew, we all knew, yet kobe acts as if it's a surprise to him...
and now any chance kobe wanted of the team to build around him is gone, because only a fool would build around a player who is threatening to leave...
he handled this thing about as wrong as it could be handled and now he's hiding behind statements like "that's all water under the bridge" and "it's between me and the Lakers" and all the while he refuses to make a commitment either way, yet he and kobe gruppies expect the lakers to go out and make wholesale changes for him
don't get me wrong you know I love having kobe as a laker and hope he remains one for the remainder of his career, but he is showing me that he is not a leader, he is not a team first person and he has a long way to go before he can be considered mature...
and to sizzle, the lakers did commit to him, they traded arguably the best big man in the league to keep him happy and then signed him to a 130 million dollar contract, before knowing what was going to happen in Colorado...
as jerry west says, kobe wanted to be the team leader and now the onus is on him to be that person, and be the face of the franchise even in the tough times
True however I cannot blame him for his frustration at the Lakers org because aside from signing Kobe they have not done very much that would be considered a good move, either for the future or for competing now. If Kobe had been a bit more diplomatic about expressing his frustrations he would have recieved a lot of media and fan support. He echoed the fan base's frustration through his outburst, unfortunately he was a total jerk the way he did it when he talked his team mates down. (Shoulda stuck to badmouthing the FO, they deserved it and more).
We've got inept people in the FO who don't have the balls to make any decent moves or take any risks. If they want to build for the future than trade Kobe and get some good draft picks. There is no point in wallowing in mediocrity and wasting one superstar's prime while putting fans through the frustration of first round exits or even worrying about making the playoffs. Just go the whole way build anew or trade your young guys and try and compete now. Make up your mind and stick to the plan. None of this straddling the fence stuff.
Only trade that makes sense is Kobe going to Phoenix. He wants to win a championship now and the Suns are on their way to winning one next season. The Bulls are nowhere close so Kobe would be just as unhappy on that team as he is right now with the Lakers.
The Bulls aren't contending for a championship right this minute, but if they traded for Kobe they sure would.
Hinrich/Kobe/Noccioni/Noah/Wallace would be the best defensive team in the NBA, and would also have the league's best scorer. All Kobe needs around him are decent scorers, and the Bulls certainly have enough of those.
Kobe deserves to be in Chicago and the Bulls deserve a a bonafide supernova like Kobe Bean Bryant. Kobe is the greatest player on the planet and the Chicago Bulls organization are the greatest organization in the NBA right now. PERFECT match if you ask me.
Hopefully Kobe will force the Lakers hand into trading him by NOT reporting to training camp in a few weeks. Heck if I was Kobe, I'd show up and half-ass it until they trade me. That way he'll still get paid.
No, the Spurs are without a doubt.
And the Knicks have a chance to get him if the Bulls won't give up Deng. If they give up Deng in a trade, well obviously they have the upper hand, but without him, we can offer just as much.
no they committed to money he may bring, they gambled on him because his case in Colorado was still outstanding, if he had been tried and convicted the loss to the lakers would have been staggering not only would he have been loss but the lakers support of him would have made them look bad in the public eye... as it was he had to change his number to get jersey sales back up... yes they make money off of kobe, but when they signed him it was very far from a sure thing...
i find it funny that the only person who didn't know the lakers were building for the future is kobe, mitch knew, phil knew, phil even told kobe that when he signed on they told him that, the press knew, we all knew, yet kobe acts as if it's a surprise to him...
and now any chance kobe wanted of the team to build around him is gone, because only a fool would build around a player who is threatening to leave...
he handled this thing about as wrong as it could be handled and now he's hiding behind statements like "that's all water under the bridge" and "it's between me and the Lakers" and all the while he refuses to make a commitment either way, yet he and kobe gruppies expect the lakers to go out and make wholesale changes for him
don't get me wrong you know I love having kobe as a laker and hope he remains one for the remainder of his career, but he is showing me that he is not a leader, he is not a team first person and he has a long way to go before he can be considered mature...
Bulls, Clippers, Suns, and a whole lot of other teams were also willing to "gamble" on him. It's not like the Lakers were the only team in the league that were willing to take the chance. Every other team in the league would have taken that same chance. If anything, Lakers are lucky that Kobe picked them over the more talented Clippers and Bulls.
Well Kobe did know, thats why hes upset now. They did tell him they're building around him but then again...talk is easy. What kind of "building around the guy" is this when you want to hold onto a 17, 18 yr old project? They can talk all they want and say that they're building to win now but when you draft a 17 yr old project and pretty much label "untouchable"..what exactly is it are you building for?
I think the whole "not a leader" thing is overblown. All I saw from Kobe last year was him trying to help his teammates...and when he does take over because thats the only chance Lakers have, he gets labeled as selfish, ballhog, etc...Kobe led this team to the playoffs the last two years.
You're right though, Kobe handled this wrong. He should have kept it private and he regrets it now (story of Kobe's career).
Bulls, Clippers, Suns, and a whole lot of other teams were also willing to "gamble" on him.
he went for the cash, he needed big money for his legal costs and he needed a huge chunk of his first years salary up front... the lakers could and did offer nearly 40 million dollars more than anyone else could, lets not decieve ourselves into thinking kobe signed with the lakers out of the goodness of his heart. and remember he only signed until after the shaq trade went down, he was thinking about it right up until the day after the trade went down...
Quote:
I think the whole "not a leader" thing is overblown. All I saw from Kobe last year was him trying to help his teammates...and when he does take over because thats the only chance Lakers have, he gets labeled as selfish, ballhog, etc...Kobe led this team to the playoffs the last two years.
I'm actually fine with most his on court play most the time, he does need to stay within the offense more andyes he does take some crappy shots now and then, but they go in most the time, and what's a bad shot for 95% of the players in the NBA, is an ok shot for kobe...lol
no it's his off court persona that i don't care for, he has shown me nothing that makes me think he is a team leader off the court...
edit: does anyone remember the teams kobe listed as teams he'd like to be traded to if he was traded?
hotsizzle, you're a Lakers fan right? Why did Kobe make a list of big market teams? Why not just all the teams that could contend with him there? It seems like it's still about the money for him - why not tell the Lakers that he'd like to go to any team that has either A: another superstar, or B: 2 other all-star level players?
He has to be capable of looking at NY's roster and knowing what they'd be after they move a few pieces for Kobe.
And the Knicks have a chance to get him if the Bulls won't give up Deng. If they give up Deng in a trade, well obviously they have the upper hand, but without him, we can offer just as much.
If the Lakers insist on getting Deng in a trade package....then NO Tyrus Thomas, NO Hinrich and NO Gordon.
I'd trade Deng, Wallace + Duhon for Kobe. Nothing more. Fuck the Lakers organization if they more more. They're going to lose Kobe for nothing after next season, so they have no leverage at all.
If the Lakers insist on getting Deng in a trade package....then NO Tyrus Thomas, NO Hinrich and NO Gordon.
I'd trade Deng, Wallace + Duhon for Kobe. Nothing more. Fuck the Lakers organization if they more more. They're going to lose Kobe for nothing after next season, so they have no leverage at all.
hotsizzle, you're a Lakers fan right? Why did Kobe make a list of big market teams? Why not just all the teams that could contend with him there? It seems like it's still about the money for him - why not tell the Lakers that he'd like to go to any team that has either A: another superstar, or B: 2 other all-star level players?
He has to be capable of looking at NY's roster and knowing what they'd be after they move a few pieces for Kobe.
Yea Laker fan first but I'm not on the same page with what they're doing right now whatsoever.
I think to Kobe, it comes down to getting the hell out of Los Angeles because of their mentality right now (waiting for Bynum) or at least thats what it looks like. Bulls and Knicks are two teams that he would undoubtedly be the #1 option on, the savior; two franchises that are desperate to win now, both are in the weaker East. Adding him to either one of them automatically launches them to contenders in the East (see Bron on Cle)
So:
-Leader of the team, undisputed difference maker
-Likely contend, or at least advance in the playoffs.
-Management wants to win now
-Big market $$$
He also did mention the Suns I believe as a destination he'd like to go to.
Re: Kobe to NY
