Well, it seems as though the Lakers and Kobe Bryant may be parting ways. Bryant told Stephen A. Smith that he wants out of L.A. He’s also finally answering allegations that he forced Shaq out of town. Basically, Kobe is blaming Jerry Bus, who thought Shaq was too old to warrant an $80M deal, and decided to trade him while he could get good value for him.
If this was Bus’ point of view, you have to wonder why he didn’t get any value in return for Shaq, but that’s neither here nor there. The point is, Kobe wants out. Before I go any further, let me start by saying, emphatically, “I DO NOT WANT KOBE IN PHILADELPHIA.” He’s selfish, he’s a ball hog, he’s an alleged rapist and I think bringing him in here will put the Sixers right back where they were at the beginning of last year. One superstar will rule the roost, and the cohesion built last year will be destroyed. Actually, the Sixers would be in worse shape with Kobe than they were with Iverson. Iverson’s problems stemmed from wanting to win too much, and not trusting the players around him (for good reason in a lot of cases), Kobe’s problem is he could care less about winning, he just cares about himself.
If the Sixers decide to get into the hunt, they could probably put together a package of contracts, players and picks to get it done. Salary-wise, Andre Miller and Samuel Dalembert basically equal Kobe’s contract this season. Those two, plus picks #12 and #21 may get it done. Who knows. Who cares, really? Let the Knicks trade for him, he’d fit right in with Isiah and co.
If karma has anything to do with it, the Grizzlies will trade Gasol and the #4 pick to L.A. and Kobe will be forced to play out his career in Tennessee.
Bryant has a no-trade clause, so basically the Lakers are at his mercy. I didn’t think it was possible for a player to cripple a franchise twice, but that’s exactly what Kobe is on the verge of doing. Count yourselves lucky, Lakers fans, because with Bryant your franchise was going nowhere fast. Maybe you’ll be able to get a fresh start with a couple of draft picks and rebuild from the ground up once he’s gone.
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After his comments on Steven Smith's ESPN Radio show saying there was no way he could stay in L.A., later on in the afternoon, Kobe professed his love for the Lakers and the city of L.A. Is this guy schizophrenic, or does he just realize he and L.A. are stuck together?
I think his narcissism is just completely out of control. I hope he rots in L.A. or wherever he winds up and never sniffs the finals again.
The Lakers are rumored to be interested in Jermaine O'Neal (who I thought would go to the Knicks). Do you think this will appease Kobe?
One player that could help the Lakers is Jason Kidd. He has a way of making the guys around him better.
I think Kidd would've been the better solution in L.A. Playing with Kobe wouldn't limit his game in any way. I think O'Neal's numbers go way down if he's playing w/ Bryant. Pretty much any big-time offensive player going into L.A. is going to see a dip in production, the key is how would O'Neal handle that.
Plese don't tell me that u REALLY believed that Kobe wanted out.
I never did (I know it's easy to comment now, when he already took those statements back, but really...)
He's so full of s..t that u can never believe him
What a joke. He will stay in LA and collect first round exits for years and years, that's sweet !!