ItsTheBlog™

I woke up this morning and perused through the ESPN.com headlines as I usually do. The top NBA news suggested that Lakers owner Jerry Buss was "still willing to listen to trade offers for Kobe."

My first thought was one of rage. Uh oh, Kobe trade talk again. I thought we were over this.

Then, I stepped back a bit. Buss still willing to listen. Um, duh. I'm sure every GM in every sport on every team will listen to a trade offer for any player on the team. That means nothing, and Buss essentially said that by saying "I told [Kobe] I would try my best to accommodate his wishes, but that I could not afford to let him go unless we got comparable talent, if there is such a thing."

Translation? I'll listen, but you're not going anywhere, Kobe. Buss has to say that he will listen to offers. Kobe said he wants out, and the least the owner can do is appease him. I'm sure Kobe knows (and Buss, in that article, says that he does) that he isn't going anywhere, because any move the Lakers make for him will make them worse. I've said it before, but I think in part, Kobe's actions were a ploy to make the front office do something.

So, what'd they do? Nothing huge, but they did get Derek Fisher, a guy Kobe confides in and Kobe knows will bust his butt every night for him. He's no Kevin Garnett, but you can't have it all.

Anyway, the point is that this headline means virtually nothing. Of course Buss is (going to say that he's) open to trading him. To not would be to disrespect his player's wishes, which would ultimately hurt him. Kobe knows he's stickin' around, and so does Dr. Buss. The media just needs a good story to keep things interesting.

Labels: Fisher, Jerry Buss, Kevdog, Kobe, Lakers, Los Angeles Lakers