ItsTheBlog™

Ever since Jerry Buss opened his mouth and said that the Lakers would still field offers for their superstar, the news has been abuzz. Perhaps I was wrong. I said that Kobe wouldn't be leaving and this was just Buss' rhetoric to appease the superstar. While I'll still hold to my opinion, despite just about every noteworthy sportswriter disagreeing with me, I think Kobe will still be around this season.

That said, Kobe apparently didn't take the news too lightly. He skipped 3 days of practice with the Lakers, citing sore knees, but it seems that the rumor mill simply claims that Bryant's just pissed. Then came reports yesterday, denied by Kobe, that he cleaned out his Laker locker. Kobe, rather, said he "reorganized" his locker. Crazy media.

That said, Kobe didn't sound too thrilled with the Lakers. When asked if he'd played his last game with the Lakers, Kobe said:

"I don't know, talk to Mitch and Mr. Buss about that."
"I'm just getting ready. If I'm here, I'm ready to strap it up."

Granted, this doesn't sound like a very happy man. But, in my opinion, the media has blown this way out of proportion for a couple of reasons.

First, as Buss stated in his original comments that pissed everyone off, you CAN'T get anything close to equal value for Kobe Bryant. And because of that, Buss won't pull the trigger on anything quickly. Buss is a Hollywood guy, and he knows the scene. He knows that the LA fans won't settle for a lineup of Josh Howard, Jason Terry, Kwame Brown, and Lamar Odom. Even the hottest rumor has a package from the Bulls centered around Luol Deng and/or Ben Gordon. Yes, they are good young players, but come on. Buss made this mistake once, getting back no superstars for that other superstar the Lakers traded to Miami in 2004. He won't make the same mistake twice.


Second, every thing Kobe does or doesn't say is being way too read into. Fox Sports released a great column today, mocking the situation. I was glad to see I'm not the only one that thinks that this has been pretty ridiculous.

So what does it all mean? I'm sticking to my opinion. Kobe's a Laker, and he will continue to be a Laker for a while. How long? Who knows? I think he'll remain all season, personally. The Lakers have no NEED to move him yet as he can't opt out until after next season. Come next summer, if things don't get better, they may want to move him so as not to risk him walking away for nothing. But, until then, the dust from this big game being played will settle, Kobe will play, and the Lakers will continue to be mediocre.

Best case scenario: the whole incident lights a spark in Kobe and he comes out and dominates and thrusts the Lakers up the standings. I'm not holding my breath, but I can dream, right?

One thing is for sure, we'll continue to monitor every move that Kobe makes, whether he plays in the preseason games, how he does, whether he high fives his teammates or yells at them. In any event, it's an interesting thing to watch it be Kobe and Phil vs. the world, as opposed to Kobe vs. Phil. Who would have ever thought that they would be allies? Stay tuned.

Labels: Bryant, Jerry Buss, Kevdog, Kobe, Lakers, NBA, Phil Jackson, stalemate, trade

Derek Fisher was released by the Utah Jazz on Monday, after the Jazz granted the guard's request so that he could move to a city where he could get care for his 11-month old daughter who has a rare form of cancer in her left eye.

It's a really awful story, but it's good to see a class act in the NBA, as Fox Sports' Kevin Hench notes. But, to be sure, Fisher's a fighter, and he wants to play basketball. Despite the success he experienced with the Utah Jazz this past season (Fisher played an integral role in getting the Jazz to within 3 games of the NBA Finals), he sacrificed what he had in Utah to care for his family.

Perhaps Latrell "Need to Feed My Family" Spreewell should take a cue from Fisher's book.

Anyway, interestingly, the biggest rumor which came about after Fisher's release was a scenario bringing him back to Los Angeles, with the Lakers desperately in need of a point guard. Having released Smush Parker, the Lakers best point guard at the moment is Jordan Farmar, a decent player, but not a starter.

I'm sure nearly every Laker fan would love to see Fisher back in LA. I was sad to see him go. He always fought hard, had a great demeanor, and, most importantly, got along well with Kobe. Perhaps a Fisher return could help ease Bryant's concerns?

For any doubters, who wouldn't want to go back to a team with the guy who did this?



I still smile every time I see that. Come back, D-Fish! We need you!

Labels: Bryant, class act, Fisher, Kevdog, Lakers, Los Angeles Lakers

It looks like Kevin Garnett won't be donning the royal colors of LA anytime soon. Apparently, the Lakers aren't willing to give anything up in return for Garnett.

For those of you sleeping under a rock the past month, Kobe has spent the last month berating the Lakers front office for failiing to put together any deals to help out the team.

I bet the Lakers don't get Garnett even though they "talks are continuing." Why? Well, the Suns are in talk with Minnesota about acquiring Garnett. That deal would involve Boston. A three way deal is always better (much like a three way 'Yo). Why?

Well, three way deals are very hard for fans to object to. Mostly because they don't understand it. However a deal involving three teams is more able to offset the loss of a superstar like Bryant or Garnett. If Minnesota is getting rid of Garnett, they are going to expect a lot in return. How 'bout some draft picks, and a young player with potential. The problem with the Lakers is they aren't able to deliver the latter.

The Lakers aren't quite back to where they started (with a Kobe throwing a tantrum like a spoiled Hilton). They have restarted talking with Indiana about a possible Jermaine O'Neal acquisition.

Labels: Bryant, Kevin Garnett, Lakers, Timberwolves

Tim Duncan just won his 4th NBA Championship in what has been a relatively boring career. The Big Fundamental just doesn't excite--but he gets the job done. With titles in 1999, 2003, 2005, and just 2 weeks ago in 2007, Duncan has to be included among the greats in NBA history--right?

Named MVP of the Finals during those first 3 championships, Duncan took a secondary role this time around to 2007 Finals' MVP Tony Parker. Keep in mind that he still averaged over 18 points, 11.5 boards and more than 3 blocks per game during the series. Parker may have been MVP, but there's no question who the Spurs' leader is.

So here's my question: where does Duncan rank in terms of the best players in NBA history? To be more specific, is Tim Duncan one of the top 10 players in the history of the league?

We know that the number of championships is certainly a factor in determining this ranking, which is why we can't include players like Karl Malone, John Stockton, Charles Barkley, and more in this list. But it definitely isn't the only factor, thus eliminating one of my personal favorites: Robert Horry and his 7 NBA championships.

So does Duncan make my top 10? Not quite. Could he? Sure, in time. Perhaps when we look back in NBA history, we may see Duncan and his 4 (+?) championships and call him one of the top 10 best players ever. But not yet. Part of the reason for this, unfortunately, is that he (and the teams he has played for) have been so boring to watch. Wonder why no one tuned into the Finals this season? The Spurs were playing...again! Even with Lebron there in the series, it just isn't all that exciting to watch Duncan and the Spurs pound away slowly. Fans typically prefer the run and gun style of the Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, etc., and the Spurs just don't cut it there.

It's a shame that this hurts my idea of Duncan and his successes, because he's had several. But I can name about a dozen players that I'd put ahead of Duncan on a list of the NBA's All-Time greats. West, Bird, Russell, Johnson, Jordan, Abdul-Jabbar, Chamberlain, O'neal, Robertson, Cousy, Mikan, and Bryant (yes--that Bryant), to name a few, would all be on my list (in no particular order) ahead of Timmy.

You've had many successes, Mr. Duncan. 2 MVP's, 3 Final's MVP's, 4 Championships, and you're one of the best players in NBA history. But you don't quite crack my top 10.

Labels: Bryant, Duncan, Kevdog, MVP, NBA, O'neal, Tim

No, this article isn't about another incident that occurred during Kobe's time in Colorado. This is about Kobe's future. Kobe Bryant will demand a trade. No question about that. The interesting thing about Kobe Bryant is that he is the only player in the NBA to have a no-trade clause in his contract. This means that Kobe cannot be traded without his permission. Essentially, Kobe has become France on the UN Security Council--Kobe has the power to singlehandedly veto any trade if he fills it is not in his best interest. So, the only way a trade will be carried out is with Kobe's assent.

The first question then becomes, what does Kobe want? Well, Kobe will want to play in a large market. He's used to that in Los Angeles. It's going to have to be a big market which immediately reduces the chances that he'll end up in a small city. Additionally, Kobe will want to play on a team with talent. Remember, because Kobe has the power to veto a trade, he can choose not to go through with the trade if the team he is going to is giving up too much.

The second question is what do the Lakers want? The Lakers will want to ideally send Kobe to the Eastern Conference (so he doesn't end up hurting them too much) and will want to gut that team of all its talent. The problem with trading a player like Kobe Bryant is that there is no equal out there in terms of talent. A one-for-one deal wouldn't work because the Lakers will always be on the losing end of that deal. So, the Lakers will inevitably end up gutting a team of its talent. But the problem here is that the Lakers will not trade Kobe if they do not get enough back in return. However, if the Lakers end up getting too much back in return, Kobe will veto the trade.

Herein lies the Catch 22 (or 24 in this case). So, unless a third team is added into the tryst, the chances of a trade are nill. Chad Ford over at ESPN outlines two trade scenarios involving three teams regarding Kobe.

His first scenario has the Bulls sending Gordon, Tyrus Thomas, and P.J. Brown to Washington and the No. 9 pick to LA. The Lakers send Bryant to Chicago. And the Wizards send Arenas and Etan Thomas to LA.

Granted Arenas is no Bryant, but as my fantasy basketball team can attest, Arenas is an up and coming star with lots of potential. Arenas would do wonders for any team, especially when the Lakers lose much of the Kobe problem. If I were a Laker fan, I would have much to be excited about with Thomas and Arenas coming to LA.

The second scenario is the exact same except for the substitution of the Boston Celtics and Pierce.

I think the possibility of the second trade happening might be considered too good for Boston and not enough for the Lakers. Pierce is an excellent player, but I really don't feel he has the same amount of untapped potential that Arenas would give the Lakers.

And both of these scenarios are mere fantasy if Chicago isn't a big enough market for Kobe. But, if it was big enough for MJ, isn't it big enough for KB?

Labels: Arenas, Boston Celtics, Bryant, Kobe, Los Angeles Lakers, Pierce, threesome, Washington Wizards