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

Back from our long hiatus and hopefully better than ever. Especially since it's basketball season.

I was perusing the news this morning and found this headline: "NBA star arrested for DUI." I began to think, hm, I wonder who that could be. Must have been somebody good.

I also thought to myself, wow, another DUI for an NBA player, remembering how I heard yesterday that Kwame Brown of the Los Angeles Lakers had been arrested earlier in the week. So, I clicked the article.

It led me here, to a site with the headline Lakers Star Arrested in Georgia DUI Incident. Sure enough, the article was referring to the aforementioned Brown. Kwame. Star? I think not.

If by star, you mean the guy who averaged 8.4 points and 6 rebounds per game last season in just 41 games despite a wide open middle and no one else on the team (Bynum doesn't really count) could grab a rebound, then sure, Kwame's a star. If by star, you mean the biggest first pick overall in an NBA draft bust in this century, then sure, Kwame's a star. If by star, you mean the guy who begins to show a bit of promise, then gets injured, gets arrested, or even just turns the ball over on the next possesion, then sure, Kwame's a star.

That was perhaps the most misleading headline I ever read. I expected it to be referring to somebody good.

Labels: DUI, idiot, Kevdog, Kwame, Los Angeles Lakers

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

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