Latest Kobe offers: ludicrous
posted: Thursday, November 1, 2007 | Feedback | Print Entry
filed under: NBA, Milwaukee Bucks

The Lakers should not trade Kobe Bryant this season. Period.

They need to put an end to this circus ASAP, and they should do so by coming out publicly and saying Kobe will remain with the Lakers, that they're no longer listening to offers.

The offers they've been getting are a joke. The latest talk, as reported on Wednesday, by my colleague Ric Bucher, had them receiving Ben Wallace and Ron Artest in a three-way crash with Chicago and Sacramento.

And that makes the Lakers better how?

David Stern should take the franchise away from Jerry Buss if he makes that deal. In fact, he should fine him for even considering it.

First of all, Big Ben is not the Big Ben of old. He's just old. Yes, he's still a good player, but he's no longer a major impact player, certainly not on a nightly basis. At its height, Ben's game was based on athleticism, and with that declining due to age, Ben is ordinary on many nights. Plus, he's owed $28.5 million the next two seasons after this one.

Do I even have to discuss the red flags attached to Artest?

You're going to trade Kobe to alleviate turmoil by bringing in the King of Disruption? It took a new coaching staff, several trades and a couple of years before Indiana even began to work its way out of the mess Artest left them in.

I don't mind bringing Artest to L.A. if Kobe's there, but without Kobe, I don't touch him.

My point is that the Lakers are not being offered anything of substance for Kobe. Teams are trying to get him on the cheap.

Not even Chicago's best offer, which would include Deng, excites me. Put this exact Chicago team in the West and they're a lower-rung playoff team at best. I'm not so sure they're better than a healthy New Orleans squad. They definitely don't have a Chris Paul or a Tyson Chandler.

Plus, the Bulls' players (who would become Lakers players) don't have the pizzazz the fans in L.A. like to see.

Throw in the fact that Kobe is nixing any deal that includes Deng (because he wants to play with him in Chicago), and I see absolutely no reason to deal with the Bulls.

John Paxson is correct to try and do everything he can to get Kobe, especially if he can keep Deng too, but the Lakers need to chill.

Again if I'm L.A., I tell Kobe, "We're keeping you.'' At the very least, I say, "Unless you waive your no-trade clause, we won't move you.''

There is plenty of time to smooth this whole thing over. Kobe can't opt out for nearly two years.

Remember how bad things were between Phil Jackson and Kobe a few years ago? Phil blasted him in a book for crying out loud!

But over time, Phil eventually became Kobe's confidante. Given time -- and a little bit of success on the court (which is not out of the question judging by the Lakers' opening night performance) -- this can be worked out, too.

And keep an eye on Jermaine O'Neal. Let's see how he fits into Jim O'Brien's new, up-tempo, trey-heavy offense. O'Neal's not happy in Indy, and he's one of the few remaining reminders of the aforementioned "Artest Nightmare.''

If Indy continues to play well, and O'Neal's not a big factor in their success, maybe the Pacers will be willing to send him to L.A. without getting Andrew Bynum in return. The Lakers could at least explore a three- or four-team deal that might enable them to keep Bynum and get O'Neal.

Kobe, while he still wanted to be traded, was actually behaving very professionally before Buss came out and publicly said the Lakers are open to trading him. That's when he began to sulk, and the circus started anew.

Also, if Kobe remains unhappy this season, the Lakers will probably get better offers around the draft.

And remember, when Kobe can opt-out of his deal in 2009, it's not like a lot of teams will have the cap room to sign him for $20 million plus per year, certainly not many good teams that are ready to compete for a championship.

By then, Kobe will be almost 32 years old with 13 NBA seasons under his belt. Plus, almost two seasons worth of playoff games. I'm sure he'll still have a couple of great years left, but his best days will almost certainly be behind him.

Just to put that type of wear-and-tear into perspective, Michael Jordan played 11 full seasons with the Chicago Bulls, plus two seasons worth of playoff games.

My point is that Kobe's opt-out clause won't give him as much leverage as he thinks it will.

And while few teams ever go this route, what's wrong with letting Kobe walk after two years (if he insists on doing so) and getting nothing back in return?

Obviously, he's a great talent, but rather than get chumped in a sign-and-trade deal, why not just let his $21 million roll off their payroll? Lamar Odom's contract will end that year as well, giving the Lakers plenty of cap room to work with.

Bynum, if he's ever going to be anything, will be balling by then, and you could add top-notch free agent pieces. Everyone wants to play in L.A.

Remember, LeBron will be able to opt out of his deal the year after that in 2010. If Cleveland can't put the right pieces around him (you know, I hope they can), who's to say LeBron won't be ready to go rejuvenate the Lakers.

Bottom line is this: If I'm the Lakers, I don't let Kobe push me around and trade him just because he's unhappy.

Dr. Buss has clearly taken this thing personally, but he has to be smart enough to make the right business decision.

And that's to tell Kobe and the world that he's off the market.

Paxson: Kobe's not going to Chicago

By ANDREW SELIGMAN, AP Sports Writer
1 hour, 37 minutes ago

DEERFIELD, Ill. - Kobe Bryant won't be joining the Chicago Bulls anytime soon.

General manager John Paxson basically squashed the notion that the Los Angeles Lakers' superstar will wind up in Chicago, saying the teams were never on the verge of a deal and talks were over for now.

"There's not a deal done," he said Thursday. "There's not going to be a deal done. All the things that were out there were really unfair to all of us who were trying to do our jobs. The misinformation ... I think gets in the way of the process. It's just such a complicated thing and we kind of put it to rest now."

Paxson's comments came a day after a flurry of rumors. Speculation picked up Wednesday, with one report saying the Bulls, Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Lakers were discussing a three-way deal that would bring the superstar to Chicago.

That scenario had Paxson sending Ben Gordon and a signed-and-traded P.J. Brown to Sacramento, Chicago's Ben Wallace and the Kings' Ron Artest heading to Los Angeles and the Bulls landing Bryant.

Bryant drew some boos during introductions before the Lakers' season-opening 95-93 loss to Houston on Tuesday, after calling the front office a mess and asking to be traded during the offseason. The jeers turned to cheers as Bryant scored 18 of his 45 points in the fourth quarter to lead a comeback.

The trade deadline isn't until February, so it's possible talks between the Lakers and Bulls could resume.

"Who knows?" Paxson said. "The reality is that right now, it's done."

Paxson was concerned the issue would become a distraction, so he decided to put it to rest.

"I think today sends a message to our players that nothing's going to be done," he said.