The 'Kobe Bryant Will Leave The LA Lakers' thread

The Lakers might still sell tickets the year after Kobe was traded, but the key would be the second year. The Lakers are the franchise which is most cared about in southern California - there is more passion for the Lakers than any other team in southern California. If you walk and look around, you will see far more Lakers stuff that people are wearing compared to any other team.

That said, not only do the Lakers need to win to sell tickets, they need to win and have marquee stars. Jerry Buss recognized that when he purchased the team in the late 70s, hence "Showtime". If you put the San Antonio type players in purple and gold, they wouldn't generate anywhere near the excitement. If the Lakers didn't have a great star and didn't win, by the third year they wouldn't be selling out Staples Center.

Rok, when you make the argument that Kobe alienates teammates and it would be addition by subtraction, I really have to question whether you understand the first thing about how the NBA works. Michael Jordan wasn't the warmest and friendliest of teammates when he was with the Bulls. Wilt Chamberlain won two NBA titles and wasn't always loved by his teammates.

Your statement that Kobe wouldn't be welcome in Phoenix is ridiculous. First of all, Kobe has said he wore number 8 because of Mike D'Antoni, who played and coached in Italy. Second, if the Suns won an NBA title with Kobe you can wager your last dollar those fans would cheer him.

Here's the other thing about this whole Kobe situation: If Kobe doesn't say anything and accepts the situation without complaint, couldn't he be considered guilty of just going in and collecting a paycheck?

Once there was a young player who was critical of a coach who had recently coached the team to the NBA title, and the player was blamed for the firing of the coach. A player was overstepping his bounds.

The player?

Magic Johnson in the early 1980s. I don't know if you heard, but the Lakers won a couple of titles after that happened.

 

DING DING DING

 

Poor Paul Westhead.

 

He and Doug Moe are in a bar somewhere poring over the book "Defense for Dummies."

 

If only so I don't have to watch them play next year ....

I think the salaries of Larry Hughes and Zydrunas Ilgauskas alone might equal Kobe's ....

That being said, no way the Cavaliers want him within 20 area codes of LeBron.

 

Not to burst your bubble or anything, but there's no way ... NO WAY ... the Lakers even think about trading Bryant for Ilgauskas and Hughes.
By the way, LeBron is on record as calling Bryant his idol and the two players are very good friends.

I think it's hilarious that a player who has won three titles gets as little respect as Bryant does. Say what you want to about him off the court, on the court he's phenomenal. He's proven that when he has talent around him, he will share the ball. As much as he may have wanted to jack it up 50 times per game, when Shaq, Fox, Horry and Fisher were around, he shared the ball. There's NO ONE (please, don't say Lamar Odom is a star ... if he was even close to living up to his potential, the Clippers or Heat wouldn't have so readily unloaded him) on the current Lakers squad that is an offensive force, so Bryant is forced to jack it up 50 times per game.

If I wasn't a fan of the Lakers, I'd love to pair Kobe with LeBron. Think about each of their skill sets. Bryant is the fearless scorer who thrives at the end of games; LeBron is Scottie Pippen on steroids, a player who can help his team in a variety of ways. That'd be fun to watch.

 

Obviously the Lakers wouldn't do that deal unless Mitch Kupchak really wanted fired. If you read closely, I say "So I don't have to watch them ..."

As someone who finds LeBron to be both an interesting conversation and a good guy, I don't want Kobe's hotel morals near him. That's what I meant. Obviously their skill sets match.

I want the Lakers to trade Kobe so I can get my Laker gear back out.

 

OK, cuz if the Lakers get stuck with Ilgauskas and Hughes, I'm coming after you.
And trust me, Kobe Bryant isn't the only player in the NBA with those "hotel morals" or, lack therof, so I'm sure LeBron will be introduced to it soon enough.

 

A quick question...

What the hell makes anyone think the Lakers are actually going to trade Kobe? He may want to be traded, but it's not up to him.

The Bulls would have to gut their team to make a deal that would be acceptable to the Lakers. He would end up going to a team that's as bad or worse than the team he's leaving.

The Knicks? Isiah can dream all he wants -- his roster is shit. Honestly, there is no conceivable combination of players on that roster that the Lakers would consider for even a moment.

Phoenix? No way the Lakers trade him to arguably their biggest rival, also in the western conference.

I would say the odds are better than 90% that Kobe's a Laker next season no matter how much he complains.

 

PC, what the hell are you thinking trying to bring logic to the "He-Man/Kobe-Haters Club" thread? It's only going to inspire another 5,000 word essay titled "I don't care about the rings, Kobe sucks!!!" by RokSki.

 

In the now-infamous audio and video recordings made by two teenagers of a frustrated, profanity-spewing Kobe Bryant, Bryant tells the two teens to purchase Chicago Bulls' gear, apparently implying that the Windy City will be his next NBA address:

http://www.hoopsworld.com/article_22362.shtml

 

According to the L.A. Times, Phil Jackson is optimistic that Bryant will remain with the Lakers.
http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-lakers19jun19,1,6893940.story?coll=la-headlines-sports