Pfunk 36,

Don't ever say I never did anything for you. Here's your article. Stop bothering me. haha

AK

I can't believe you caved AK...I've lost all respect for you!

(sarcasm/joking alert) lol.

Faith,

Yeah. I also just let a cool teenage kid peer pressure me into smoking pot a minute ago. haha

Honestly, I thought this article was a little more interesting than just a straight NBA LIVE announcement because it included an interview. But either way, everyone's happy.

AK

Does anyone have the box score for that game?

Kobe Bryant quote:

"The second half of the season, I think if you look at the last 23 games of the season, we only lost three. We went to the playoffs with a lot of momentum and played extremely well, and I think we're going to carry that momentum into next season."

More reason to believe the Lakers are going to start this year's regular season with the same strong performance that they finished last year's regular season.

Go, Lakers. Go, Kobe.

Tom

Sonny Belfast,

You will just give yourself cancer or high blood pressure for nothing. The kind of bile you are carrying around is not good for you nor your system. While you stew in your own cesspool, the (Kobe) is out and about having a blast. I suggest you let go of your obsession before it consumes you. If you don't like the Lakers why are you here? if you don't like Kobe, then you most be a masochist if this where you come to derive pleasure.

Cher Badslow,

Are the cow bells that ring in your ears being misdiagnosed as tinnitas? I hope it improves, so you can stop this crazy talk. It must drive you crazy, (along with your jealousy of the Purple and Gold).

Best wishes.

Here's an article on Brian Cook for all of those looking for ANYTHING Laker related this offseason that doesn't include the words "Al Harrington".

'Cook'ing up improvement
Former Railer readying for fourth year in the NBA
BY BRIAN LONGLY
THE COURIER
Published Saturday, August 19, 2006

After two years in the NBA, Lincoln native Brian Cook finally got some consistent playing time with the Los Angeles Lakers in his third season, and took advantage. He posted career highs in every statistical category, and that success has made him thirsty for more. "I've worked hard and last year I finally got some playing time to prove what I can do," Cook said. "This year we have a young team and I'm going to go out there and compete and play hard like I've always done. I think I just need time to do what I can do, and I feel like I can shoot the ball and play with anybody."

Cook played in 81 games last season, averaging 7.9 points and 3.4 rebounds in 19.0 minutes of action. He started 46 games, shot 51.1 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from the 3-point line. He also set a career high in points with 28 against Dallas in February.

"I've always thought of myself as an opportunist," he said. "I just try to do what I can in a given situation. Whether it was while I was in Illinois or in the NBA, I try to make the best of what I can do. That's just the key to life, flipping negatives into positives. Things might not always happen how you want them, so you just work hard to get to where you want to be." Though it is the off-season, it has been an eventful time for Cook. He hurt his right thumb in a pickup game in mid-July and required surgery. He is well on the way to recovery though, and should be ready for training camp.

"It's getting better day-by-day," he said. "I'm doing rehab on it, getting flexibility and mobility in it. I can pick up a basketball now. If I had to play with it now, I'd play with it. "I'm just trying to get as much rest as possible, while making sure my shot and handle is up to point."

The big happening, though, was his first basketball camp. He teamed up with Jerrance Howard, a teammate and former roommate from Illinois, to put on the Basketball Camp 4 Champs Aug. 7-11 in Champaign. "We always talked about doing a camp together when we got out of school," Cook said. "Basically it came together by us thinking of some things to do to give back to the community and the university. And we wanted to make it a reunion week for former Illini to come back. We had a lot of guys come back and some young guys helped out, too.

"It was a really good week, we had about 200 kids attend camp. We taught them the fundamentals - but taught them life skills more than anything. A lot of kids said it was the best camp they'd ever been to.

"We're going to try to make it bigger and better for next year and get some coaches involved. We want to make it a big central Illinois event." It should come as no surprise to those who know Cook that he wanted to do a camp. He frequently visits the Lincoln Railer basketball camp and took several college classes geared toward things like this.

"I love working with younger kids. I've always enjoyed that," he said. "My major was business and sports management, and a lot of my classes were how to run programs for kids. It's all paying off now with my first year of doing camps.

"It's a learning process, whenever you do a business or working with kids, with things you think you can do better. But everything went good this past year. So we have a starting point." Cook will be a free agent at the end of the season, so where he'll be in the future is up in the air. He doesn't feel any pressure, though.

"Tell you the truth, it was basically the same thing as last year because I didn't know if (the Lakers) were going to pick up my option before the season," he said. "I think I proved that I can play and put up points in the NBA. I think I can be a steady force in the NBA, and this year is just proving that again. Like I've always told everybody, if I get time, I'll produce.

"It's my contract year and I'm playing for a job, and I'm talking with the Lakers now about an extension. They said they want to go through camp and see how I've improved in the summer before we do anything."

Despite the injury to his hand, Cook has worked on several different areas of his game since the end of last season. "I've been watching a lot of game tape and working out, trying to make my body stronger and quicker. I've lost a lot of weight and am down to about 242 or 243 (pounds) right now," said Cook, who was listed at 258 pounds last season. "I've learned I have to be able to run with these quicker guys.

"I'm watching film because I want to know how teams are playing me. Since I can shoot, they're going to run at me, so I'm working on being able to put the ball on the floor to be a playmaker, to get the ball to the open man. I'm also working on improving my defense, being a good team defender and drawing charges, grabbing rebounds." The Lakers signed free agent Vladimir Radmanovic, a 6-foot, 10-inch forward who can shoot 3-pointers this summer, but Cook isn't worried about the competition.

"To be honest, I think he's a great asset to the team," Cook said. "We like shooters, and I think I was the only shooter who shot over 50 percent from the floor and over 40 percent from the 3-point line last year. (Radmanovic and I) had about the same numbers last season. I think he took the place of Devin George, who signed with Dallas.

"I think if we can get both of us out there we can spread the defense to give Kobe (Bryant) and Lamar (Odom) space to create and give Chris Mihm and Kwame Brown room to work down low. I think it'll be great for us."

Heading into his fourth season, Cook still has the same goals he had when he entered the league.

"My goals and expectations have been the same," he said. "I want to one day play in the All-Star game, I want to win a championship.

"But it's a team game, and right now my role is to be a role player; rebound, play defense and hit open shots. That's what I've got to do to be on the floor, so that's what I've got to do."

Sonny

Dont Kings have their own blog in their website? A little lost or something? Just wondering what's with all these negative-talk with the Lakers.

I maybe a little late but did anyone see this article in which Shaq states that he made a mistake in the way he handled Penny and Kobe? He admitts it was a mistake? Scroll down until you see Shaqs name at the begining of a paragraph

http://www.hoopshype.com/rumors.htm

Hold on Laker Tom,

You know as well as I that a world of personnel and other changes can occur in a heartbeat and without notice.

For example, however unlikely, it is possible that either Bynum, Kwame or Mihm could still become Kings before the season starts. The Brokebacks could still end up with Bonzai!

Lakofan,

Welcome to my world. haha

AK

It's not going to go away either. At least, not until he mans up and takes personal and full responsibility for himself and his team.

I'm afraid there are too many of you who would never let that happen.

Gee, if when as a young kid, Kobes classmates had teased him less about his pointy little head, he would never have committed adultery.

Man, with Cook, Vlad, Sasha, Shammond, and Kobe, we have a bunch of good shooters now. If we rotate the ball well it's going to be on. With those guys, we'll have at least two money shooters on the court at all times. That's an advantage in today's NBA.

Cher Badslow,

Your "jersey" is really a dress, ya big Queen(fan).

mooo.

Wasn't it Kupcake, with his ear bent to the hordes of Saint worshippers, who sent your franchise player to Miami?

And for what? What did you get?

Your former franchise player got another ring.

You're still a few years out, or however long it takes to reload after you dump Kobe.

Anyone knows why Sasha didn't play for Slovenia in the FIBA World Championship??

silverworm,

Sasha was working on his facial hair this summer.

T-Woody

As much as it hurts everyone to admit it, IF Shaq HAD to be traded, and by his attitude, he left little choice, the trade was done at a good time. Shaq was, and still is, on his way down, and Kobe was, and still is, in his prime. Of course I would rather have kept Shaq, no doubt, but he put himself in a situation to fail and be traded. As always, he was pouting, and tried to act tough and make demands of the Lakers. Believe me when I tell you that he himself never expected to be traded, nor did he want to be traded. He wanted the attention. He wanted everyone to come to him and say yes, this is your team. But it didn't happened. He demanded a trade, he got one, and he was too proud and stubborn to take it back, admit he didn't mean it, and just stay. Shaq AND Kobe would still be here. Don't make the mistake of thinking he is happy. Why do you think he still takes shot at Kobe? At the Lakers organization? At the Lakers front office? He's angry they actually traded him. He's mad he's not where he wants to be. He's jealous that Kobe is where he wants to be. He'll deny it, sure. But inside he knows, he wishes he were still here in in L.A., playing and winning and retiring for the Lakers.

B.

Thank you CaliKing. I just had to cut and paste to make sure it is read twice

"As much as it hurts everyone to admit it, IF Shaq HAD to be traded, and by his attitude, he left little choice, the trade was done at a good time. Shaq was, and still is, on his way down, and Kobe was, and still is, in his prime. Of course I would rather have kept Shaq, no doubt, but he put himself in a situation to fail and be traded. As always, he was pouting, and tried to act tough and make demands of the Lakers. Believe me when I tell you that he himself never expected to be traded, nor did he want to be traded. He wanted the attention. He wanted everyone to come to him and say yes, this is your team. But it didn't happened. He demanded a trade, he got one, and he was too proud and stubborn to take it back, admit he didn't mean it, and just stay. Shaq AND Kobe would still be here. Don't make the mistake of thinking he is happy. Why do you think he still takes shot at Kobe? At the Lakers organization? At the Lakers front office? He's angry they actually traded him. He's mad he's not where he wants to be. He's jealous that Kobe is where he wants to be. He'll deny it, sure. But inside he knows, he wishes he were still here in in L.A., playing and winning and retiring for the Lakers."

When people talk about this trade they fail to mention Shaq acting like a little kid yelling into the camera "Pay me!" One person you don't call out on TV is Jerry Buss. Shaq demands the world from The Lakers but he'll give up 10M a year to go back to Florida. Give me a break. Shaq wanted to dominate a franchise that dominated long before him. We thank him and respect him for his greatest years. However, he did not win his last ring. DWade did. Shaq played second fiddle...something he wouldn't do with Kobe24. They could have had 6 rings together.

Yes, Steven. That's it exactly. Shaq was traded to Miami which is why Kobe was ACCUSED of rape and now plays video games to pass the time. I seem to remember DWade on the cover of a basketball game. Is that all he contributes? Don't give me the "he's on Team USA" rant, either. The Heat walked through an easier conference and found themselves a ring. Another Riley repeat? I think not.

Dude, get off of Shaq's tip. CaliKing already summed it up. Congrats on Miami's FIRST championship. My bet is that Mourning/Wade will win another ring before Shaq since the child doesn't workout until he's on "company time." Teamplayer my a$$.

TheeCaliKing:

Great post about Shaq “secretly” wishing he were still in purple and gold. I am sure down deep that your analysis was probably right on.

I sure don’t want to disrespect Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, Gail Goodrich, or any other great Laker player, but there is something sacred in sports about those players who started and retired wearing the same jersey, especially in these days of rent-a-player free agency. There were no discussions about what jersey Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, or Magic Johnson would wear when they were inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, just as there will be none many years from now when Kobe is inducted.

It is something that separates Kobe from Shaq just as it separated Magic Johnson, Jerry West, and Elgin Baylor from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain. It was a shame in my mind to see Gail Goodrich playing for the New Orleans Jazz. And even though I rooted for Karl Malone when he played for the Lakers, it didn’t seem right that he didn’t finish his career with the Utah Jazz. Overall, I guess that is the price we pay today for free agency, but I still love the players who started out as Lakers and ended up as Lakers.

This is the plague that pollutes sports and team loyalty in my mind. Roger Clemmons is not Ron Guidry or Mariano Rivera. Alex Rodriguez is not Derek Jeter or Bernie Williams. Roger Maris was not Mickey Mantle or Joe Dimaggio. And I hated Joe Montana in a Chiefs uniform or Jerry West in a Raiders uniform. And even my beloved New York Yankees of today are not the Bronx Bombers of yesteryear.

Of course, I still wouldn’t mind us signing or trading for stars from other teams. After all, that is how we got Shaq, Kareem, and Wilt and how the Yankees got the Babe and Roger Maris. But, bottom line, home grown is best. Maybe that’s why I am such a big fan of Jordan Farmar and Andrew Bynum, since they both could end up being all-career Lakers.

Tom

until now, i never realized how freaky "24" looks on kobe... that's going to take some getting used to

re: brian cook... for his fourth season, i'd love to see him put the ball on the floor more. he has such a soft body, i'd like for brian to start playing a little bit more like a 6-10 dude.

http://www.hoopshype.com/rumors.htm
they have the Harrington thing at the top. Vlad Rad can sleep easily again

Much has been said about Kobe, good or bad, I think it is just a misunderstanding. I don't know how many of you here in this blog grew-up in another country? Well, Kobe has American parents but practically he assumed the italian heritage during those formative childhood years in Italy. He was not mingling in the international school but with italian kids who were playing soccer with different interests while he added basketball too as one of his sports because of his Dad, Joe "Jellybean". When he came back to Philadelphia, he re-entered the USA athmosphere which reflected different values, different culture, different social outlook. If you ask Kobe about italian opera singers he can name you all, the italian museums in Florence and Rome, the loud italian talk he could tell you more with gusto. Now, how many basketball teens in US today could relate to such comparison? Of course, kids here have their own jig, their own music and fad. Therefore when Kobe was taken by LA in '96 he was total stranger in 96-97 season a minor trying to blend in with American college players who grew from dorm life or fraternity mingling in parties, binch drinking, gambling and girls are just part of the ritual and if you're outside the loop you're a jerk, aloof or nerd. In the case of Kobe, his world was his sisters, Shariya & Shaya as well as his Mom and some infatuations with high school girls. The 96-97 Lakers were both young Shaq, Fisher, T. Knight and veterans or old like Scott, Vanexel, E. jones and Kersey. So during the first three years of Kobe in the NBA, it was an orientation to NBA life at the same time a "culture shock" to American way of life and independence. All he knew in Lower Merion H.S. is play basketball. Now he is being introduced to manhood, so in effect his testosterone was also changing. lol!

Perhaps, this is the reason (@ 28) why he introduced "Traveloque Of American Teenagers", a cultural orientation of italian teenage lifestyle. He wants to send a message that there is also a wonderful teenage life outside of America.

I woud love Kevin Garnett teamed with Kobe, while hopefully keeping good role players.

In lieu of this, I can see that Bonzi Wells is still available. I'd like the Lakers to sign him. It would instantly upgrade the roster and give the Spurs headaches in the playoffs.

Brylle
Thx for the story. I hope someone points it out to KG so he can wake up and demand a trade. Its pretty obvious that its no secret that there are a lot of Laker (and maybe even KG fans) that want him to come to L.A. to have a chance to win. You hate to see such a great guy play his whole career without winning a ring and then retiring. A Kobe&Garnett combo would be great (better if we could keep LO too). BRING KG TO L.A.

AK

I will never bother you again.......Great Post!

Seriously......I respect your work and what you bring to the blog and everyone who reads it.

I am just passionate about what I perceive as an attempt by the media (not you) to ROB Kobe of what God has blessed him with and what hard work has earned him.

CJ,

That was a great article and I don't think you're a neophyte on the subject matter. You provided a lot of new highlights on Kobe's life in Italy. Please keep on posting and join our merry-go-round.

To All,

Team USA was challenged today, the game was exciting and finally USA caught up with the three point shooting and pick and roll. BTW, USA won only by 9 points against a good Italian team, the final score was 94-85. For those who did not watch this game, it will be shown again on 8/24 at 11AM NBATV Cable. In this game, it was an induction of Carmelo Anthony to a Superstar status. Without him, I really doubt if USA could overcome the lead of Italy at the start of 3rd quarter which was 12. At halftime, US was behind by 9. It was the defense of Elton Brand, power rebound of Lebron and circling moves of D'Wade and sweet three point shooting of Melo that made the Italian dizzy in the end that riddled them with fouls. During the first two quarters, USA style of game were solo flights and could not keep up with the fast breaking speed of the italian team but by the middle of 3rd quarter, USA applied switching defense and provided help in blocking shots as well as anticipating those lateral and inside passes. So now, USA goes to semi-finals and every game will be a challenge. This is where they crumpled in the past. They have to regain their prestige by applying a common sense game by using tedious defense and unselfish plays. Team USA has an edge in body weight and in dribble penetration. European teams are good in jump shooting, set shots on the perimeter and flawless free throws but they are thin and lack of upper body muscle. In a nutshell, America's basketball style are power dunks which also ruined the rythymn of the free throw shooting.

Again, the Lakers Front Office should scout this italian team especially their best player M. Bellinelli who is only 20 years old but moves like Larry Bird. Not to disrespect Sasha who played in Italy but there were several players there who are better than our guards that could really help the Lakers PG problem. I thought the Slovenian team was good but the Italian team was even better. I think the input of Coach D'Antoni and the scouting of Tomjanovich helped Coach K in this game. I have not seen the favored opponents which are: Greece, Spain and Argentina. The Lakers coaching team would learn a lot from these Fiba games, I saw some semblance of Suns style of pick n' roll, dribble penetration of the SG while the C or PF gets near the hoop for easy basket. I think Kobe picked a lot of his plays in the Italian league.

Al Harrington is Gone, now we can move on.
Thank Goodness!

Al Harrington not coming to the Lakers only makes our season more exciting. If we would have had this guy, then we would have probably become the favorites all of a sudden. I like it better that we are the under dogs. It makes winning the champioship this year sweeter.

Kevin Garnett article....

That was a great article by Sam Smith. I actually sent him a follow-up question in response to his article, of which I would also like to address and present as a topic of discussion in here. AK & BK, maybe you could make this a new thread for us to discuss.

My question is really a two-parter....

It is a natural and common fact that all players desire to win championships, however, the degree in which they focus on it varies by individual and by age/time. It is also a known fact that there are other things that they focus on at times during their career which are understandable to some degree i.e. money, personal accomplishments, and non-sport related activities. My question is....When is the right time for players to begin making decisions based on winning a championship?

My second question is....With it being a rare occurrence where a player of any sport wins championships throughout their career, instead winning during a portion of their career if even that....Is it better to win at the beginning of your career, the middle or the end?

To start the discussion, I would like to mention a few players to use as thought provokers....Bill Russell, Clyde Drexler, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Scottie Pippen, Gary Payton, Karl Malone, Robert Horry, Charles Barkely and Kevin Garnett.

Each of these players falls into one of those categories. What are your thoughts on this topic???

Here's another topic to discuss. Articles have been written in recent days which state that although the US team is currently undefeated, they shouldn't be expected to continue their winning ways.

With the game against Italy being as close as it was, and with the toughest competition still being left to face, is it likely that the US will go undefeated? If not undefeated, will they still win the gold this year?

AK-

Happy Birthday to Kobe Bryant!!!

JJ,
I don't think you can have a "best time to concentrate" answer, because it depends on the priorities of the individual, and the situation they were placed in.

HoustonLaker,

I've been wondering the same thing myself.

JJ,

That's a complicated question, with complicated answers, but If I was in the league I think I would really try to focus on getting a ring in the middle to end part of my career.

Winning from day 1 is great, but It doesn't happen for most people so I think a lot of young players focus on individual #'s and stats, so that they can get that big 2nd contract. Once people get to their 2nd contract then you really hear them start talking about championships.

The young players that are lucky enough to get rings their first couple of years are usually late first rounders who go to championship contenders, and pretty much get a ring by default. Now with players like Melo, and LeBron, they are brought in to be the "franchise", and push the team to that next level. Those type of players usually take a while to get a ring. So by the end of their 2nd contract their either contenders, or soooo desperate to start winning they'll do just about anything (except give up money of course, that comes much later in NBA stars careers).

PS: I hope I answered your question, but if I didn't just disregard this. I think I started to ramble at the end anyway.

Andrew Z:

If by homeschooled kids being strange you mean that they are smarter, better educated, more polite, kinder and just generally better prepared, then yes you're right.

If, on the other hand, you think there's "something wrong with them", then you're sorely mistaken.

My wife and I homeshooled my son for 3 years and he went to a "real" school in grade 3. In grade 4 he was still doing things which he learned 3 years ago. All the teachers love him and keep commenting on what a well behaved, hard worker he is. And he is one of the most popular kids in the class.

I guess that is strange.

And Kobe is his favorite player.

Really strange, right?

Right.

Lakers

I was just thinking.... what happened to all the original bloggers? only a few left such as Faith, Lakertom, Lakofan, Andrew Z, JJ... etc. what happened to everyone else who used to blog here? I used to know most of the names that post on here, but now almost every name I see is new to me. did this blog really become so popular after winning that award that we have 300 posts for one topic during summer time? i am happy the blog is growing but i just miss the old community we had going before.

well I hope the other bloggers would come out of MIA once the season starts. also this blog is so much more positive than all the other blogs or forums out there for the Lakers. keep it up. We gotta support our Team no matter what!! Go Lakers!

Go Lakers!

mike

The Harrington talks are DEAD. Finally. So... How do we get KG?

That one's seems possible, IF Garnett pushes to get out of Minnesota, which I think he should. There's nothing else to do there. Whether they want to admit it or not, that franchise has no clear idea as to what they want to do, or what they are trying to do. Just as a fan, I would hate to see KG waste away the rest of his career sitting in Minnesota, having accomplished nothing, and having never really made any noise in the league. 1 good playoff run does not count as noise in the league. He has to get out. Why not to L.A.? He already has a home out hear. Not to mention that the fans here would welcome him with open arms. And more importantly, he could finally, FINALLY, really set his name in the history of the game.

B.

Andrew Z, akr 68

i was homeschooled until my senior year, then i went to an international school to gain social experience

my teachers liked me personally, i just had problems with fixed due dates

I'm not strange though, unless you think being able to fluently communicate in two languages and being a third culture kid is strange

the thing about third culture kids, is that your never "from anywhere" per se, your either from the place where your parents used to live, where you grew up, where you used to live before you moved, or where you reside currently, you learn not to make deep friendships because your friends keep coming and going every two years or so, your usually articulate and smart and knowledgable and have good people skills but have a hard time making deep friendships and i guess thats strange to monocultural people

but Kobe Bryant is a Third Culture Kid

does no one ever stop to consider that?

EG,

Just a thought: Didn't Wilt pass away in '99?

Correct me if I'm wrong.

B.

Pfunk,

No worries. Thanks, man.

AK

joninjapan and akr 68,

Again, I should not have used the word strange when referring to home-schooled kids, I apologize. I knew two kids that were home-schooled through junior high, and although they were extremely nice individuals, who seemed to be more advanced academically than most kids at their level, they were missing something socially that could have been developed (I believe) if they were in a different environment. There are plusses and minuses to both sides and I made a poor statement throwing a blanket over all home-schooled kids, again I apologize.

Mike T,

I have no idea where your comment about being hostile, manipulative, or insultive came from, but whatever.

Ken and TheeCaliKing,

I would not blame KG one bit for not opting out of his contract and $46 million, that's just too much money.

Also, there are plenty of other teams that probably have a better package to offer Minnesota in a trade, that being the only reason they would go somewhere else. If the Lakers had a good package to offer, i would think Minnesota would actually want the Lakers to get KG since his window, and Kobe's, are narrowing in regards to competing for a ring. If Minnesota trades KG they are obviously committed to rebuilding with an eye to the future, and by the time their team would be in a place to compete, Kobe and KG would have had their time in the sun.

The big question would be, can a Laker team with Kobe, KG, and a bunch of fillers actually compete, or would they need more? Because if they make a deal the package will start with LO and include Kwame or Bynum, just as a starter.

Lamar Show,

I'm still here as one of the "original bloggers" I'm just taking a little break from the Lakersblog lol.

Kobe one Konobi :

My opinion is this, I think PEOPLE can appreciate his remarkable gift of game. And from afar -- they privately wish he was on their team!! Hey, even the NBA so-called future greats admit rushing home to turn on the tube to see what Kobe did on the court that night..But as you know, they are stuck in all that other crap they've heard about him as a person/teammate, yada, yada, yada -- and have somehow allowed these perceptions to cloud the one thing that is truly clear deep down inside, "HE's the BEST ALL AROUND PLAYER in the GAME today." Hands down!

Andrew Z-

I agree we may not have the best package to offer the Timberwolves for KG. However, this whole scenario is based on assuming things. So, assuming KG would at some point force a trade, could not then, hypothetically, force it in the direction he wanted it to go? By this I mean he could essentially get himself traded to the team of his choosing. Again, this is assuming that the minnesota organization sincerely wishes to thank KG for his faihful yeats of service by trading him into a situation where he can genuinely compete for a championship. So, he could basically go to the team of his choosing. Assuming alot, of course.

Kobe One Konobi-

I absolutely agree. I won't deny there are probably a few genuine Kobe haters. But I myself have been in the same situation as yourself. I have seen and heard people hate on Kobe, and then heard those very same people turn around and gush love over another one of Kobe's great performances! It's cool, I think it's kinda funny. I comes down to what I always say about these great athletes. You don't gotta like the player. But if you're real, you gotta recognize the game. Period.

B.
Thee Cali King

Andrew Z,

No worries.

And you've forgotten the most important rule:

NEVER go against a Sicilian when DEATH is on the line!

(no I'm not Sicilian and this is in response to Andrew's the "land war in Asia" comment for all of youse who don't know the greatest movie ever made. Yes, that would be the Princess Bride. Followed closely by Grosse Pointe Blank, but I digress.)

akr 68,

Throw in "High Fidelity" and you have a hat trick.

I'm glad someone got the movie reference. Definitely a great movie.