Jerry Buss has released a statement in which he says he's spoken to Kobe, assured him that Kobe's frustrations are shared, and that the team will do everything they can to get better "with him as the cornerstone."  They're going to speak again soon.  While I don't know exactly what was said during their conversation, the good news is if the pattern of the last few weeks tells me anything, someone will be on the radio shortly to fill everyone in.

BK

*That was a solid treaty, though if it's hubris you're after, it's tough to beat the Treaty of Tordesillas. 

Many of us have met the morning fuzzy brained and hung over, not quite sure of exactly what happened the night before. Or, depending on the size and quality of the bender, the day before. But enough about my years at college. My point? After Wednesday's whirlwind Day of Kobe, it's a little tough to tell where things stand. Kobe kicked off the morning by saying he wanted to be traded, then seemed to back off those comments, before finishing off the day by reiterating his desire to be moved. The whole thing raises some major questions, some of which are easier to answer than others. Kobe remains unhappy at whoever in the organization intimated he was responsible for Shaq leaving town and at the quality of the team and promises he says were made, then broken by the organization (although clearly, life ain't been all bad). It's a question of history already made and what might come in a year or two. If it's an attempt by Kobe to force the team to bring Jerry West back into the fold, that doesn't look good. The consensus seems to be that Kobe, at least for now, isn't going anywhere. But that doesn't mean trade scenarios can't be kicked around, right?   

Just like the zillion or so stories on the issue... 

Okay, first things first.  Does Kobe's request to be traded in any way affect the team's chances at another go-around with Slava?  The two seemed kinda tight, so will this end up a case of Medvedenko not coming back if Kobe's gone?

After mulling that scenario over, you can check out some thoughts I have on the past 114 hours or so of whirlwind.  I'm gonna have a drink, because this saga's been exhausting.

... at Henry Abbot's TrueHoop blog on ESPN.com.  Useful knowledge regarding Kobe's contract, no trade clause, etc., plus an update on 24's declaration that he'll stay if "The Insider" goes, links to some of the radio interviews.

Line of the day goes to J.A. Adande on PTI (and pardon me in advance if I get this slightly wrong) when asked about possible trade destinations, including the Knicks: "If I see a 212 come up on the caller ID, I'm not even taking the call." 

BK

After dropping the "Trade me" bomb this morning on Stephen A. Smith's radio show, Kobe Bryant appeared on ESPN radio's Dan Patrick Show.  While he's clearly still ticked, it did sound like there's a little wiggle room in Kobe's stance to see if things might improve.  He's gone from saying nothing can be done to repair the relationship to opening the door to the possibility something could put things right (ex: Bryant told Smith that even if Jerry West came back, he still wants out.  Later, Bryant seemed to indicate to Patrick that the return of The Logo would at least help).   

Click below the jump for excerpts of the Q & A, along with some summary. 

BK

It's official.  Kobe's now asking out.  And he just told Steven A. Smith on his morning radio show that nothing could change his mind.

"Yeah, I would like to be traded.  As tough as it is to say that, as tough as it is to come to that conclusion, there's no other alternative." 

Well, at least we've now hit rock bottom in this saga.   Well, except for the players theoretically received in exchange for Bryant. 

-AK

After a weekend of controversy Kobe Bryant stated his case on Monday in a series of radio and television interviews, and it wasn't a pretty picture for the Lakers.  The Lakers, he says, lied to him about what form the post-Shaq rebuilding process would take, with the end result being more "rebuilding" than Bryant expected.  Perhaps more than anything, Bryant was upset at a Times story from Monday that referenced a "Laker insider" saying it was 24's desire to get away from O'Neal that put the Lakers in the position in which they currently find themselves.  Bryant says Jerry Buss told him he wasn't bringing back Shaq independent of Kobe's '04 free agent decision, something that has been said by Buss in the past (and an account supported by O'Neal).  Bryant also said the team told him one thing an Phil Jackson another about how fast the team intended to contend, and now he has serious "trust issues" with management.

The Lakers, for their part, have said nothing... but should, says Bill Plaschke.  And sometimes a neat hyperlink segue just doens't work for a T.J. Simers column. 

The hits just keep coming.  The docs didn't know what exactly they'd have to do with Kwame Brown's injured left ankle until they opened it up.  Well, the news wasn't good.  Brown's ankle required reconstruction, and he'll be out a minimum of four months.  He'll join L.O. in the surgery wing of the Lakers roster.  The news doesn't preclude the Lakers from trading him and his $9.1 million salary, but it doesn't help, should that be the direction they choose to go.  The hope was that Brown would only need to have some bone spurs repaired, the necessary recovery time from such a procedure being substantially shorter.

Fair to say this hasn't been a good week for the purple and gold.  But tomorrow's another day (no, that's not supposed to be a threat).   

BK

A: Anyone but the Buss.

Cue the inevitable "this whole Kobe-West situation's driving him to drink" joke. 

Well, at least there's something new to talk about besides #24 and The Logo.

-AK

The Lakers have always seemed to generate as many soap opera plot lines as wins, to the point that anyone connected to the organization should be provided SAG cards and Daytime Emmys to go along with the championship rings and Larry O'Brien trophies.  Well, given the events of the weekend, it looks like a return of the good (not so) old days are back.  The Lakers once again, as Mark Heisler reports, have all the makings of a quality daytime weeper, with a tangle of allegiances and relationships tethered to a highly interested audience.  No matter who you believe (Inside his article, Heisler writes that ESPN's Ric Bucher, who delivered the initial report of Bryant's alleged West-or-move-me ultimatum, says that after going on the air, Bucher "checked back and Bryant said he'd been accurately represented."  Kobe says he wasn't.) one thing is clear- the Lakers aren't trading Bryant.  As for the prospect of West returning to the Lakers, it's hardly a given.  The Logo, who paved the way for Mitch Kupchak in the Lakers front office, is extremely sensitive to doing anything that would seem to undermine him.  (UPDATE: Here's one more link on that subject from Yahoo! Sports, and another from Kevin Ding of the OC Register.)