Sometimes, these jokes just write themselves
And with the tension permeating through Laker Land these days, it probably wouldn't kill the blogosphere to have a laugh at the expense of the dude with a thousand "Big" nicknames (although it appears "The Big Ironic" is in on the punchline). And speaking of laughs, this parody is good for a few.
As for the source of the previously cited tension, it's been pretty quiet on the Kobe front these days. Some folks saying Kobe's a brat of Hilton-esque proportions, others claiming that's all irrelevant because it would be insane to punch his ticket out of Newport. But all in all, not a whole lot of fresh (or even recycled) perspective making the rounds.
In "news potentially relating directly-ish to the Lakers," however, Kevin Garnett put the Kibosh on a rumored trade to Beantown. Apparently, the notion of freezing his ass off while losing remains unappealing even in a brand new city. Word around the campfire says he'd sanction a move to Phoenix, but it remains to be seen whether the Suns would part with Amare Stoudemire or draw the line at Shawn Marion. Should the latter player not be enough for Minny, would KG try to sell him GM on a trade to the hated Lakers? Or would KG remain a Wolf, perhaps opening the door for the Matrix in purple and gold? Of course, until Jerry Buss gets an indication that Kobe wants to stick around, any potential moves may be on hold.
Oh, by the by, in case anyone's forgotten, there's a draft next week. SI's analyzing Laker needs and making first and second round predictions.
Oh, Phoenix flirted with Kobe a couple of years ago. They won't go down that road again. Spurs, they have a real Laker champion in Horry. Why would they want to fuss with Kobe? That is not a team that wants to deal with babies. This is a team coached by a United States Air Force officer. Pop wouldn't put up with Kobe's antics and nor does he need to. I do wish SA would get over its dislike of Shaq, though. He did go to high school there. Let Kobe go to the East and leave the West alone. See how he likes the pace of the East.
Posted by: ucrsue | June 22, 2007 at 04:38 PM
Andy L
That's the problem with these predictions. Some specifics, and always enough ambiguiety to make us guess and wonder. I bet you she knows for sure and is just toying with us. I heard people who can predict things like this have some sort of deal with Las Vegas not to reveal too many specifics so as to not hurt the bookies. By the way, if you do get some actual items like will the Lakers win it all, please let me know.
Does she see dead people too? jk
Fatty
Posted by: Fatty | June 22, 2007 at 04:40 PM
A must read and listen for all Laker Fans if you have not done so already.
1. Complete transcripts to Mitch's news conference. Great insight to Laker plans. Much of this was missed by the press because of Kobe stuff.
2. Podcast of Rambis interview on Radio June 20. New comments on Kobe and stuff
3. New pictures of Laker girls
http://www.nba.com/lakers/
Fatty
Posted by: Fatty | June 22, 2007 at 04:49 PM
hari:
Right. Pretty much the only way that Lewis could get here in a sign and trade is if Seattle signed then traded him to ATL and then the league actually approved something that might help a team (hah! fat chance!), then they might be able to trade him to us. So yeah... that's pretty much that.
Posted by: generic_one | June 22, 2007 at 04:55 PM
One other thing that bugs me -
We all know that Kobe is extremely image-conscious - almost painfully so. So, for him to come out and demand a trade, while ostensibly putting the team under the hammer is not something I would see him do.
I mean winning is good and all, but I'm almost 100% sure that he wouldn't compromise his image that he has (re)built so painstakingly.
Here's the thing - that video was allegedly shot in early May. MUCH in advance of his going on a radio binge. What if he did that (ill-advisedly, I must add) to get attention away from, or to justify, that tirade captured on video. Because he knew that video was coming out - there was nothing he could do to stop it.
Beyond that, there's just a lot of "he said", "she said" without any factual evidence. There was the incident of Kobe "reiterating" his trade demand, but that was based on his website being out of wack.
So though I do think that this whole brouhaha was unnecessary, I think there's been a lot of smoke without that much fire.
Posted by: hariyahu | June 22, 2007 at 05:00 PM
hari
"If so, where and when did he bash a team-mate? I just read the transcript, and all he says is that if Bynum was what was needed to get Kidd, then we should have shipped his @r$e out. Who on this blog would have objected to that?"
please pull your head out of kobe's "arse" and smell his crap. i suppose you're like Kobe Apologist and enjoy eating kobe's crap. Kobe's MO is to bash is teammates. please see below:
"(If) this is his team, it's time for him to act like it. That means no more coming into camp fat and out of shape."
-Kobe Bryant, on then-Lakers teammate Shaquille O'Neal, in an interview with ESPN during training camp in October 2003.
Let me get this straight, kobe, a punk-"arse" 24-year-old, calls out the leader in public? notice kobe’s quote “if this is his [shaq’s] team”? “if”? I guess all the team’s success was kobe’s work? kobe’s more of an "arse" everytime the guy opens his mambo mouth. kobe’s a self-loathing prick who will never be happy. BTW, let's not forget kobe calling out shaq being "childish" and "jealous". jealous of what? jealous that shaq lead to 3 straight championships along with 3 straight finals MVPs? who's being jealous? where have you been, india? Thank you, come again.
Posted by: KLBeast | June 22, 2007 at 05:08 PM
We need to send Rambis up to Minnesota to clothesline McHale, and just keep knocking him down until he makes the trade. For frosting, he can shout, "This is for '84!"
Or here's another way it could go down:
Rambis shows up, very businesslike, gets a tour from McHale of the prize cheese factory, and then he looks McHale in the eye. "If this trade doesn't go through, there are going to be some very unhappy people in Los Angeles."
McHale gets defensive. "We had a Timberwolf cheerleader. She was going to be a star. Then Buss came along, the girl got pregnant, and that was that. If you think I'm going to make a trade with that Viagra-popping, sleazy, drunk-driving comb-over, you're crazy!"
Rambis excuses himself politely. McHale goes to bed. CUT TO:
Dawn. As the sun peeks over the lake, McHale stirs in bed. But something's wrong. Something sticky. He peels back the covers and there, staring up at him, is his prize Minnesota head cheese.
The Garnett deal goes through that afternoon.
Posted by: Marty | June 22, 2007 at 05:09 PM
Fatty
I could tell you some scary things she's sensed and gotten right. But I guess when it comes to these (for normal people) trivial things such as sports and gambling the spirit world likes to f**k us over... Well, we haven't seen the last of this offseason yet. Lots of things could go down if only the FO could get their heads outta their rectums. Btw, mom doesn't do this for a living and she ain't the kid-her-son-kind. Aaarrrgghh, the suspense is killing me.
Posted by: Andy L | June 22, 2007 at 05:12 PM
Ex,
"As far as the Howard comparison: If I were the Lakers, I would trade Bynum's future for Howard's career."
That's where you, Kobe and the FO differ :)
Posted by: hariyahu | June 22, 2007 at 05:17 PM
Fatty
I could tell you some scary things she's sensed and gotten right. But I guess when it comes to these (for normal people) trivial things such as sports and gambling the spirit world likes to f**k us over... Well, we haven't seen the last of this offseason yet. Lots of things could go down if only the FO could get their heads outta their rectums. Btw, mom doesn't do this for a living and she ain't the kid-her-son-kind. Aaarrrgghh, the suspense is killing me.
Posted by: Andy L | June 22, 2007 at 05:21 PM
KLBeast,
What? You like being slapped into submission every once in a while? The only reason I'm responding to you is because you directly addressed me.
Even for a self-confessed Shaq poop-eater, those are pretty strong words? Or is his poop that bad that it has impaired your ability to "think" ?
Instead of spitting out the poop that's in your mouth, maybe you can come up with some constructive, FACT-based stuff. Remember, FACT-based stuff - that's pretty hard isn't it? Now go back to munching on Shaq's goodies.
And no thank you, DON'T come again. Unless you and Gunner24 are "classic"ing each other :)
Posted by: hariyahu | June 22, 2007 at 05:38 PM
Marty,
PRICELESS :)
Posted by: hariyahu | June 22, 2007 at 05:40 PM
K.L
I completely agree with you on how Kobe has handled this. I agree with everything Kobe is feeling, since I have felt the same way since the Butler trade. But you keep it behind closed doors. By making it public it has diminished our ability to make a fair deal to help him. And if he really does want to leave, it may have made everyone except N.Y(and if he wants to win, why go there) think twice about trading for him. and the worst part is we have Mitch, trying to fix it. That is scary. I know you are firmly in the trade Kobe camp. Personally I am still looking for ways to improve the team around him. This is the more realistic approach because lets face, at this point there may not be another team that wants to trade for him.
MH
Posted by: michael h | June 22, 2007 at 05:42 PM
There are 2 Kinds of Men:
There is the kind of “man” who kisses the boss’s butt just to pick up a paycheck. There is the kind of man who is miserable at work but doesn’t look for another job because he’s satisfied to take what the boss gives him and not make waves. There is the kind of man who is afraid to tell the truth about the boss, because he might just get fired or transferred to some desolate outpost in a desert wasteland. There is the kind of man who only says what people want to hear, because it is more profitable for people to like him than to dislike him. There is the kind of man who sits at home in front of his TV (or his computer) and criticizes others for doing things he himself doesn’t have the nerve (or the skill) to do. Yes, that’s one kind of man.
But there is another kind of Man. The kind of Man who will take a hit to stand up for himself or for what he thinks is right. This kind of Man, knows he’s going to make people mad by speaking his mind, but he does it anyway. This kind of man knows that his reputation will probably suffer when he speaks his mind, he’ll be called names, he may even be abandoned by the very people who use to be “on his side”, but he’ll speak his mind anyway. This kind of man is willing to take the blame for what other do, or not do, as long as he can get the job done. There is the kind of Man who after realizing he had been lied to and pimped, would stand up against the world and say, “I’m mad as hell, and I’m not going to take it anymore!!!”
Frankly, I don’t know how any “Man” who has ever been dogged by his boss, or screwed by the system, could come down on Kobe for demanding a traded under the current Lakers situation. But I guess there are those kind of men out there.
Yes, I'm a Lakers fan, but right is right.
Posted by: tellitlikeitis | June 22, 2007 at 05:42 PM
hariyahu,
OH, I MEAN KOBE APOLOGISTS. DID I GET YOUR NAME CORRECT? DON'T WORRY BECAUSE YOUR LIPS WILL BE GLUED TO KOBE'S ARSE AS SOON AS HE'S SHIPPED OUT OF HERE IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS.
SINCE YOU SEEM ABOUT AROUND HIS AGE LIMIT I CAN ONLY IMAGINE THE UNSTABLE BOY INSIDE OF YOU.
Posted by: gunner24 | June 22, 2007 at 05:43 PM
THE SALLY JENKINS IS THE MOST UNINTERESTED COLUMN THAT I HAVE READ.
You can say, paraphrasing the Sting song, that I love my faith to the people in the press.
You can say, that I'm a Shakirean English second language bubble gum writer.
You can say that I’m a melodramatic and short sided blogger.
But I know boring stuff, when I read it.
I can grasp the talent and imagination of a writer even when he is writing libelous material, like Heisler and Plasche. Those two knows how to cook a good and seasoned piece column , most of the times going on the dark side, but well written.
TJ Simer is the worst writer in LA TIMES. He pretend to be funny, but just doesn't work.
Now this piece of Sally Jenkins is the most mediocre column that I have read about Kobe saga.
I mean, she recite some sentences and logic that are just mediocre. His language and imagination are just poor and tasteless.
How come this column was approved for a editor of a newspaper like Washington Post?
She obviously is talking about something that isn't her forte. So she just write a character focus column that even a high schooler could written with more color, flair and gusto.
Is obvious why Kobe heaters like this column. e Kobe heaters are the most boring bloggers here and also they are the worst writers.
Posted by: jorema | June 22, 2007 at 05:45 PM
HARI,
"What if he did that (ill-advisedly, I must add) to get attention away from, or to justify, that tirade captured on video"
ONLY A KOBE APOLOGISTS WOULD MAKE EXCUSES FOR THE BIG IRRELEVANT.
WATCH OUT FOR THESE PEOPLE, THEY WILL TRY TO MAKE SENSE OR TRY TO MAKE THEMSELVES FEEL GOOD OVER SOMETHING THAT IS TRULY UNSTABLE BY THE BIG PLUTO KOBE.
Posted by: gunner24 | June 22, 2007 at 05:46 PM
Lakergurl,
Oh, and also to yourself!
HOW DOES LOOKING IN THE MIRROR FEEL? I BELIEVE YOU'LL FIND WHAT YOU SEEK IF ONLY YOU CONTINUE TO STARE IN THE MIRROR. MORE AND MORE YOU'LL FIND THAT YOU'RE POSTS ARE REALLY NOT THAT RELEVANT.
POOF!!!
Posted by: gunner24 | June 22, 2007 at 05:52 PM
Fatty,
Who's your fave Laker Girl? Personally, I think I'm gonna have to go with Lisa.
Posted by: generic_one | June 22, 2007 at 05:54 PM
Marty
I'm sorry Marty, those God Father like deals just don't work like they used to. No one respects the old ways anymore.
I suggest we send Jeannie Buss to sleep with Mckale, take pictures then blackmail him. "Justa business Kevin, nothing personal"
Fatty - Blackmail, extortion, now were talking my language.
Posted by: Fatty | June 22, 2007 at 05:56 PM
Marty,
Absolutely awesome!
Kevin Garnett MUST don the Purple and Gold!
GO LAKERS!
Posted by: Jon Kavulic | June 22, 2007 at 05:56 PM
lakergurl,
"Imagine a supervisor spending his time on a basketball blog the whole day.
Whoever owns that business is in deep sh*t. "
I CAN ONLY IMAGINE OPRAH POSTING ON THIS BLOG. YOU GET MY DRIFT?
Posted by: gunner24 | June 22, 2007 at 05:57 PM
G1 and Fatty:
It's gotta be Tiffany. Her photo does not do her justice. Saw her from courtside seats in the preseason and she was gorgeous.
Posted by: RespectMyAuthoritah | June 22, 2007 at 05:58 PM
tellitlikeitis,
Great post.
Posted by: Mitchell | June 22, 2007 at 05:59 PM
GUNNER24,
You come across as a big expert on all matters @r$e in general - come from experience? Or maybe because your own lips are stuck to your @r$e so that your brain is literally in the toilet?
And don't even get me started on "age limit" if you haven't figured out how to turn off the CAPS LOCK button yet :)
Posted by: hariyahu | June 22, 2007 at 06:01 PM
Funny how you have the b@ll$ to call anyone an apologist if you can't even gather the courage to put your own name to your posts.
Look at it - your own handle is a reference to your lack of gray cells.
Oh, and by the way, learn to write properly if you want me to keep slapping you down.
Else, SKIP!
Posted by: hariyahu | June 22, 2007 at 06:08 PM
gen_one
I've been married 30 plus years to a wonderful blond Swedish girl. I know better than to answer that question ....cough (lisa) ......You should know me better than to ask me that question.
Fatty - Still no answer on who stole the Zombie papers?
Posted by: Fatty | June 22, 2007 at 06:10 PM
I don't know about sending Jeanie to get blackmail photos.
But I think we can certainly be creative with Mitch haha, JUST KIDDING!
Posted by: Faith | June 22, 2007 at 06:17 PM
(Larry)mamba24,
The situation is three fold.
First fold: It is ridiculous to think that what Phil Jackson did didn't escape the eye and logic of Kobe Bryant. I mean Kobe is a basketball player. For Kobe not to understand what Phil Jackson did is an isult to his intelligence.
If Jim Buss understands what happened, which he obviously does, or else he would have never said what he did, what makes people think that Kobe doesn't understand?
If people would quit trying to be politcally correct...everyone understands it. It's that damn obvious. If people don't want to acknowledge what Phil Jackson did that doesn't mean that Kobe Bryant is playing the same ignorant game.
Phil Jackson needs to be fired and not gracefully. Phil Jackson has pissed on our Laker traditions. Why? Because he not a Lakers first. He's a Knick first, a Bull second, and has a girlfriend who dad is owner of the Lakers. He has no loyalty to the Lakers tradition. His only loyalty is to himself.
Second fold: Even if Phil Jackson is fire Kobe Bryant isn't going to all of a sudden cjhange his mind. Kobe Bryant it going to stick to his guns on principle alone. But I believe that Kobe will so up to camp in Oct. if Jackson is gone. But he's not going to say anything to imply that he's happy. This thing is now about pride and human dignity. He'll come to camp if Jackson is fired and the Lakers need to rely on the idea that with improvements at the 1 and 3 spots will lead to an elite club, which will make Kobe realize that we're going in the right direction.
Biut under no circumatance is Phil Jackson a part of it. I, personally, would be deeply disappointed in Kobe Bryant if he came to camp with Phil Jackson stil the coach.
Third fold: If Kobe Bryant insists on being traded no matter what then the Lakers need to secure Kobe's signature to waive his no trade clasue.
No way does Kobe Bryant dictate the terms of a trade. If Kobe is serious then it's time for him to make it known that he's willing to sign an unconditional wavier of his no trade clause.
And here's one more fold: This thing is getting ridiculous. The other Laker players should just come out and say they're not going to play for Phil Jackson. It shouldn't be just one player but at least 4 players.
Kobe, Lamar,. Kwame, and Bynum should just unite and say we're not playing for Phil Jackson. What are the Lakers going to do? Trade them all? The Lakers are in salary cap hell. They can deal one of them maybe even two of them...but if all four demand to be trade in a united front then it'll be Phil Jackson who is shown the door.
Let's end this game. The only thing keeping Phil Jackson around is Jeannie Buss playing the "daddies little girl" card.
There is no logical reason why Phil Jackson should continue to be the coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. Jim Buss wants him out. Why isn't he out? It has to be Jeannie.
mike
Posted by: Michael Teniente | June 22, 2007 at 06:18 PM
RMA:
Yeah, she's pretty hot. Brittany's not too bad either.
Fatty:
30 years? Wow. Really? And were you asking me about the Zombie papers? I didn't know I was supposed to be looking into that. I guess I'll have to check some sources.
Also, have you guys noticed Becky's hobbies?
-Kick Boxing
-Hiking
-Snow Skiing
-Working Out
Gee, Becky... we really didn't understand just how much you enjoyed physical activities after listing "Kick Boxing, Hiking and Snow Skiing", so we have to thank you for listing "Working Out" cause we NEVER would have guessed that.
Posted by: generic_one | June 22, 2007 at 06:28 PM
I mean, if Jim Buss has Phil Jackson on the ropes behind the scenes then Kobe, Lamar, Kwame, and Bynum need to come together and say they're not playing for Phil Jackson to deliver the knock out punch.
Phil Jackson is on the ropes now the plaers need to seize the moment and deliver the knock out punch. And even if he's not on the ropes if all four of those players united they would knock Phil Jackson out anyway. That way the media won't be able to blame Kobe. If four players did that it would have to point to Phil Jackson himself. It's not like the evidence isn't there to justify such an action.
mike
Posted by: Michael Teniente | June 22, 2007 at 06:29 PM
No more Get Garnett to LA
As a Laker fan, I'm tire of dreaming about the allure of Garnett playing in Staples.
Garnett doesn't care.
Garnett is a chicken.
He prefer, unlike KOBE,. to follow the status quo, happy to receive his check’s, go to vacation and let people blame his teammates for the failure of the team and never takes responsibility for those results.
Simple. If Garnett is happy as a looser, so be it.
He once cried about his battles in the NBA in a interview with John Thompson.
But he said on TV, "Don't fell sorry for me".
Message: The guy doesn't care, because press pundits give him a free pass.
How come nobody talk about the inability of Garnett to makes his teammates better. How come nobody talk about this poor loser taking the most awesome check in the NBA
That's what's Lakers fans wants of KOBE?
Get complacent. Let management be the second Kevin McHale GM in NBA, and be ok with that loosing.?
Most of Lakers fans are eager to say: “ In Jerry Buss we trust“ “ look his record“.
Really?
Had jerry Buss won a championship without Jerry West?
NO.
So...not free pass for him.
Neither to Garnnet.
Garnett doesn't care about the Lakers,
He is a chicken. He is afraid to come to LA because he knows he will be held accountable here.
No more get Garnett. Enough. He doesn't even have the guts to say to those managers in Minny: hey. loosing isn’t ok.
That's why he will never be a player of the stature of Kobe Bryant.
Posted by: jorema | June 22, 2007 at 06:30 PM
Yo Gooner24,
Huh? So "I miss Van Exel and Eddie Jones" is also one of your alisis? No wonder you felt compelled to answer my post. You are not just bipolar. Using multi-screen names just reflects your cowardice. And puleez, come up with an original insult if you are capable of thinking one. You are worse than a parrot. But I guess being a juvenile, you are still limited in your vocabulary. Unless it's rally a brain problem.
Posted by: Lysander | June 22, 2007 at 06:43 PM
Lakers: What Happened?
http://www.hoopsworld.com/article_22430.shtml
Posted by: J-Cool | June 22, 2007 at 06:46 PM
G1, Fatty, and RespectMyAuthoritah --
It's gotta be Leslie. And as good as she looks in her photo, she looks even better up close at Staples.
Posted by: Rick Friedman | June 22, 2007 at 06:48 PM
Ric Bucher: “ZERO chance of KG to LA.” Do we believe him?
http://getgarnett.com/blog/?p=315
Posted by: J-Cool | June 22, 2007 at 06:56 PM
Agent: Hudson wants out of Minnesota
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=ap-timberwolves-hudson&prov=ap&type=lgns
Middle man
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=Av0lj3mJt7MgcMoHrcpZsfWLvLYF?slug=aw-suns062207&prov=yhoo&type=lgns
Posted by: J-Cool | June 22, 2007 at 07:01 PM
Faith:
"I don't know about sending Jeanie to get blackmail photos."
She'd be the ideal person. She's already posed in Playboy so there's nothing that anyone would possibly have on her... or that she'd have on herself! Zing!
Posted by: generic_one | June 22, 2007 at 07:16 PM
jorema
Sorry I Let You Down Then.
Rick Friedman
I The One That Put Up Links On The Blog On What Been Going On.
Posted by: J-Cool | June 22, 2007 at 07:18 PM
At what point does signing Shammond cause he's KG's cousins start to play into our favor? lol.
Posted by: Faith | June 22, 2007 at 07:19 PM
Jorema
Sorry For Putting Up The Get Garnett I Will Stop.
Posted by: J-Cool | June 22, 2007 at 07:22 PM
I miss -
I just now read your posts about the draft. I agree about Rudy Fernandez - don't know what his buyout would be but he's an awesome player. I don't know why Jared Dudley's not getting more attention but I kind of think he'll move up a little... probably late first round. I'd love to have him on our team though. What do you think about Tiago Spiltter if he's available at #19? The guy's a top euro defender, 6-11, lots of effort. We could use more bigs, between the contant injury bug and possible trade depletion. Also, what do you think about Petteri Koponen in the second round? 6-5 PG from Finland, impressed everyone in Orlando pre-draft and Nike summit.
Dave M
Posted by: Dave M | June 22, 2007 at 07:23 PM
Gen_One - I guessed you missed these important news releases.
Entertainment Weekly reports Kevin Mckale to star in new "Munster" movie.
Playing the part Ed Gwin made famous as that lovable Herman , the Frankenstein character. Kevin Mckale has agreed to take on the role only if he could re-write the script and change the role to fit his personal lifestyle more carefully.
Instead of a bumbling big man with the three stooges, Laurel and Hardy, and Jerry Lewis all rolled up into one. Mckale plans to transform Herman into a sadistic, child eating zombie. Using "Eddie" (to be played by tony Parker) he plans on luring children into his home only to eat them. Asked about losing the comedy aspect, Mckale replied, "why would that not be funny?"
Already, Mckale is planning on venturing into a TV cooking show. He said mums the word on what type of food he plans on cooking. But gave us a little hint." We are all in a hurry today and we all need to still eat nourishing meals. So who has time to cook when its better to just eat things raw"
The Munsters movie, still untitled, will be released some time this fall.
Posted by: Fatty | June 21, 2007 at 02:55 PM
Gen_One and others concerned in the Zombie Papers.
THEY'VE BEEN STOLEN.
I sent them to LA Police Lab for analysis and someone broke into the lab last night and stole the entire report. Nothing else was missing from the lab. The police did find in the search some missing pieces they believe to be evidence from old cases. A long army type knife, and a bag of bloodied clothes. But after a thoruogh search, couldn't find the report.
Fatty
Posted by: Fatty | June 21, 2007 at 03:04 PM
Did anybody know Vince Mcmahan was killed in Limo Expolsion? wow
Fatty
Posted by: Fatty | June 22, 2007 at 07:34 PM
J-Cool
Was JUST about to blog on that subject. Hudson would be fine for us, splitting time with Farmar at the point a la the old Van Exel/D-Fish days. And the numbers work on Lamar-Kwame-Vlad for KG + Hudson. We could even throw in either Socks or our #19 if they insisted, and they also get mucho cap room next year with Kwame's contract expiring. If we resign Luke and Mihm and use the MLE on another big man (since we'll be set at PG) we could have a real contender.
Come ON Mitch!
Posted by: Jay Jay | June 22, 2007 at 07:43 PM
G1, Fatty, RespectMyAuthoritah
It Is Chanada She Is The Finest One And My Favorite.
Posted by: J-Cool | June 22, 2007 at 07:44 PM
GETTING DIVORCED SO YOU CAN MOVE BACK EAST?
This entire situation reminds me too much of people getting divorced, right down to the friends and families of the protagonists blogging their bitter comments and opinions about the divorce and the subsequent wished for fate of the two unfortunate divorcees. It is looking more and more as if this may really not about winning but about trust. And that’s a scary thought because most people who start down the road toward divorce usually end up there.
At first, I thought that this was all about winning and that Kobe was really just trying to light a fire under the Lakers to force them to make some moves. Kobe’s comments to the Kobe Video Guys about playing with Jermaine O’Neal or Ron Artest gave you the sense that if the Lakers pulled off the right series of moves to improve the team, Kobe would definitely stay, since that is all he really wants: to win. This news that Kobe has threatened to sit out a season really tears me up. It does not fit my hopeful theory that pulling off the right trades will mollify Kobe. This may really be about trust.
When you look at the possible trades, the price the Lakers would accept in a trade could very likely put his new team in exactly the same situation as the Lakers are now – with not a good enough caste around him. Kobe must realize this. Kobe has supposedly said he would accept a trade to the Bulls, Knicks, or Suns. Well, cross off the Suns because no way would the Lakers trade Kobe to a competitor in the West. The Suns play the Lakers far too many times during the year for the Lakers to want to face him and suffer the effort he would make against his former team.
That leaves the Bulls or the Knicks – or if you are really talking about winning – the Bulls. With the talent they have, they would be probably be able to put together a deal the Lakers might consider, e.g. Deng, Gordon, et al, and still have enough with Kobe to be the #1 team in the East. If Kobe is thinking about winning rather than trust, then maybe his plan to win is to emulate LeBron and go East where the competition is much less. While the team he goes to may not be better than the Lakers, his chances of getting to the NBA Finals and winning a championship on a team in the East are probably much better than if he stayed in the West.
Is Kobe Machiavellian enough to have made a decision to leave the Lakers because the competition is too tough in the West and he wants to join LeBron and Wade with their easier path to the playoffs? Probably not! More likely his agent has grasped upon Kobe’s distress and discouragement of the Lakers front office follies to point out to Kobe the logic of forcing a trade while knowing that the logical goal was to change conferences. That is also a scary thought because a trade to the East might be the ultimate strategy for Kobe to pull off at this time, especially with Odon and Durant arriving in the North West.
Bottom line, it’s not looking good. The only way we can save the day in my mind is for the Lakers to hold the line on NO TRADE and go about building a championship caliber team around Kobe and regaining his trust, if that is the issue, and showing that the team can contend, if that is the issue. But talk about scary times for Laker fans, well, for the vast majority of Laker fans. I am a Laker fan first and foremost but I love Kobe and want him to stay and for us to build a team around him. Most importantly, however, I want to see some semblance of competency and professionalism and dealing from the front office. In the long run, not having a solid ownership base would be even worse than losing Shaq and Kobe. Come on, Jerry, we need you to rally the troops and save us.
Tom
Posted by: LakerTom | June 22, 2007 at 07:44 PM
Meet The Beautiful Lakers Girls.
http://aol.nba.com/lakers/dance/Meet_the_200607_Laker_Girls.html
Posted by: J-Cool | June 22, 2007 at 07:47 PM
Did anybody know Vince Mcmahan was killed in Limo Expolsion? wow
Fatty
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vince_mcmahon
On June 11, 2007, WWE aired a segment at the end of RAW that featured McMahon entering a limousine moments before it exploded. The show went off-air shortly after, and WWE.com reported the angle as though it were a legitimate occurrence, proclaiming that McMahon was "presumed dead."[5] Although this was the fate of the fictional "Mr. McMahon" character, no harm came to the actual person (that is, his death was part of a storyline).[6][7]
Posted by: J-Cool | June 22, 2007 at 07:55 PM
If Kobe goes, you better can Mitch with him. No way do I support a GM whose watch has seen the loss of two of the greatest players of our generation...and, can it be true....without getting a single all-star in return?
Notice how all of these horrid kobe-trade scenerios have us giving up our best player wihout getting the other team's best player? This is as much a reflection of Mitch's GM abilities as it is of the environment Kobe has stirred up.
Now this sitting out all season stuff is something I would not let influence me as a GM. I let Kobe sit. I kill Mitch and take away his GM license, but I let Kobe sit. I still blame Mitch, but I let Kobe sit. I hate with great passion all of the Buss children except Jeanine, but I let Kobe sit. I still like and will always like Kobe, but I let his ass sit. It's one thing to be pissed at Mitch, but like the rude cable repair man, you let him fix the cable before you threaten to kill him and kick him out. You called Mitch out, Mr. Bryant, now you give him a chance to respond. Who knows what'll happen. Go ahead and sit Kobe, but the Lakers aren't going to trade the only interesting product they offer just because you don't like mitch, especially when we can't get fair market value because of all this hoopla that's been kicked up.
Nope, either you play or you sit--for TWO years.
Wes
Posted by: wesjoenixon | June 22, 2007 at 08:00 PM
J-Cool,
Please forgive the oversight. The links have been especially appreciated today.
Mitchell,
Kudos for your posts, too.
Laker Tom,
Thanks for reinforcing the truth that you can be a Laker fan, which I am, and still believe that Kobe makes the franchise better.
Posted by: Rick Friedman | June 22, 2007 at 08:01 PM