THE GO EAST STRATEGY?

I hope I am wrong but I have started to worry that was has happened is that Kobe’s agent may have taken advantage of Kobe’s dismay and disappointment over the Lakers failure to pull the trigger on the Jason Kidd trade and the team’s early exit from the playoffs and talked Kobe into demanding a trade in order with the strategy being to force the Lakers to trade him to the Bulls to get him out of the insanely competitive West and into the easier East so that he would have an easier path to the NBA Finals, much like Wade and LeBron had the last 2 years.

Not only is this exactly the kind of argument that agents make to their clients, but you have to admit that in a truly perverse way it really is a pretty good strategy for Kobe. The Bulls after trading for Kobe may not be much better than the Lakers were with Kobe, but the competition they have to beat to get to the Finals when you come from the East is dramatically easier than when you come from the West, especially with Oden and Durant arriving in the Pacific Northwest. If Kobe is really as serious as he says about winning, then it might be hard to argue that going east might be a big factor.

I hope that is not what this is all about. I know at the start that Kobe really was just venting his anger and trying to force the Lakers hand. But lately, it seems as if the moves have been more calculated almost to burn bridges. Maybe AK was right and it was Kobe’s agent who leaked the news of the Barcelona meeting in order to give the Lakers the public relations boost to enable them to consider trading Kobe. On the other hand, it appears as if the moves have only stiffened the Lakers position that they will NOT trade Kobe despite his demands.

Probably where we are is the agent telling Kobe he is in a win-win situation. Either the Lakers get a team around you that can win or they trade you to the East where you will have an easier road to hoe to get to the Finals. That may be win-win for Kobe’s agent but it is beginning to look more and more like a lose-lose situation to many Laker fans. Bottom line, the entire situation is looking more and more like a strategic series of moves that have to have been concocted by Kobe’s agent to get his client into a better situation as far as the chances of winning future championships.

Tom

Laker Tom,

Yep. In complex situations, the truth is multi dimensional. A few things can be true at the same time. Kobe does or did want the Lakers to make a move to support him and forget about the 10 year plan. Kobe did cringe watching Shaq last year and Le Bron this year, cruise out of easy ECF and get into the big dance. Kobe does feel the heat of the Trailblazers, Spurs, Mavericks and them pesky Suns and is thinkin' why bother fighting them all when you can just meet one in the Finals?

This is a league problem as well as a Laker problem. More and more vets will figure anything can happen in a 7 game finals but getting to the there out of the West is iffy. The East is a career extender. if I'm not mistaken, it was one of the first things Shaq said about the upside of his trade.

You can't decree a rule to fix this. You can't tell players where to go as much as we'd all sometimes like to. But basketball fans know. This isn't your father's NBA. His NBA was better. Today's finals does not compare to the 80s finals that suited up 10 HOFs. Hmm, is that salary cap thing workin?

AK/BK,

Is it not feasible to trade Kobe within the Western Conference? A straight up Kobe for Dirk trade works. The Lakers would be very competitive, and the Mavs would be instant contenders. I understand shipping off a player of his caliber to the other conference, but if you're going to trade Kobe then wouldn't you want the best player(s) in return?

TIME FOR THE NBA TO SEED THE FINALS JUST LIKE THE NCAA!

All of this thinking about how Kobe may be angling to get traded to the East to have an easier path to win a championship has refueled my dislike of the current playoff system. I believe that the NBA has even said that they are going to revisit the seeding idea for the NBA playoffs during the offseason.

As a long time UCLA fan, I was really angry when the NCAA did away with true regionals and basically set about to cram as many teams from the East as possible in order to prevent the Bruins have their traditionally easy route out of the West to the Final Four. In retrospect, however, the move probably saved NCAA basketball. March Madness has now achieved the lofty status of super event, much like the NFL’s Super Bowl.

Now imagine if the NBA decided to seed the playoffs with the best teams 1 to 16 regardless of conference. Does anybody doubt that the playoffs would take on an entire new level of importance? There would be better teams and better games. Of course, there would be fewer teams from the East but who cares, they could just force all of the teams to play 6:00 p.m. games to score on network TV.

It would be ironic if Kobe’s strategy really is to move to the east for an easier route to the title. Such maneuvers are another reason to drop the conference alliances and seed the playoffs. Let the East play more games against the East but at least let the 16 teams with the best win-loss records participate in a fully seeded playoffs.

Tom

Since it seems like doing away with the salary cap is far fetched. Maybe it's time to start a petition to move the LA Lakers to the Eastern conference haha.

OK .....so if the lakers trade bridezilla(kobe) and that team gets knocked out in the first round...what happens then?....the other point that sticks out......why havent any other laker players said a word?...not one player has come forward to defend bridezilla(kobe)....doesnt that seem strange....

Bloggers

Do You Think We Have A Chance Since KG Agent Said That His Client Want To Go To A Warm Place That Where The Lakers Entered The Picture. Phoenix Won't Part With Amare And With Marion They Have To Send Him To Boston Which Place Marion Don't Want To Go? Since Minnesota Is Listening To Offers We Got A Chance With A Lot Of Pieces And If Hudson Want Out We Should Get Him As Well As KG. Once We Find Out Where KG Want To Go To By His Agent Tomorrow. We Be Right There And Ready Am I Right Bloggers?

Kerr says Suns are in talks for Garnett

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns//articles/0622kerronline-ON.html

Brownie Points: Garnett too rich for Suns’ taste

http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/91978?source=rss&dest=STY-91978

Kerr: Landing Garnett unlikely

http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/92053?source=rss&dest=STY-92053

MSNBC has a fun poll on whether Kobe will be a lifelong Laker:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18661605/?vid=19266863

Miss Van Exel (shouldn't it be Ms. Van Exel?),

Before writing to the blog, you ought to learn how to read. You wrote,

"Kobe isnt a slave. He's a rich star on the world's most famous baskbetall team.

Get a perspective."

I didn't say or suggest he was a slave. I wasn't even talking about Kobe! I was simply, and very explicitly, pointing to what I perceived as an implicit "moral law" which these ignominious hacks appeal to, one in which bossman is God and those he employs and protects owe him absolute respect and total obedience. I find it unbelievable that the "ho" mentality has reached so deep into our civilization that people on this blog express the belief that if the system makes you rich, the only thing to do is lie down for the system's pleasure.

That journalists work and think that way isn't so surprising (fortunately all do not). That average, everyday blog contributors are so intimidated by the law of ready cash that they consider the Dr Buss to be a saint boggles my mind.

By the way, adhering to the attitude "take your 20 million and shut yo mouth" is also the ethical standard on which corruption thrives. Those who challenge its "moral logic" are, as Chris Ballard in SI says, to be congratulated and admired.

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?

Wes

Posted by: wesjoenixon | June 22, 2007 at 08:00 PM

You should add Jim Buss to that list. If Kobe goes and Mitch AND Jim don't go, I'm as close as done gets with the Lakers. The front office has a laundry list of mistakes and refuse to hold themselves accountable! You don't lose one of the most dominate players of our era in Shaq AND the current best player in the league in Kobe because of them. One..maybe, two...no. Not at all. That goes on you. And there's no pushing the blame on Mitch cause he's not the one holding all the cards. Yea, he may be responsible for some bad decisions when it comes to trades and such, but even if that was the case, then why wasn't fired after any of them?

"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?"

Don't put that Shaq trade on Mitch. Whatever his faults may be, his hands were tied. Buss had decided to move him, and move him quick. That's not on Kupchak. He may have made some bad moves, but not even Kupchak wanted to do that Shaq trade. And he won't want to do the Kobe trade if it comes to that. But that trade may be necessary.

We're losing our hold on JO. He is now rumored going to the Nuggets for Camby, Najera and Evans. Mitch is getting tackled in trade rumors, he's not getting any points.

http://www.hoopsworld.com/article_22432.shtml

Even the Bonzi deal MIGHT BE taken out of the table, Tracy McGrady and the new coach, Ric Adelman likes Bonzi, I think it's just matter of salary structuring. So far, the only clear prospect is Luther Head.

http://blogs.chron.com/nba/2007/06/tmac_oneverything_1.html

WHERE IS THE GOOD NEWS FROM LAKERS FRONT OFFICE?

fiirst off..you totally cancelled any of yor relevant opinion by being dumb and taking a shot at my blog name...none of which has any connection to your ideas.

but i was kind enough to listen to read the rest of your message

I believe that you're talking critical race theory, for some odd reason about a purely SPORTS story.

First off, I said for you to get a perspective because comparing some african-american diaspora to the kobe situation is ridiculous. He is not being pimped, he's not being exploited. Dr. Buss doesn't owe him anything more than the contact he signed. Look, unless Kobe's contract provided a written contractual agreement that said "the Lakers need to make big trades/transactions and make this team a contender" than Dr. Buss and the front office has done nothing wrong.

Instead you're so immersed in the idea of the entitled athlete, that you can't seem to understand that you're part of Kobe's propaganda.

Seriously, basketball is a business, what would you do if you were Dr. Buss? Kobe knows its a business too, thats why he is the only one with that no-trade clause.

Seriously stop taking this as more than a basketball decision.

Would you be saying the same thing if this was Magic, or Bob Johnson, or Jay-z?
...

"But--as her very next sentence makes clear--[Debra] Dickerson does not absolve the black community of responsibility in all this: "Blacks need to accept this and then get over it--and get even…The know-nothingness required to keep blacks tilting at the windmill of white approval is no less odious than whites' determination to remain first among purported equals." For Dickerson, white racism is one giant head trip, and thus can only be as effective as black people's gusto for white approval allows it to be. Black people, she writes, are "complicit in maintaining white supremacy" because they hunger for "white approval or white apology rather than their own autonomy."

Nuggets: Is Jermaine Headed to Denver?

http://www.hoopsworld.com/article_22432.shtml

More On That.

FATTY........Brad newley worked out for Pill Jackson today along with dudley,tucker and byars so with alittle luck he may have a shot with a pick in the second round (lets hope)....all of the players had to show how capable they were at the triangle......Pill took the session........does this mean that he will be back even if bridezilla(kobe) wont?...Newley heads to the cavs tomorrow for a workout

hariyahu,
"You come across as a big expert on all matters @r$e in general - come from experience? "

I WAS RIGHT? 22yrs? 23yrs, 24yrs? YOU'RE NO MORE THAN THAT. YOU CAN TELL. AVERAGE AGE OF KOBE APOLOGISTS IS AROUND THAT AGE. TOO YOUNG TO KNOW ALL THE LAKERS GREATS. ONLY BECAME A FAN IN LATE 90'S I BELIEVE I'M GETTING WARM, HUH? DO YOU REMEMBER GAIL GOODRICH? PROBABLY NOT! BUT YOU HAVE A CHANCE TO LOOK IT UP ONLINE. (HA HA)

Lysander,
"Huh? So "I miss Van Exel and Eddie Jones" is also one of your alisis?"

NICE TO MEET YOU. I DON'T KNOW WHO POSTED THAT. BUT EVERYONE KNOWS ME ON THIS BOARD AS THE GUNNER24 (A NAME I ADOPTED BECAUSE OF THE BAD BALL HOG TECHNIQUE OF THE BIG IRREVELANT KOBE BRYANT)

Garnett Not Going to Boston or Any Cold Weather City

http://sports.aol.com/fanhouse/2007/06/22/garnett-not-going-to-boston-or-any-cold-weather-city/#cont

Fatty & G1

Jeannie Buss sleeping with McHale? You gotta be kidding! Don't you think it would be a total disadvantage for her to sleep with a zombie??? Not to mention the danger!

SALLY JENKINS IS NOT ESTEEEMED.
SHE NEEDS TO STICK TO WASHINGTON BUSINESS.

SHE KNOWS NOTHING ABOUT WHAT GOES ON WITH THE LAKERS.

ANYTIME BUSS AND THEIR BLUNDERS ARE OMMITTED FROM A SHAQ OR KOBE RANT SHOWS THAT THE WRITER IS NOT PAYING ATTENTION TO THE WHOLE STORY.

Hey PEace,

I hear you on the anti Kobe first and Lakers second fans.
I AGREE.

However, how can the Lakers rebuild with no front office organization.

Have you seen the title of Sport Illustrated this wk.
It's about the SPURS ORGANIZATION.

If you want another example look up the PATRIOTS.

We are miles behind that type of structure.

We're wasting too much time on Kobe and not talking about our broken beloved Lakers organization which has spiraled down since Jerry West left.
We PUNT during every single draft because we don't think a player can help us now.
We don't have a plan.

HEY ANDREW Z

NOW THAT's an idea.
TRADE BYNUM AND INSERT CONLEY INTO OUR LINEUP.
THAT's good stuff or even Horford.

I'd trade Bynum for any pick in the top 10, let alone the #3.

I think there are players that could be taken 10th that would provide more use for us immediately and in the future.

I still think the Lakers should look to move into this lottery by using Andrew Bynum as bait. I know Chicago, Minnesota, and Sacramento all are looking for centers and they draft, 9,7, and 10th respectively.

I think Corey Brewer, Joakim Noah, Jeff Green, and Julian Wright are all players that would help the Lakers more next year than Andrew Bynum will, and will continue to be good NBA players for years to come.

HARI “THANK YOU, COME AGAIN” GUPTA

“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.”

I think you and troy went into the school to chest thumping.

“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" ?”

Dude, we always went into the wrong direction with kobe instead of shaq. Are you kidding me that you’re still defending the Big A$$hole?

“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.”

I suppose the crap that you post is in fact, “fact”? Dude, the definition of a blog is the “aggregate collection of speculation and hearsay”. Get clue and stop acting like yo $hit don’t stink.

MICHALE H

“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.”

You and I are agreement here. This is my problem with kob in the present and in the past. I think kob has always been scheming in what PJ calls “mental warfare” with EVERYBODY. The only difference now is that kobe truly believes he’s above the laker org (not just the laker fans and teammates).

“By making it public it has diminished our ability to make a fair deal to help him.”

Bingo. This is my contention on why kobe does not gives a kobe’s a$$ (aka rat’s a$$) about the lakers or laker fans.

“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.”

Is it ever a good idea to badmouth someone publicaly? Is it ever a good idea to badmouth your boss? Back then, kobe was badmouthing Shaq, which after blogging for a while, kob may have had a legitimate gripe. Fair enough, but now kobe is revealing himself to be the instigator. Kobe is the systemic problem which does no good in building a contending team of guys working TOGETHER.

“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.”

We can agree to disagree, but I think you can admit that the improving the team around kobe will be that much harder now? We’ll see how the drama plays out, but at least I’ll give us something to KBiatch about in the summer. Who knows, perhaps the lakers win the west and I have to eat crow next May.

TELLITLIKEITIS

“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.”

The fallacy of your premise is that kobe is a “man”. At best, kobe is a little KBiatch who needs to be biatch slapped back to reality. i hope kobe turns an ankle or hyper-extends a knee. I call on Bruce Bowen to stick his foot out just a little more the next time kobe takes a jump shot after dribbleing away 16 seconds off the shot clock.

GUNNER24

“I WAS RIGHT? 22yrs? 23yrs, 24yrs? YOU'RE NO MORE THAN THAT. YOU CAN TELL. AVERAGE AGE OF KOBE APOLOGISTS IS AROUND THAT AGE. TOO YOUNG TO KNOW ALL THE LAKERS GREATS. ONLY BECAME A FAN IN LATE 90'S I BELIEVE I'M GETTING WARM, HUH? DO YOU REMEMBER GAIL GOODRICH? PROBABLY NOT! BUT YOU HAVE A CHANCE TO LOOK IT UP ONLINE. (HA HA)”

Hari “come again” acts like he’s a smart guys (a smart arse is more like it). I’ve seen guys like him all of my career, usually English educated Indians or Pakistanis from the upper “class” who are complete dorks, usually can’t play a lick of b-bal, but think they’re smart as hell working in the IT department.

Jorema, Sally Jenkins is a well-respected, talented sports writer. The fact that you don't agree with some of the things she has to say, doesn't invalidate that. Actually, from my perspective, it validates it, since you're clearly looking at things from a certain prism.

Actually, I'm surprised how many of you haven't heard of her before. I guess you really are just focused on the LA sports scene...that might explain some of these bogus trade ideas I keep seeing popping up.

I think there are a lot of people at fault for what's going on right now, and if you think Kobe's not one of them, then something's wrong. But clearly the front office has serious problems. My question is, what's the best outcome for the Lakers here? With Kobe doing his best to make himself untradeable (which is the opposite of what he says he wants), what can we realistically do? There's no way we can just add talent to the team, we don't have the cap space for it. I doubt we can get anybody good enough to make Kobe happy without shipping out any players we have who have talent. Although if we got rid of Kwame, that might help make up for some of that...

But what do we do?

Edwin - thx for the replay about the draft - I agree that Rudy F would be a great pg for us... I'm a bit torn though, I'd almost rather take Tiago Spitter - we could use a C/PF that's a defensive stopper... epecially with the injuries we have. Thx also for the Pincus article. It's bizarre how things have gone so wrong so quick. Seems like there's fewer and fewer options out there.

Dave M