Eddie Money had two tickets to paradise
The Celtics now have one Ticket, a purchase made with the intention of traveling to the same destination that Mr. Money had in mind. Needless to say, this is pretty gosh darn huge. "Big enough to make David Stern stop weeping about Oden and Durant playing for two teams nobody ever sees" huge. "Big enough to make Bill Simmons stop weeping about acquiring Ray Allen" huge, especially considering Jesus Shuttlesworth reportedly played a big role in pitching Beantown to Garnett. Hell, it's even "big enough to overshadow the Lakers signing Coby Karl" huge.
OK, the acquiring of George Karl's undrafted son might have flown under the radar under any circumstances (although it's actually a more inspirational story than KG getting traded). But when it comes to inspiring Laker fans to sing a tune with an excellent guitar riff, the newest Laker likely won't cut the mustard. Karl's presence also appears a long shot to prevent Kobe from licking old wounds, a reaction that could make things rather unpleasant. Thus, it begs the question of where to go from here.
Well, for fans, a trip to El Segundo armed with flaming torches and a cry for Mitch Kupchak's head is unwarranted. I'm not being a front-office apologist, just realistic. Disappointed as I am to see Garnett land elsewhere, I don't think this situation is reasonably on Kupchak's shoulders. By all accounts, an aggressive pitch was made for Garnett. A failure to put him in purple and gold didn't seem due to a reluctance to part with chips, simply a lack of said chips. I've said a zillion times that I didn't think the Lakers had the pieces to make KG a Laker. Here's proof positive. Sorry, but Boston's offer was better than the Lakers' best counter. Compare the particulars and it's obvious:
Kwame Brown represents an expiring contract worth 9 million bucks. Theo Ratliff's is worth 11.7. I'm hardly qualified to teach mathematics at MIT. I can barely do long division. But I remain confident in my belief that 11.7 is more than 9. Bynum is a promising post player. Al Jefferson is a promising post player who's more developed than Drew. That doesn't mean Jefferson's a lock to end up the better player, but it does mean he's pretty a tough commodity to refuse, especially in a holdout for a less-established big man. In addition to draft picks, the Wolves receive youngsters ranging from "all upside" (Gerald Green) to "potentially solid role player" (Ryan Gomes) to "soon to be blessed with a lot of free time to shop for new guns" (Sebastian Telfair). All contracts end in 2008, providing a team that won't likely be good for a few seasons some low-risk, short-term options. And since they won't be solid anytime soon, why take on Lamar Odom's big contract and allow his PT to stymie the growth of Corey Brewer? Even with the Lakers theoretically willing to take Marko Jaric or Mark Blount's bad salaries, the Celts package makes more sense for a rebuilding team. If you wanna blame Kupchak for not having the requisite pieces on hand, fair enough. But otherwise, you're basically blaming him for not being able to con Kevin McHale into taking a clearly less-desirable package. His moves over the years show McHale may be dumb, but the man ain't stupid.
Assuming Kupchak can enter his office without a private security detail, what should he do while at his desk? Hopefully not sign off on a panic move that shows fans (and a certain shooting guard) that he's willing to "make noise." Yeah, noise often reeks of "bold and decisive." But noise also typically precedes a thumping headache. The powers that be are already gobbling Excedrin. No need to willingly end up in rehab for an aspirin addiction. Jermaine O'Neal, for example, is the likely name to pop up in rumor mills. Last time he was sewing circle fodder, the deal involved exchanging Odom and Bynum (unless you're counting the Odom-Bynum-Brown for JO-Troy Murphy proposal, but I don't since it was asinine to even consider). Landing JO gives the Lakers a bigger "name" and certainly brings the much-ballyhooed "noise." But would it also bring bring the funk? I don't think so.
JO might shore up the D a bit in between nursing injuries (which happens quite a bit, for those keeping score). But I don't think he'd transform the Laker hoop into a fortress, either. In the meantime, you lose what LO provides the offense, especially in turns of it running smoothly. Yes, offense isn't chief among Laker concerns, but that's assuming it functions at peak capacity. Remove LO from the equation for a less versatile option and you may downgrade the O more than the D actually improves. JO is a more consistent scorer, but this still strikes me as a sideways (and expensive) move, and I don't know if it's worth trading two of three pieces with any value simply because it represents "bold action." Driving headfirst in a brick wall at 90 mph is bold. Doesn't mean I'm itching to do it. And save the theoretical move for KG, the only way the Lakers were "one player away" was through adding a high-quality player to the mix, not swapping talent. If the Lakers pick up a quality player to accompany Kobe and JO, that's perhaps another story. But I'd hate to see the team dig itself further into a hole so fans know they're "serious about building a winner." "Serious" and "smart" are two different things. I prefer the latter.
Does that mean I wanna stand pat? No. The front office should aggressively go after any good player on the market and those reportedly untouchable. But I don't think they should move heaven and earth, no questions asked. Especially if the primary motive is making Kobe happy, since the odds are low, anyway. Garnett was the guy he wanted. That's no longer a possibility. I don't picture any other moves that'll automatically put a smile on his face. Except, of course, trading him. Which, as I've said before, I think the Lakers should seriously consider. Not because I "want" to trade Kobe. Nobody really "wants" to trade the league's best player still in his prime. I'd much rather put a team around him, all things being equal. But this isn't about what I want. It's about what I think is best for the Lakers, and sometimes what you want to do and what you should do are two very different things.
If you can't utilize Kobe's abilities to their fullest by building around him, there's no real point to having him here, especially if he's counting down the minutes (perhaps in a vocal and distracting fashion) until he can bolt. You're simply avoiding the inevitable, and procrastinating could limit whatever returns are possible for Kobe. Like it or not, the Lakers may be in a position where rebuilding is the unattractive but necessary solution. If that's the case, you're better off obtaining (and retaining) the most pieces and options to make it happen. No Laker will fetch more loot than Kobe. Were I Mitch Kupchak, I'd keep my ear to the ground for possibilities. But if I'm hearing nothing but silence, I would approach Kobe and lay everything on the table. If we acquiesce to your wishes, will you widen the list of reportedly acceptable destinations beyond "Chicago" and "Chicago" (although the Bulls could very well be more interested in a Kobe trade these days, now that Boston's a legit three-headed monster)? As stubborn as he can be and as much as he hates relinquishing control, Kobe might be open to a compromise focused around speeding up his wishes. Or he might take that stance as a sign of weakness and relish having the Lakers by the short and curlies, aping how Shaq handled his trip out of town. But if I had to guess, a cooperative olive branch is more likely to help than hurt. And it may be the best move for the franchise (if a bitter pill for fans to swallow).
In any case, I'd be lying if I said I'm not curious about what comes next. I'm already exhausted thinking about how many hours I'm gonna be chained to my laptop writing about it. But curious nonetheless.
-- AK
Generic--One
Relax is not you, the person.
Its about the statement.
By the way, thanks, for the Bukowski reference.
Just the mention of him close to my nick, make me day.
Posted by: jorema | July 31, 2007 at 06:47 PM
Miguel, why would Sacramento do that? I wouldn't if I were them.
Posted by: Michael A | July 31, 2007 at 06:50 PM
first time post yet need to shed these frustrations..... just finished watching the KG presser and I am sick! Even though it made more sense for the Celtics and Wolves to deal with one another, I can only think that if KG demanded to be traded to the Lakers, much like Shaq, something would have been worked out to bring KG to L.A. I was very disturbed with the comment that KG made regarding why "he" decided to join the Celtics and not the 2 other teams that were interested, namely the Lakers and suns. KG uttered a blurred reason for the Kobe situation and referenced LA as "being LA". What message did KG get from Kobe regarding the state of the Lakers? and why the hell is Kobe painting the Laker orginization as A PIG WITH LIPSTICK? I have always been a huge Kobe fan and I do believe he is the best player in the league, however if Kobe has always been a Laker fan and wants the best for the organization the why the F is he detering talent? Mitch and Jim better figure this out!!!!!!!
Beach
San Clemente,CA
Posted by: onelovebeach | July 31, 2007 at 06:50 PM
G1:
I never took the opportunity to thank you for the nice comments in your "awards" post. Just when there seems to be so much negativity here, you do the best thing by giving people something to feel good about. Nice morale boosting.
Another thing to feel good about: only three months until basketball begins.
Posted by: Marty | July 31, 2007 at 06:53 PM
If the Lakers can send Odom+Bynum for JO and Granger, I would do it. But then they would have to couple that buy signing someone like C-Webb, althought I could see him or PJ Brown going to the C-s now.
I would also sent Crittenton and Cook to the Warriors for Pietrus. ( I am going to pump this forever)
C Mihm/Kwame
PF O'neal/Turiaf
SF Granger/Walton/Radman
SG Kobe/Pietrus/Evams
PG Fisher/Farmar
Posted by: The Lake-Show | July 31, 2007 at 07:05 PM
Lincoln Laker,
I agree, you can blame Kupchak for not having the pieces to make the KG trade happen. But considering I actually wrote that in the post, I don't know why you're bringing that up to me.
AK
Posted by: Andrew Kamenetzky | July 31, 2007 at 07:06 PM
"With the signing of Coby Karl, the Lakers have maxed out their roster. They have knowingly put themselves in a position in which they cannot trade Kobe. "
Of course they can. You can trade for or sign as many players as you want. You could sign 50 players to contracts
during the summer if you want. It's only once the SEASON starts that you have to waive players to narrow it down
to 15 players. There are currently a couple of teams (Minnesota, Portland) with more than 15 players on their
rosters.
Posted by: Long time Laker fan | July 31, 2007 at 07:07 PM
sixonezero,
Check out this link.
http://www.hoopshype.com/salaries.htm
Look at where the Lakers rank in their payroll. They're 18th. The difference between number 4 and number 18 is 4 million dollars. That's Minnesota and the Lakers. Then 1 through 3 is New York, Dallas, and Denver. New York and Dallas I understand. But the Lakers are the 2nd or 3rd largest market in the country. The Lakers sell out almost every home game and most of their road games. They have the number one selling jersey. There's something wrong with how all this adds up. Again, I think the Buss family can't compete with the NBA's big money or they don't want to.
All this stuff about Shaq and Kobe being broken apart because of this and that...I don't think it's the true reason. I don't think Buss wanted to pay two players in the 20 million dollars a year range. I don't think he wanted to do that because he's a penny pincher. That's alright for another city but for an owner of a Los Angeles team? That doesn't add up.
mike
Posted by: Michael Teniente | July 31, 2007 at 07:11 PM
On Juan Carlos Navarro.....
"GM Ernie Grunfeld hasn't received anything resembling a legitimate offer for Juan Carlos Navaro (i.e. nothing but second-round picks and excess foliage)." - Wizzard Insider
That's the way to lose in getting good players, offer your excess foliage. Why not offer Sasha and Farmar? They are the excess baggage now that we have Fisher and Critt.
Posted by: Edwin Gueco | July 31, 2007 at 07:14 PM
The lakers might of not have the peices to acquire Garnett, but it is Mitch's bone head moves that put us in that position. This guy needs a big foot in his behind right out of staple center. I finally had it with this guy! He learned nothing from Jerry West. Our biggest signing was...Coby Karl? After the whole kobe drama, the only significant signing was Coby Karl? And to add salt to our wounds we are reminded that ticket prices where raised. My prediction is that this is the year laker fans put thier foot down. We will no longer support an organization that cares little about thier fans. I mean really, we have yet to get out of the second round and put talent around kobe and this people raise the prices.
Posted by: lkrfn | July 31, 2007 at 07:20 PM
Hal900
"
With the signing of Coby Karl, the Lakers have maxed out their roster. They have knowingly put themselves in a position in which they cannot trade Kobe. The only trade they can make is to get a big name player in exchange for several current Lakers."
As I stated last night, mitch kupchak already said that Coby karl is going to have to beat out someone for his roster spot. So that means its either make the team or get cut. If he gets cut the roster stays at 14. But if he makes the team then logic says that somsone else gets cut..and that person has to be Sasha. I mean Coby would replicated Sasha's positiong, but is probably a more impact player, so it makes sense.
I think its pretty easy to tell that its Coby v Sasha.
Posted by: The Lake-Show | July 31, 2007 at 07:25 PM
hal9000
"So, whether you guys like it or not, Kobe will be a Laker for the next two years. I hope you're prepared for 24 more months of hatin"
for someone that's been on the blog for a while, it's surprising that you underestimate the opposition. i doubt the haters will have any problem with hating on 24 for another 24 years or so ... lol
Posted by: Taliq | July 31, 2007 at 07:26 PM
So KG went to Boston, whoopee!!! I don't care!!! There's no guarantee that they'll win a ring, just like there would be no guarantees if KG had become a Laker. Are the Celtics chances better? Sure, but there are no guarantees. KG, Pierce and Allen will NOT add to the legacy of the Celtics, but will go down as a three pronged star attack that will fade away. At least I can credit the Lakers for being more consistent then the Celtics at winning since the legends of both teams walked away. I give the big three of the Celtics 2-3 years before they're done. This deal was done because Mchale and Ainge are Celtics and good friends and serious Laker haters period. This Celtic trio will be more like Seattle's former big three of Tom Chambers, Dale Ellis and Xavier McDaniel than Wilt, West and Baylor. I'll gladly eat crow if this turns out differently, but I seriously doubt it. Some players are destined never to win a ring regardless of who they play with or for. So far, players deemed "unselfish"; "leaders", "team-player" such as Nash, Garnett, Lebron have fared no better than the ONE called selfish, self-centered, ballhog and a failure as a leader. Please spare me the argument about getting further in the playoffs or making the finals only to lose. If it's all about winning, then anything less than a title is still failure. No one can say that Barkley, Stockton, Malone, Nowitzi, Kidd and many others were happy just to make it to the finals. I give credit to Lebron because his team was not as stocked as Phoenix, Dallas, Utah, San Antonio or Denver, but on the flip side, had Cleveland played in the West, they wouldn't get out of the first round if they faced Phoenix, San Antonio or Dallas. The Lakers would've beaten the Wizards, possibly beaten the Nets but would probably lose to the Pistons, but who knows? I really think the Lakers can make some noise if they stay healthy and the players develope quickly and become efficient in the Triangle. Playing some defense would help a great deal too. I'm ridin' wit da Lakers no matter what. Nuff said, Hulk mad at other green abomination called the Celtics.
Posted by: Nemaia Faletogo | July 31, 2007 at 07:27 PM
AK,
Fisher is good at point but if we could have get Jason Kidd at some point in Feb, why the deal is off the table now. I know Jason could be liability with his health but combo of front and back guards is what we want. They say we are one better player away, exactly my point get kidd. Drew is good and everything but we have too many centers. Do we need more ? I don't think so. Neither drew could be a player who will put down the weight and go in. Look at the players who got in after high school or college two years under good coach is enough to make difference. He is not future.
Why would not NJ will consider a trade now if they did consider in past
Posted by: Ajay | July 31, 2007 at 07:32 PM
Long time Laker fan:
"You can trade for or sign as many players as you want. You could sign 50 players to contracts
during the summer if you want. It's only once the SEASON starts that you have to waive players to narrow it down
to 15 players. There are currently a couple of teams (Minnesota, Portland) with more than 15 players on their
rosters."
That may be true, but what would the Lakers do with the 2-3 extra players? In order for the trade to make sense, they would have to be quality role players(at the very least) under contract. But guess what? all 15 current Lakers have already been signed to contracts. This means that the Lakers would have to make a second big trade to thin down the roster. I'm pretty sure that Mitch and Buss are not up to the task of making two blockbuster trades in one offseason... they can't even swallow one!
Posted by: hal9000 | July 31, 2007 at 07:34 PM
Mike T.,
"It's been in the back of my mind for a few years but when I see guys like Mark Cuban and Paul Allen entering the league with all their money, I wondered how it would effect the Buss family."
Jerry Buss should consider seling his shares to his partner AEG Enterprises. They are the owners of Staples, Galaxy, Chivas and have conglomerates worldwide. If they own the Lakers, for sure our euro recruits will be much stronger. You mentioned Cuban and Allen, I think Anschutz in the company of Magic Johnson could be a wider depth and breadth to the Laker organization. Money begets money. If Jerry Buss keeps on withdrawing to finance his high financing gambling and womanizing, he will never compete for bigger stakes. Lakers prices kept on increasing while not much improvement in the team, those are signs of financial crisis. Inflation has caught the Lakers. They can't finance the cost of players and investing in luxury taxes to lasso the best players. Jerry Buss is getting old, he's few more years to a retirement home. Jim and Mitch are no good stewards, the best deal is to sell the team to AEG Enterprises. Cash that money now while the price of Lakers stocks are rosy, once they trade Kobe it will surely go down the drain.
Posted by: Edwin Gueco | July 31, 2007 at 07:35 PM
hal9000,
===>#1: Kobe would have to approve the team he's going to. He will only do this if he knows the team he's going to will not be gutted by the trade.
True. See my list above of teams that are deep enough that they could trade away 2 or 3 players and still be 6 or 7
deep with Kobe added. Also, bear in mind that if salary matching and number of players is an issue, the Lakers
could include a low salary player (e.g. Farmar, Turiaf) on their side to balance out the deal.
---------------------------
==>#2: The team the gets Kobe would have to be OK with trading their best player and 2-3 other good players to get him.
Not quite. Consider Chicago. Who is their best player? Wallace? Hinrich? Deng? I think if the Lakers were
actually willing to trade Kobe (e.g. if they're forced to next summer), they'd be willing to accept a package with any
one of those 3 plus 2-3 other good players. And they could send back a cheap role player or two to help balance the
number of players and the salary. For several examples:
Kobe+Farmar for Hinrich+Gordon+Thomas+future draft pick[s]
Kobe+Turiaf+Cook for Wallace+Gordon+Nocioni+Noah+future draft pick[s]
Kobe+Turiaf+Evans for Deng+Gordon+Noah+Thomas+future draft pick[s]
Depending on who Chicago considers their "best" player, they get to keep that player. In fact they could keep
whoever they consider their best TWO players and still make a reasonable package deal with the Lakers. The
Lakers would get a huge improvement at either PG or SF or C, plus would get a good (but not great) SG back
in Ben Gordon, and another young player or two.
Similarly, Detroit (if Kobe were willing to go there) has 4 top-tier players: Rasheed Wallace, Chauncey Billups,
Tayshaun Prince, and Rip Hamilton. Who's their "best" player? Is it Chauncey or Sheed? Then the deal is
Tayshaun plus Rip plus Stuckey. Is it Rip Hamilton? Then the deal is Chauncey plus Tayshaun plus Afflalo
plus a future first rounder.
Granted, there are some teams where there is one clear star (e.g. Dwight Howard in Orlando) and not enough
depth that the deal would work without them. But there are several teams that could send 3 to 4 good players
(at least 2 of them starter quality) to the Lakers and still have enough left to be a competitive team with Kobe.
-----------------------
==>#3: The Lakers would have to be willing to accept the players that the other team offers in exchange for Kobe.
True. Again, I'll repeat that I don't think the Lakers are willing to accept anyone for Kobe this summer, but if
they were, I think if they could get two players that would start for the Lakers plus one or two promising young
players, plus a draft pick or 2, then that would make the team better now and aid the rebuilding process as well.
--------------------------
#4: The salaries on both sides of the trade would have to match up per the CBA rules.
also true. This is one of the hard parts, as Kobe's salary is so big that for some teams to match it, they'd have to
include 4 or 5 players. One solution is for the Lakers to include a low priced role player or two to balance the
number of players so the team isn't stripped - e.g. Farmar, Turiaf, and Evans would all be useful role players
that would balance out the number of players in a deal while only adding a million or so to the salary.
Posted by: Long time Laker fan | July 31, 2007 at 07:36 PM
Mike T has a point. We all know that Jerry Buss has put his foot down...no luxury tax. However I think he may be willing to go against that if let's say KG or Jason Kidd were to come on board. But as it stands it's just as big a part of our problems as "talent." CBA and all that.
Posted by: Faith | July 31, 2007 at 07:39 PM
If you're a true Laker fan and you don't want to cry or break your hand through a window, don't watch the celtics press conference on NBA.com. DON'T.
Posted by: hal9000 | July 31, 2007 at 07:39 PM
Smush Parker is just as full of himself as ever. Check out this quote: "I take advantage of opportunities given to me, whether it's starting or coming off the bench," he said. "I just want to be a help to any team I play on."
If Smush really took advantage of the opportunities given him, he wouldn't have lost his starting job with two games left in the regular season. Pat Riley can put up with Smush's crap now.Good riddance.
Posted by: Rick Friedman | July 31, 2007 at 07:42 PM
Repost?...
GUYS!
I've read every post in this thread (even KL's and Gunner's), and though not a hater at all, the reason KG did not consider going to the Lakers is because the situation was so "up in the air" here. WHO CREATED THAT ATMOSPHERE? If Kobe would have just kept his mouth shut during the off season and not demanded a trade, perhaps KG would be wearing purple & gold today. I'm pissed at KcHale, but also Kobe for what happened today. I say get Artest and thats it until mid-season/Feb trade deadline. Damn, not getting KG hurts!
Faith - Thanks for the UTube links to the old Showtime Lakers - I forgot how good those guys really were. Too bad we won't see any of that fast-breaking and dunking on the fly stuff as long as the triangle is our primary offense. Can you imagine Magic and Cap in their prime playing with Kobe?
P.S. - G-one, you are right on target all night, kudos to you : )
hubbit
Posted by: hubbit | July 31, 2007 at 07:43 PM
Marty:
"Another thing to feel good about: only three months until basketball begins."
Amen, brother. Amen. And actually, it's only about two months and a week until the preseason begins.
And I'm sure that we'll have plenty more cheer round here. The bloggers round here are awesome.
Posted by: generic_one | July 31, 2007 at 07:43 PM
WORST PRESS CONFERENCES IN LAKER HISTORY:
1) Magic Johnson announces he has AIDS
2) Kobe responds to rape charges
3)TODAY'S CELTICS PRESS CONFERENCE
Posted by: hal9000 | July 31, 2007 at 07:54 PM
Mike:
If you looked a lilttle harder, you'd see that salary for the Lakers is incorrect. That figure doesn't include Fisher, Mihm or Ronny, so you can tack on another $8 million.
Posted by: generic_one | July 31, 2007 at 07:55 PM
The lakers should have trade Odom and Byum for Jermaine O'Neal and Troy Murphy! Jermaine is a better player then Odom? RIGHT! Troy is better then Byum right now? Right! Many of y all act like this is a bad move if the lakers go for this trade! Which is funny to me!
Posted by: JERMANIE THE KOBE FAN | July 31, 2007 at 07:57 PM
AZ,
Before trading Kobe, you have to get a Superstar playing with Kobe this year, I don't know if JO will go through. From the looks of it, it's over we can't get the pieces we need. Perhaps, we can trade next year.
If Bynum was traded for Jason Kidd, I think Garnett would have loved to play with Kobe & Kidd, can the Buss Family afford to pay them? They don't have any other business except the Lakers. Even Donald Sterling is far richer than Jerry Buss. So I advocated to sell the lakers as another move. Going back to my theory, that if you have a Superstar here playing with Kobe and he still wants to be traded, you can move him in exchange of three mid-level stars plus two consecutive years of 1st rd draft pick then, you put the Lakers within the powerhouse and did not create void after trading Kobe.
I'm sure you're familiar with trading of Gail Goodrich a HOF to the Jazz while Kareem was with the Lakers, it created a 1st rd draft pick by the name of Magic Johnson. The same way with Kobe, you can't trade him and leaving the team empty. So those who are advocating of trading Kobe, think again, think of insurance ( you can't drive a car without it, you can't live in your new home without it and finally, you cannot leave your family without it.) The same way with Kobe where is the insurance, next question is to what team are you going to trade him? Finally, before trading him remove the excess foliage fas Ernie Grunfeld called them, let's do the clean up the Waltons, the Sasha, the Kwame, the Cook etc.
Posted by: Edwin Gueco | July 31, 2007 at 07:58 PM
Hubbit,
Kobe is immature when he's trying to contol his emotions. He showed this with his parents when he married Vanessa, he showed this on the court when trying to complain on every foul and lastly, he was totally frustrated that for 2 consecutive years, there was no improvement of the franchise except the draft picks.
However, we have to give him also the credit where it is due, he is the best player there in that roster. If there was no Kobe, hell we won't even get to the playoffs. We have to separate Kobe the player and Kobe the person.
Finally, who created this mess? Kobe broadcasted what was hidden? Everybody in the league knows about the lakers, you can't hide it even without the Kobe melodrama. Can you imagine even this guy from Europe, lakers could not offer a decent swap? What does it say? The problem was created a long time ago, it's only now that came into open. It is like a volcano, the magma has been heating up for quite sometime, nobody minded the smokes and the tremors until one day, it exploded violently, ithe whole town came out running in panic to run for their lives.
Posted by: Edwin Gueco | July 31, 2007 at 08:13 PM
taliq/hal9000
""So, whether you guys like it or not, Kobe will be a Laker for the next two years. I hope you're prepared for 24 more months of hatin"
for someone that's been on the blog for a while, it's surprising that you underestimate the opposition. i doubt the haters will have any problem with hating on 24 for another 24 years or so ... lol"
i want kobe to say in LA to finish what he started....fulfilling his legacy WITHOUT SHAQ.
Posted by: KLBeast | July 31, 2007 at 08:14 PM
"I agree, you can blame Kupchak for not having the pieces to make the KG trade happen. But considering I actually wrote that in the post, I don't know why you're bringing that up to me."
AK
I dont buy into that idea that we did not have the pieces to get the deal done.... If we could of gotten creative ( something that this Lakers FO lacks) like trading Odom to Chicago or Atlanta for their 1st round picks like Noha or Horford, or making a trade with Charlote to get the # 8 pick for Odom I think we could have gotten this deal done...
I don't think the Kwame Brown, Theo Ratliff comparison as far as dollar figure is anywhere close in being the deal braker, after all the Lakers could of offered another expirig contract like Sasha or Mo Evans....
So your telling me a deal that sends
Bynum
JC
Horford, Noha or Brandon Wright
Kwame Brown
and another exiring contract plus next years 1st round pick
Is not good enough deal for the Wolves...
Anyway to late to even think about it....
But I'm not with you on the JO deal.. I think the LO Kobe combo has failed and Bynum might end up being for real, but not anytime soon....
So I say trade LO, Bynum, Farmar for JO
throw in Sashsa to make the deal work
than I would trade Cookie for Luther Head and maybe think about going after Posey if we have the financials. We will least be 10 times better than we were last year.....
Kobe/Mo Evans/CK
FISH/Head/JC
Luke/Posey or Posey/Luke/VRad
JO/Turiaf/Vrad
Kwame/Mimm
This team can certainly contend, I challenge anyone that thinks otherwise........
Note; I included Kwame, because on this team he would not be asked to do anything but rebound and play D. That's only if he can at least do that, if not we have his expiring contract to maybe swap for Foster and or someone else to fill in the roll......
Posted by: Gino | July 31, 2007 at 08:22 PM
Edwin,
You said:
"Finally, who created this mess? Kobe broadcasted what was hidden? Everybody in the league knows about the lakers, you can't hide it even without the Kobe melodrama. Can you imagine even this guy from Europe, lakers could not offer a decent swap? What does it say? The problem was created a long time ago, it's only now that came into open. It is like a volcano, the magma has been heating up for quite sometime, nobody minded the smokes and the tremors until one day, it exploded violently, ithe whole town came out running in panic to run for their lives."
One question:
Would we be in this deep of a mess if Kobe had acted like KG and been loyal and long-suffering (alot more than Kobe's 3 years!) this off season?
hubbit
Posted by: hubbit | July 31, 2007 at 08:23 PM
HEY KOBE LOVERS, PLEASE PAY ATTENTION
Look at the difference between Paul Pierce and Kobe Bryant. Both star player asked management for some veteran help. Pierce asked nicely, kobe acted like a kbiatch. Celtic management did everything in their power to respect Pierce's request. Laker management did everything in their power to tell kobe "F-U". haha.
In all seriousness, lesson learned: "never show up those who hold the power".
Kobe got away with it once when shaq was traded away to appease kobe, but laker management smartened up.
"fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me"
laker management got fooled once by kobe and it didn't happen again.
Posted by: KLBeast | July 31, 2007 at 08:26 PM
www.tradekobe.com
When will this site be born? He has cause the Lakers nothing but heartache since the day Shaq left. Off the court, he is a pariah. On it, he is unstopable. I'll take my chances with a mediocre team of youth over the next few years. Drop his terribly childish ways and lets build a true team of Lakers. I'm on the trade Kobe bandwagon.
Posted by: PhxLkrFan | July 31, 2007 at 08:27 PM
"The lakers should have trade Odom and Byum for Jermaine O'Neal and Troy Murphy! Jermaine is a better player then Odom? RIGHT! Troy is better then Byum right now? Right! Many of y all act like this is a bad move if the lakers go for this trade! Which is funny to me!"
lakers will still suck because kobe sucks.
Posted by: KLBeast | July 31, 2007 at 08:27 PM
ak,
what happened to my posts?
Posted by: the WOLF | July 31, 2007 at 08:29 PM
1 great player
1 good player
6 avg players
6 below avg players
How in the heck are the Lakers over the Cap with this team???
With this trade I can now hate the Celtics again...
After watching the interview with KG in making his reference in not knowing what Kobe was going to do...... It's time to trade him NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If Kobe's mouth piece comes on in the day or 2 stating he wants to be traded.... I am all for it!!!
We have to stop this curse somehow, lets get the best we can for Kobe and not win a game and next year and try to get OJ MAYO or LOVE..
How else can the Lakers do it??? Finishing 7th or 8th will only set us back further..
Keep Odom, Turiaf, Bynum, Critt, Farmar, Luke, Fisher and trade the rest..
I am a firm believer Kobe cost us KG not management.... Trade KOBE!!!
How can the Lakers build if no one knows what Kobe wants to do or if he continues to say I want to be traded??
If Buss has been told by KOBE he wants out at all cost, do it and get rid of Phil at the same time.... Come on Buss, we need a direction?? You make me watch Smush for 2 years and now Kobe wants out, Phil hasn't signed, what the heck is going on in Lakerville... Somebody has to get ahold of this,
Jerry West..please come back as an Consultant or something, anything to try to change the tide, instead of just drifting along..
It's so bad, I happen to think ARTEST is our savior now....
bd
Posted by: bd | July 31, 2007 at 08:31 PM
KLBeast,
"i want kobe to say in LA to finish what he started....fulfilling his legacy WITHOUT SHAQ."
Let me get this str8, u don't think the dude plays team ball but you want him to stay with your team. In other words you want the lakers to continue losing??
You sure you're a laker fan
Posted by: Taliq | July 31, 2007 at 08:36 PM
Troy is better then Byum right now?
Uh, no. In fact, I'd argue that Troy isn't even better than Kwame right now.
And he's paid 10 million a year for the next 4 years. If it was Troy for 5 million a year, then I'd say bite the bullet
and take the deal, but basically you're breaking the bank for a slightly taller version of Brian Cook.
Posted by: Long Time Laker Fan | July 31, 2007 at 08:38 PM
Gino,
"If we could of gotten creative ( something that this Lakers FO lacks) like trading Odom to Chicago or Atlanta for their 1st round picks like Noha or Horford, or making a trade with Charlote to get the # 8 pick for Odom."
Aside from the fact that you're just assuming Chicago or Atlanta would rather have Odom over those lottery picks (why, exactly?), the trade you're proposing isn't legal for Chicago within the CBA rules. They're over the cap, so they can't just take a 14 mil salary (Odom) and trade a draft pick for him. So they'd have send some players back. So now you're asking them to include more players in addition to their lottery pick in exchange for LO. That's a lot for LO, especially since they already have a great SF in Deng, an up and coming PF in Tyrus Thomas, and planned on resigning Nocioni. Atlanta also has a lot of SF's at it is.
"I don't think the Kwame Brown, Theo Ratliff comparison as far as dollar figure is anywhere close in being the deal braker, after all the Lakers could of offered another expirig contract like Sasha or Mo Evans.... "
The reason it's better to take Ratliff over Kwame is because you can get more money without having to take on more players. It's just simpler. Why crowd up a roster with more players you don't really want? Plus, even if you combine Kwame and Sasha, it's still less than Ratliff's salary.
Since you were wondering, unless he's willing to take a salary of around a mil or so, the Lakers won't have the financials for Posey.
AK
Posted by: Andrew Kamenetzky | July 31, 2007 at 08:41 PM
Hal9000,
"So, whether you guys like it or not, Kobe will be a Laker for the next two years. I hope you're prepared for 24 more months of hating."
Hey, that's fine with me. The longer old Kobiatch is here the more fun it is watching his circus acts.
Ringley Bros., Kobe, Barney and Bailey Circus is fun to watch. I can't wait until the new season commence this October.
The other funny thing is the more FA you see go to other teams, the more you understand why he is called the "BIG IRRELEVANT"
Posted by: Gunner | July 31, 2007 at 08:43 PM
The Wolf,
I have no idea. BK and I are both at Dodger Stadium and neither of us have deleted anything you left.
AK
Posted by: Andrew Kamenetzky | July 31, 2007 at 08:46 PM
KLBeast,
"Look at the difference between Paul Pierce and Kobe Bryant. Both star player asked management for some veteran help. Pierce asked nicely, kobe acted like a kbiatch. Celtic management did everything in their power to respect Pierce's request. Laker management did everything in their power to tell kobe "F-U". haha."
And to add to that. Look at Garnett. Gave Minnesota great service for 12 years with a below average team. Never complained. Did it hard every day of the season.
Results: Granted to join with another 2 true professionals.
Posted by: Gunner | July 31, 2007 at 08:48 PM
NO JKidd, No KG ......I guess lakers management shoudnt try to approach any star players as long as Jim and mitch still running the show...cuz they dunno how to pull the trigger ......
artest , or JO? get one of them without giving up LO .......we need LOGo more than ever now
Posted by: Farmteam | July 31, 2007 at 08:50 PM
WORST PRESS CONFERENCES IN LAKER HISTORY:
1) Kobe responds to rape charges
2) Kobe signs the day after Shaq is traded
3)Kobe complaining and crying about "Do something and do it now" after getting knocked out of the first round this year by the Suns.
Posted by: Gunner | July 31, 2007 at 08:50 PM
Hal 9000,
With regards to press conferences:
Will Mitch Kupchak hold a press conference for his prized possession, Coby Karl? now just a name but tomorrow a legend - that will be his battlecry.
Seriously, I think the Lakers may not be a championship calibre this year but it has a lot of HEART PLAYERS namely: Ron Turiaf, Derek Fisher and Coby Karl. What are the similarities of these three players? They are just happy playing in NBA, they have some disabilities to attend to, either within themselves or with their immediate family. Undoubtedly, these players have the character to play their best, every given day is a gift from the Almighty. I hope other players in this roster will realize how fortunate they are, to be fully healthy but not playing to their capabilities.
Posted by: Edwin Gueco | July 31, 2007 at 08:58 PM
The luxury tax is not the issue; that only allows you to re-sign your own players. You can't go into luxury tax territory to sign a free agent. It does not make a difference when it comes to getting a player like KG. It might have made a difference in re-signing Derek Fisher, but then as soon as you do that, it hamstrings you for signing the next free agent. The luxury tax is not the problem, the issue is making good player selections in trades and the draft.
Posted by: exhelodrvr | July 31, 2007 at 09:01 PM
We suck!!
Good thing we got Coby Karl, J Critt and Mihm--they each played the same number of NBA games last year--that's the experienced talent we were llooking to surround Kobe with.
Posted by: Goodbye Lakers | July 31, 2007 at 09:02 PM
ohhhh! at the 30:00 mark of the Celtic press conference, the truth finally comes out:
Garnett ruled out the Lakers because the "Kobe situation" was up in the air.
Remember the phone call from KG TO KOBE because Kobe wasn't trying to call KG before the draft? Remember how everything died out after that phone call?
So, let's get this straight. Kobe goes on the radio, whining that "something" needs to be done yet... when the time came... KOBE BLEW OFF GARNETT AND TOLD HIM HE WASN'T GOING TO BE HERE.
2 words...
FRANCHISE KILLER!
Posted by: TaosHum | July 31, 2007 at 09:02 PM
First, KG is now Celtic. Which means I now officially hate him.
Apparently, so is Mitch.
--FearlessWhackJob
Posted by: FearlessWhackJob | July 31, 2007 at 09:11 PM
Say what you want to about Boston and KG........but Ainge came out of the offseason looking extrememly good. Allen, Pierce and KG.......what a facelift. Kwame,MIhm,Sox........all soft
Triangle offense.........
Phil jackson.........hasn't resigned extenstion......he's waiting to see what kobe will do...........I don't blame him, because he needs someone to carry the full blame for his poor coaching.
where's the defensive presence, or lowpost threat.............OH kobe.....I hope your in shape, you'll have to carry the FULL LOAD for another year while Dwade can come around pick and rolls and throw alley hoops to shaq and parker can come through duncan picks and drive for easy tear drops
Posted by: Dion | July 31, 2007 at 09:13 PM
ak,
its cool. im posting from a pda and i think the sig was bad in the area i was in. thanks!
Posted by: the WOLF | July 31, 2007 at 09:16 PM