Virgin Islands deflowered

It'll be interesting to see if Kobe's intensity with Team USA carries over to his remaining time with the Lakers. Maybe that old Sprite commercial where Kobe works out harder in response to criticism from journalists was just something ad execs came up with, or perhaps it speaks to Kobe's personality. The drive to prove someone wrong once they've slighted Kobe just might be the thing that drives him the most. And right now, I don't think anyone could argue that Kobe doesn't feel like he's been slighted by the organization.

The other side to this could be that Kobe 2.0 (post knee surgery and back to 100%) could just be about his drive to bring the Lakers back to greatness.

***************************************************************************************************************************
ATTENTION BLOGGERS : TODAY (AUGUST 24, 2007) IS DEDICATED TO RICK FRIEDMAN
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PAST HONOREES: MIKE TENIENTE, EDWIN GUECO, KLBEAST, GENERIC_ONE, A.K. J.J. FAITH,
LAKER TOM, SONNY BELFAST, JOREMA, TALIQ, DAVID WHANG, THA SHOW

NEXT HONOREE (HOBBITMAGE)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In life there are certain people that you meet and immediately like. After talking for a minute you feel like you’ve
known them all your life. Rick Friedman is one such person. For one thing the man personifies class. I have never
known the man in a single post to use even a facsimile of a swear word yet he manages to get his point across
even more effectively by it’s non use. Rick is one of the biggest conciliators on the Blog and no matter the provocation
always manages to rise above it and plead for reaching common ground. Now don’t get me wrong, the man is no Saint,
but then again he comes pretty close. The only thing preventing his saint hood is this strange affliction he has called
Lakeritis. Yes once again we have one of these die hard Laker Fans. Yawnnnnnn. Come on Rick, live dangerously
come on over to the Kobe Fan side. Just kidding. Yeah Rick is a Kobe fan too but when push comes to shove he’s a
Laker fan first and for that I salute you sir. His suggestions are always reasonable and well thought out and not based
on spur of the moment Knee jerk emotions like this jerk I know named Mamba24/10. The man has a keen mind and I
don’t just mean just basketball mind. One gets the feeling that in whatever endeavor Mr. Friedman put his mind to he
would be tremendously successful. So we thank you for putting your mind to posting on this Blog and giving us the
benefit of your knowledge. The intellectual quotient of the Blog leaps each time those such as yourself log on to balanc
e the Force. So for all that you do, Rick Friedman this August 24, 2007 is dedicated to you. Thank you for your knowledge,
your conciliatory attitude and for being if I might be so bold to say, one of my mentors. The Blog as well as the world are the
better for your being so enjoy the day which you have earned and accept the best wishes of a thankful Blog.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BLOG LINES OF THE WEEK:
You have turned yourself in a TJ Simmer, but iliterate. JOREMA

Give credit when credit is due, and if you can't shut da hell up. WOW

I appreciate your sage advice about keeping my disinterest in world basketball "to myself," but I think I'm gonna
stick with my current strategy of talking about whatever I feel like. AK

If Kobe is traded it will be an extremely sad day. I will still be a Lakers
fan and I will still be a Kobe fan. HOBBITMAGE
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
55 WIN BANDWAGON MEMBERS:
(1) Laker Tom (2) Marty (3) HUBBIT (4) Fearless Whack Job (5) Mamba24/10
(6) David Whang (7) BD (8) Dan Dan the Laker Fan (9) Long Time Laker Fan
(10) Roky (11) JoninJapan(In Canada) 12) JUNO (13) KEIFO,
(14) Alexinho17 (15) TALIQ (16) GENERIC_ONE (17) VIOLATER
(18) Twoody (19) SLO Gal (20) HobbitIMage (21) dice8up
Members at heart
(1) Bob
(2) Faith
(3) LakerLover
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WEARY-OF-BANDWAGON BANDWAGON MEMBERS
(1) Cbuck
(2) J. Walter WeatherMan
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AND NOW ROLL CALL
(1) FAITH, MIKE T. TALIQ, Edwin Gueco,, KEIFO, Mamba24Fan4Life, Fan of Mamba, Wolf,
KIWI, WOW, PEACE, J_COOL, DAVID WHANG, ADAM KILEY, LAKERSRYDEORDIE, CLEON
FISH_GUY,TIM-4-SHOW, THA_ SHOW, WESJOENIXON, BAYWOO, THE_D, SBPIMP,
CHARLES, Precious, NEVER, CALI KING, RICK FRIEDMAN,THIRTY2, EXHELODRVR,
GENERIC_ONE, TWOODY, JJ, AJAX, MITCHELL., LAKERTOM, LAKERFAN, CHARLES,
KHANG VMAN, KOREY, XTRO, MCGARNAGLE, GUGY, GDChild,Laker4Life, Laker Seth
KL BEAST, Jorema, FearlessWhackJob, MARTY, JANDRO, LAKERFAZE, PhxLkrFAN,
TexasLaker, BOB, TreacherousBalloons, EagleBoy, JR., EASTCOASTJESSIE, Zakee,
Tully Moxness, KobeRocks, David Peterson, centralk, 244Life, SamII,
Swettual, Utzworld, Andrew Z, LAL Fan, BRANDON C., Kinglakernidas, BlackMamba24,
FKILLAH, CYRUS(VENTRILIQUIST), RespectMyAuthorith, Waterboy, Hariyahu, HUBBIT
ZEN, SARCOCOP,Staples24, Bobby, COMPTONS FINEST, MIGUELINHO, Greek Dude,
SOCALIFE, HAL9000, Greekdude, Michael J, Michael H, Michael A., Rick Friedman,
Gunner24, GINO, FATTY, CBUCK,LAKERGURL, CRITICAL BEATDOWN, PFUNK36,
PAUL LEE, Jay EL, SocalSpider , WEAVE MAN, JON KAVULIC, Tajluck, Alexinho17
BERKLEYLAKER, Dice8Up DION, KARL, CRAIG, MITCHELL, Lakers4Life, Ryan
JR, Dascilla, tellitlikeitisNik Kannan, GABE, SEAN P., HanSoulFood, HollywoodJack,
Jay Jay, TaosHum, HOBBITIMAGE, Caeser, Obel, CHITOWNLAKER, ANGRYLAKER
wiZo, MagicShaq, HugoBoss, OSCAR, RDLEE, RealityBites, LakerLarry, Bucky, LEELO,
Juno, LakerLifer, C.S. JOVA, BLAZE1BX, Tripgame3, TSPHERE, SIXONEZERO,
Mfeige, Reggie, Hollywood Jack, Reality Check Time, Jack In Hollywood, SLO Gal
JONINJAPAN(INCANADA), VIOLATER, LT Laker Fan, , KATE, TROY, Mainor, Caesar
JEFF, ANDY B., SWANWORLD, PUPLE&GOLD_4EVA, BENNY BLANCA,CS in Virg
EMMA, TIM IN SYDNEY RISING STAR, LakerBake, JuanMan888,Blkthght06,
Any_One_mouse, 10milliondollarZen, Shiva, Laker_Hopeful, LakerDawg, East Nyboer
,Ghost of Spiderman, Steve in Denver Guy Owanlele, Lincoln Laker, Houston Laker
MITCH KUPCHAK, JERRY BUSS, PHIL JACKSON, KOBE BRYANT, CLEON
Marc Gasol, Sun Yue, Shamond, Williams, Ronny Turiaf, V. Radmanovic,
Maurice Evans, Lamar Odom, Derek Fisher, Luke Walton, Brian Cook,
Kwame Brown, Andrew Bynum, Coby Karl, Chris Mihm, Sasha Vujacic
Jordan Farmar, Jarvis Critterton, JERMAINE ONEAL???, FAITH
ALL TOGETHER NOW:
WE ARE THE FREAKIN LA LAKERS THE WINNERS OF 14 NBA TITLES
THE HOME OF WILT, KAREEM, GEORGE MIKAN, SHAQ, MAGIC, KOBE,
ELGIN BAYLOR, JERRY WEST, PAT RILEY, JAMES WORTHY, SILK
COACHED BY THE 9 TIME TITLE WINNER PHIL (9RINGS) JACKSON AND
NO ONE AND NOTHING WILL EVER DIVIDE OR CONQUER

I'm not basing not trading Bynum and Odom on just one game. Yes KG is a proven commodity, but he's also 31 years old in his 12th year in the league.

And Bynum's recent play isn't a flash in the pan like that 16 point game he had against the Knicks. His footwork is outstanding right now and he's aggressive. He makes smart passes when double teamed and Kobe's return will actually free him up because Kobe commands double teams.

Trading for KG could bring us a title this year. But, it's a bit shortsighted like Miami's trade for Shaq. D-Wade in the Finals masked a lot of the problems that Miami has. And we saw all of those problems in living color last night.

-Xodus

I agree that Kobe needs to score 25-27 points per game. he doesn't need to score 30-35 anymore, we all know Kobe can score 81. How many times has he stringed 40 points games together? Kobe has prove he his one of the best scorer in bball history. Now he has to show he has a complete game which he does, and for that reason we won three championship. He has to do it again become the general of this team in every way, passing, defense, scoring, team leader, etc.

-wow

Ric Bucher: (1:59 PM ET ) Let's dispense with the idea that staying in college helps anyone learn the fundamentals. It doesn't. Did you see Andrew Bynum last night? Do you know of another 19-year-old in college who has the footwork and touch he has? He got a lot of that from working with pro coaches and pro competition in practice. Or DHoward? Yeah, his game has really suffered by not going to college. The whole idea that going to college teaches guys the game is a joke. Guys who want to know the finer points of the game develop them, be they on a campus or in the D League or HealthSouth. They actually have more time and opportunity to do so as a pro than they do in college.

- Rich Bucher

Are you kidding? KG only has a few years left and then he will start to decline. LO and Bynum are young and are just getting started. I agree with most that we really do not need to make any moves. This team has great chemistry and is very deep. They may not win it all this year, but next year they will be considered a top team in the west.

-phanton
The blogger who just got shut up

AZ,

If you honestly believe that the result of last night was more a case of the Suns letting up than anything else....you need to leave this site because you aren't a Lakers' fan or a rational thinker in that respect.
-
JJ

The smart guy on this blog:

If the Suns had continued with what they were doing to us in the first quarter, and we would have been beat by 31 like game 7 last year, everyone would be singing a different song in regards to trades, potential, future careers, etc.

Moral of the story, it's only one game.

- Andrew Z

Is this a case of how things change..or people jump the gun??

By the way, Andrew Z, you have called it like it is.

For this division, I worry about Brazil. Argentina suppossedly does'nt have Manu, Oberto, and Noccioni starting (Prep for 2008). Lithuania and Greece will be the other 2 tests.

Anybody hear about the Kobe = Quiet = Trade from AM570. I can't listen to the radio while I'm at work.

Charles

1

Kobe is the glue and the inspiration for the USA.

He raises everyone up with his intensity and talent...

Mitch-get your butt back and complete the trades on the table!!

I hope Laker nation does not get suckered into some spin that we upgraded this season. It will be i and done without additional help.

We have Kobe and we can win. now.

************************************************************************************************************
ATTENTION BLOGGERS : TODAY (AUGUST 24, 2007) IS DEDICATED TO RICK FRIEDMAN
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PAST HONOREES: MIKE TENIENTE, EDWIN GUECO, KLBEAST, GENERIC_ONE, A.K. J.J.
FAITH, LAKER TOM, SONNY BELFAST, JOREMA, TALIQ, DAVID WHANG, THA SHOW

NEXT HONOREE (HOBBITMAGE)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In life there are certain people that you meet and immediately like. After talking for a minute you feel like you’ve known them all your life. Rick Friedman is one such person. For one thing the man personifies class. I have never known the man in a single post to use even a facsimile of a swear word yet he manages to get his point across even more effectively by it’s non use. Rick is one of the biggest conciliators on the Blog and no matter the provocation always manages to rise above it and plead for reaching common ground. Now don’t get me wrong, the man is no Saint, but then again he comes pretty close. The only thing preventing his saint hood is this strange affliction he has called Lakeritis. Yes once again we have one of these die hard Laker Fans. Yawnnnnnn. Come on Rick, live dangerously come on over to the Kobe Fan side. Just kidding. Yeah Rick is a Kobe fan too but when push comes to shove he’s a Laker fan first and for that I salute you sir. His suggestions are always reasonable and well thought out and not based on spur of the moment Knee jerk emotions like this jerk I know named Mamba24/10. The man has a keen mind and I don’t just mean just basketball mind. One gets the feeling that in whatever endeavor Mr. Friedman put his mind to he would be
tremendously successful. So we thank you for putting your mind to posting on this Blog and giving us the benefit of your knowledge. The intellectual quotient of the Blog leaps each time those such as yourself log on to balance the Force. So for all that you do, Rick Friedman this August 24, 2007 is dedicated to you. Thank you for your knowledge, your conciliatory attitude and for being if I might be so bold to say, one of my mentors. The Blog as well as the world are the better for your being so enjoy the day which you have earned and accept the best wishes of a thankful Blog.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BLOG LINES OF THE WEEK:
You have turned yourself in a TJ Simmer, but iliterate. JOREMA
Give credit when credit is due, and if you can't shut da hell up. WOW
I appreciate your sage advice about keeping my disinterest in world basketball "to myself," but I think I'm gonna stick with my current strategy of talking about whatever I feel like. AK
If Kobe is traded it will be an extremely sad day. I will still be a Lakers
fan and I will still be a Kobe fan. HOBBITMAGE
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
55 WIN BANDWAGON MEMBERS:
(1) Laker Tom (2) Marty (3) HUBBIT (4) Fearless Whack Job (5) Mamba24/10
(6) David Whang (7) BD (8) Dan Dan the Laker Fan (9) Long Time Laker Fan
(10) Roky (11) JoninJapan(In Canada) 12) JUNO (13) KEIFO,
(14) Alexinho17 (15) TALIQ (16) GENERIC_ONE (17) VIOLATER
(18) Twoody (19) SLO Gal (20) HobbitIMage (21) dice8up
Members at heart
(1) Bob
(2) Faith
(3) LakerLover
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WEARY-OF-BANDWAGON BANDWAGON MEMBERS
(1) Cbuck
(2) J. Walter WeatherMan
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

AND NOW ROLL CALL
(1) FAITH, MIKE T. TALIQ, Edwin Gueco,, KEIFO, Mamba24Fan4Life, Fan of Mamba, Wolf,
KIWI, WOW, PEACE, J_COOL, DAVID WHANG, ADAM KILEY, LAKERSRYDEORDIE, CLEON
FISH_GUY,TIM-4-SHOW, THA_ SHOW, WESJOENIXON, BAYWOO, THE_D, SBPIMP,
CHARLES, Precious, NEVER, CALI KING, RICK FRIEDMAN,THIRTY2, EXHELODRVR,
GENERIC_ONE, TWOODY, JJ, AJAX, MITCHELL., LAKERTOM, LAKERFAN, CHARLES,
KHANG VMAN, KOREY, XTRO, MCGARNAGLE, GUGY, GDChild,Laker4Life, Laker Seth
KL BEAST, Jorema, FearlessWhackJob, MARTY, JANDRO, LAKERFAZE, PhxLkrFAN,
TexasLaker, BOB, TreacherousBalloons, EagleBoy, JR., EASTCOASTJESSIE, Zakee,
Tully Moxness, KobeRocks, David Peterson, centralk, 244Life, SamII,
Swettual, Utzworld, Andrew Z, LAL Fan, BRANDON C., Kinglakernidas, BlackMamba24,
FKILLAH, CYRUS(VENTRILIQUIST), RespectMyAuthorith, Waterboy, Hariyahu, HUBBIT
ZEN, SARCOCOP,Staples24, Bobby, COMPTONS FINEST, MIGUELINHO, Greek Dude,
SOCALIFE, HAL9000, Greekdude, Michael J, Michael H, Michael A., Rick Friedman,
Gunner24, GINO, FATTY, CBUCK,LAKERGURL, CRITICAL BEATDOWN, PFUNK36,
PAUL LEE, Jay EL, SocalSpider , WEAVE MAN, JON KAVULIC, Tajluck, Alexinho17
BERKLEYLAKER, Dice8Up DION, KARL, CRAIG, MITCHELL, Lakers4Life, Ryan
JR, Dascilla, tellitlikeitisNik Kannan, GABE, SEAN P., HanSoulFood, HollywoodJack,
Jay Jay, TaosHum, HOBBITIMAGE, Caeser, Obel, CHITOWNLAKER, ANGRYLAKER
wiZo, MagicShaq, HugoBoss, OSCAR, RDLEE, RealityBites, LakerLarry, Bucky, LEELO,
Juno, LakerLifer, C.S. JOVA, BLAZE1BX, Tripgame3, TSPHERE, SIXONEZERO,
Mfeige, Reggie, Hollywood Jack, Reality Check Time, Jack In Hollywood, SLO Gal
JONINJAPAN(INCANADA), VIOLATER, LT Laker Fan, , KATE, TROY, Mainor, Caesar
JEFF, ANDY B., SWANWORLD, PUPLE&GOLD_4EVA, BENNY BLANCA,CS in Virg
EMMA, TIM IN SYDNEY RISING STAR, LakerBake, JuanMan888,Blkthght06,
Any_One_mouse, 10milliondollarZen, Shiva, Laker_Hopeful, LakerDawg, East Nyboer
,Ghost of Spiderman, Steve in Denver Guy Owanlele, Lincoln Laker, Houston Laker
MITCH KUPCHAK, JERRY BUSS, PHIL JACKSON, KOBE BRYANT, CLEON
Marc Gasol, Sun Yue, Shamond, Williams, Ronny Turiaf, V. Radmanovic,
Maurice Evans, Lamar Odom, Derek Fisher, Luke Walton, Brian Cook,
Kwame Brown, Andrew Bynum, Coby Karl, Chris Mihm, Sasha Vujacic
Jordan Farmar, Jarvis Critterton, JERMAINE ONEAL???, FAITH
ALL TOGETHER NOW:
WE ARE THE FREAKIN LA LAKERS THE WINNERS OF 14 NBA TITLES
THE HOME OF WILT, KAREEM, GEORGE MIKAN, SHAQ, MAGIC, KOBE,
ELGIN BAYLOR, JERRY WEST, PAT RILEY, JAMES WORTHY, SILK
COACHED BY THE 9 TIME TITLE WINNER PHIL (9RINGS) JACKSON AND
NO ONE AND NOTHING WILL EVER DIVIDE OR CONQUER

"Virgin Islands deflowered'
Now THAT'S a title.

i've heard a rumor from someone who has a very good track record on these things. I know he does business with people who have relationships within people inside the Bulls organization. What I heard was that the Lakers approached Paxson with a Kobe for Gordon, Ty Thomas and Noah, plus next years draft pick, but Paxson did not want to part with both Thomas and Noah, but might consider it if we added Turiaf to the deal. I don't usually toss these things out just to stir up discussion, but the source makes me curious.

KobeRocks-a-by-baby (aka KobeSucks!)

"Kobe is the glue and the inspiration for the USA."

How does it feel to live your life with your head up kobe's a$$? i bet it smells real nice.

Lincoln Laker,

Problem with that is, they don't have enough in the way of contracts coming back to make it work. I think we'd be getting a decent deal there, but right now the Bulls can't make a straight up deal with the Lakers unless they include 7 guys or Ben Wallace. If the Lakers take back Ben Wallace from the Bulls, I will hate management with every fiber of my being.

I think there has to be a third team involved in a Kobe trade. We need a big, expiring deal or an All-Star with a decent contract.

Mamba24/10

You are either some pimple face kid on summer vacation or some fat middle age man still living with mama.Come on tell me the truth or even the blog the truth.You got way to much time on your hands kid ,get a job and grow up.Quit hero worshipping Kobe,find another hero,not a nutg case like bryant.

Lincoln Laker,

I guess Chicago could do a sign and trade with Mike Sweetney but it would have to be for about $9 million a year (three year deal with the last two team options). I don't know if that's doable to be honest, but it would work.

I'd like to get Thabo Sefolosha in the deal if possible.

Andrew Z,

What we need is to sit still on the whole Kobe trade talks.... Unless he revisitis his earlier statements, I don't see a need to even deal with any trade talks involving him.

He has clearly stated that anything involving the future of the team or his future will be kept in house from here on out. That tells me that at this point, things are being discussed but they are not being shared with the media. Now, it is an assumption to believe that the things being discussed still result in Kobe being traded. At this point we don't know that, so don't assume it.

Mr. Smith

"Quit hero worshipping Kobe,find another hero,not a nutg case like bryant."

i take it the Lakers didn't refund your season tickets?

JJ,

I agree that I'm assuming Kobe wants to be traded, that's true since he hasn't come back out and said otherwise. But for that simple fact alone, isn't it a safe assumption? I mean, how do we assume that he wants to stay? He hasn't said anything along those lines, and those who have spoken for him in the media (Ric Bucher) have some nothing other than he still wants out.

Now, whether the Lakers are actively shopping him is another story. That's a very slippery slope for the front office, but I guarantee not a day goes by where they are discussing or working on two separate futures for the franchise, one with Kobe and one without.

Why can't we do the same as bloggers? Beats the heck out of watching a Virgin Islands vs. Venezuela match-up, HA!

Lincoln Laker,

You can do a sign and trade with Sweetney!!! From Larry Coon's Salary Cap FAQ:

"A sign-and-trade deal can be made even with players who have been renounced, but cannot be made when the player is signed using the Mid-Level, Bi-Annual or Disabled Player exceptions. Sign-and-trade contracts must be for three years or longer, but only the first season of the contract must be guaranteed. The three year minimum (even though the last two seasons may be non-guaranteed) ensures that the new team will not acquire Bird rights to the player any sooner than if they had signed him directly, because if they want to give him a new contract using Bird rights then they would have to waive him first, which resets the Bird clock."

So basically Sweetney would become an expiring contract since any team can just not pick up the last two years of the deal. Of course he would have to agree to the deal, but I'm guessing getting a one-year deal worth $8-$9 million would be cool with him. Plus, he'd have In and Out and Pink's here in LA, I think he'd be alright with that.

The deal could be Ben Gordon, Ty Thomas, Joakim Noah, Mike Sweetney, 1st rounder for Kobe Bryant. That's not too bad.

Andrew Z,

We can talk about it, but not as a definitive move at this point. Although we can't assume he wants to stay....we can't assume he wants to leave either. In other words there should be no assumptions made either way. It makes me laugh on here at times how people talk so boldly about situations as if they are sitting in the office during the discussions. I've read where people on here have criticized the front office for not making certain trades as if they should have been easy to do. People have said....why didn't they just offer this or just do that.... and those statements are loaded with assumptions starting with the assumption that they didn't try every option that is being mentioned. Because we don't hear everything, doesn't mean there isn't more going on.

John Smith Mr. Laker,
"Mamba24/10 You are either some pimple face kid on summer
vacation or some fat middle age man still living with mama.Come
on tell me the truth or even the blog the truth.You got way to much
time on your hands kid ,get a job and grow up.Quit hero worshipping
Kobe,find another hero,not a nutg case like bryant."

LOL! LOL! HA! HA! HA! HA! Kudos! LOL! LOL!

AK,

Had to respond after I read yesterday's thread topic - sorry I didn't see it until today.

I couldn't disagree more, and I think it's not very fair of you to insinuate that those of us who are into the Olympics and international competition wear our patriotism on our sleeves. The truth is, international competition isn't just about rooting for your own nation; it's about recognizing that your nation is one among many. It's about rubbing elbows with other fans and getting their perspectives. It's about chanting "USA" in the arena, then having a beer with random Europeans and Asians afterwards and recognizing that, yes, we are all from different nations and we root for different teams, but we're all into sports.

I guess you look at the jingoism of the experience - that's fine, it's hard to deny that that aspect of it exists. However I think you're missing the whole point by dismissing international competition out of hand, and casually throwing a barb to those who don't agree with you just isn't your normal style.

Shame on you KLBeast(the real one) !!!

"Kobe is the glue and the inspiration for the USA."

How does it feel to live your life with your head up kobe's a$$? i bet it smells real nice.

You are obviously no better than all your other incarnations of yourself!!!
If all you can do give out so homophobic insults because a person happens to praise somebody you despise. How sad a person are you!!! Your posts give us a true insight, into your character and integrity that you hold as person. By the evidence of the posts, it is not very good.

Yes you have the freedom of speech, but with that freedom comes responsibility and wisdom. But, I guess just like you say 'Kobe does not get it', you obviously 'Do not get it ' either.

Aaarrrhhhh!!

Angry_Laker

Kobe wants out of L.A.

4 recent interviews not one statement about wanting to stay a Laker.

Angry Laker,
"Shame on you KLBeast(the real one) You are obviously
no better than all your other incarnations of yourself!!!"

BRAVO Angry Laker BRAVO ! Where have you been it's
been a while we miss you.

Andrew Z

You are right, it would have to include Sweetney to make the money work. Like I said, I hesitated before I made the post, because I typically laugh at these types of things, but the person I spoke to is a straight up guy, a Bulls fan, he's connected (I know because he always gets tickets behind the bench at Bulls games from people he works wit)h. He is also a Kobe Hater to the extreme! It would be his worst nightmare, but he seems convinced it's going to happen in some fashion. He also thought it might not happen until December. Time will tell - but I'm not dismissing it.

LT79 Laker Fan,

Kobe sounded as if he was ready to leave when he was a free agent the summer of 2004. It sounded as if he was headed to the Clippers. He provided no words of comfort to Laker fans that summer prior to his decision to stay. This wouldn't be the first time that Kobe flips the script of the fans.

Keep in mind, things seem one way to us in part because ALL we have is what the media reports. When that is all we have, we are left to work with only that. However, do you really believe that what the media has reported is all there is to this story?

JJ,

Do you think that Mitch Kupchak and Jerry Buss know Kobe's feelings on wanting to be traded or remaining a Laker?

You heard it here first..Lakers will be NBA champions this year.

Anyway, I'm glad Kobe seems happy playing right now. Hopefully, that feeling would carry into Hawaii.

JJ,
It is pretty obvious that, if Kobe REALLY wants to stay with the Lakers, the best thing to do would be to make that perfectly clear. Because right now it isn't.

What possible value is there to not making that clear? Therefore, the only logical explanation is that he is either unsure about it, or still wants to be traded. And in either of those two cases, the front office should be looking into trades. And thus, so should we.

Just curious, why do you think that there should be a moratorium imposed on discussing Kobe trades, but not on discussing Lamar or Kwame trades? Especially since neither of them has asked to be traded.

KLBeast:

"How does it feel to live your life with your head up kobe's a$$? i bet it smells real nice."

KLBeast, I really do love your creativity... but your constant references to Kobe's a$$ have me a little worried. As much as you like to bash Kobe and accuse Kobe fans of hero worship, you seem to talk about Kobe's a$$ more than anyone else. Do you have some experience with the inner workings of Kobe's rear end that we don't know about?

BK,
You hate Kobe, the Olympics, and international basketball. I'll bet you hate Wonder bread and Lays potato chips, too!

Clearly you're just a hater, period.

since i only post here when i got a stick stuck up my butt, let's continue the tradtion.

does anybody else hate watching kobe interviews? the way he licks his lips 86 times...

it always takes my attention off what he's saying and makes me think "why can't he just buy some chapstick and call it a day?"

okay, random.

carry on

AndrewZ, LincolnLaker,

As Long Time Laker Fan pointed out in an earlier thread, doesn't it make sense to have PJ Brown instead of Sweetney in the sign-and-trade? Assuming he can be de-mummified for a one year deal at 8-9M$, that's probably a deal that the Lakers and Bryant could live with.
Though I'm not sure what we would do with Bynum, Odom, Noah, Thomas, Mihm and Brown.

I could almost care less what Kobe does or does not do for the USA team unless that translates into Laker success this season.

LT79 Laker Fan,

"4 recent interviews not one statement about wanting to stay a Laker."

Enough about this no word thingy already. Y'all are the same people that put him on blast for saying he wants to get traded. And mind you he's since apologised for his approach. Nothing he does in this situation would be kewl ...

i. If he says he wants to be traded -- we've all been down this road before, espn, cnn, afghan news will all descend upon vegas. Next thing you know team brazil has to comment on whether they think barbosa could end up in la in a trade for kobe.

ii. If he says he wants to stay -- we've all been down this road before, espn, cnn, and israeli news will all descend upon vegas asking whether kobe's really sure about his decision and what happens if the suns sweep them in next years playoff, will he still be singing the same tune. will he feel weird around his teammmates, has he apologised, how does he feel about the kg deal. will he extend his contract before 2009. if not does this mean he still has doubts?

iii. if he says no comment -- we're travelling down this road now, espn, cnn and laker bloggers will all descend upon vegas asking why kobe won't talk. doesn't he owe his fans the truth. does his silence mean he still wants to be traded. is water under the bridge code for i won't slash mitch's tire or is it code for i'm here to stay.

Y'all told him to keep his trap shut, that's why he chose option iii. Now man up and wait it out, afterall you don't see me crying that kobe hasn't given his opinion on the zach randolf signing and whether he thinks that makes a trade to by easier or harder

SBPimp,

I think what AK meant is the USA needs to get flogged a few more times before he starts taking international competition seriously. International ball is a turnoff even with recent losses by the USA cuz everyone still believes there's no real competition and that the USA is still way better than the rest of the world.

World cup and olympic soccer has mad fans, and that's cuz not even brazil is a lock to get out of the preliminary stages much less the medal rounds.

Mamba24/10 Work and family commitments!!!!

You know that there is a real world outside the 'Blogsphere'!!! LOL

I am afraid that Kobe might be traded to bulls. I feel the deal which will work would be

Chicago sends us Gordon & Big Ben and the Lakers send Kobe & Evans.

That way Chicago does not get gutted. What do you think!!!!

Aaarrrhhhh!!

Angry_Laker

Lt79 laker fan,

you wrote:

Kobe wants out of L.A.
4 recent interviews not one statement about wanting to stay a Laker.

I think you're wrong. I think Kobe doesn't want to play for a dysfuncitonal FO.
During the month of August Kobe is playing with 2 of the top 5 pg's in the NBA.
[ Give him a couple of years and D-Williams will be #3. ] He's also playing with 3
of the top 15 centers in the NBA. Everybody is playing unselfishly. Everybody
is hustling. Everybody is completely devoted to doing whatever it takes to win.

He's playing with J-Kidd and Chauncy Billiups after having played with Smush Parker.
He's playing with Amare after having played with Kwame. He's playing with Tyson
Chandler after having played with Bynum. LeBron & Melo after having played
Vlad & Cook.

Can you honestly argue that the character of the Lakers I mentioned is comparable
to the characters of the players on Team USA? Would you be happy driving a "Geo
Metro" knowing you could be driving a "Lotus Esprit"?

Now how would you feel if your boss could have gotten you the "Lotus" and instead
got you the "Geo"? Right. You'd cuss him/her out for 8 days out of 7!

Have you *EVER* heard Cap say: Bynum is going to be a GREAT center? I haven't. I've
heard that he's got the tools to be good. possibly great. I've never heard ANYONE
with 1st hand knowledge who is a veteran of the game speak with any degree of certaninty
about how good Bynum is *going* to be. BTW, you did catch that the guy who has *NEVER*
played a professional game in his life got invited to Team USA and the veteran didn't,
didn't you? Coach K invited Oden & Durant, but did *NOT* invite Bynum!

I like Lamar. I think Lamar is a good player. Do you honestly think Lamar *WILL* be a
1st team NBA all-star in the west? That means: Better than T-Mac, Carlos Boozer,
K Durant, Elton Brand, etc. etc. etc.

If the answer to both questions is no, which I believe that it is, than How do you think
the Lakers are going to be competitive for a championship? Would you want to
work for a boss who got you the "Geo" to race or for a boss who got you the "Lotus"
to race?

Kobe wants to win more than he wants to be a Laker. This is understandable isn't it? The
comments by Donovan McNabb re: J. Trotter and the Eagles organization is on point.
At some point, the Lakers would not stand by Kobe regardless of if he stayed. It's business.
He *MUST* take care of himself. The Lakers organization won't. They're too busy partying as the
ship runs aground.

This playing for Team USA is a two-edged sword. Now, Billups & Prince know what it's like
to play *WITH* Kobe and they LOVE IT! Now LeBron & Melo know what it's like to play
*WITH* Kobe and they LOVE IT! J-Kidd and Kobe now know what it's like to play together
and the LOVE IT! For crying out loud, M. D'Antoni && Amare know what it's like to play
with Kobe and they LOVE IT! If the Lakers FO doesn't get their act together Kobe will leave.
Every single player on Team USA will get down on their knees and BEG their organization to
get Kobe if he comes free. Bank on it! You may not have heard it from me first, but you
remember my words. Write it down in your journal or tatoo it on your SO's bottom. If Kobe
leaves the LA Lakers he will go someplace and win a MINIMUM of 3 championships in a
row and it will be with someone that he's playing with right now! My bets are for Melo or LeBron
based upon how they're playing together.

The FO *MUST* act now! They *MUST* take a chance or they will be known as the organization
who let Shaq && Kobe get away! If Kobe get's traded, maybe I'll fly out to the east coast so
Mamba24/10 and I can drown our sorrows together. D-Fish is enough to bump us up a
seed or two, but he's not enough for us to compete for a championship. The are only 2 things
that can save the Laker organization in the short term.

1. With all of the bodies that we now have, they make a trade for someone to be #2/#3
on a team with Kobe & Lamar.
2. Bynum becomes an absolute BEAST this year!

Without those two things happening, Kobe is gone and the Lakers will be mediocre for another
10 years. Why? Because the top 4 teams in the west are getting stronger not weaker. When
the top 4 teams start to become weaker in a couple of years, Seattle & Portland will be ready
to jump into the mix.D-Williams will be a monster this year after working with J-Kidd for the
last month or two. He'll be an elite pg this year. He's had a free camp with not 1, but TWO
of the best pg's in the NBA and he's been sucking up knowledge like a sponge!

If Kobe starts talking right now it will do two things.

1. Detract from Team USA. This would be bad for obvious reasons.
2. Affect what little leverage the FO actually has right now. I'm not sure
if this actually matters, becaause I don't think they know what to do
anyway. That's a post for another day. :)

So. All of us Laker fans should do the following:

sit tight.
tighten our sphincters
Hope, Fast & Pray that God Almighty *smacks* Jim Buss & Mitch in the head and tells them
what to do. They couldn't figure it out if Einstein came back from the grave and wrote a book
called "GMing for Dummies"!

Andrew Z,

"That's a very slippery slope for the front office, but I guarantee not a day goes by where they are discussing or working on two separate futures for the franchise, one with Kobe and one without."

You'd think that'd be the case. But word is the owner is planning to go on yet another vacation and that the gm is still on vacation. But I'm sure once pre-season starts they'll start discussing those seperate futures you mentioned.

I'm going out on a limb here. T.J. Simers hasn't cornered me. Not a single newspaper has interviewed me. But once and for all, I'm going to put the rumors to rest: I, Marty, am going to be a Laker fan next year. I WON'T be wearing a Bulls jersey, and I'm not wearing green to play in some 'chaun game.

In saying this, I realize the team hasn't made major strides in improving itself. In addition, several issues are up in the air. But none of that matters. I've been a Laker since 1971, and I'm not jumping ship now. Even if we put a team on the court that couldn't beat the Sisters of Mercy, I'll be there near the popcorn machine, doing the bunny hop in the pea patch like a motorcycle in a motordrome, and I'm not stopping till this one's in the refrigerator.

To KLBeast - Mr. Smith has this oh so right. All who honor Kobe are too inexperienced in life to understand that he or she who gives honor, gets honor. Kobe has never "honored" anything
regarding Lakers - he is out for himself. And don't give me the bit about "what's wrong with that? Everyone is out for themselves." This may be true or not true, but there is no honor in being selfish to the exclusion of collective cohesiveness. The only people who kept Kobe in check in Los Angeles are now no longer with the club, and with their departure went the soul of the organization. Sad.

3 team trade: Lakers, Clipper & Sacramento.

http://games.espn.go.com/nba/features/traderesult?players=25~61~2755~497~3237~923~981~1998~3197~3002~1016~2789&teams=12~13~13~23~13~13~23~12~23~12~23~12&te=&cash=

Any thoughts??

New Line Up:

Bibby/Fisher/CobyCarl
Kobe/Evans/Sasha
Luke/Garcia
L.O./Al Thornton/A.Williams
Bynum/Mihm/L.Turner

Lincoln Laker,

"Lakers approached Paxson with a Kobe for Gordon, Ty Thomas and Noah, plus next years draft pick,"

---

Well then they need to check their math, as Gordon, Thomas, and Noah is about half of the
salary needed to match for Kobe. They'd have to come up with at least 5 million more in
salary. Add in Duhon and Khryapa and the salaries match, but that's already 5 players
for 1, and it still isn't enough salary to cover including Turiaf.

Perhaps you meant to say Gordon, Thomas, and Ben Wallace. That deal works salary-wise,
and the Lakers could include Ronny Turiaf with no problem.

AK/BK,

How are you guys?

I'm finally back in the land of the living. Been a long summer without yall to lean on. Wont even bring up all that's happened, but I hope Mitch is back from vacation and ready to work.

To answer your question about the USA squad, I think as a whole, we dont value international competition here in the states because our own sports have such build up. So I care less about what's at stake. But at this point in the year I am starving for any basketball and these collections of stars does me fine. Hate watching them lose though, no fun watching poorly executed basketball. Living off the WNBA helps, but not enough. So I am estatic. Cant wait for the levels to pick up. Its great to be back.

"So basically Sweetney would become an expiring contract since any team can just not pick up the last two years of the deal. Of course he would have to agree to the deal, but I'm guessing getting a one-year deal worth $8-$9 million would be cool with him."

----

There are a couple of reasons why this won't happen.

First of all, if the Lakers were going to pay 9 million dollars for a sign and trade player, it should
be PJ Brown, who could actually play some productive minutes for them.

Second, if the Bulls added a 9 million dollar sign-and-trade package to their current salaries,
it would put them in Luxury Tax territory for years to come (remember, they have to re-sign
Luol Deng next year and that's probably going to have to be a max contract). John Paxson
has been very fiscally conservative with all their contracts (except maybe Ben Wallace).
I can't imagine him diving into luxury tax if it's possible to do a deal that doesn't put them
there.

That three team trade proposed is horrible for us. Garcia is marginal, A Williams is old, Bibby is close to old and wont even discuss the throw Thornton. That trade makes us weaker even with the Bibby upgrade.

SB Pimp,

You're definitely taking what I said the wrong way. My thoughts weren't meant as a barb against anybody, nor was I trying to make fun of patriotism or pass judgement on it. I just meant that patriotism didn't hold a particular appeal to me when it comes to enjoying the Olympics, as it does for some (as you even said).

For that matter, I wasn't even trying to dismiss the Olympics' legitmacy. I can totally understand why others like it. And my opinion is clearly in the minority when it comes to the worldwide interest. I would never belittle anyone for enjoying them. I was just talking about how I felt and was curious to get other people's reactions.

AK

So Miami is looking at Alexander Johnson, and the Celtics are trying to get Dahntay Jones.
WTF is our FO doing? Right. They are on vacation!

Instead of trying to get guys like Cook, Vujacic etc. traded in return for cheap, hardworking, productive guys like Jones and Johnson, we are too busy vacationing.

What really is the blueprint for the future - whether or not it includes Kobe? We should be trying to offload bad contracts and getting better defensively, and instead we sit around and do nothing - waiting for the big deal that will prollly not happen.

In Angry Laker's words - Aaaaaarrrrh!!!!

CBuck - Right on. I absolutely detest that facial tick of his.

Lincoln Laker,

"He also thought it might not happen until December."

Actually, trading Kobe to the Bulls in December makes more sense. On December 15, several more players become tradeable by
each team. After that date the Lakers could include Mihm or Coby Karl in the trade, and Chicago could include Nocioni and/or
Joe Smith. So after December 15, a deal like this might be possible:

Lakers send Kobe, Chris Mihm, and Ronny Turiaf to Chicago

Chicago sends Gordon, Noah, Thomas, Nocioni, and sign&trade Sweetney for 4 million.

To be honest, I think no matter who they get from Chicago, the Lakers will be getting a bad deal if they don't get at least one
of Hinrich, Deng, or Wallace.

Ex, AndrewZ, JJ,

Why do you think Kobe should retract his stance on wanting to be traded? I'm of the opinion that he still wants to be traded - unless the FO gets its act together and works on improving the team.

Kobe's stance was that the FO is not committed to building a contender in the near-term, and in light of that, he wanted to go somewhere else/Pluto. What activity have you seen from the FO since those demands were aired publicly?

1. Fisher - who practically fell into our lap. Even then we overpaid for him.
2. Mihm - Another underachieving center who is recovering from injury
3. Coby Karl, Larry Turner - WTF???

If your concern was that the FO wasn't doing enough, would those three things be enough to reassure you? I didn't think so.

Before certain idiots accuse me of having my head up their favorite place (Kobe's a$$), let me just state that I don't think Kobe was justified in demanding a trade. I just think it's ambitious/optimistic to expect #24 to do a volte-face based on the (little/pathetic) activity we've seen thus far in the summer.

any_one_mouse

"Though I'm not sure what we would do with Bynum, Odom, Noah, Thomas, Mihm and Brown."

... and Brown. Two Browns. Two 9 million dollar expiring browns.

What can brown do for you?

It works like this: Mihm & Turiaf go to Chicago in the trade (after December 15)

C - Bynum, Kwame Brown, Noah
PF - Odom, Thomas, PJ Brown

Angry Laker,

Chicago sends us Gordon & Big Ben and the Lakers send Kobe & Evans.

Lakers aren't getting enough back in that deal. Throw in either Tyrus Thomas or Joakim Noah and Sefolosha
and then you're closer to a balanced deal

Angry Laker:

Excellent “angry” post! You beat me to the punch.

Kobe Supporter: "Kobe is the glue and the inspiration for the USA."

KL: “How does it feel to live your life with your head up kobe's a$$? i bet it smells real nice.”

This was a perfect example of why we 9 out of 10 posters cannot stand KL. This is the type of post that AK and BK should reject as unacceptable due to its language and

KL responds to EVERY favorable comment made about Kobe with crude, lewd, and stupid insults that he dumbly believes qualify as his unique form of humor. Of course, he does not see that he’s the only one laughing. The rest of us are just plain disgusted. The guy has no idea how to participate in a social setting with class and courtesy.

I tried to placate my worries and work for peace with KL but it is obvious that the guy is just plain sick. I just wish and his off-color sophomoric attitude and comments would just disappear back into the void from which he came. The blog would be a far more pleasant and enjoyable place to visit without these types of insulting and disparaging comments.

Tom

haahahahahhahaahahahhaahahahahahaahhaahahhhhhahahahahhaah

that title.

One more thing about the Jim Hill interview and the whole "sit tight" message. When Jim asks him that question, Kobe tells Lakers fans to sit tight AND not focus on any particular team, just USA basketball for now. Weird.

Ex-

Yep. Full of hate. Brewing a big ol' pot of it as we speak. (haha).

Najja-

I'm good, thanks for asking. It's been a pretty busy summer, between the Kobe Radio Tour, the Dodgers, and other work we've been doing. But I'd rather be busy than not. That means I'm able to pay rent and buy groceries (haha).

Glad to have you back.

BK

lakertom

"KL responds to EVERY favorable comment made about Kobe with crude, lewd, and stupid insults that he dumbly believes qualify as his unique form of humor."

i guess this means we're not friends anymore?

look, i get tired of the kobe lovers who attribute everything kobe does as Kobe [singular] being responsible when the outcome is positive, but the negative as kobe's not responsible. Entiendo??

the way i see it, Team USA is doing a great jobe COLLECTIVELY. Everyone, including kobe, is contributing to the success. i can make the argument that guys who are #1's on their respective teams coming off the bench (cough, M. Redd) are just as important (perhaps more important) than kobe, but you'll have kobe lovers saying stupid, lewd and sophmoric comments like "kobe is the glue and inspiration of the team". please tell me that's not a kobe kiss a$$ statement?

to say that "kobe is the glue" is pure nonsense. so, i'll be happy to say again, please take your head out of kobe's a$$. BTW, that expression is intended to be a joke not homophobic as Angry_laker has alledged. have you ever been to a sports bar when guys yuk up sports talk? what is this the PBS Blog where we're all to act prim propper with our cup of black english tea?

as my friend Bart Simpson would say...

LIGHTEN UP, MAN!! DON'T HAVE A COW.

When does training camp start?

And what can we do to get the K Bros in Hawaii for it?

repost

taliq

"In my humble opinion, you can put that schtick up your .... lol"

good one. BTW, i like your voice on the blog because you're an admitted die-hard kobe fan who's not in LA. i can respect that.

BTW, how about those yanks? it's always the late season. I will say that my Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim of Orange County of California (pronounced Cal-e-porn-ia as Arnold would say) has traditionally

Long Time and Angry,

Please be advised that i have an "insider" friend who has told me that Jim Paxon told kobe to go "F" himself.

CHICAGO DOES NOT WANT KOBE. IF CHICAGO WANTED KOBE, WHY WEREN'T THERE RUMORS ABOUT A KOBE TRADE NEVERMIND PAXON CAME OUT AND PUBICALLY SAID SO.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2916319

Said Paxon: "They've got one of the top, maybe the top, talents in the league. What we would have to do to get there, I don't even know what it would be. It would be significant. And then, are we better?"

Translation: One super-duper player is not better than an team of really good players playing in unison.

Chicago, and LA trade:

Chicago gets:
Kobe
Kwame
Crittenton

Lakers get:
Gordon
Wallace
Tyrus Thomas
Adrian Griffin
Victor Khryapa
Duhon

Lakers get 2 young players(1 proven, and one with HELLA potential), a TRUE defensive stopper in Wallace, and a good young experienced pg. Griffin is a good vet to have around young guys, and Khryapa is just a throw in.

Chicago gets Kobe, Kwame's expiring contract, AND a what looks to be a good young prospect in Crittenton.

Hari,
"Why do you think Kobe should retract his stance on wanting to be traded? I'm of the opinion that he still wants to be traded - unless the FO gets its act together and works on improving the team."

First of all, I would rather that Kobe stay with the Lakers, which is where I disagree with Andrew. But I agree with Andrew in that, if Kobe wants to stay, he absolutely should say so very clearly, and the fact that he hasn't stated that tells me that he either wants to leave, or hasn't made his mind up yet. In which case the F.O. should be looking into trades.

Kl,

You are corny. Shut up!!! Dont you even get tired of posting all the time. Laker Tom is on a different level than you, so stop you ignorant comments.

Taliq

"i. If he says he wants to be traded -- we've all been down this road before, espn, cnn, afghan news will all descend upon vegas"

That is some funny stuff...Afgan news. lololololololololol

Glad to be back.

Mamba24/10

Thank you for taking my joke in the light .I love Kobe as a player but as a human being I don't understand and probably never will. love that huge posting you do on top of the page you do everyday ,never seen anything like that ,amazing stuff.

KL,

Re your question: "what is this the PBS Blog where we're all to act prim propper with our cup of black english tea?"

My answer is, "hell no. A Captain and Coke please, and make it a double."

WeaveMan,

If I was Chicago, I would do that trade in a heart-beat. It gives me a do-over on Wallace's horrible contract.

If I were the Lakers, I'm not so sure. Gordon is an adequate replacement, Wallace's contract is not so great - keeps me in salary cap hell for a while. Now if you can get me a good SF using Thomas and the other fillers, I might agree.

The way I see it, if we trade Kobe, we are either fully into rebuilding, or get a bunch of great replacements (at multiple positions) that moves us upto contenders. If we are getting Big Ben, we need to make sure we can compete, and I'm not sure we can do that with Walton and Radman at SF, and Duhon/Fisher at PG.

Ex,

I understand - and for the record, I'm in the same boat. I'd rather we build around Kobe rather than trade him and commit to a rebuilding effort that hinges on how Bynum shapes out.

My point was that I'm reasonably sure that Kobe still wants out, but I don't think it's because he hates LA/Lakers. He wants help, and wants it yesterday. In response, the FO pretty much does nothing (though arguably they did make an effort for KG and maybe JO). I don't think that helps him change his mind at all.

Let's quit posting about possible Kobe trades when no one sane wants to give up the best player in the NBA.

ANY trade we make that involves giving up Kobe weakens us. Period.

Unless Cleveland decides to trade us LeBron or San Antonio will give us Duncan and Genobli.

And KL will agree with this post before either of those things happen.

KL:

“i guess this means we're not friends anymore?”

That was funny since we never were nor do I think we ever could be friends since I consider you clueless, helpless, and ultimately hopeless. lol.

You don’t get the point no matter how many times people try to get through to you. What irritates me is NOT that you don’t like Kobe. It’s the WAY you lower the level of interest, intelligence, courtesy, and respect on the blog by the WAY you choose to make your point.

Here is the example we have been talking about:
_____________________________________________

Kobe Supporter: "Kobe is the glue and the inspiration for the USA."

KL’s Comment: “How does it feel to live your life with your head up kobe's a$$? i bet it smells real nice.”

What KL could have said: “Kobe is off to a good start but still has to prove he is the glue and inspiration for the USA by leading the team to victory and securing our place in the 2008 Olympics. He then needs to show that he can do the same thing with the Lakers by being a leader all season long and not just during the early season success when the schedule was favorable.”

Which response do you think has a better chance of being listened to? Which response do you think will encourage a higher level of interchange on the blog? Which response do you think will generate more respect and consideration?
________________________________________________

By the way, your analogy about a bunch of guys in a sports bar shows you really don’t know how to act in different social situations, probably why you always seem to be hanging out here on the blog, even when the rest of us have gone to bed.

Here is your example in a sports bar:
_________________________________________________

Kobe Supporter: "Kobe is the glue and the inspiration for the USA."

KL’s Comment: “How does it feel to live your life with your head up kobe's a$$? i bet it smells real nice.”

Kobe Supporter (after tossing a beer in your face, kicking you in the groin, and throwing you out the front door: “Can you believe that a$$hole hater dissing Kobe like that. Bet we won’t see his fat ugly self around here anymore.”

_________________________________________

Get a clue and grow up, KL. The blog is not your private table in a sports bar. It is not your playground to disparage and despoil as you wish. You share it with other loyal and dedicated fans, most of whom have been here long before you unfortunately found it. We don’t ask that you love Kobe or not criticize him. We do ask, however, that you don’t intentionally insult or outrage other posters and refrain from your bathroom and/or homophobic off color brand of humor. How can you NOT see that your mannerism just guarantees that your comments will not be taken seriously and that none of us would ever want to invite you to join us for a cold one at a Lakers game.

Tom

Bynum better to be everything Jim Buss and Kareem believes he is.

We are not tolerant of failure as Lakers fans.

GO LAKERS!

Chicago gets:
Kobe
Kwame
Crittenton

Lakers get:
Gordon
Wallace
Tyrus Thomas
Adrian Griffin
Victor Khryapa
Duhon

That's the trade I would be really happy with.

I think barring self destruction...Tyrus Thomas is all-star potential...Ben Gordon will be like Lamar Odom with clutch ability. Wallace buys Bynum a couple more years.
Adrian Griffin is a very strong vet presence.

Weave-Man,

I think the core set of players the Lakers get back in your deal (Wallace, Gordon, Thomas) are pretty much correct. And giving them
Kwame would reinforce their front line (to make up for lost Wallace and Thomas). The problem is, if the Lakers do a 6-for-3, that
means there are at least two players they have to pay off and waive -- probably 3 of these 4: Vujacic, Evans, Khryapa, Griffin.

If you are trading away the best player in the league, you should not have to spend 5 or 6 million dollars to do it, which is
effectively what you're doing by making a 6-for-3 trade. I'm sure it's rooted in your strong dislike of Kwame, but there
are other players that make the deal more balanced - Turiaf is the easiest, though I'd prefer to keep him. If the deal could
wait until December 15, then Mihm could be included. Cook is another possibility. Radmanovic is a bit far fetched, but maybe
Chicago would take his salary dump. Consider this alteration to your trade:

Lakers send Kobe, Turiaf, and Cook to Chicago
Chicago sends Ben Wallace, Ben Gordon, Tyrus Thomas, and Chris Duhon to the Lakers

With that trade, the Lakers can cut their two non-guaranteed contracts (Karl and Turner), and still have this lineup:

C - Wallace, Bynum, Brown
PF - Odom, Thomas, Mihm
SF - Walton, Radmanovic, Evans
SG - Gordon, Duhon, Vujacic
PG - Fisher, Farmar, Crittendon

That leaves plenty of young talent to grow together (Bynum, Thomas, Evans, Gordon, Farmar, Crittendon) with a few good
vets to lead them for awhile (Wallace, Odom, Walton, Fisher).

hariyahu,

"If I was Chicago, I would do that trade in a heart-beat. It gives me a do-over on Wallace's horrible contract."

It's not that horrible. Big Ben is one of the most dominating defensive presences in the NBA. Having him as the last line
of defense would suddenly make average defenders like Luke Walton and Derek Fisher look much better -- with Kwame
and Bynum the last couple of years, if your man got by you, then they were either getting a layup or they were getting
fouled half the time. Ben would clean that mess up.

And one thing you may not have noticed about Ben's contract is that the amount goes DOWN each year. So he starts at
15,500,000, but then it's 14.5 million next year and 14 million the year after that. And by then either Bynum will have
matured and the Lakers could let Ben walk, or they'd know Bynum was not going to be all-that, so they could be trying
to get someone else.

Hariyahu,

I have some of the same apprehensions as you do, but to make a trade with Chicago work Big Ben's contract has to be thrown in, unless we can bring in a 3rd team, which presents another set of problems. Trading Kobe is not gonna be easy, and The Lake Show is gonna come out on the short end anyway you look at it. There are 2 ways Chicago could sweeten the deal:

1. Add Deng to the deal. For all of y'all calling for this, IT'S NOT GONNA HAPPEN!!!!! Deng proved to be too valuable this season, and there is NO WAY the Lakers get both Deng, AND Gordon.

2. Draft picks. Chicago can throw in 1 or 2 first round picks, maybe 1 of them unprotected. I think Chicago WOULD do this, but would the Lakers really benefit from a 20+ pick? With our draft history, I don't think so.

Like I said the Lakers pretty much lose anyway you look at it, the question is what team, and how much do they lose?

Aloha Weaveman

I dont know about your Bulls trade. I mean its a great deal if you are Chicago. They get the best player on the planet without having to give up either of their best two players. They get a 9 mil expiring contract and get out of a 16 mil bad contract. They also get a versitle young guard that may have been the steal of the draft. And the lakers stay in salary cap hell, get a good prospect in Thomas and a decent shooting guard, a bad attitude in Duhon and another guy who cant make our roster. With good health, that team wins maybe 45 games, with no cap space to add anyone next year when there is possibly the greatest free agent market in history. I dont know....

Mh

I still favor a three-way trade with New York and Chicago - I think it works out better for all teams involved. I'm fairly confident that
Isaiah Thomas would give up a package including either Eddy Curry or Zach Randolph to get Kobe. Chicago has been looking for
a low post scorer for the last two years - they've mostly been trying to get Pau Gasol or Kevin Garnett, but since they weren't
able to get either of them, I think they'd be happy with one of the four guys who got 20&10 last year as a low post scorer. Here's a
deal that gives everybody what they want:

Lakers send Kobe, Cook, Evans, and Vujacic to New York

New York sends Zach Randolph and Nate Robinson to Chicago
New York sends David Lee, Wilson Chandler, and Dan Dikau to the Lakers

Chicago sends Ben Gordon, Tyrus Thomas, and Chris Duhon to the Lakers

Here's what the Lakers end up with:

C - Bynum, Brown, Mihm
PF - David Lee, Tyrus Thomas, Turiaf
SF - Odom, Walton, Radmanovic
SG - Ben Gordon, Chris Duhon, Chandler
PG - Fisher, Farmar, Crittendon, Dikau

This doesn't make the team as strong immediately as getting Ben Wallace would, but it frees up a bunch of cap space as
early as next summer, and it allows Bynum to mature more quickly, since he won't be just picking up garbage minutes
from Ben Wallace. In fact even with paying off Dan Dikau and waiving him, the Lakers would be paying out a lot less
salary in the 2007-2008 season for a team that's much deeper (though with no superstar)

And just to show that it's not gouging the other two teams - here are the lineups for the other two teams:

New York:
PG - Marbury
SG - Kobe
SF - Quentin Richardson
PF - Renaldo Balkman
C - Eddy Curry
bench - Cook, Evans, Vujacic, Jamal Crawford, Jared Jeffries, Mardy Collins, Randolph Morris, Jerome James, Fred Jones

With Kobe leading the way, that's definitely a playoff team, and probably even good enough to get out of
the first round.

---

Chicago:
PG - Hinrich
SG - Sefolosha
SF - Deng
PF - Randolph
C - Wallace
bench - Noah, Nocioni, Evans, Nate Robinson, Joe Smith, Griffin, Khryapa, JamesOn Curry, Aaron Gray

I think that makes them better than last year's team - Hinrich, Deng, and Nocioni still give them plenty of
outside firepower to make up for the loss of Ben Gordon, and they have an offensive powerhouse and
a defensive powerhouse in the front court.

KLBeast(the real one) you really need to get your head out of the computer!!!

"to say that "kobe is the glue" is pure nonsense. so, i'll be happy to say again, please take your head out of kobe's a$$. BTW, that expression is intended to be a joke not homophobic as Angry_laker has alledged. have you ever been to a sports bar when guys yuk up sports talk? what is this the PBS Blog where we're all to act prim propper with our cup of black english tea?"

So what were you meaning before AK/BK restricted you from saying the following,

e.g, "I wish you Kobe fans would stop sucking his D**K' or "Stop smelling is jock strap" and other phrases of similar content

Well you had better read the following articles and still tell me it appropiate to use the same insulting language

Girl Bar | Gay Lesbian Women's Girl Nightclub Dance Bar

http://www.girlbar.com/media.php?ID=5

LPGA.com, WNBA.com, ESPN.com, New York Times, LA Times, Melissa Chua and Jessica Yin contributed to this report

'Brokeback' and Sports
How a Movie Captured the Essence
of Being a Closeted Jock

By Jim Buzinski
Outsports.com

Related: Why the NFL said no to "Brokeback"
http://outsports.com/entertainment/20060118brokebacksports.htm

NBA Local Special: February 8
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?page=nbalocal/amaechi

Well before you imply anything, I am not homosexual myself. I just feel there are better ways of writing a post if you do not agree with another person’s opinion.

Or, do you just come out with insulting comments because you have a very limited vocabulary, and command of the English language, as well as being ignorant.

Aaarrrhhhh!!

Angry_Laker

lakertom

"How can you NOT see that your mannerism just guarantees that your comments will not be taken seriously and that none of us would ever want to invite you to join us for a cold one at a Lakers game."

Dad, is that you?

Look, we have differences in how we choose to express our opinions. if you'd like, i'll start up with the SeriousTom series of jokes. Lighten up, life is short. how old are you, 105-years-old?

You take this blog way, way too seriously.

I agree with the Beast. There are so many Laker fans with their heads so far up his ass, it's no wonder Saint Dawg is staying mostly mum recently. He doesn't know whether to poop or go blind.

I also agree that too much redundancy in one's posts is redundantly superflous and unnecessary. Shall I reiterate? And it's true; a significant decrease in the number of KL posts has not gone unnoticed.

Even so, that's not enough for the whiney little turd pressers who would cast him out of their little tree-house if given the opportunity. The Beast just doesn't pass the Kobe Laker litmus test.

Try some of that poop on me.

Sonnybelfast

LakerTom,
I agree with everything you say and join you in your plea for a modicum of sanity. When called out, KL has a habit of calling what his particular form of provocation "humor". I hope even he can ultimately appreciate that:

1) even it were admitted to be funny, telling the same joke over and over again can only end up irritating all but committed extremists,
2) there's good reason to believe it was never funny in the first place (insulting a star and brilliant performer, which isn't the same thing as "making fun of")
3) criticism can be interesting and constructive but as soon as it is "reinforced" with insult and invective against those who differ, it not only fails to produce an effect but discredits the critic.

To look at it from another angle, I've noticed that on discussion lists there's a tendency among certain individuals to "show leadership" (in their eyes) by dividing the group into radically opposed camps. That gives the "enterprising individual" an opportunity to gloat over his leadership of a camp that is committed to polarizing all issues. It most certainly has to do with a need for feeding one's ego, which should lead us to suspect that there's some fundamental background issue with that ego. And the "battle" tends to go on as long as there are a few followers (fellow stone-throwers). What's most surprising is that it is immune to any form of advice or criticism, even when the vast majority of the group expresses both polite and less polite disapproval.

As a student of group dynamics I find the whole business interesting, from a clinical and sociological point of view. I'm now intrigued about how long the unfunny farce will continue or whether it will evolve in any significant way (my expectations are that it won't).

Long Time,

I like your trade proposal. The main reason I included Kwame was that Chicago would be losing their only defensive stopper in the front court, and would probably want to fill that hole. Not to mention that they would be getting ready to take on some huge salaries. Kobe would have to be extended, and Deng is about to get an extension, so Kwame would kill 2 birds with 1 stone. They lose 9 million in salary, and have someone to hold them down, until they can go out and find the big man they need.

MH,

I would argue that Ben Gordon IS their 2nd best player, and IS their best scorer. As far as Duhon goes, he's pretty much just cap space, since his contract is up at the end of the season. He also gives Farmar one more year to develop. Wallace's contract isn't the greatest, but unlike in the Shaq trade, we'd have a player that can actually PLAY, and is one of the top defensive big men in the league.

You make very valid points about cap space, but once again if you look at the Shaq trade, the FO wasn't too worried about it. The Lakers will REFUSE to go into a FULL rebuilding mode because they have to justify their ticket prices. Whether the trade is with Chicago or not, the Lakers will be looking to get good young talent, and draft picks. With Kobe's salary it's gonna be VERY hard for them to get immediate cap space.

long time

"New York:
PG - Marbury
SG - Kobe
SF - Quentin Richardson
PF - Renaldo Balkman
C - Eddy Curry"

how long before we read on ESPN "Kobe and Steph Feud"? There's only one ball...and BOTH Steph and Kobe need it. Having said that, for entertainment value, i'd like to see kobe teamed up with another malcontent.

As for the lakers, it's still a crappy deal trading away shaq to keep kobe happy and ending up with Ben Gordan and Lamar Odom to anchor the lakers.....at least laker fans, more specifically, kobe fan were able to see kobe do his razzle dazzle over the past 3 seasons in lieu of actually competing for championship.

i feel blessed to have witnessed Kobe the Great.....Kobe the Greatest of All Time Never to Have Accomplished Anything with Shaq...

TeacherTom
"What KL could have said: “Kobe is off to a good start but still has to prove he is the glue and inspiration for the USA by leading the team to victory and securing our place in the 2008 Olympics. He then needs to show that he can do the same thing with the Lakers by being a leader all season long and not just during the early season success when the schedule was favorable.”

SHOULD WE CALL YOU PROFESSOR TOM?

"This was a perfect example of why we 9 out of 10 posters cannot stand KL"

I THINK YOU SHOULD MAKE THAT 6 OUT OF 10 NOW. KL IS BACKED BY A PARTY OF 3.

KLBeast,
"i feel blessed to have witnessed Kobe the Great.....Kobe the Greatest of All Time Never to Have Accomplished Anything with Shaq..."

WITHOUT SHAQ, YOU HAVE KOBIATCH IN A HOUSTON JERSEY. SOUNDS LIKE A PLAYER WE ALL KNOW. TRACY MCGRADY.

Dr. Tsphere

"As a student of group dynamics I find the whole business interesting, from a clinical and sociological point of view."

it's not about egos or being a "leader" on this blog. who the hell cares about the “integrity” of this blog besides SeriousTom who seems to think comments on this blog is a matter of national security....IT'S ENTERTAINMENT AND IT'S A FORUM TO EXPRESS OPINIONS.

I'll note for the record that i've had numerous "serious" conversations with other bloggrs without resorting to "sophomoric and/or homophobic" comments. i get tired of kobe loyalist who seem to think kobe has done such great things for LA. i'll concede that kobe was instrumental to LA winning championships, however, substitute T-mac for kobe during the championships runs and we'd still win 3 in a row....perhaps more. IT WASN’T ABOUT KOBE, IT WAS SHAQ AND SHAQ’S ABILITY TO ATTRACT GOOD PLAYERS AND THE WILLINGNESS TO DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO WIN TITLES. Kobe was a super-duper-uber role player who seemed to think he was “Jordan” in disguise. Did you see Jordan act the fool with Chicago EVER?

my point has been consistent, kobe ain't the "glue" that holds any team together because he doesn’t know how to lead. he allegedly "leads" when things are going well, but when things turn to $hit, then "it's shaq's fault, it's mitch's fault, it's FO's fault or my teammates suck". I hate leaders like that because when things go well, they take credit and conversely when things turn to $hit, the finger pointing begins….you’re a sociologist, you should know this behavioral trait. What the hell do I know, I’m a middle manager of a billion dollar company.

you act as though you're some sort of "smart" guy, please enlighten us on the psychology of the kobe loyalist who seems to think individualism supersedes the collective effort in a team environment? please tell me that you can give me a better assessment than "KL's a punk"?

KLBeast,
"my point has been consistent, kobe ain't the "glue" that holds any team together because he doesn’t know how to lead. he allegedly "leads" when things are going well, but when things turn to $hit, then "it's shaq's fault, it's mitch's fault, it's FO's fault or my teammates suck". "

AND NOW, KOBIATCH WANTS TO BE TRADED BECAUSE IT'S GETTING TOO HOT IN THE KITCHEN. AND I EVEN PREDICT IF KOBIATCH WAS TO BE TRADED, IT WOULDN'T TAKE HIM BUT 2 YEARS TO START RUNNING ALL THE STAR PLAYERS OUT OF TOWN AND THEN ANOTHER 2 YEARS TO BE POINTING THE FINGER AT THEIR FRONT OFFICE. DAMN, RAY ALLEN PLEASE GET OUT OF MY HEAD!

Sonny,
I've always appreciated and admired your ability to wrench gallons of humor out of the driest cactus (you know, the one round the back of Brokeback Mountain) and I see that you haven't lost the art, though I was beginning to fear your unholy alliance with KL, born of similar seething emotions I would guess, had somehow tamed your comic genius. But you are the illustration of the point I was making about the distinction between unadulterated insult and "making fun of".

Your friend KL should take a lesson from you about how to transform emotion into cutting comment that actually provokes thought, even among those -- like myself -- who adamantly disagree. I think you should also take the time to learn a lesson from KL, that scatalogy alone doesn't guarantee a laugh. Fortunately your gratuitous scatalogy is usually accompanied by an original ironic twist, which to my mind doesn't justify it but at least makes it appear to be secondary.

It's always a pleasure to read you even when you go over the top (which is quite often, maybe even your trademark). Perhaps you could arrange some coaching sessions for your friend so he doesn't appear so monotonous and boring (instead of being humorous and offensive, which he thinks he is).

Long Time Laker Fan -

I like your assesment that the Lakers will wait to trade Kobe until after Dec 15. This will give the Lakers and potential Kobe suitors time to determine how desperate each is. I.e. how are Chicago, New Jersey etc. doing?

It also gives the Lakers time to evaluate their own young talent. Farmar, Crittendon, Bynum and even Kwame.

I still think that if the Lakers do in fact trade Kobe to Chicago, Luol Deng HAS to be part of the deal.

AK/BK

I think that the comments by some members of this blog are inflammatory. They bash Kobe, and that leads to people who react by supporting Kobe. This back and forth is tiring and fruitless. Perhaps if you make the effort to weed out some of the useless blogs, then we wouldn't have to keep reading the same ol line by the same ol blogger(s). On another subject, trade scenarios are dreaming. What are the chances of one of the many proposed ones ever coming to fruition. Or even a variation of one. 3 Team trades, 6 for 3's, anything involving trading Kobe would be a downgrade, no matter who we get. My opinion is that we go forth with what we have into the season, see how Lamar and Kwame and Bynum are playing, and down the line time consider a trade to get fill a role player (and that would only apply to Kwame or Bynum, as neither seem to be tuned in to the right channel). Remember that the offense takes about 2 years to master, if you are a fast learner. I like our roster as it is right now with a few exceptions (Cook and Sasha V., we need to trade these 2 fantastic players to salivating GM's) Neither contribute regularly, and if they do, it's only by luck. I say we ride out the next 2 years of Kobe, if he walks, he walks, appreciate him for what he is and work with him, not as a cancer on the team, but as a key member of the team. Pray for an injury free season for all, (except for Cook and Vuj). If we get improvements by Bynum, RadMan, continued progression by Braveheart, stability at the one with the 3 amigos (Fish, Critt, and Jordan). I like the idea of getting Lamar away from the 4 position, I think the interior play frustrates him, I'd rather see him playing at the 3 (where Kobe should be, according to the MJ comparisons), or at the 1, occasionally. Yes, I realize that he will be at a disadvantage guarding the small ones, but it goes both ways.

KL,

You said: T WASN’T ABOUT KOBE, IT WAS SHAQ AND SHAQ’S ABILITY TO ATTRACT GOOD PLAYERS AND THE WILLINGNESS TO DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO WIN TITLES

My response: WOW! I thought only my mother was capable of such amazing feats of selective and down right wrong recollections.
I am humbled in your presence.

For the record: You must be drunk and remembering glory days thru a fog. Let's take a stroll thru historical fact from the Lakers history section shall we?

1st championship. Who did Shaq bring to town to help?

BTW, this is a snippet from the web page http://www.nba.com/lakers/history/lakers_history_new.html#35

O'Neal (First Team) and Bryant (Second Team) were named to the All-NBA teams and both were also named to the NBA's All-Defensive Teams, with Bryant becoming the youngest player to ever receive All-Defensive honors. O'Neal became only the third player to be named Most Valuable Player of the regular season, All-Star Game and the NBA Finals.

What player did Shaq bring to LA to win the championship? We know who brought Kobe to LA, don't we? That would be Jerry West.

2nd championship. Shaq already has Kobe as an all-star. He already has Phil. Who came to LA because of Shaq?

The snippet says: After struggling to contain the Western Conference's high scoring power forwards in the playoffs, Los Angeles dealt Glen Rice and Travis Knight to the New York Knicks in a three-way deal involving the Seattle SuperSonics, which netted power forward Horace Grant and center Greg Foster. Having played under Jackson earlier in their careers, both Grant and Foster were skilled in running the Lakers triangle offense, and Grant was to provide a solid defensive and rebounding presence.

If I read this correctly, Horace Grant who had history with Phil and had won a championship with Phil came to a championship team in LA consisiting of
2 NBA all-stars in Shaq & Kobe. Sport, that's a real big stretch. BTW, who were the good players on the team?

O'Neal was named Finals MVP after averaging 33.0 points and 15.8 rebounds against Philadelphia and was again a First Team All-NBA selection. Fisher returned from injury to convert 35 three-pointers throughout the playoffs, setting an NBA record with 15 threes in the four-game series against San Antonio. Bryant earned Second Team All-NBA and Second-Team All-Defense honors.

What's that? That kid Bryant is an all-star again? Where are the other good players being mentioned that Shaq brought?

3rd championship. Be Honest with me. You've got Shaq & Kobe as a 1,2 punch. You've got Phil as your coach. You're playing
in LA. Who is *NOT* going to come to LA? With that being said, Who did Shaq bring to LA? What all-star/insanely good player came to LA because
of Shaq and Shaq alone? Not Phil. Not Kobe. Not a championship team. Just because of Shaq? The snippet says:

Gone from the 2001 Championship team were Ron Harper, Horace Grant, Tyronn Lue and Greg Foster, to be replaced by Lindsey Hunter, Samaki Walker and Mitch Richmond. Led by Richmond, a six-time All-Star, the Lakers acquired three veterans who had combined for 28,040 points and 26 seasons of experience. Those new faces would be relied upon early as Walker was immediately installed into the lineup at power forward and Hunter was counted on to replace Fisher until he recovered from injury.

Mitch Richmond is the first all-start that the lakers acquired during their dominant era with Shaq and Kobe and he came in on the 3rd. ***THAT*** is your historical
basis for Shaq attracts good players. And at the end of the day .... Who does history say was critical to the Lakers winning a championship?

The snippet says: O’Neal was named NBA Finals MVP for the third consecutive season, joining Michael Jordan as the only players to have accomplished that feat. O’Neal and Bryant were both named First Team All-NBA, becoming the first tandem to receive that honor since Chicago’s Jordan and Scottie Pippen in 1996. Phil Jackson earned his ninth NBA Championship as a head coach and surpassed Pat Riley for most playoff wins all-time.

No Way! Kobe Bryant is mentioned again???? You've got to be kidding me! Where's this Richmond guy? Now what quality players are you saying that came to the
Lakers to help them win championships because of Shaquille O'Neal? In 3 championships, 1 all-star came and he didn't make it as an all-star that year.

Now this matter of: Willingness to do whatever it takes to win titles. Do you mean:

Shaquille O’Neal missing the first 12 games due to off-season toe surgery in the 4th season?
Did you mean Shaq coming into the season out of shape?
Did you mean Shaq not being able to make free-throws?

Sonnybelfast you cannot be happy that the Kings are signing Kevin Martin,

I mean he lead the Kings in scoring at 20.2 ppg but is he not a super ballhog. I mean as shooting guard only averaging 2.2 assist per game. Well you had better not sign up this selfish ballhog. LOL!!!

Aaarrrhhhh!!

Angry_Laker

I guess the Jermaine O'Neal talk is over.

I wonder what Kobe means by the Lakers know where he stands.

Is he firm on getting JO?

Could we do Kwame and Bynum for Artest?
Are the Kings even interested??

Kl,

Lakertom just kicked your behind. I think if there was anybody that could put you in your place on this blog, he definetly did. And I'll tell you to take his advice. You always say others take this blog too seriously, thats because we care about our team and players. And I honestly pray that you take his advice, because you've made this blog that I cared about so much before you came, into something I don;t enjoy as much anymore. Before you came, we used to have meaningful conversations, and I honestly read what people had to say sincerely. Now, it is definetly not the same anymore. So for us people you say we are too serious about this blog, do us a favor and take Laker tom's advice.

Thanks.

KL,

You said,

"i'd like to see kobe teamed up with another malcontent."

He already was teamed up with another malcontent, his name is Shaq! LOL!

LakerBake,

Kwame & Bynum doesn't match up salary wise for Artest, and again, why would they trade their All-star in his prime for a 3rd and 4th
string center, when they already have two centers on the roster who played better than Kwame and Bynum last year, and they
also drafted a young center (Brad Miller, Mikki Moore, Spencer Hawes). They don't need Kwame even with his expiring contract.

Artest is an all-star. Sacramento may want Bynum, but they'll want better than Kwame back to get Artest. They're also not likely
to want any combination of Cook, Radmanovic, Vujacic, or Evans. They'd probably go for Odom + Bynum, but the salaries don't
match up, and Mitch would never do that deal anyway. They might go for Farmar + Walton + Bynum, which I would seriously
consider if I were Mitch.

The only way I could see them taking Kwame for Artest in a deal is if it got near the trade deadline this year and they were 10 games
under 500 and decided to blow up what they had and rebuild -- then they might do something like Artest and Abdur-Rahim for
Kwame + Farmar. Big salary dump for a point guard and a big expiring contract.