Official: Kobe wants to be traded!

[peruna11]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2886927

[mary]

Mayhem in Laker-Land.

Awesome.

[kg_veteran]

They didn't get full value when they dealt Shaq, and they won't get full value when they deal Kobe.

What a shame.

[jthig32]

Originally Posted by kg_veteran

They didn't get full value when they dealt Shaq, and they won't get full value when they deal Kobe.

What a shame.

They might be forced to shoot for half value.

Check this out:

When Bryant signed his free-agent contract on July 15, 2004, a seven-year deal worth $136.4 million, a no-trade clause was built into his contract. He is the only player in the NBA that has a no-trade clause in his contract. He has a no-trade clause for at least two more seasons, at which time he can opt out of his current contract (after the 2008-09 season). If he exercises his option to become a free agent, he would walk away from a combined $47.8 million for the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons. The only way the Lakers could trade Bryant is if he waived his no-trade clause, which means the team would need Bryant's approval to trade him.

And this:

Bryant will obviously waive his no-trade clause, but he has a trade kicker in his contract that is believed to add about $13 million to his total contract value, a cost to be absorbed by any team that acquires him. The money would be paid like a signing bonus and would not count toward the salary cap. The Lakers had to pay a similar fee to Lamar Odom when they acquired him from Miami three years ago, paying him about $8 million.

Talk about having your hands tied behind your back.

[Ninkobei]

as a mav I offer the lakers jason terry and devin harris and greg buckner and stack for kobe...

[Janett_Reno]

Kobe is not comming here unless you let Dirk and Howard go. Are you so sure you want that?

[EricaLubarsky]

Orlando could be very good. Actually any team out east with draft picks could acquire Kobe I imagine.

[Flacolaco]

Chicago has some young guys and some picks don't they?

Send him East. Liven things up over there a little.

[RingTheBell]

If he goes east I think the Bulls get him. If he goes west its to Phoenix or Utah.

[EricaLubarsky]

Originally Posted by RingTheBell

If he goes east I think the Bulls get him. If he goes west its to Phoenix or Utah.

no freaking way he goes to either of those teams. Period.

So many reasons to think that you have it way wrong.

1) they are in the West. No way he's traded there
2) Utah and Phoenix are contenders. No way he gets traded to a contender.
3) Sloan won't pick him up
4) Kobe isnt a good match with Nash and D'antoni probably wouldnt want Kobe
5) not much in the way of trade-scenarios that actually work for either team

[StackAttack]

Originally Posted by RingTheBell

If he goes east I think the Bulls get him. If he goes west its to Phoenix or Utah.

In regards to Chicago, also from the Fanhouse:

"The city getting the most buzz in the prospective, highly unlikely Kobe sweepstakes is Chicago. The Bulls offer all the necessary requirements for a Kobe relocation: a winning team, young studs, a big contract. But what scenarios actually work for trade purposes? Here's a look at legal Kobe-to-Chicago possibilities.

Kobe and Brian Cook for Ben Wallace, Luol Deng, Ben Gordon, and the #9 pick.
The tricky thing with Chicago is that Ben Wallace almost assuredly has to be included to make the salaries work. Kobe makes $19.5 million next season, and Wallace is at $15.5 million. Chicago would be without-center in this scenario\. Los Angeles gets the short end, but if they trade Kobe there's no way they aren't getting the short end. At least Wallace/Odom/Deng/Gordon is a nice nucleus while Andrew Bynum develops... if you're of the opinion that Deng is about to be a franchise player. Chicago prays 'Kobe vs. the East' is as crazy as it sounds.

Kobe and Kwame Brown for Ben Wallace, Kirk Hinrich, Ben Gordon, the #9 pick in 2007, and at least future 1st-round pick.
This trade makes more sense from a 2007-08 perspective for the Bulls: Chicago will have actually have a center on the roster, and keep Deng to run alongside Kobe. Meanwhile, Los Angeles gets some more 'future pieces' in Hinrich (a long-term answer at point) and the picks. Chicago can plug in Chris Duhon in the near-term and look for a better option ASAP, possibly by trading Andres Nocioni.

Kobe and Vlad Radmanovic for Ben Wallace, Luol Deng, and Ben Gordon.
Here, Los Angeles takes the opportunity to get away from an albatross contract, but cedes an asset (the draft pick) in the process. Chicago fares best in this scenario, I think, especially if they can pull an immediate contributor in the draft (Joakim Noah, Julian Wright) and speed up Tyrus Thomas' development. You've got to think Kobe plus a good PG and a weaker conference can do some damage... right?"

[thewillis12]

Originally Posted by RingTheBell

If he goes east I think the Bulls get him. If he goes west its to Phoenix or Utah.

lol raja and kobe on the same team......=D

[StackAttack]

Originally Posted by RingTheBell

If he goes east I think the Bulls get him. If he goes west its to Phoenix or Utah.

http://realgm.com/src_wiretap_archiv...lls_scenarios/

Most NBA execs seem to agree: PHX or CHI.

EDIT: Also, Fisher went on a rant:

Wanna beat a deadline, fill some newspaper space and earn a yelping headline? Propose a nonsensical Dirk-for-Kobe trade. Wanna engage in a more reasoned evaluation of the idea that effectively shuts it down? Join me:

1) Let’s start with the start: The Black Mamba doesn’t even want to be dealt from the Lakers. No, wait. Yes he does. No. Yes. No. …

Bryant has spent the last three days pinballing from media outlet to media outlet, from radio talk show to radio talk show, spouting contradictory wishes, pointing fingers, pouting, almost crying, all the time seeking the attention that is this man’s mother’s milk.

Mamba almost clears things up on his own website. … and then “unclears’’ it right away.

“I’m so tired of talking,’’ he told Dan Patrick on one of the four radio shows he did on Wednesday, failing to grasp the irony.

Are you up on the Kobe Kronology?

He went on one radio show in the morning and said that “nothing’’ would permit him to return to LA. “I would like to be traded,’’ he said. “At this point, I’ll go play on Pluto.’’

Moments later, as ESPN was announcing to the world that Kobe’s mind was unchangeable, he was on another radio show. On this one he says the re-hiring of Jerry West might soften his stance. Then in the afternoon he’s on another station and he says he wants to be a Laker “more than anything. I don’t want to go nowhere.’’

Apparently, last night he told an LA Times reporter that (drum roll, please) he wants to be traded.

And you think there are moments when Dirk’s indecisive!?

Really, the only thing clear here is this: Years ago, before he nicknamed himself The Black Mamba, I nicknamed him The Drama Queen. And that’s the moniker that should’ve stuck. The reason I didn’t write about this issue immediately is because I saw the writing on the wall: This is a baby. A baby crying. And sometimes a baby crying needs to be left alone in his crib for awhile.

The Drama Queen is not getting traded. Bodog has the odds on him going (Dallas getting him is at 4-1) but these gamblers are smart; Bodog doesn’t even offer odds on KOBE STAYING. Because that’s what’s going to happen.

In fact, even the DMNews knows its own non-story was never worth the bother. Eddie Sefko almost sneers in his extremely brief story today (my guess: an editor made him write it against his will) dismissing the notion started by his own columnist. Eddie calls it “internet speculation,’’ knowing full well it was Jean-Jacques Taylor speculation that lowlighted the foolishness.

2) Using the same reasoning that prevented them from talking about Shaq-to-Dallas, LA management isn’t trading Kobe to Dallas. That’s the angle from Mavs people who I’ve spoken to, anyway.

3) Nobody in LA believes Kobe will be dealt, period. (This link is to an LA Times column written with the depth of understanding sorely missing in the DMNews’ amateurish attempt at same.) Again, that story was written more than a minute ago, so Kobe changing his mind might change the odds. But it doesn’t change the smart bet, which is that LA will find a way to kiss and make up with its star. (Hey, maybe Jerry Buss – once he sobers up and gets his head outta the 23-year-old crotch -- will buy Kobe a purple-pink diamond ring!)

4) Mark Cuban has an association with some of the finest legal minds in the land. We happen to have a mutual friend, he and I, named, Steve Stodghill, who happens to be the Mavs’ attorney. And Stodg likes associating with Hollywood types. But I do not believe Stodg or anyone else in Cuban’s circle has experience defending accused rapists.

5) Despite the DMNews’ wish that the deal be done, “Straight up. No frills. A simple blockbuster.’’ … the real world isn’t that simple. The author writes that he checked the viability of the deal on a website. What the author does not know is that Kobe has a no-trade clause, just one potential viability clog. (ESPN.com’s trade checker, by the way, approves the deal; RealGM.com’s does not.)

6) My understanding is that Kobe’s contract includes a $13 mil trade kicker. Meaning that his new team, in addition to paying his max-out salary, would immediately have to write him a $13 mil check. Takers?

7) The Mavs have made it clear they do not want to alter the culture of this team and its locker room. Kobe Bean Bryant – from the time he held his press conference in his high-school gym while wearing sunglasses – has always been a 6-7 bundle of culture shock.

8) You don’t trade away a big for a small. If there is any player in the NBA with the skills to overlook this Guideline of GM’ing, it’s The Drama Queen. But like clichés, no matter how tired it is that guideline exists for a reason.

9) How would Dallas be better? Out goes a singular superstar who is the MVP, in comes a singular superstar who is capable of being the MVP. Where’s the upside? Give me Kobe AND Dirk and I’ll dump the rest of the Dallas roster to do it. Seriously, Dirk + Kobe + DJ + Pops + JJB might win! But Kobe OR Dirk? I’m treadmilling there. It makes more sense – for Dallas and LA – to attempt to build on their foundation, rather than tear it down a re-built. For the Lakers, that means keeping Kobe and trying to add, say, Jermaine O’Neal.

10) The root of this story – and the root of many Kobe Bryant stories – is his unquenchable desire to be his own boss, to call organizational shots, to be heard, to be LOVED. He was instrumental in the departure of Shaq (no matter that Kobe now says the source of his ire is that LA was planning to dump Shaq anyway), tried to orchestrate the Lakers’ hiring of Coach K, had to sign off on the return of Phil JackZen, helped assemble the veterans now on his roster, and is now making all this noise because he wants Jerry West as his GM. One report says Kobe will agree to stay if an alleged Iago in the front office is canned. Why would Cuban, Donnie, Avery and any other Mav in a suit or in a uniform want to provide gainful employment to their own eventual executioner?

11) Kobe’s individual brilliance is almost enough to erase the things written about him by his own coach. Almost. From JackZen’s book: He’s “uncoachable.’’ Now, that’s the on-the-record word from the greatest championship-winning coach in NBA history. What more testimony do you need to hear? Phil JackZen can’t reach him. You think Joe Prunty can?

12) The DMNews suggests that Dirk is “soft, perhaps because he didn't learn the game on inner-city black tops, where you call your own fouls, or spend a summer playing at Rucker Park in New York.’’ This demonstrates not only an ignorance regarding Nowitzki’s character, but an ignorance regarding Kobe’s background. Kobe’s greatest lessons in sports came from his father while they lived in Italy, not that far from where Dirk was learning his greatest lessons in sports from his father while they lived in Germany. They both grew up nearer the Eiffel Tower than they did Rucker Park.

Oh, this “inner-city black tops’’ suggestion in the paper is also racist. (Just thought I’d throw that in there.)

13) Kobe is not God. The DMNews backhands Dirk by writing that Bryant “wouldn't go 2-for-13, score eight points and passively hang around the perimeter in the most important game of the season.’’

That’s a fascinating take – and one that should cause the author to forfeit his NBA press credential.

Kobe has failed in some of the EXACT SAME WAYS Dirk has failed – and worse. Check out Kobe’s exits in the last three seasons:

2007: Bryant made four baskets in the first quarter but just one in the second, third and fourth combined as his team, trailing 2-1 in a Round 1 series to Phoenix, lost a pivotal game. Bryant’s line after failing to even attempt a shot in the fourth quarter: 5-of-13 for 15 points.

Folks, Dirk and Kobe had performances that mirrored each other almost EXACTLY. And did so within minutes of each other in this year’s Round 1. And the DMNews columnist overlooks it?

2006: The Lakers were up 3-1 over the Suns before, under the leadership of Bryant, they collapsed and lost the series.

2005: The Lakers won just two of their final 21 games – featuring losing streaks of eight, five, and a season-closing six – and under the leadership of Bryant failed to make the playoffs.

Had enough? Can we move from space-filling Fantasy Basketball and onto real basketball now?

14) OK, one more.

You, DFW, America, have long-bemoaned the atmosphere of the big-time sports world, with its indulgent privilege and its piggy selfishness and its frightening criminal edge. Dirk is a brilliant player, a top-five-or-top-10-in-the-world player, who is guilty of none of those deadly sins. Kobe Bryant is, on the other hand, the poster boy for those deadly sins, including maybe rape, and countless others.

There. Now back to real basketball.

[#1MavsFan]

Stephen A. Smith | Bryant fires back at Lakers
By Stephen A. Smith
Inquirer Columnist
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READER FEEDBACK
Post a comment
While the NBA playoffs are going on, one of the main figures stuck at home watching like everybody else is busy ruffling feathers, naming names, and looking for the first ride out of Hollywood.

Even if he has to hitchhike.

Kobe Bryant has already let it be known that he's not interested in playing in Los Angeles any longer - not as long as general manager Mitch Kupchak and the rest of the Lakers' brass are making basketball decisions without the counsel of Jerry West, the team's former general manager, who was responsible for clearing his path from Lower Merion to Tinseltown.

Things would be significant were they to stop there. "Except I'm not about to," Bryant said yesterday. "I've been quiet long enough."

Just weeks after saying something needed to be done to improve the Lakers' roster, days after reiterating that point, and hours after suggesting that West's return to the organization might be the solution, Bryant went on an all-out assault after reading that a "team source" intimated in yesterday's Los Angeles Times that he was the reason Shaquille O'Neal was traded.

The Lakers' owner, Jerry Buss, "called a meeting with me after he spoke with Jim Gray [of ESPN] to talk with him about Shaq's future in the middle of the 2004 season," Bryant said yesterday.

"He met with me at the Four Seasons Hotel here across from Fashion Island, which is now the Island Hotel," Bryant said. "I went up to his penthouse suite. [Buss] looks me dead in the face and says: 'Kobe, I am not going to re-sign Shaq. I am not about to pay him $30 million a year or $80 million over three years. No way in hell. I feel like he's getting older. His body is breaking down, and I don't want to pay that money to him when I can get value for him right now rather than wait. This is my decision. It's independent of you. My mind is made up. It doesn't matter to me what you do in free agency because I do not want to pay [Shaq], period.' "

"Dr. Buss said that," Bryant said. "And I haven't said anything for years because I've always felt like folks were just looking to create controversy. Now I know. I realize what extent [the Lakers] will go to, to cover themselves."

And what does O'Neal think?

"I believe Kobe 100 percent," said O'Neal, reached yesterday while in Los Angeles on business. "Absolutely. There's no doubt in my mind Kobe is telling the truth. I believe him a thousand percent. I would have respected Dr. Buss more as a man if he would have told me that himself, because I know he said it. But he didn't [tell me]. He never said a damn word to me."

Now look where it's gotten the Lakers. And Bryant.

Buss, who was arrested yesterday in Carlsbad, Calif., for investigation of driving under the influence of alcohol, was unavailable for comment. So, too, was Kupchak. But the Lakers' organization did not deny yesterday that such a conversation took place.

The Lakers were bounced out of the first round of the playoffs for the second consecutive season. And for the second straight season, it happened with Bryant as the league's leading scorer but still resembling the foot soldier going to gunfights with a pocket knife.

Bryant, saddled with Lamar Odom and little else to show for three NBA titles, said he wanted Baron Davis, then Carlos Boozer, then Jason Kidd and Ron Artest, each time being told the Lakers couldn't get a deal done.

Now, three full seasons after O'Neal's departure to Miami, Bryant appears to have lost all faith. The fact that he's keenly aware that most people feel he deserves to be miserable for helping to dismantle a potential dynasty - by provoking O'Neal's exodus - appears to have infuriated him now more than ever.

Never mind that O'Neal was traded on July 14, 2004, for Odom, Caron Butler, Brian Grant, and a first-round pick, or that Bryant re-signed for seven years at $136 million the very next day.

"The challenge is what it was all about for me," said Bryant, who negotiated a no-trade clause in his contract. "I told Dr. Buss - obviously, I was about to become a free agent - that I was interested in attacking the market. Chicago and the L.A. Clippers had better rosters. I was gone until Dr. Buss called me from vacation in Italy promising me he was not going to wait five years to rebuild, that he was going to rebuild right now. I trusted him.

"Sure, Shaq and I had our issues. So what! We always did and we won three titles. That doesn't change what was told to me. It doesn't change the fact I never, ever, said to get rid of him. And it damn sure doesn't change the fact that all these years later, promises made to make this team better have not been kept. So where does that leave me?"

Chicago? New York? Philadelphia, perhaps?

"Keep talking," Bryant quipped. "Anything sounds good right now with the way I'm feeling."

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/sport...at_Lakers.html


hmm?

[fluid.forty.one]

Originally Posted by #1MavsFan

"I believe Kobe 100 percent," said O'Neal, reached yesterday while in Los Angeles on business. "Absolutely. There's no doubt in my mind Kobe is telling the truth. I believe him a thousand percent. I would have respected Dr. Buss more as a man if he would have told me that himself, because I know he said it. But he didn't [tell me]. He never said a damn word to me."

wow this surprised me

This offseason is going to be REALLY interesting. This affects the whole league.

[MavsX]

woo hooooooooooooooo!

i hope we land him

[92bDad]

Kobe, if traded, will wind up in the East...The Lakers would require to high of a price for any Western Conference team to pick him up...

So who do you look to...

Some keep bringing up the Bulls...but I wonder with the media hype, do the Nets or Knicks get involved? Could you see a 3rd team get into the mix?

I'm not a Kobe fan, but he is an interesting story and at times a player that is fun to watch...My dislike of Kobe is more due to the Laker uniform and quite possibly the lovefest the media has with him...

How would the Nets look with Kobe, Carter and Kidd? Not sure how that could happen, but hey if I'm the Nets...I'm looking into what it would take to make that deal.

[StackAttack]

From the Fanhouse:

" In response to the fairly shocking news that Kobe Bryant demanded a trade earlier today, the Lakers' Jerry Buss has issued a statement, and it goes a little something like this:

"We are aware of the media reports. However, Kobe has not told us directly that he wants to be traded. We have made it very clear that we are building our team around Kobe and that we intend for him to be a Laker his entire career. We will speak directly to Kobe and until we do that, we will not comment publicly about this."

After listening to Kobe in consecutive interviews on Dan Patrick's show (Insider) and then on AM570 here in Los Angeles, the part about Kobe not telling the team directly is a bit of a half truth. Kobe said that his agent called Mitch Kupchak this morning and let him know of Kobe's desire to be traded, even before Kobe appeared on Stephen A. Smith's show and dropped the bomb. Kobe had a pretty funny response to Jerry Buss' statement during his AM570 interview. When asked to react to the statement, Kobe said, "where is he? I don't even know where he is," and added that Buss has his number but that he didn't have a number to reach Buss. Maybe he should try the Carlsbad Highway Patrol office.


Kobe also mentioned that he talked to Phil Jackson a couple of times today, and that Phil said he didn't blame him for feeling that way, but at the same time urged Kobe to calm down and see if some sort of resolution could be reached. Kobe said that Phil is the only person in the organization that he trusts, and when asked if Jerry West was back in the picture if that would change anything, Kobe said it would definitely help."

[StackAttack]

I wonder how bad the journalist who broke the story quoting the Lakers insider feels right now.

[capitalcity]

Originally Posted by StackAttack

I wonder how bad the journalist who broke the story quoting the Lakers insider feels right now.

???

It's called a scoop.

[StackAttack]

Originally Posted by capitalcity

???

It's called a scoop.

All I'm saying is I hope he's a really big Lakers/Kobe fan, just so I can imagine the pain he must be in knowing he started this.

[Usually Lurkin]

I bet he feels great, and gets promoted. I also bet Kobe goes nowhere, but notches another jewel in his "drama queen" tiara.

[Dtownsfinest]

Send him to Dallas. I'd definately take him. But him screaming "Trade me!" sort of screws things up for the Lakers doesn't it? I mean clearly he wants to be traded so whoever takes him is going to get a deal. Lakers aren't in a position to be picky. Harris and Josh would look attractive to a Lakers team who wants to get younger but it would definately take more than that to pry him away. I could see the Bulls having enough amo to get him for the fact that they have all stars who are young. Ben Gordon and Hinrich have to look attractive. Lakers are going to get screwed.

[Windmill360]

Won't Kobe have the most influence in deciding where he goes? Much like Shaq did?

[StackAttack]

Originally Posted by Windmill360°

Won't Kobe have the most influence in deciding where he goes? Much like Shaq did?

Yes. He's the only player in the NBA with a no-trade clause, meaning he can veto any trade he wants.

EDIT: The Fanhouse just had a piece on it:

ESPN's Marc Stein says Kobe Bryant has the only active no-trade clause in the NBA. So while he's demanding trades, Kobe also holds the steering wheel -- he can't get shipped to Pluto without his own consent.

I imagine the list of cities Kobe would be willing to play in is short. Let's rank them.

1. Los Angeles If Kobe felt the Clippers could contend after they blew up the team to get him, he'd surely stay in L.A. Of course, there's really no way for the Clips to get Kobe without becoming worse than the current Lakers. And I can't imagine Jerry Buss allowing Donald Sterling to get the biggest star in the game.

2. Phoenix There's no player in the league who wouldn't want to play in Phoenix. As Bill Simmons theorizes, some package involving Shawn Marion or Amare Stoudemire could actually do the trick. But would L.A. really let Kobe star right across the border? (More on this later.)

3. Chicago We touched on the prospect earlier -- Chicago makes the most sense for the Lakers. But Kobe might be agreeable to going to Second City, with the whole MJ fetish and the possibility of joining a promising squad in the inferior conference.

4. New York IT WILL NEVER HAPPEN, but of course Kobe could live in NYC. Sadly, the Knicks have not the assets now to trade with nor would they have the assets later to actually compete.

5. Houston If Kobe could join either Yao Ming or Tracy McGrady (Kobe at the 2, TMac at the 3?) in Houston, I imagine he'd give the OK.

6. Dallas Big city, big supporting cast.

Of course, I don't know Kobe personally. He could have a favorite uncle in East Oakland or Charlotte. But I imagine he and his wife are accustomed to a certain lifestyle towns like Sacramento and Salt Lake just don't offer.

[Stranger]

I hope Kobe goes to the Bulls. I bet he'd ask them to unretire number 23 and start working on developing a gambling problem.

[RingTheBell]

Seven trade possibilities for Kobe
Bill Simmons
May. 30, 2007 | feedback

Well, it finally happened -- Black Mamba came out and demanded a trade from the Lakers. The proclamation happened during an interview on Stephen A. Smith's radio show in New York City on Wednesday. Here were my first three reactions:

1. Cool, I actually have something to write about today!

2. Stephen A. Smith still has a radio show?

3. Time to hit ESPN's Trade Machine!

Sure, Kobe recanted the trade demands three hours later -- almost like someone backing out of an eBay bid or something -- but that didn't stop me from hammering the ESPN Trade Machine like Joe Cazalghe pummeled Peter Manfredo. After all, it's not often when an NBA team is forced to trade a marquee superduperstar in his prime. We might as well enjoy the moment while it lasts, right? In the past 35 years, only nine players were traded after a season in which they made a first or second All-NBA team. One of those players was past his prime (Gary Payton), and three were great players but not "superduperstars" at the time they were traded (Paul Westphal, Dennis Johnson, Jason Kidd). Here were the five superduperstar deals.

1975: Milwaukee trades Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to the Lakers for Elmore Smith, Brian Winters, Junior Bridgeman and Dave Meyers … or as some would later call it, the "pu pu platter." Kareem ended up winning five more rings, three MVP awards (it would have been four if Bill Walton didn't win in '78 for a 55-game season) and even starring as Roger Murdock in "Airplane!"

1982: Houston trades Moses Malone to Philadelphia for Caldwell Jones and a No. 1 pick that turned out to be the third pick in the 1983 draft (Rodney McCray). It's worth mentioning that the '82-'83 Rockets bottomed out and ended up with the No. 1 pick (Ralph Sampson) as well. It's also worth mentioning that Malone won the MVP and led the '83 Sixers to a title.

1992: Philadelphia trades Charles Barkley to Phoenix for Jeff Hornacek, Andrew Lang and Tim Perry … or as some would later call it, "the pu pu platter deluxe." Barkley lost 20 pounds, won the '93 MVP in Phoenix, and would have won a title if Kevin Johnson didn't completely melt down in the Finals against Chicago (everyone forgets this).

2004: Orlando trades Tracy McGrady (with Juwan Howard) to Houston for Steve Francis, Cuttino Mobley and Kelvin Cato … a trade that worked out so poorly, it led to the one and only time in NBA history that a GM (Orlando GM John Gabriel) received death threats from his own fans.

2004: The Lakers trade Shaq to Miami for Caron Butler, Lamar Odom, a future first-rounder and Brian Grant's gigantic contract (that was eventually used for an Allan Houston Exemption). The Lakers won four playoff games total in the next three seasons; Miami won the 2006 title and would have won in 2005 if Dwyane Wade didn't get hurt.

(Hold on, we have to give Lakers fans a few seconds to clear the vomit out of their mouths.)

(OK, we're good.)

With Kobe finally demanding out, two questions remain:

1. For the love of God, what took him so long? L.A.'s game plan for the post-Shaq era was so illogical, it earned Mitch Kupchak a seat at the First-Annual Atrocious GM Summit last year. Why would you build a young team around a franchise scorer in his prime? Why give him a degree of difficulty? What's the point of rolling the dice with projects like Chris Mihm and Kwame Brown, or wasting a lottery pick on a high school center (Andrew Bynum) and passing on players who could have helped the team right away (like Danny Granger)? How could they pass up a chance to acquire an impact player last February (like Jason Kidd or Jermaine O'Neal) when they had expiring contracts, draft picks and Bynum as potential bait?

2. What can the Lakers get for him?

To properly figure this out, you need to include a couple of variables. First, Kobe has a complete no-trade clause and is too image-conscious to play in a small market. He's not going to Memphis. He's not going to Milwaukee. He's not going to Sacramento. Kobe will want a big market that keeps him in the national limelight. Second, he'd want to play for a team that could contend right away; there's no way he'd agree to shepherd another rebuilding project or youth movement. And third, as much as a mega-deal makes sense with Kobe and Carmelo as the principles, you'd see O.J. move back to Brentwood before you'd see Kobe accept a trade that puts him in Colorado.

One more thing to remember: Right now, the Lakers are sitting at $57.66 million in salaries for the 2007-08 season. Conceivably, they could use a Kobe trade to clear enough cap space to sign a marquee free agent in 2007 or 2008. As Shaq and Kareem proved, NBA stars will always want to play in Los Angeles if they can pull it off. Between the weather, the women, the wealth and the Hollywood scene, the Lakers have an enormous free agency advantage over every NBA team but New York, Phoenix, Orlando, Miami and maybe Dallas. Keep that in mind.

Three other mitigating factors:

(A) A year ago, the Clippers had the assets (specifically, Shaun Livingston) and cap space to pull off a mega-Kobe deal. Not anymore.

(B) I liked Golden State as a prospective home for Kobe -- but Jason Richardson, Monta Ellis and the No. 17 pick isn't getting it done, and the Warriors don't have enough friendly cap contracts to pull off anything bigger.

(C) Sadly, tragically, there's no conceivable scenario in which the Knicks can offer a decent enough package for Kobe. They're not getting him for a Jamal Crawford-David Lee-Nate Robinson-Quentin Richardson package, and they're not getting the Lakers to bite on Stephon Marbury unless they can frame Kupchak for murder and blackmail him with the photos between now and June 30. It's not happening. Sorry, Knicks fans.

Anyway, with help from the Trade Machine, here were the seven most logical deals in descending order from "least likely" to "most likely."

Deal No. 7: Houston trades Tracy McGrady, Bobby Sura (expiring contract in 2008) and the No. 26 pick for Kobe and Vladimir Radmanovic.

Comments: The Lakers aren't getting LeBron or Gilbert Arenas, and 'Melo isn't happening (see above). So that makes T-Mac the best under-30 scorer available. Where would he take the Lakers though? They were already a .500 team with Kobe, right? And wouldn't T-Mac inevitably be unhappy going to another rebuilding team? Too big of a risk for the Lakers -- the last thing they need is another unhappy superstar. They're already going to have 15,000 unhappy season-ticket holders as it is.

Deal No. 6: Philadelphia trades Andre Igoudala, Sam Dalembert, Kevin Ollie (expiring contract in 2008), the No. 12 pick and the No. 21 pick for Kobe.

Comments: Mildly intriguing. The Lakers get a potential All-Star (Igoudala) and a shotblocker (Dalembert), and also end up with the Nos. 12, 19 and 21 picks in a loaded draft. Kobe gets to come home to Philly and play with Andre Miller, Kyle Korver, and … oh, wait, there wouldn't be any other good players on the team. And not just that, but everyone in Philly hates Kobe. Forget it.

Deal No. 5: Boston trades Theo Ratliff (expires in 2008), Al Jefferson, Gerald Green, the No. 5 pick and their rights to Minny's future No. 1 for Kobe.

Comments: A more logical trade (Kobe for Paul Pierce and the No. 5 pick) doesn't work because Kobe would never agree to lead another youth movement. So could a Jefferson-Green-picks package work? I like the thought of Kobe and Pierce joining forces in a crummy conference, and it's hard to imagine the Lakers doing better in terms of potential cap space, premium picks and players with UPPPPPPPPPPPPPside (in my opinion, Jefferson is the best low-post scorer in the league under 24). Still, it's hard to imagine the Los Angeles Lakers trading their franchise player to the Boston Celtics. I just can't see it. It's too weird. Also, I think my dad's head would explode.

Deal No. 4: Dallas trades Josh Howard, Jason Terry and Jerry Stackhouse (sign-and-trade starting at $7.3 million per) for Kobe.

Comments: I'm intrigued by this one because (A) the Lakers would be competitive with a Howard-Terry-Odom-Bynum nucleus; (B) Kobe would solve all of Nowitzki's toughness/crunch-time problems; and (C) Dallas could probably win a title with Kobe, Nowitzki, the Diop/Dampier combo, Devin Harris and seven guys they found on the street. But would the Lakers ever trade Kobe to a Western contender? And would Cuban ever admit that Dirk was irrevocably damaged by the 2006 Finals and the Warriors-Mavs series, to the degree that he needed to acquire another crunch-time guy? If the Mavs didn't have the testicular fortitude to pull off a Shaq trade three years ago, they won't have the gulliones to go after Kobe.

Deal No. 3: Atlanta trades Joe Johnson, Marvin Williams, Ty Lue and the No. 11 pick for Kobe and Radmanovic.

Comments: Love this trade for the Lakers because Johnson replaces 75 percent of Kobe's scoring; Williams and Johnson give them two perfect triangle guys; they'd get a quality rookie like Joakim Noah or Al Thornton at No. 11; and they'd even get to dump their one shaky salary in the deal (four more years of Radmanovic at $25 million) for Lue's expiring deal. That's a pretty good haul. Also, Atlanta hasn't had someone who could sell tickets since 'Nique; they could build around Kobe, Josh Smith, Josh Childress, Zaza Pachulia, Shelden Williams, Free Agent Signing X and the No. 3 pick. They could tinker with this deal and substitute the No. 3 and Childress for the No. 11 and Williams and see if L.A. bites on that.

Here's the problem: I can't see Kobe accepting a trade to (A) a young team (even a young team with as much potential as the Hawks), and (B) a moribund NBA city like Atlanta. Seems too far-fetched. But this would be the best-case scenario for the league itself -- sticking Kobe in a big Eastern city, instantly getting another marquee franchise and ending up with a third superstar in a depleted conference. If David Stern has any juice left -- and it's unclear after the tragic events of May 22 -- he'll make this deal happen.

Deal No. 2: Chicago trades Luol Deng, Ben Gordon, Victor Khryapa and the No. 9 pick for Kobe.

Additional notes: This deal works as long as the Bulls renounce P.J. Brown's rights; also, it means the Lakers would receive a mammoth (and appealing) trade exception in the deal.

Comments: This seems like the most natural home for Kobe -- it's a big city; they're a contender in the East; there's enough talent left after the deal to make a run, and even the MJ-Kobe symmetry works nicely -- as well as the best possible haul for the Lakers. The deal could work in a variety of ways: Instead of renouncing Brown's rights, the Bulls could include Andres Nocioni as a sign-and-trade (starting at around $5 million per) and renounce Mike Sweetney's rights instead of Brown's. If they wanted to get even more creative, they could make it Deng, Gordon, P.J. Brown (sign and trade -- one year, $10 million) and the No. 9 for Kobe. They could try to substitute Ty Thomas and a future No. 1 for Deng. Etc., etc., etc.

Two big obstacles here:

(A) Would the Bulls ever give up Deng? The Lakers would have to get him back in a Kobe deal, right? I feel like he's become slightly overrated over the past season -- he's definitely a potential All-Star; he definitely could become the second-best player on a championship-caliber team, but I don't see him getting much better than he is right now. Do you ever see him scoring 27-28 a game? Do you ever see him being the crunch-time scorer on a great team? If you could land Kobe and keep Kirk Hinrich, Ben Wallace, Ty Thomas, Chris Duhon and Thabo Sefolosha, then sign one more veteran to help them out, that's a potential 2008 title team. Isn't the whole point to win a title?

(B) Would John Paxson ever roll the dice with a mega-deal for someone like Kobe? He seems to be happier stockpiling young assets and waiting for one of these other teams to offer him the likes of KG or Jermaine O'Neal for 30 cents on the dollar. By making a Kobe deal, Paxson would be shoving his chips to the middle of the table ... something he's been completely unwilling to do. We will see.

Deal No. 1: Phoenix trades Shawn Marion, Leandro Barbosa, Marcus Banks and the rights to Atlanta's 2008 first-rounder to the Lakers for Kobe and Radmanovic.

Now we're talking! Some of my favorite things about this trade include …

(A) The Lakers ending up with a nucleus of Marion, Odom, Barbosa and Bynum, along with Farmar, Walton, Turiaf and the No. 19 pick, as well as the inevitable Kwame Brown trade to a moronic team that convinces itself that Kwame's career could be salvaged. That's a pretty good foundation.

(B) Phoenix trotting out a starting lineup of Nash, Kobe, Raja Bell, Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw. Good golly. Sweet Jesus.

(C) Radmanovic realizing his manifest destiny of playing in Phoenix. It was meant to be from the moment Mike D'Antoni and Nash teamed up three years ago.

(D) Kobe and Raja as teammates. High comedy. The most improbable pairing since Rodman and Pippen 12 years ago.

(E) The most selfish player in the league (Kobe) playing with the most unselfish player in the league (Nash). What a fascinating sociological experiment. If Nash can turn Kobe into a team player, I'm voting him for our 2008 president even though he's Canadian.

Two potential problems: First, it's unlikely that the Lakers would be dumb enough to trade Kobe within their own division, although with Kupchak involved, anything's possible. And second, assuming that Nash has a say in front-office decisions at this point, would he really want to green-light a scenario that has him managing two enormous egos in Stoudemire and Kobe?

Well, lemme throw this at you: What if the Suns then swapped Stoudemire to Minnesota for KG, as I proposed in a May 14 column? That would give them the following crunch-time lineup: Nash, Kobe, Bell, Diaw and KG. Ladies and gentlemen, your 2008 World Champions! Just send them the trophy right now.

So that's my vote: Black Mamba, you're going to Phoenix to play with KG and Nash. And if it happens, I can guarantee that the 2008 playoffs will be more entertaining than the 2007 playoffs.

(Which isn't saying much, but still.)

[DevinFuture]

I'm starting to wonder if Kobe's not just trying to steal the spotlight from the playoffs for a bit. Maybe he's going to back off and remain a good little Laker.

[StackAttack]

Originally Posted by DevinFuture

I'm starting to wonder if Kobe's not just trying to steal the spotlight from the playoffs for a bit. Maybe he's going to back off and remain a good little Laker.

He already seems to have cooled down a bit, telling Dan Patrick earlier that he wants to remain a Laker.

[Windmill360]

^ This playoffs season is pretty much giving the spotlight away.

[MavsX]

^damnit!

[StackAttack]

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drm...562542,00.html

Fun while it lasted.

[nashtymavsfan13]

Kobe is the most self promoting, selfish athlete in all of sports.

[V2M]

Kobe needs a shrink... not a trade!

[rmacomic]

Originally Posted by V2M

Kobe needs a shrink... not a trade!

Maybe he and TO have the same publicist.

[Windmill360]

Here is the link to the full Radio conversation with Kobe (I believe it's the local L.A. one)
interesting.

http://a1135.g.akamai.net/f/1135/182...T_TITLE=LAKERS

[StackAttack]

Don't expect Mavs to pursue deal for Bryant

11:46 PM CDT on Wednesday, May 30, 2007

By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning News

Have a good time reading all the Internet speculation, but don't expect Kobe Bryant to be heading to Dallas.

The Mavericks' president of basketball operations, Donnie Nelson, said he sees virtually no scenario that would land the Los Angeles Lakers' star in a Dallas uniform.

"There's nothing there with us," Nelson said from Orlando, Fla., where he and almost all of the other NBA's executives are at the pre-draft camp. "We're not going to do anything crazy."

[fluid.forty.one]

dRaMa

[StackAttack]

http://realgm.com/src_wiretap_archiv..._he_wants_out/

What the hell is going on?

EDIT: http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slu...yhoo&type=lgns

Now he wants to go to the Knicks.

EDIT 2: http://www.nypost.com/seven/05312007...ter_vecsey.htm

Now it's Jermaine O'Neal to the rescue. This is so entertaining.

[DevinFuture]

And once again it's on. Stick around friends. This thread ain't dead yet!
Kobe's going to jerk our chain until October.