| A Kobe Breakup Would Be Best For Houston AND Los Angeles? Authored by Dennis Silva II - May 31, 2007 - 1:11 pm
Kobe Bryant wants to be traded; gone, removed, exiled from the Los Angeles Lakers.
Uh, whoops, scratch that – nevermind, Kobe wants to stay.
Whatever the mercurial Lakers superstar desires, this much is known – for better or for worse, his days in Los Angeles are numbered.
Whether his tenure ends this summer, or in 2009 (his opt-out year), is unsure. But it’s fairly safe to bet that Bryant will not finish his career as a Laker.
He doesn’t trust the higher-ups. He has no confidence in his teammates. He feels betrayed and sees no light at the end of the tunnel.
Does that sound like someone who is pleased with his current (and future) situation?
"I would like to be traded, yeah,” Bryant told 1050 ESPN Radio (New York) on Wednesday. “Tough as it is to come to that conclusion there's no other alternative, you know?"
When he re-signed with the club three years ago, following Shaquille O’Neal’s tumultuous exit, Bryant was told by Laker officials that the team would build a contender around him.
He was told they will win. He was told they’ll compete.
Instead, he feels the Lakers are rebuilding. Los Angeles has had plenty of opportunities to give him help. But the likes of Baron Davis, Carlos Boozer, and Ron Artest, among others, bypassed them as the club’s efforts to acquire such assets were lukewarm at best.
"They (Lakers) obviously want to move in a different direction in terms of rebuilding," Bryant said in the same interview, citing the Clippers and Bulls as viable options at the time. "Three years ago when I was re-signing they should have told me they wanted to rebuild."
Bryant lightened his words a bit later Wednesday afternoon, telling ESPN’s Dan Patrick a different story after speaking to Lakers coach Phil Jackson earlier in the afternoon.
"I'm so tired of talking," Bryant said. "It's tough. I always dreamed about retiring as a Laker. I just hope and hope that something can be resolved. Something can be figured out. Just something so I can stay here and be in this city and be with the team I love. When Phil and I spoke, he was optimistic and determined that we'll both be back," Bryant told Patrick. "Phil is somebody I listen to. I lean on him a lot. He assured me things are going to be OK. Things are going to be all right. Don't go full bore just yet. Take a deep breath and let us work these things out and everything will be all right.”
Either way, it’s apparent that bridges are burned, especially after Bryant made public earlier this week that it was Jerry Buss, not himself, that was solely responsible for O’Neal’s dismissal.
So what happens now? Well, both parties will make every attempt to kiss and make up. After all, Bryant sells tickers and puts fannies in the seats, and no other city will embrace the embattled star like Los Angeles.
But it would be best if both went their separate ways, especially now when Bryant is in the midst of his prime and is, arguably, the best player in the game, and the best scorer in the league. While Bryant boasts a $9.5 million trade-kicker that will be added to his total contract value and absorbed by any club that acquires him, he’s undoubtedly worth every penny.
For clubs desperate for a superstar player who lives and breathes the game, and who would give his right arm to win, Bryant will not only make up that deficit in ticketing and merchandising sales, but in wins and a chance every year at contending for a championship.
If the Lakers want to get equal value, they need to look no further than Houston. While it would not be smart to trade Bryant to a Western Conference rival, it makes the most sense.
Rockets guard Tracy McGrady would still put people in the seats, and brings about the same amount of flair and thrills to the court as Bryant. The Rockets could also throw in forward Juwan Howard – who Jackson has been interested in as a mid-range shooter for the 4-spot in his triangle offense – and guard Bob Sura’s expiring contract.
If the Lakers cooperated by sending free-agent bust Vladimir Radmanovic to the Rockets, it would work out for both clubs.
Houston adds a dominant player who doesn’t have to defer to Yao and who can be counted on in clutch time, as well as a long-range shooting forward to complement Rick Adelman’s fluid offense, and the Lakers get a star athlete in return, as well as a capable role player in Howard, as well as salary cap room.
For McGrady, it’d be his shot at complete control over a team, with a plethora of sidekicks. He’d be welcomed to shoot and create at any time, and has help in Lamar Odom, Luke Walton, Andrew Bynum and Jordan Farmar.
Kobe would be given what he needs most at this point of his career – a change of scenery, and a contending team that has all the pieces to thrive in the West.
However, in all likelihood, Kobe probably stays.
Aside from death threats from Bryant himself, Mitch Kupchak and the Buss’s would be scorned for life for being the ones responsible for letting Shaq AND Kobe walk.
Even if a breakup would be best for both. |
