Is it time to trade Kobe?

Found this on L.A. times!!!

http://www.latimes.com/sports/basketball/nba/lakers/la-sp-plaschke27may27,1,7142580,full.column?coll=la-headlines-sports-nba-lakers://http://www.latimes.com/sports/baske...inked-image" />

 

As a Kobe fan, I want what would be best for him and if that means being traded to another team, then so be it. Unfortunately, I'm a bigger Laker fan than I am a Kobe fan and I'd much rather have them try to put the puzzle together around Kobe.

With that said, I don't want this to end up like Garnett's situation where no combo works. Oh well, I have faith in Buss and Co. to make the right choice and salvage as much as possible from Kobe's prime. They are, after all, The Los Angeles Lakers.

 

no blame should be put on mitch or jim or jerry or whoever else makes the deals. the blame should be put on odom, brown, smush, walton, bynum, sasha, evans and radman. kobe and turiaf played to win this season, and farmar is a rookie so he cant really be too productive on our win/loss record. but the rest of the team did not play to win, they played to play, they played because there contract says so, they do not care if we win or lose, and now they cant even be used to trade for players who do care. i hope their guilt drives them to play to win, other wise once the season starts and they become tradable again, they are all out of here. although maybe our front office is to blame, for actually beleiving these poor sportsmen could actually amount to something. kobe wants to win, he's said it a thousand times, and for him to win he needs to find a different team to do it with. these are dark times for the lakers, in comparison to all our success in the past, but we are begining to see that some of these brainless, talentless "basketball" players are begining to leave (this means good bye to smush, we will not miss you and we hope you get what you desrve for playing so badly). hopefully over the next few seasons we will see the rest of this tragic laker squad dissappear, and have new, improved players meet our shores. but its all to late for kobe bryant because he wont be what he is now when the improvement comes. he will be a shell of his old self and will never have the same effect on the game as he is right now. lakers have failed, we need to trade kobe and admit how wrong and immature we were in trading shaq away.

 

Well, if the Lakers traded him for some young, good players the Lakers could hope to go deep into the playoffs in a few years, given those players and Bynum develops. Because I doubt that this team we have now will get any far in the next playoffs.

 

<div class="quote_poster">AKIRA Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">no blame should be put on mitch or jim or jerry or whoever else makes the deals. the blame should be put on odom, brown, smush, walton, bynum, sasha, evans and radman. kobe and turiaf played to win this season, and farmar is a rookie so he cant really be too productive on our win/loss record. but the rest of the team did not play to win, they played to play, they played because there contract says so, they do not care if we win or lose, and now they cant even be used to trade for players who do care. i hope their guilt drives them to play to win, other wise once the season starts and they become tradable again, they are all out of here. although maybe our front office is to blame, for actually beleiving these poor sportsmen could actually amount to something. kobe wants to win, he's said it a thousand times, and for him to win he needs to find a different team to do it with. these are dark times for the lakers, in comparison to all our success in the past, but we are begining to see that some of these brainless, talentless "basketball" players are begining to leave (this means good bye to smush, we will not miss you and we hope you get what you desrve for playing so badly). hopefully over the next few seasons we will see the rest of this tragic laker squad dissappear, and have new, improved players meet our shores. but its all to late for kobe bryant because he wont be what he is now when the improvement comes. he will be a shell of his old self and will never have the same effect on the game as he is right now. lakers have failed, we need to trade kobe and admit how wrong and immature we were in trading shaq away.</div>

Why on Odom? Who, who, who, hes still raw, WHO, WHO, and WHO? Kwame came in as a serious scrub, Parker was a nobody when they signed him, Walton crawled his way to success, Evans plays older than he is, and those Euro's are 3rd string at best. Seriously, the only way you can blame these guys is if you acctually expected them to come in and make an impact. And by impact, I mean conference finals or greater.

I still would have kept Kobe if I were the Lakers. Who doesn't want to see the most entertaining player in the league battle for more rings? Especially when the odds are against him each and every series.

I agree with the rest of your post. Kobe wants to win now, and if the Lakers' management promised him wins, they have failed on their part. Trusting the above mentioned guys to run a "championship caliber" team was a big mistake.

EDIT:
So far in the playoffs, the most successful teams have been the ones with 3 or more stars. Every team that made it to the 2nd round has 3 or more stars. So maybe trading Kobe is the answer.

 

I read that article this morning and it may be the only way out. I mean, we don't want the same thing that happened to AI and the Sixers happen to us. If we don't trade Kobe, and get off to another bad start, he might decide to leave in the middle of the season, and then were screwed. I think exchanging Kobe for three young players who are still good would be better.

 

If you can trade kobe for a guy like DUrant or Oden, I say do it. But, I hope the lakers ask for alot for him, he's an amazing player.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Mamba Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">He's poured everything he's got into this organization and they've shunned him. </div>True, but depending on who you believe Kobe told Jerry Buss that he wanted to be The Man and that Shaq had to go, so there is a case of wanting to have your cake and eat it too...
obviously there is a grey area where Mitch promised to surround him with good players to make up for the absence of Shaq, but would all of this happened if a) Kobe agreed to put up with Shaq and his admittedly childish ego, and Jerry Buss agreed to put up with Shaq and his admittedly childish ego and wrote him a check....? It's possible that the Lakers would have more than 3 championships this decade if that had happened.

 

The Lakers are in grave danger at this point and time. I think we've already seen the best and worst of Odom, and the difference between him and the other "helper" players in the league is that he shows up with his "A" game only once every 2-3 games. It's understandable that this year was a tough one for him, but I don't understand why we don't trade him. Ditto for Bynum as well. I don't understand why we didn't push for it when we had the chance.

As far as trading Kobe goes, I see his career playing out like Iverson or Garnett's. Indavidually great, but he probably won't taste success unless he is surrounded by players not named Smush, or players who can actually catch a pass given to them. Given the Lakers current cap situations and the fact that they've wasted thier last two MLE's on completely useless players (Mckie? Rad?), I feel sorry for Kobe.

I don't think now is the right time to trade him, but I see the Lakers being more open to offers in 2-3 years when Bryant is of AI's current age (31 I believe) and the Lakers have had 2-3 more years of either first round exits or missed the playoffs completely. Bryant can only get better, his teammates just happen to be getting worse in correspondence. Guys like Sasha, Rad, Smush, Cook...most of these guys would struggle to be SCRUBS in a real championship caliber roster, such as the Spurs'. Yet, we claim them to be intergal parts of our team? And we expect this team to get back to the elite level?

I'm scared for the Lakers, and I'm scared for Kobe's career. With Oden and Durant bursting on the scene, with Paul leading the Hornets, with Utah being certified as a dangerous team down the road, with Denver, Houston, Golden State and Dallas on the hunt and with Phoenix and San Antonio continuing to be the powerhouses, the chances for the Lakers making the playoffs continue to look slimmer everyday; the thought of championships and playoff glory are even longer shots.

 

With both Odom and Brown getting surgery it seems impossible to trade them. Lakers are not getting him help their getting players like Smush,Brown and Radman. They most think Kobe is a god and win a championship with the kind of players there bringing. But Kobe had some fault in this when he wanted Shaq out of LA. I think that if LA could get a durant or Oden for kobe will be great.

 

If the Lakers trade Kobe Bryant, they'd better get a great deal in return. We can't just settle for something like Odom, Butler, and Grant like the Shaq deal. If we do, Mitch will go down as the General Manager that completely ruined the Lakers franchise

 

Yea, they need to get quialty players for Kobe. Picks, Starters and BEnch players. I Lakers need a turn around and trading Kobe might be it, but they can't get nothing in return or they are finished.

 

<div class="quote_poster">shapecity Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">I'm a Lakers fan first, and if trading Kobe Bryant makes the team better, than you get a deal done. The Lakers cannot settle if they deal Bryant, but if they get two legit All-Stars in return and maybe a draft pick or cheap young talent, it might be something to consider.</div>Two legit allstars?

There were 10 teams with 2 or more Allstars:
Phoenix: Nash, Amare, Marion
San Antonio: Duncan and Parker
Denver: Melo and AI
Utah: Boozer and Memo
Houston: Tmac and Yao
Dallas: Dirk and Howard
Washington: Gilbert and Caron
Miami: Wade and Shaq
New Jersey: Kidd and Carter
Detroit: Billups and Rip

Which teams do you think would give up 2 allstars for Kobe?

 

<div class="quote_poster">Skiptomylue11 Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Two legit allstars?

There were 10 teams with 2 or more Allstars:
Phoenix: Nash, Amare, Marion
San Antonio: Duncan and Parker
Denver: Melo and AI
Utah: Boozer and Memo
Houston: Tmac and Yao
Dallas: Dirk and Howard
Washington: Gilbert and Caron
Miami: Wade and Shaq
New Jersey: Kidd and Carter
Detroit: Billups and Rip

Which teams do you think would give up 2 allstars for Kobe?</div>
the closest one is Detroit. Kobe, Tayshaun and Rasheed is a pretty scary combination all on the floor at the same time.

 

Teams arn't gunna trade star for star. It just dosn't happen anymore. Carter trade, Iverson trade. Star for some players. I'll wait the day till a star gets traded for a star.

 

^ the Steve Francis and Tracy McGrady trade was a star for a star at the point

 

That is it, since then nothing. IT just dosnt happen is all im saying. IT unusal to see KG for JO or Amare for KG. it might happen, but so unlikley. Teams don't want star for star, or it just won't happen.