<span class="vitstorybody"><span class="vitstorybody"><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>A Deal Worth Making?: Should the Bulls decide, probably as the trade deadline nears, they can part with Luol Deng, Ben Gordon, Tyrus Thomas and Andres Nocioni to get Bryant, the Lakers can rebuild nicely around those four and Andrew Bynum.</div></span></span></p> <span class="vitstorybody"><span class="vitstorybody">Nothing new in this article, but it seemed a good jumping off point to think about what the Bulls could actually win with if they traded Kobe. Most everyone has laughed off deals like this as giving up "too much", but I think it's worth considering what kind of team is left. Well</span></span>, you've got.</p> 1- Hinrich, Duhon 2- Kobe, Griffin 3- Thabo, Khryapa 4- Smith, Noah 5- Wallace, Gray Hmm, , that doesn't seem like it's going to get it done to me. But it's not crazily far off either. If the Bulls could keep around Nocioni in that deal, then they've got a starting quality 3. And let me ask... would Nocioni really be a make or break guy from the Lakers perspective? Something like this would seem to me to have a pretty fair chance of working out. Its no sure thing or anything, but you've got a superstar, two ok role player starters (Noc and Smith) and two marginal star types (Hinrich and Wallace) to put around Kobe. You've got a solid guard rotation (Kobe/Kirk/Duhon) and a solid big rotation (Wallace/Smith/Noah). You'd like to have one more forward and one more guy who could score some points for you, but still, it doesn't seem far fetched to me that this team could win a title. It looks like more than Lebron's got around him anyway.</p> 1- Hinrich, Duhon 2- Kobe, Griffin 3- Nocioni 4- Smith, Noah 5- Wallace, Gray</p>
You can forget about a Kobe trade if the Lakers keep playing like they are right now. But Deng, Gordon, Thomas and Noci is alot for the Bulls to give up, and I doubt Kobe would want to go to Chicago with only Hinrich and an offense-less Wallace. I am okay with getting Gordon, Thomas and Thabo + some fillers if the Lakers start sucking and we go into rebuilding.</p> </p>
I think it boils down to you being right that we can forget about getting Kobe unless the Lakers fall apart and especially if we continue to.</p> It wouldn't be ludicrous if Wallace suddenly started playing like Ben Wallace again, but I'm not expecting that to happen either.</p>
The new mantra in LA is to simply let Kobe walk in two years if that's what he wants. The Lakers aren't going to take a bad deal for Kobe and are content with letting him walk and having a lot of cap space to sign one or two marquee free agents. They feel they can do just as good, if not better in free agency than accepting a bad deal.</p> In the meantime they have two years to repair the relationship with Kobe and continue developing their current team. The Lakers have only played one bad game this year (against the Hornets) and are finally 100% healthy. They have a tough schedule this week, but this team has made strides since last year, especially on the defensive end.</p>
I am sure Kobe is happy that he isn't in Chicago because of the way the Bulls have been playing. We need to beat the Lakers when we play them to make any real statement to Laker's management.</p> We cannot give up 4 core players just for Kobe either way. Kobe is great, but not that great.</p> </p>
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (23MJordan23)</div><div class='quotemain'></p> I am sure Kobe is happy that he isn't in Chicago because of the way the Bulls have been playing. We need to beat the Lakers when we play them to make any real statement to Laker's management.</p> We cannot give up 4 core players just for Kobe either way. Kobe is great, but not that great.</p> </div></p> There's been conflicting reports about Kobe still asking for a trade "behind closed doors." He told a reporter people who try to get a read on his body language need to "get a life."</p> Right now everyone seems to be feeling good in LA with the way the team has performed in their first 5 games. Things could take a turn for the worse this week if the Lakers lose back to back in Texas and then at home to Detroit.</p> If the Lakers face the Bulls on a 3 game skid this Sunday and the Bulls are still losing I'm sure trade rumors will heat up again. I wonder if Laker fans will start chanting Deng's name if the team starts losing.</p> </p>
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (shapecity)</div><div class='quotemain'></p> <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (23MJordan23)</div><div class='quotemain'></p> I am sure Kobe is happy that he isn't in Chicago because of the way the Bulls have been playing. We need to beat the Lakers when we play them to make any real statement to Laker's management.</p> We cannot give up 4 core players just for Kobe either way. Kobe is great, but not that great.</p> </div></p> There's been conflicting reports about Kobe still asking for a trade "behind closed doors." He told a reporter people who try to get a read on his body language need to "get a life."</p> Right now everyone seems to be feeling good in LA with the way the team has performed in their first 5 games. Things could take a turn for the worse this week if the Lakers lose back to back in Texas and then at home to Detroit.</p> If the Lakers face the Bulls on a 3 game skid this Sunday and the Bulls are still losing I'm sure trade rumors will heat up again. I wonder if Laker fans will start chanting Deng's name if the team starts losing.</div></p> LOL, I kind of doubt that. But I agree with what you're saying Shape... Looks like the Lakers lost last night, so we'll see how durable the current calm is.</p> I haven't read much talk about the Lakers being willing to make trades to "bring help", but how would Lakerdom feel about Ben Wallace?</p> </p>
The Lakers don't want any long expensive contracts if they deal Kobe, which rules out Big Ben. I think the only way a deal gets done is if they can find a third team to either take Big Ben's contract, or send one large or a couple of large expiring contracts back to LA for salary cap purposes. There's also the outside chance of using PJ Brown to make up the difference by giving him a 1-year deal.</p> There will be a lot more trade scenarios after the December 15th date.</p>
