I second the motion that if the Lakers offered Kobe straight up for Yao, that needs to be seriously entertained. The only thing Yao has over Kobe is being born later then him. Other then that, Kobe was/is/will be undoubtedly the more supremely talented player. I don't see that happening though, the Lakers won't trade Kobe, and if they do, it will be for a TMac or KG type of franchise player. Phil knows in this 3 year contract he has he must find a way to stomach Kobe and put up with his ego, cuz Kobe ain't going anywhere. I see the player being dealt is Lamar Odom, I think he's gonna struggle in the triangle ala Glen Rice when he was a Laker. Don't know what you can get for Lamar, a good player but has MoT-itis (that kind that needs the ball in his hands to be effective).
Take this with a grain of salt but I hear a 3 way is immenent (sp?) Kobe to NY, Crawford & Marbury to IN & Artest to LA. Like I said I've heard this as a serious rumour but should be taken with a grain of salt.
Crawford+Marbury make about 21 million. Artest makes about 6. So was it the ESPN boards or the RealGM trade boards?
Like I said who knows if this is legit or not, but it comes from a friend of a friend who works at the AP or some such. He claimed his friend said it was unconfirmed, (obviously the deal can't even be made can it?) & that these were just the principles. Who knows it may be total nonsense, but my friend is a reliable person.
Knicks, yes...but -- either Indy or Lakes doing this? Nah. Sure the friend doesn't work for API instead?
Who knows. I see the Pacers needing offense & I see Kobe demanding a trade for bringing in Jackson. Who knows.
Yeah right, trade Yao for Kobe. I'm sure Yao fans will be happy because he will be in a bigger market and coached by a famous coach. And Rox fans will be happy because they get a super talent in Kobe. Right? Trade Yao (the last piece of the Rockets)
wrong they can keep Kobe...I have zero patience for selfish prima donnas that cant subvert their ego for the good of the team. We got Tmac...and he is as good if not better than Kobaby..
ok so it is you--> friend--> his friend--> another vague His friend-->Unconfirmed And only your friend is reliable ok i wouldn't bet any money on this deal, to many friends
I won't attack you, if only because you took the time to label it as a rumor and not something that WILL HAPPEN ON DRAFT DAY, JUST YOU WATCH!!! Add Tinsley (wouldn't fit with Starbury) and Croshere to Artest and the deal becomes somewhat plausable. Fillers always have to be added for trades to work. My issue is, I can't picture Bird moving Artest in order to get Marbury + Crawford. He's far too sharp to not understand that Marbury is the anti-Christ of point guards. I would also be surprised if Kobe and Phil aren't given until at least February to try and make things work. As unpopular as he is everywhere else, Kobe sells half the Lakers' tickets. I don't see Odom and Artest doing that, and Buss is a money man. Evan
Basketballwise, if by Feb of next season Yao was about the same in performance as the last 2 years (about 18-19PPG, 8-9RPB, 2BPG) and Kobe continued to perform at his peak it would be a hard trade to turn down honestly. But for a lot of reasons I truly hope Yao comes out stronger next season (e.g., 20 & 10) and this idea is never further entertained.
T-Mac and Kobe would be like??? West and Baylor? Not like Mike and Scottie that's for sure. Still, if Yao becomes a consistent 20-22 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 blocks kind of center while still maintaining his insane shooting effeciency and playing solid defense he would be worth more than Kobe no matter the scoring titles he wins.
I'm a long-time Laker fan. I've been following and cheering for the Lakers since the Magic-lead Lakers gave Jordon his first championship. I was there when Vlade made his first flop. So trust me when I say, Kobe = Poison. You cannot judge a player based on talent alone. Kobe has never demonstrated the ability to defer to another player or to lead a team to a winning season. And that rapist thing kind of bugs me too. As a Laker fan I would like to see Kobe run out of town for what he did to Shaq. But I definitely don't want to see him in a Rox uniform.
I feel the same way about Kobe. No way I ever want him on the Rox. He's an awesome talent with way too much baggage. Only a unique situation with him playing for Phil Jackson and with Shaq allowed the Lakers to win those titles. Kobe is an "alpha" male in the extreme, but he can't get anyone to follow him because he's not a leader. He's had this problem since his rookie year, when some of the Laker veterans popped off on him publicly. Now he is older and less likely to listen to anyone. Someone on this forum called Iverson a coach killer. Let's see if Kobe takes AI's crown away. I think calling him poison is being polite.
