Kobe for T-mac will never happen, but I actually think Kobe and Yao have more potential together. *suits up a flame-r****dant suit*
I like Tracy better than Kobe. Yes Kobe plays with more energy, but he shoots too much and not a good team player. Yes he has rings, but thats with Shaq help.
You can say the same thing about Michael Jordan. And quite frankly, T-Mac shoots too much sometimes, especially when he's like shooting 30% from the field. The difference is, Kobe has a higher FG % and is more clutch. I know it sounds like I'm bashing T-Mac, but I'm not. We're comparing Kobe who is still the most dominant scorer in the league (remember when he was like scoring 60, 70 points last seasons? ) with a guy who has seriously declined. LA would never trade Kobe for T-Mac straight up. They would probably do a Yao - Kobe trade however straightup because Yao is the best Center in the league. And it's far easier to find a SG or SM than a dominant center.
I would trade TMac and 2 late round 1's in a deal for Kobe.(due to Tracy's back problems...There was a time when Tracy was better than Kobe,but that's history) That said,I highly doubt that the Lakers would do it.
And LA Lakers would laugh at you. Why would they want T-Mac when they must give up Kobe? Now, if they said, T-Mac for Odom, would you do it? That is a more reasonable trade from LA's point of view.
Some of the Rocket fans are vastly overrating T-Mac's value these days. And I think these fans are going WTF to a Kobe / T-Mac trade rejection as if T-Mac is close to a Kobe when they clearly are not. I think of Morey tried to trade T-Mac, you will not be getting a super-star in return. You'd get something like an Odom, an almost-All-star tier of players. So these Kobe for T-Mac trade fantasies are grossly ridiculous. It'd make more sense for Los Angeles LAKERS to trade an Odom / Kwame for T-Mac or possibly a Kobe - Yao trade. But a Kobe for TMac? Never. LA would laugh at that trade.
yao is the best center but he's still not better than tmac. so if u say they're not gonna trade tmac for kobe straight up, how the hell are they gonna trade kobe for yao straight up? yao still has not proven, the last 2 yrs which have been his best yrs, to carry the rockets to a .500 w/o tmac. and u really think if yao + odom => gonna be any better?? lakers aint stupid man. sure u get some chinese fans, but laker fans are not all chinese fans. and yao aint gonna bring business if ur gonna always play 25% basketball. kobe is a better player than tmac. but he's a better player than EVERY PLAYER. there's no shame in that. at least tmac is one of the few who belong in the convo w/ kobe
I agree Yao is not as good as TMac, but he certainly has more value. He is the best player at the hardest position to fill, is young, and is still improving. TMac is a aging fast and could very well retire soon. I know who I'd rather trade for.
It's true that Houston is the 4th largest city in terms of city limits population, but in terms of media market size (which is what people refer to when they talk about LA or NY being "big markets) Houston is about the 10 largest if I remember correctly. I'm pretty sure that LA, NY, Chicago, Dallas, Miami, Bay Area are bigger and I believe that places like Washington, Toronto, Philly, Detroit and are bigger. I may be wrong, but I used to at one time work at a marketing firm and I am pretty sure that Houston is considered a mid-size to even leaning towards being a small media market.
Haha...TMac does not belong in a convo with Kobe. Not on the court as a player. Not as a Trade Piece. Your opinion of T-Mac is about 4 years past due. Those who think T-Mac is still T-Mac are clueless. Now, Yao Ming and T-Mac cannot be compared directly in the same way that you cannot compare a Shaq with a Kobe. It's stupid to say T-Mac is better player than Yao Ming because they are completely different. But if you compare them to other players at their position, you'll easily see that Yao > T-Mac. Yao is the #1 center, or the top 3 big guy. Can you say that T-Mac is the best swing-man? No way. He's in the top 10, but not top 5. So when you compare their skills relative to other players at their position, it's easy to see that Yao > T-Mac. Let's put it this way: If the Rockets could still trade T-Mac for Kobe directly, they'd do it without hesitation. But in a Yao for Kobe trade, the Rockets probably would not do it. So Yao's worth as an individual and as a position player is far more valuable than T-Mac's worth. Sorry to those T-Mac fans who have out-dated views, but this is the truth.
I don't think Kobe wants to go to a team in the west. He's seeing Lebron rolling through the east with a team that might not even make the playoffs in the west. It's pretty clear in my mind anyway that Kobe is looking to go to the east so that he can have a free ride to the finals every year. By going to any team in the west, he has no guarantee of even getting past round one. Even if he went to a team like SA or the Suns, think of what they would have to give up to get him. And there is no guarantee at all that Yao and Kobe even get past the 2nd round IMO. The Rockets would probably have to add players like James, Alston, Battier etc, take on bad contracts from the Lakers, throw in draft picks. We have already seen Shaq and Kobe playing on a team full of scrubs and they won 50 games and got beat by the Spurs in 6 games in the 2nd round. With all of that being said, if Kobe and the Lakers were willing to do it, then you have to consider it. If T-Mac didn't have a bad back, I doubt this would even be a topic, because Kobe is like the king of cancers, but with T-Mac's back as it is, obviously that changes everything.
but yao doesn't seem to be able to carry a team. if ur gonna trade kobe, u want a star to at least be able to carry a team to the playoffs. yao is not gonna do that. tmac would. and if lakers want a big man, why not trade kobe for KG straight up? or dirk? those guys are better than yao if they truly want a big man. trust me, lakers do not want yao if that's all they're gonna get.
um how is tmac not in the convo w/ kobe? the only thing REALLY kobe can do more prolifically than tmac is score. carry a team? tmac took a yao-less team to a 21-10 record. if that's not carrying a team, i dont know what is. yao's worth more simply b/c of his age. that's it. A LOT of GMs would take A LOT of players over tmac simply b/c of his back and age. no one is gonna criticize his skills. b/c skill-wise, u still have some peeps saying he's the best in the league. but i do agree w/ u, the back scares 99% of teams off.
