Believe it or not, I'm siding with Kobe
06/01/2007
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I bet Mitch Kupchak’s phone is ringing off the hook.
A few days after saying that he’d like to see the Lakers bring Jerry West back to run the team, Bryant told (the always goofy) Stephen A. Smith on his radio show that he wants to be traded. (I recommend listening to the entire 19-minute segment; it’s probably the most important NBA radio clip of the year.)
So how did Kobe and the Lakers get to this point? Here’s a loose chronology:
- At some point during the 2004 season, Dr. Jerry Buss (the Lakers’ owner) met with Bryant at the Four Seasons in Newport Beach (where Kobe lives) and told him straight away that he was not going to re-sign Shaq. Buss felt that O’Neal’s body was beginning to break down and that he was not worth the three-year/$80 M contract he was seeking. Buss told Kobe that the decision was final.
- The Lakers went on to lose to the Pistons in the 2004 Finals, and according to Bryant, in Phil Jackson’s 2004 exit interview, the team told him that they had a long-term plan to scale back and get under the salary cap. (Kobe did not talk to Phil about this until 2006 or 2007.)
- Shaq was traded that summer for Lamar Odom, Caron Butler, Brian Grant and a first round draft pick, which turned out to be Jordan Farmar, picked #26 in 2006. Looking back, they actually got pretty good value with Odom and Butler, but Grant’s giant contract does not come off the books until this summer.
- Kobe re-signed with the Lakers for seven years and $136 million, shunning a similar offer from the Clippers. (He also spoke with representatives of the Bulls, Nuggets and Knicks.) He claims now that the Lakers promised to surround him with good players and signed the contract feeling that that the Lakers were NOT in a rebuilding mode. At the time, he said that the departures of Jackson and O’Neal had “nothing to do” with him.
- The following summer, Jackson returned to the team and the Lakers traded Butler (who is also Kobe’s best friend) to the Wizards for Kwame Brown. While Kwame did develop into a good interior defender, Butler went on to become an All-Star and it’s clear that the Wizards got the much better end of the deal.
- Over the course of the 2004-2006 seasons, Kobe encouraged the team to make deals for Carlos Boozer, Baron Davis and Ron Artest, but no trades were made.
- After the 2006-07 season, Kobe learned in his exit interview that the team has no plans to make a major move this summer despite being caught in the cycle of being a mediocre playoff team (too good to land a great player in the lottery, but not good enough to truly contend for a championship). He also spoke to Jackson about his 2004 exit interview and feels that the franchise told Jackson one thing (that they were rebuilding and trying to get under the cap) while telling him another (that they were willing to spend to contend).
- Earlier this week, Bryant said that he’d like the team to bring Jerry West back as GM.
- Bryant learned that a “Laker insider” is saying that he’s the one responsible for O’Neal’s departure. Bryant has had enough. He wants a trade.
Those who know me know I have no love for Kobe Bryant or the Lakers. I think Bryant is a great player – maybe the best in the league – but between the alleged rape in Colorado and the perception that he ran both Shaq and Jackson out of town, I’ve never been a fan of his off the court antics. However, over the last couple of years, I’ve really grown to respect the guy’s game. He brings it every night and plays hard on both ends of the court.
I said all of that so I could say this: I’m not a Kobe apologist.
Those who want to jump all over Bryant for demanding a trade should put themselves in his position. If it’s true that the Lakers told him they would spend to contend – and it probably is, or he wouldn’t have re-signed – then he’s got good reason to feel betrayed. The Lakers traded away a great asset (Butler) for a project (Brown) and drafted the 17-year-old Andrew Bynum as their future in the middle. Bynum has shown a lot of potential, but he’s a ways away from helping a team win a title, and the pick (#10 overall) could have been used to acquire a veteran who could provide more immediate help. Whether or not the Lakers told Kobe they were entering a rebuilding phase doesn’t change the fact that everything they’ve done since signing the star has had an eye on the distant future.
When trying to discern the truth, it’s important to look at the motivation of the parties involved. Kobe could have signed with any number of teams for big money, but chose the Lakers out of loyalty and because he thought he could win another title. The Lakers’ motivation is a little less clear. On one hand, they signed Bryant to a long-term deal, which keeps the team competitive and puts butts in the seats, but they balk when opportunities arise to spend money on veteran talent. It seems like the Lakers told Kobe one thing to get him to sign, knowing full well it was going to be two or three years down the line before he realizes that they weren’t being completely honest with him.
So that’s where we are now. Kobe wants out. He said emphatically that there’s nothing that the Lakers can do to change his mind. Nothing. He feels betrayed and he’s lost trust in the organization.
So where will he end up? During the interview, he said that he’s willing to “play on Pluto,” but he has a no-trade clause in his contract (that he’ll obviously waive) so he probably won’t agree to go to a really bad team. On the other hand, the Lakers, assuming they agree to explore a trade, are going to want at least one young star and will not want to take on any bad contracts. It’s unlikely that they’ll trade Bryant to a conference foe, but since we’re just brainstorming here, we’ll include everyone.
The Mavs could offer up Dirk Nowitzki straight up. This would create a real hole on the Dallas front line, but with Kobe, Devin Harris, Jason Terry and Josh Howard, they’d have the best backcourt in the league. Last summer, I would’ve said this was a crazy idea, but the way the Mavs were unceremoniously eliminated from the playoffs, now I’m not so sure.
Any offer from the Bulls would have to include Luol Deng and (probably) Ben Wallace. Even when throwing Tyrus Thomas into the mix, I don’t think the Lakers want to take on Wallace’s huge contract, though there’s a lot of young talent there.
Although a LeBron/Kobe pairing in Cleveland would be quite the spectacle, the Cavs simply don’t have anybody the Lakers would want.
The Bucks have a lot of young talent, so a deal involving Michael Redd is a possibility. Kobe would probably demand that Andrew Bogut stay with the Bucks, so Milwaukee would need to include a player like Charlie Villanueva to make the salaries work. That would give the Lakers a young star and another player on the rise to build around, but it’s doubtful that Kobe would think that the Bucks are “good enough,” though he’d be wrong.
Denver is a possibility, but the Lakers would insist that Carmelo Anthony be included, which would result in an odd Bryant/AI pairing. Also, I’m not sure that Kobe wants to spend any more time in Colorado.
Golden State could offer up Baron Davis, but he’s not young enough for the Lakers. A package including Monta Ellis and Jason Richardson would be intriguing, though another player (a re-signed Matt Barnes or Al Harrington) would need to be included to make the salaries work.
How about a straight up Kobe for T-Mac swap? The numbers work, T-Mac would put fans in the seats in L.A. and Houston could see if a Yao/Kobe combo is a better fit.
Would the Heat trade Dwyane Wade straight up for Kobe? Doubtful.
As great as it would be to see Kobe play with Kevin Garnett, the Timberwolves simply don’t have anything to offer other than KG.
The Lakers could probably have the pick of the Knicks’ roster, but any deal would probably have to include Steve Francis or Stephon Marbury (for salary) and David Lee or Channing Frye (for value). The Knicks just don’t have that young star that the Lakers would covet.
The Suns could offer Shawn Marion or package Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw. Both options would give the Lakers a young star to build around and Kobe would love to play for his childhood idol, Mike D’Antoini, though it’s not clear how the Kobe/Steve Nash dynamic would work. However, the Suns were very close to upending the Spurs and may feel that there’s no reason to try to fix something that’s already working.
The Blazers might be willing to part with Brandon Roy and Zach Randolph, though by the time Oden’s ready to play for a title, Kobe might be hitting the wall. The timing doesn’t seem right.
The Wizards could offer a package including Gilbert Arenas, but it’s doubtful that Kobe would want to play for a team so thin on talent. Butler’s good, but Antawn Jamison isn’t any better than Odom, so it would just be a repeat of the 2004-05 Lakers, who went 34-48.
Laker fans are no doubt reeling from the news, but they need to keep their expectations in check as this story continues to develop. Historically speaking, when a player of Bryant’s caliber expresses an interest to be traded, the team trading him away rarely gets equal value. Since Bryant’s contract also contains a no-trade clause, it limits the number of teams in play, which reduces the potential payoff for the Lakers. Also, the Lakers don’t want to trade to a conference foe, which further limits their options. The best-case scenario would bring a young All-Star to the franchise along with a draft pick (or two) and some salary cap flexibility.
Adding to the drama, Kobe appeared on the Mike Patrick show a few hours after his interview with Smith and backed off his trade demands. He apparently spoke with Phil Jackson, who provided some perspective on the team’s situation. Kobe now says that he wants to retire a Laker, but it seems like he needs the franchise to make a big move this summer in order to give him some reason to be optimistic.
The team doesn’t have to trade him, but if they’re unable to acquire some help this offseason, things are just going to get worse. Despite Kobe’s backtrack, the situation may be beyond repair, and even one season of playing under such circumstances would be untenable for Bryant, the franchise and its fans.
Looks like it’s going to be an interesting summer in La-La Land.
Send questions and comments to jpaulsen@bullz-eye.com.