EL SEGUNDO -- Don't do it.
All signals indicate the Lakers are drawing close on a deal to trade Kobe Bryant, and I have one thing to say:
Don't do it.
Not unless you're ready to bore us to death. Not unless you're ready to turn a team that has been star-crossed for the past 12years into the Charlotte Bobcats.
If Kobe is dealt, what will we talk about, write about, complain about, just plain get worked up about?
"I guess if he wasn't here, it would probably be pretty boring," said Derek Fisher.
The Lakers would be exciting as housecleaning.
They'd be the Colts without Peyton Manning, "House" without Huge Laurie, Arizona sans the Grand Canyon.
Kobe's value doesn't end just with what he can do on the court. He's also a lighting rod for conversation and controversy off it.
He's a megastar in the celebrity capital of the world. Without him, the Lakers are just a bunch of drifting planets, aimless and uninteresting.
If L.A. loved watching dreary basketball, the Clippers would be the biggest team in town.
I don't care how unhappy he is. Do not care if prideful Jerry Buss' feelings have been hurt. Am not concerned one iota how it will impact Phil Jackson's decision to sign an extension.
Kobe is easily the brightest star in the Los Angeles universe. Brad Pitt has nothing on him. Love him or hate him, Kobe is inescapable. He radiates interest.
He's been subject No.1 for so long with the Lakers, it's hard to imagine what the Lakers and everyone around them would talk about if he was suddenly traded.
"I don't know," Jackson said. "Let me think. Not a whole lot, right? We wouldn't have a whole lot to talk about.
"But there is basketball. We could talk about that."
Yeah, let's analyze the triangle offense some more.
Discuss the problems with help defense. Talk about the inside-out game.
You freakin' kidding me?
Take Kobe away and you have the 1994-95 Lakers. That would be that faceless squad led by Elden Campbell, Nick Van Exel, Anthony Peeler, Sedale Threatt and Suns pitchman and water enthusiast Cedric Ceballos.
Only, at least that team slipped into the playoffs.
Like these Lakers' chances without Kobe, regardless of who shows up in return?
And don't think it can't happen. That Buss won't pull the trigger.
Trade rumors are flying, and not without reason.
Since Buss' oddly timed camp revelation that the Lakers would listen to offers for Kobe, that's just what they've been doing.
The hot rumor has Kobe going to the Bulls and Jackson didn't exactly shoot it down Monday on the eve of the team's season opener.
"We're listening," Jackson said. "That's part of the deal that we have. We listen. Chicago has been one of the active teams, but there's nothing imminent."
Imminent meaning, "not at this exact second."
Not exactly the ideal situation to launch the Lakers' new season, wondering if your lone superstar will be in the locker room tonight or next week.
The Lakers need resolution on this so they can attempt to figure out exactly how they're going to try and move forward. And time is certainly a factor.
"It's better sooner rather than later in my estimation," Jackson said.
"Let's get settled and figure out what's going to happen. If nothing is going to happen then we'll go from there."
Kobe, of course, could easily end all this intrigue by simply announcing he no longer wanted to be traded.
But again given several opportunities to do so Monday, he retreated into dodge mode. Slippery on and off.
"I'm not talking about it," Kobe said.
"I'm not going to address it. I'm not going to add fuel to the fire. I'm not going to do it."
He wouldn't even say if he wanted to at least play out this season with the Lakers.
"I wanted to play my whole career with the Los Angeles Lakers, but I understand it's a business," he said.
Notice the past tense?
This all seems too imminent, too unpleasant. Like everyone is speaking in code that means, "Any moment now and you can welcome Luol Deng as your new Lakers' star!"
Yeah, that ought to bring in the A-list celebs courtside.
"My understanding is, they're fielding offers,"
Kobe said. "And when that goes, it goes."
Ugh, like it's only a matter of when.
If Kobe goes, what will fill the local airwaves on sports talk, the column inches, the blogs, the TV highlights? They might as well shut down all L.A. sports media.
What, we're going to talk about Kwame Brown's new doo?
It would be the circus without a ringleader, a movie blockbuster without special effects. We're going to get worked up over Luke Walton's fallaway?
This town demands star power and melodrama and debate.
"It's L.A.," Fisher said. "After being outside for three years and now coming back, I know for a fact that it's just L.A. that brings it out. It's the land of the scripts, the land of subplots. It just kind of comes with the package."
Really, try to imagine these Lakers without Kobe.
Try to form a picture. See anything that piques the interest?
Kobe being traded would be a great day for UCLA and USC basketball. At least they have young superstars.
The Lakers need to announce they really tried to meet Kobe's trade request, but nothing made sense and he's staying. That's resolution enough for now. They can't settle for best available offer.
The offers my still come, but the advice should remain the same.
Don't do it.
All signals indicate the Lakers are drawing close on a deal to trade Kobe Bryant, and I have one thing to say:
Don't do it.
Not unless you're ready to bore us to death. Not unless you're ready to turn a team that has been star-crossed for the past 12years into the Charlotte Bobcats.
If Kobe is dealt, what will we talk about, write about, complain about, just plain get worked up about?
"I guess if he wasn't here, it would probably be pretty boring," said Derek Fisher.
The Lakers would be exciting as housecleaning.
They'd be the Colts without Peyton Manning, "House" without Huge Laurie, Arizona sans the Grand Canyon.
Kobe's value doesn't end just with what he can do on the court. He's also a lighting rod for conversation and controversy off it.
He's a megastar in the celebrity capital of the world. Without him, the Lakers are just a bunch of drifting planets, aimless and uninteresting.
If L.A. loved watching dreary basketball, the Clippers would be the biggest team in town.
I don't care how unhappy he is. Do not care if prideful Jerry Buss' feelings have been hurt. Am not concerned one iota how it will impact Phil Jackson's decision to sign an extension.
Kobe is easily the brightest star in the Los Angeles universe. Brad Pitt has nothing on him. Love him or hate him, Kobe is inescapable. He radiates interest.
He's been subject No.1 for so long with the Lakers, it's hard to imagine what the Lakers and everyone around them would talk about if he was suddenly traded.
"I don't know," Jackson said. "Let me think. Not a whole lot, right? We wouldn't have a whole lot to talk about.
"But there is basketball. We could talk about that."
Yeah, let's analyze the triangle offense some more.
Discuss the problems with help defense. Talk about the inside-out game.
You freakin' kidding me?
Take Kobe away and you have the 1994-95 Lakers. That would be that faceless squad led by Elden Campbell, Nick Van Exel, Anthony Peeler, Sedale Threatt and Suns pitchman and water enthusiast Cedric Ceballos.
Only, at least that team slipped into the playoffs.
Like these Lakers' chances without Kobe, regardless of who shows up in return?
And don't think it can't happen. That Buss won't pull the trigger.
Trade rumors are flying, and not without reason.
Since Buss' oddly timed camp revelation that the Lakers would listen to offers for Kobe, that's just what they've been doing.
The hot rumor has Kobe going to the Bulls and Jackson didn't exactly shoot it down Monday on the eve of the team's season opener.
"We're listening," Jackson said. "That's part of the deal that we have. We listen. Chicago has been one of the active teams, but there's nothing imminent."
Imminent meaning, "not at this exact second."
Not exactly the ideal situation to launch the Lakers' new season, wondering if your lone superstar will be in the locker room tonight or next week.
The Lakers need resolution on this so they can attempt to figure out exactly how they're going to try and move forward. And time is certainly a factor.
"It's better sooner rather than later in my estimation," Jackson said.
"Let's get settled and figure out what's going to happen. If nothing is going to happen then we'll go from there."
Kobe, of course, could easily end all this intrigue by simply announcing he no longer wanted to be traded.
But again given several opportunities to do so Monday, he retreated into dodge mode. Slippery on and off.
"I'm not talking about it," Kobe said.
"I'm not going to address it. I'm not going to add fuel to the fire. I'm not going to do it."
He wouldn't even say if he wanted to at least play out this season with the Lakers.
"I wanted to play my whole career with the Los Angeles Lakers, but I understand it's a business," he said.
Notice the past tense?
This all seems too imminent, too unpleasant. Like everyone is speaking in code that means, "Any moment now and you can welcome Luol Deng as your new Lakers' star!"
Yeah, that ought to bring in the A-list celebs courtside.
"My understanding is, they're fielding offers,"
Kobe said. "And when that goes, it goes."
Ugh, like it's only a matter of when.
If Kobe goes, what will fill the local airwaves on sports talk, the column inches, the blogs, the TV highlights? They might as well shut down all L.A. sports media.
What, we're going to talk about Kwame Brown's new doo?
It would be the circus without a ringleader, a movie blockbuster without special effects. We're going to get worked up over Luke Walton's fallaway?
This town demands star power and melodrama and debate.
"It's L.A.," Fisher said. "After being outside for three years and now coming back, I know for a fact that it's just L.A. that brings it out. It's the land of the scripts, the land of subplots. It just kind of comes with the package."
Really, try to imagine these Lakers without Kobe.
Try to form a picture. See anything that piques the interest?
Kobe being traded would be a great day for UCLA and USC basketball. At least they have young superstars.
The Lakers need to announce they really tried to meet Kobe's trade request, but nothing made sense and he's staying. That's resolution enough for now. They can't settle for best available offer.
The offers my still come, but the advice should remain the same.
Don't do it.
by Steve Dilbeck
Daily News
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