KOBE VIDEO RELEASED.. PART 2?

The fellas over at The Big Lead have the whole Kobe video up and a link to the guys behind the video. Little did I know, Kobe Bryant sounded off on more than the state of the Lakers. **Contains some NSFW language**

Who knew Kobe could think of anybody other than himself? I think KB24’s on to something with the JT for gm campaign. Timberlake works well with black people, he’s more respected around the league than Mitch Kupchak and Johnny Buss combined, and he served Kenny Smith. Plus, if Justin’s tied up with a day job maybe there’ll be some women left over for the rest of us.

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TRADE LAMAR ODOM NOW

It’s time to trade Lamar Odom. Get his ass on the first thing smoking. Destination: Anywhere but here. There’s no other way to put this.. Lamar, GET OUT.

Think about it.. Do the Lakers really want to saddle themselves with this guy? This is the same guy that we haven’t heard a peep from the whole offseason. He hasn’t criticized management, he hasn’t demanded a trade. All he’s done is sit back and hear his name in trade rumor after trade rumor, and he’s still acting like a gentleman? Bullshit!! Get his ass outta here.

How quickly we all forget. Lamar Odom is the dude that tore the labrum in his left shoulder, missed 5 games, and then returned to the line-up. He even had surgery AFTER the season. That’s garbage. He averaged 19 points and 13 boards in the playoffs against Phoenix. Who the hell does he think he is? And why isn’t he helping the team? When Kobe’s scoring 40, 50, or 60, all Lamar’s doing is passing the ball or trying to stay active in the offense while Kobe’s dribbling the 24 second clock down. When Kobe called damn near every radio station in the country, how many did Lamar call? Zero. He made Kobe carry the load again. That’s unacceptable.

What has Lamar Odom done to prove that he’s worthy of staying in Los Angeles? He hasn’t chased the owner of the team, Jerry Buss, halfway around the world to bitch and moan. He hasn’t been leaking his discontent to Ric Bucher or Stephen A. Smith. Hell, he hasn’t even been caught on tape, by a camera phone at a strip mall, berating Andrew Bynum and Mitch Kupchak. It seems like he wants out of here to me, and I think the Lakers should grant him his wish.

 Have you seen Lamar Odom’s website, http://www.lamarodom.com/? What the hell is that? Where’s the trade demand, where are the goodbyes? Lamar, my man, what’s the point in having the website if you’re not using it to talk shit? Odom can’t do anything right. It’s like he’s daring the team to trade him. The Los Angeles Lakers can not stand for this.

The Lakers need to go ahead, cut their losses, and move on. Who knows if Odom’s going to Indiana or Minnesota? He has the gall not to speak on it. I’d like to hear Lamar speak on how he was a key piece in Miami’s trade offer that forced Shaq out of Los Angeles.. He’s playing his “good soldier” role to perfection, and this is Hollywood, but the team can’t have him not acting out… The fact that Lamar Odom puts the team ahead of himself intentionally is selfish, and the Lakers should trade him now.

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5 THINGS OVERHEARD AT THE BARBER SHOP

I’m an every Thursday barber shop cat. I like getting my hair cut, or at least lined, weekly. Right now my hair is in the process of going from something like this to more like this… I found myself with some spare time Wednesday and decided to hit the shop a day early. 

The first thing I can be sure of when I get to the barber shop is that there’s not gonna be any parking. It doesn’t help that the shop is next to a nail salon, a market, and a soul food restaurant, but at the same time, the nail salon (dimes), the market (products), and the soul food restaurant (soul food) add to the ambiance of the area. You can occasionally get your car washed, or an oil change in the lot which adds to the traffic jam.

Once inside everybody does one of these things: A) Nod at your barber and ask “how many you got?” B) Walk in, sit down, and hope you get a cut. C) Walk over to your barber to ask how many he got and do a long series of handshakes and clowning while the person getting their haircut grows increasingly impatient. D) Walk in talking loud, go around dapping every person in the building, and try desperately to find one person that wants to listen to your bullshit. I’m an A and once in a great while a C. No matter your letter, whether you’re in the chair or waiting your turn, you get to listen in on some enlightening conversations.

1. “Would you do 6 years in prison for $10 million dollars?” While I wasn’t a part of the conversation, I still had to consider it. My personal sticking point was which kind of prison was it. They were going back and forth between the state pen and the federal prison. I decided to myself I would do 6 years in federal prison for $48mil. It would be like playing for the Timberwolves for 6 years and getting $8mil a season. I wouldn’t like it, but I think I could tough it out.

2. “Lloyd Banks is a better rapper than Nas, Jadakiss, and Young Buck.” I had to put my two cents in on this one. I said Nas was the best out of the 4 and Lloyd was the worst. I had Jada second and Buck third. When I think about Hip Hop, I rarely think of Lloyd Banks. I don’t have anything against him, but he’s not in Nas’ class. Most of the 9-10 people had Jada #1. That led to us being serenaded with Banks lyrics to prove that he’s the best on the list. Needless to say, my mind didn’t change.

3. “See, y’all can have Buffie and that ass but I like women like that.” The comment was made in reference to a nice looking slim woman that was walking into the nail shop.  I’m saying slim but she could have easily been called skinny. I’m guessing she weighed 5-7 pounds less than Kelly. I’m in the middle on this one. “That ass” is nice to look at and even chill with, but the big ass gets old… and saggy. I like for a woman to have an appropriate amount of meat on her bones. She doesn’t need to look like she needs a meal, and I don’t want her looking like she can’t wait to eat. The shop opinions were across the board. Some dudes were in the Kelly and lower camp, a few were in the middle with me, a number of guys liked that ass, and one cat was really rollin with the big chicks. I believe the exact quote was “Lane Bryant Giants”.

4. “Kobe Bryant is a bitch.” I didn’t bring up the subject, and I’m all Kobe’d out, so I didn’t offer anything more than “he definitely could’ve handled his trade demand better”. Great information, I know, but I wanted to listen more than talk. The group was split close to 50-50 on trade him vs. build around him. Nearly everybody that felt Kobe should stay wanted the Lakers to get Jermaine O’neal and Ron Artest to run with KB24. The get him out camp wanted damn near anybody else playing for the Lakers. They wanted to trade him to Phoenix, Dallas, Memphis, or to Minnesota for Kevin Garnett. There’s no room for a salary cap or trade restrictions in the barber shop, you just think of a deal and spit.

5. “You better start stocking up on fifths.” The BET and ASCAP Awards are in Los Angeles next week, so that statement was advice on having your bar prepared. The dude that suggested we stock up also said “I got condoms everywhere… I’m ready for anything.”, and  something along the lines of wanting to “catch a [woman] that looks like a deer in headlights of the big city”.. I’m paraphrasing but barely. I won’t be attending either award show, and I don’t know if I’ll go to any parties. I’m not planning on stocking up on alcohol but if I were I’d have Johnny Walker Black or Bombay Sapphire wall to wall.

The barber shop is always home to some lively debate. It doesn’t matter if knowledge is being dropped or somebody’s just kicking some bullshit, it’s cool. There are so many things heard at the barber shop that it becomes hard to remember any. The only thing that sucks about the barber shop is when your barber has to leave early but he didn’t tell anybody that was waiting for him until he was leaving.. On the bright side, I get to go back and forth on which Jordan’s are the best (1s, IVs, and XIs) or what exactly constitutes “trickin on a broad”, on Thursday.

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ATTENTION LAKERS AND KOBE: BREAK UP ALREADY

How much longer do we have to go through this. I mean we, the people, the sports fans. Even the casual sports fan is tired of it. Lakers management and Kobe Bryant, if you two love each other as much as you say you do, work it out. If the love is gone you have to end it, and you have to set the public free.

Where are you two going with this? Look, we haven’t wanted to say anything because it’s none of our business, but you’re making it our business, so just break up. End it. Walk away from each other. You had some good times but all of this back and forth is wearing everybody down.

Lakers, we know that Kobe can be whiny and difficult to work with. You’re probably right when you say Kobe would never be happy. Kobe, we hear you when you say the Lakers make promises that they never keep. You’ve asked them to make some simple changes from your standpoint but they won’t do it.

You two are at a stalemate, and a fork in the road. Is this a spat or are you for real? Either way, make up your minds and move on. We’re tired of watching you two argue. We’re tired of listening to both Kobe’s side of the story. Hug, cry, say goodbye to one another, make it official, and then never look back. We’ll all be better for it.

**YBB UPDATE** I found this website, http://www.thekobevideo.com/, last night but now it looks a little different. Most noticeably, they didn’t have the video clip on there, and I’m pretty sure it said something like “special thanks to Matt and Petros of AM570” instead of “special thanks to AM570” but whatever.  **END UPDATE**

Here’s a snippet of the clip of Kobe going off on the Lakers:

Marcel Mutoni and crew at AOL’s FanHouse had this video up before me and give their opinions here. Marcel’s going with “clinical insanity”.

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STEPHON MARBURY’S FATHERLY ADVICE

I admire what Stephon Marbury is doing with his $15 dollar shoes. People talk about “keepin it real”, that’s keepin it really real. Some of the on the court criticism of Steph is of his own creating, but I think he takes a lot flack just for being Stephon Marbury. When I think of Starbury, I think of Georgia Tech, what could have been with a Marbury/Garnett combo, and New York City.. The one thing I don’t think of is parenting advice. 

A potato in the bed with a sick kid? String on the head for hiccups? I hate getting the hiccups.. I wonder if the string thing works for grown folk?.? Anyways… I found a list of some more Marbury medical tips for parents.

1. An empty glass next to the bed stops bed wetting.
2. “Hair of the neck of Gooden” is wonderful for pink eye.
3. Driving a child around in a Bentley clears up Chicken Pox.
4. Scoring 30 against the Bucks helps in the fight against childhood obesisty.
5. Playing X-Box reduces swelling.

Steph caught up with Randy Moss 3 days before Moss was moved to New England. Think that had anything to do with Randy saying Tom Brady is the quarterback he most wanted to play with? Naaahh..

I have never seen Marbury’s show  even though it was first brought to my attention (The Stephen A. diss) a few months ago by True Sports Fans via Deadspin.

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KEVIN GARNETT, ALLEN IVERSON, OR KOBE OFFERED FOR #1 PICK?

According to information provided by the Oregonian’s Jason Quick and my assumptive deduction, 2 players from the Garnett, Iverson, and Kobe trio were recently offered to Portland in exchange for the #1 pick. You can listen to Jason drop the hint here or just check out this quick excerpt:

“I know that two Western Conference teams have offered their superstars in return for the number one pick… And they are Hall of Famers and the Blazers have turned them down on both.”

There you have it. So how did I end up with Kobe, KG, and AI representing the players on the block? Walk with me.

NO CONSIDERATION: Portland and Seattle obviously. New Orleans, Memphis, Utah, Golden State, and Sacramento all have zero Hall of Famers on their rosters at this moment.

NOT YET: Dallas, Houston, Phoenix, and the L.A. Clippers all have players that are close or should play their way into the Hall of Fame. Dirk Nowitzki should be in one day, Tracy McGrady needs a few more solid years and he has to do some damage in the playoffs, Yao Ming could get in one day if he continues to improve, and Elton Brand has a legitimate chance if he continues on his current pace. I don’t have Steve Nash from Phoenix in the Hall of Fame yet. I know Steve has the two MVPs but his career numbers 14pts, 7.6ast, and 2.9rbds, are still lower than Stephon Marbury’s 19.9pts, 7.9ast, and 3.0rbds, even with Nash’s incredible 3 season stretch.

NOW WE’RE TALKING: San Antonio, Denver, Minnesota, and the L.A.L are the only teams in the Western Conference that have Hall of Fame locks on their rosters right now. Let’s go ahead and assume that the Spurs aren’t dealing Duncan. That’s a safe bet right? Well, that leaves Allen Iverson, Kevin Garnett, and Kobe Bryant as the only players that could have been offered to Portland.

So who were the two players? I could see Minnesota making that offer. They would set Garnett free and start over with a major chip in their pocket. The T-Wolves would have been looking at a young nucleus of Oden/Durant, Randy Foye, and Rashad McCants (depending on what you think of McCants’ game). The Nuggets would presumably move Iverson out, bring in Durant/Oden and piece either one of them together with Melo, Camby, J.R. Smith, and hold on to Steve Blake. What about the Lakers offering Kobe? I can’t see Portland turning down a trade offer that includes Kobe Bean Bryant unless they are so turned off by his off the court problems, and so wary of his emotions that they wouldn’t want the best player in the league on their roster. Plus, the Lakers would become a non-factor for a couple of years while their young roster developed. I can’t see the La-La land management doing that.

That means (to me) that Minnesota tried to trade K.G. and the Nuggets tried to trade Allen Iverson for Portland’s number one. I guess the Blazers figured why trade for aging superstars with a ton of mileage when they have the chance to draft a player that they could have for the next 15 years. Portland was right on with this decision. They’re not an A.I. or Garnett away from the championship so there’s no need to bite at the lure of a big name.

I originally peeped this story over at Henry Abbott’s True Hoop. It’s the ninth link down. Courtesy of ESPN and True Hoop

You can read the paraphrased version of Casey Holdahl’s interview with Jason Quick here, or you can listen to the entire interview here.

This is the snippet of Jason Quick on the two Western Conference teams offering Hall of Famers for the #1 pick.

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KOBE BRYANT, FUNCRUSHER

We all have a buddy or know somebody that has to one-up you no matter the occasion. You can mention something great, “hey I got a new job today” and they’ll come back with “I got a promotion and a 50k raise”. You could be discussing a tragedy, “I was just watching the news about that plane crash” and he’ll hit you with “I’ve seen two plane crashes live and I survived a shipwreck”.. Whether you call ’em Parade Pissers, Spotlight Stealers, or Attention Whores, you get the point. These people hate to see others shine.

 I wasn’t gonna write anything else about Kobe until something real happened… A trade, a free agent signing, Kobe storming the Laker offices, anything. His wishy-washy, “trade me, don’t trade me” media circuit has worn me out, even if I enjoyed it briefly. When the interview carousel stopped my thoughts turned toward Kobe being a classic One-Upper. If there’s an event that Kobe can outshine, you better believe he’s gonna try.

December 20, 2005: Scores 62 points the day that the Yankees signed Johnny Damon away from the Red Sox.

January 22, 2006: Kobe scores 81 points against Toronto on the same day that the Steelers defeated the Broncos and the Seahawks defeated the Panthers in the NFL Conference Championships.

December 29, 2006 and December 31, 2006: Kobe scores 58 and 35 (only 2 free throw attempts)..The final weekend of the NFL season.

March 16, 2007 through April 3, 2007: Kobe scores 65, 50, 60, 50, 43, 23(7-26), 53, 19(6-14), and 39. The NCAA tournament started on March 15 and ended April 2nd, and MLB had it’s opening days April 1-3.

April 6, 2007 and April 8, 2007: 24 drops 46 and 34 on The Masters which took place April 5-8. Kobe didn’t break 40 on the 8th for lack of trying. He was 14-25 from the field, but 1-5 from 3 and only got to the line 5 times.

May 26, 2007-May 30, 2007: Kobe starts the trade demands and calls them off. Then starts them again then calls them off all while the NBA Conference Finals, Indy 500, and Stanley Cup Finals are taking place.

It could be something, it’s probably nothing, but if any of you are planning to get married, graduate from college, or just have a birthday party, don’t let Kobe find out.. He’ll do anything in his power to make sure his day is better than yours.

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HIP HOP AND IT’S NBA COUNTERPARTS

Jay-Z/Michael Jordan: Jay donned himself the MJ of rap and everybody rolled with it. Both are considered by many to be the greatest to ever do it in their fields.. although Jay and MJ came out of retirement with performances that made us wish they had stayed away. Whether its Tupac/Biggie/Rakim or Magic/Bird/Wilt, somebody will use one of those names in an argument against Sean Carter or Michael Jordan. They’re similar all the way down to their work ethic and figure head positions.

Dr. Dre/Phil Jackson: If you’re having a problem getting your project or your team to the next level these are the guys you want to call. Phil Jax has the rings, Dre has the plaques. Lately, neither has shown a sense of urgency about current projects, and will let cats sit on the bench for no given reason.

 Eminem/Larry Bird: White guys that dominated the “Brothas Game”. If Bird was a teenager today he’d be listening to Em’s “Lose Yourself” on his mp3 player while warming up before some AAU tournament.. Their forays into the front office have brought mixed results. Both lost a close teammate recently.

Young Buck/Stephen Jackson: Neither are superstars but they’re valuable parts on a team.. Opponents get nervous just thinking about ’em. They will both have your back in a scrap no questions asked, and both show glimpses of greatness that they can’t reach consistently.

Ice Cube/Doctor J: They took an element of their fields and raised it to new heights.. Gangsta rap and the dunk contest are boring now, but their contributions will always be remembered. They get mentioned in top ten lists and occasionally somebody will call them the greatest ever. Does a parallel between the ABA and the late 80s West Coast rap scene work?

Dame Dash/Isiah Thomas: They were critical parts of great teams in the past. Their independent ventures are unsuccessful whether it’s a league or a record label.. Both would get 85 cents back on change for a dollar, but somehow always land on their feet.

50 Cent/Kobe Bryant: Kobe’s balling skills are 100 times better than 50’s rapping skills, but that’s not the comparison I’m making. They’re the two most polarizing people in their professions. Hate ’em or Love ’em you can’t deny Kobe’s hoop game or 50’s business game. You never have to wait long to hear their names in the news, and they both go for 50 every night.

Here’s a few outside of the NBA…

Ras Kass/Ken Griffey Jr: Two dudes that seemed like mortal locks to be in the greatest of all time argument. Both are still decent but neither was able to maximize their potential. You have to worry if they’ll get hurt or hurt themselves when they walk outside.

DMX/Mike Tyson: Drugs, jail and wildin out. Check, check and check. Both exploded onto the scene. Both imploded when they reached the top and eventually went to Arizona to chill out. You shouldn’t let either of the two borrow your car.

LL Cool J/Brett Favre: Their contributions to the game have to be recognized but LL and Brett are currently over staying their welcome. Aside from padding their numbers, neither has any business performing anymore.

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KOBE SPEAKS, LAYS GROUNDWORK FOR L.A. EXODUS

The will Kobe go, will Kobe stay talks continue. I wrote a post some time ago where I quoted Stephen A. Smith talking about Kobe Bryant’s feelings towards the Lakers “He has absolutely no problem leaving if the Los Angeles Lakers, specifically owner Jerry Buss doesn’t get his act together. Do not be surprised at all if this stuff continues if Kobe Bryant some time around next year is asking to be traded.”

Ric Bucher reported that Kobe said he would demand a trade if Jerry West wasn’t brought back to L.A… A report that Kobe quickly denied. Well, now “Bean” is sounding off on his website:

Was up again, y’all. I saw an article this AM in the LA Timeswhich said a Lakers’ “insider” noted that my wanting to “get away from Shaq” is what created this whole “mess” the Laker’s currently find themselves in. Man, hearing something like that, which is not true, and which comes from the “inside” is totally frustrating. The fact of the matter is that many people don’t know what really went down when I was approaching free agency because I have stayed quiet about it this whole time. The real facts are that Dr. Buss requested a meeting with me during the 04 season long before I opted out of my contract, and he told me he had already decided to not extend Shaq, as he was concerned about Shaq’s age, fitness and contract demands. Dr. Buss thought it was best for the Lakers to make a trade to get value for Shaq while they could.

Kobe goes on to say:

“when stuff like this is coming from the “inside” all I can do is hope that someone from the “inside” comes forward to support me and set straight the facts of what really happened.” 

You can read all of Kobe’s post here, including yesterday’s entry about not wanting to be traded…KB24 can claim that he doesn’t want to be traded or he’s a Laker for life, but his words seem to say otherwise. I doubt that Ric Bucher made up the Kobe quotes so there’s the first hint. His beef with “the insider” is just another part of the “I want to be traded” foundation, but the biggest hint, the best clue, is when Kobe said

 “Dr. Buss called me from his Vacation in Italy on the eve of my decision and promised me that the Lakers would do everything to build a contender NOW. I told him at that time that my fear was the Lakers waiting to save Cap Room to sign a top notch free agent in 3 or 4 years, so that was why I was leaning towards other teams like the Clips and Bulls, both of who had a cast of good young players.”

If you don’t understand what he’s saying allow me to translate: “Dr. Buss said he was gonna get some real players in here and I believed him, but now, have you seen this @#$% roster? Get me the hell outta here.”

I find it hard to believe that this current Laker regime wants to go down in history for losing Shaq and Kobe. Kobe’s recent outbursts are his way of trying to force the team to do something big… If they can’t get Jerry West back in the fold they need to try to pull off a Jerry West type of deal. You know, try to fleece a team in a trade, land a GOOD free agent, make something happen, make the team relevant. If not, we’ll be hearing Kobe’s (non) trade demands all of next season.

**YBB UPDATE**

Kobe spoke to John Ireland and Steve Mason from The Big Show on ESPN 710 in Los Angeles. The interview is 15 minutes long and Kobe discusses his feelings towards the Lakers organization, the Ric Bucher article, and the Lakes failure to sign Baron Davis, Carlos Boozer, and Ron Artest. Listen here

Kobe spoke to Petros Papadakis and Matt “Money” Smith from PMS on AM570 in Los Angeles. The interview is 23 minutes long and covers a lot of the same topics as the first interview. Kobe comes across more frustrated in this conversation. He’s not only talking hoops as he covers the Wiggles, Barney, and his daughter dancing like Shakira.  Listen here

Again, Kobe can say he’s not demanding a trade but if you listen to what he’s saying it sounds like the Lakers are one misstep away from losing #24.

All of the “Kobe demanding a trade” talk is apparently taking its toll on Lakers’ owner Jerry Buss. Jerry Buss arrested on suspicion of DUI courtesy of the L.A. Times

**END UPDATE**

Kobe wants West to return to Lakers with full authority. Courtesy of ESPN.com

Kobe says he’s just suggesting West’s return, not demanding it. Courtesy of ESPN.com

The Truth: Lakers “insiders” all wrong. Courtesy of KB 24

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KOBE BRYANT LEAVING LOS ANGELES?

I was watching NBA Shootaround on Friday night while waiting for the Warriors/Jazz game to get started. Stephen A. Smith dropped some interesting information:

I’ve spoke to several people in the league, believe it or not Kobe does have an abundance of friends in this league contrary to popular belief and they all said to me, you know what, he is completely disgusted and you can’t even measure the level of hostility he’s feeling towards the Lakers organization right now.

Go on…..

Listen to this.. Kobe Bryant, ever since he resigned with the Los Angeles Lakers, according to everything that I’ve heard he wanted Baron Davis before he got traded to Golden State. They didn’t get him. He had an opportunity to, they didn’t get him. He wanted Carlos Boozer because Larry Miller, the owner of the Utah Jazz, was on the outs with Carlos Boozer, they wanted to move him, the Lakers didn’t get him. He wanted Ron Artest, they didn’t get him. And then even when Kwaaameee Broooown was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers for his best friend on the team at the time, Caron Butler, he didn’t learn about it until after the trade was consumated. Having spoken to Mitch Kupchak, the general manager for the Los Angeles Lakers in fairness to him, couldn’t reach Kobe earlier in the day, but I’m telling you everything that I’ve been hearing, if you think for one second that he is in love with Los Angeles, he loves winning more than he loves Southern California. He almost went to Chicago in a sign and trade, tried to force a sign and trade before he signed. You understand? He has absolutely no problem leaving if the Los Angeles Lakers, specifically owner Jerry Buss doesn’t get his act together. Do not be surprised at all if this stuff continues if Kobe Bryant some time around next year is asking to be traded.

 Now let’s be real.. Kobe’s not leaving the Lakers. Mitch Kupchak won’t let that happen. Not that he couldn’t let it happen, he has turned the Lakers  from contenders to first round whipping boys of the West elite, but he’s not gonna let Kobe get away. This has all the makings of a well timed leak of information from the Kobe camp. Like Stephen A. said, Kobe did talk about going to Chicago, and there were also the Suns and Clippers rumors when Kobe was a free agent. He didn’t leave then and he’s not leaving now.

The heir apparent to the Laker ownership throne, Jim Buss (son of Jerry) was on AM570 in Los Angeles this week and said not so fast on the Kobe trade talk:

Bryant needs to be aware that any trade involving him would require the other team to surrender its best player. For example, trading Bryant to Cleveland would cost the Cavaliers LeBron James. Any trade would markedly weaken Bryant’s new team, giving him no greater guarantee of a championship than he has with the Lakers.

Well.. That seems to take a little steam out of the Kobe trade talks, but KB can opt out of his deal in two years. He was asked about that in this exit interview and had this to say:

I’ve been a Laker fan my whole life. I hate to even think about me going someplace else.”

Notice he didn’t say “I won’t go someplace else”, he said he would hate to think about it. If the Lakers front office sits on their hands this offseason, I’m sure Kobe won’t mind entertaining the idea of bouncing.

I would bet the house that L.A. is gonna go out this summer and make a huge deal. Jerry West is no longer with Memphis so maybe he can do some consulting.. Teach Mitch how to pull off some of those miracle deals. I don’t know if it’ll be K.G., Jermaine O’neal, Jason Kidd, or any other name we’ve heard over the past few years but something is gonna happen. I would try to hold on to Lamar and Luke Walton (free agent), but I would trade anybody, ANYBODY, anybody else on the roster to become an elite team. Yes even Andrew Bynum. The young fella has shown some flashes but by the time he’s fulfiling his potential (if ever) Kobe will have some serious miles on his body. Mitch Kupchak and the Lakers don’t have that kind of time.

**YBB Kobe Update 5-29-07**

Meet the new Buss. Courtesy of the LA Times

Report Card/Exit Interview: Kobe Bryant. Courtesy of the LA Times

Listen to Kobe’s Exit Interview here.

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