The Sports Rumors

March Madness, NBA Season Winding Down, MVP Race

It’s been a hell of a long time since I’ve written on my world renowned website… well, not really renowned. But it has been what, a month? There were so many times over the past few weeks where I felt like I had to put my two cents out there and ruffle some feathers but something kept coming up. You people with the angry text messages and emails forget that I have a job and a career! But regardless, that’s neither here nor there though because I’m back and I guarantee that I’ll have a good percentage of you foaming at the mouth, pissed off and wanting to strangle me. But that’s what I do and that’s why you read, so let’s get this thing going.

First order of business. As you all know, we’re in the center of March Madness. Every year, ESPN goes absolutely ape sh*t about this month and all the upsets and how crazy fun this time of year is. Let me be the one to say it as a former college student and now working professional:

MARCH MADNESS IS OVERRATED.

Wait, what? Did he just say that? Yeah, you’re damn right I said it and I’ll say it again. March Madness is the most overrated event that we have in sports. And please, spare me your financial figures. I know it grosses the most money in Vegas. Here’s why, genius… it’s a month long! There are 63 games (check my math on that one). 63 games present 63 opportunities at minimum to gamble. You think if the Super Bowl was a month long, it wouldn’t gross a higher dollar figure? Secondly, if you like watching school’s you have never heard of, with players you likely won’t ever see again, and free throw shooting percentages from the top seed Memphis that make Shaq look like Jeff Hornacek, then go for it. Watch all the March Madness you want. Me, personally… I like to watch players who can sink open jumpers. I like to watch teams score more than 50 points a game. I don’t like watching players who are incapable of beating a backcourt trap. I like quality, skilled basketball.

Now mind you, I wasn’t like this before. You go back to the days of UCLA and the O’bannon brothers, the Duke years, the Fab Five years, and so on and so forth; that was quality college basketball. Today? Not so much. For God’s sake, the best players in the college ranks are freshmen! The only reason they are even playing in college is because they are forced to. Kevin Love, Rose, OJ Mayo, Beasley… that is talent. Tyler Hansboro is a good college player, but in the NBA, he’s just a more skilled Mark Madsen. Yeah, I said it. He won’t amount to anything in the NBA other than a nice off the bench energy guy. Think I’m wrong? How’s the career of JJ Redick and Adam Morrison working out?

Now I won’t be a total scrooge, and there is no getting around the fact that filling out those brackets and joining office pools is fun. But seriously, I just care about if the teams I selected win; I don’t care how they did it and I certainly don’t care for watching the games. I can honestly say that I’d much rather watch the Warriors-Lakers or Suns-Celtics than Wisconsin-Davidson. That brings me to my next topic of conversation…

God the NBA is so great right now. I can’t remember a time where I was so into every single game and every single box score. Think of all the compelling stories. The Western Conference playoff seeding, the MVP race, Lebron vs The East, the injury bug hitting contenders, and even garbage teams like the Knicks publically preparing to make a run at Lebron and Wade. Since I haven’t written in a long time, it’s hard for me to cover every interesting story in depth, but I will touch on a few.

My ranking of the best teams? Not going to be one of the topics I hit on. Why? Because I don’t know. If I don’t know something enough, I won’t talk about it and hopefully, you can respect me for it. I can’t tell you if the Lakers are the best team in the NBA because I don’t know how healthy Gasol and Bynum will be. I don’t know what the state of the Spurs is because they have been so topsy turvy the past few weeks. I don’t know if the Suns are just hitting a little fluke or if they are actually adjusting to each other (which I doubt). I can’t tell you how good or bad the Mavs are. I can’t tell you with certainty if the Celtics have enough to beat a western conference team in a series, or even the Pistons for that matter. I just don’t know. I do know that ANYONE in the west can beat anyone. I do know that Boston and Detroit from the east are going to be a hell of a challenge in the finals for the Western Conf representative. I do know that Lebron won’t be in the finals this year, much to David Stern’s dismay.

What I do know is that the MVP race is between two, and only two players.

All season long, I was convinced that Kobe Bryant was the most valuable player in the league. I had the following ranking in mind:

1. Kobe
2. Kevin Garnett
3. Lebron James
4. Chris Paul

That’s how I saw it for much of the season. But then I reevaluated things.

Lebron James has all but fallen out of the race in my opinion due to his team’s record in the east. You’re not the most valuable player in the league if you’re team is 40-31 in the east. I’m sorry, but you’re not. This is the conference where the Atlanta Hawks are nine games below .500 and have sole possession of the eighth and final playoff seed. Only three teams in the east have a winning percentage greater than .600, and Cleveland is not one of them. The “Lebron has no help” argument is getting old. Zyrdunas Illguaskas, Drew Gooden, Ben Wallace are three of the big men he has played with. That’s more than a lot of teams have had.

Kevin Garnett has, without a doubt, turned the Celtics from a bottom feeder to a title contender. However, it’s hard to give an MVP award to a guy who has Ray Allen and Paul Pierce playing alongside him. I’m not knocking KG in any way. He’s the pin that keeps that team intact. However, they would still be a playoff team without him.

That leaves us with two players. Kobe Bryant and Chris Paul. Ironically, both are tied for first place in the western conference, which makes this even harder.

If you are not impressed by Chris Paul at this point in the season, you never will be. I responded to friends who asked me about him after the first 30 games and I said, “Let’s wait and see if he can sustain it over a whole season.” Sustain it? He has surpassed EVERY expectation I could have set for him. He is a fierce competitor, makes his teammates better, finds ways to win and can do everything on the court. He can score 40 plus, he can dish 20 dimes, and he could be the first player in league history to average three steals a game. He has an average supporting cast that he has made look great. Basically, he has done everything that he could possibly have done to win the MVP award. Unfortunately for him, the next guy is also balling at a very high level.

Kobe Bryant. He’s been the best player in the game for the past three, maybe four years. No one compares with his tenaciousness and pursuit of perfection. No one. In the past, he did not make teammates better. Now, he does. Look at guys like Jordan Farmar, Ronny Turiaf, Sasha Vujacic, and Luke Walton. They are all playing the best ball of their careers and it’s because Kobe has finally learned how to involve and trust his teammates. Put your past perceptions about him aside and look at this single season alone. He has gotten his teammates involved, sensed when he has had to take over, and done so accordingly with a strikingly high success rate. Pau Gasol has been a great help, but keep in mind, he hasn’t even played 20 games yet with the Lakers. Just in the past ten days alone, Kobe has gone on the road and led the Lakers to victories over the Mavericks and Jazz, snapping their 19 game home win streak. There is nothing more that he can do to win the MVP award, just like Paul.

So who’s my MVP right now?

I’m an honest person and I’ll be real. My bias as a Lakers fan AND the fact that Kobe has been robbed of MVP awards in the past leads me slightly more on his side. I mean, he was ranked the second best shooting guard by ESPN and affiliates in NBA History, second only to the great Michael Jordan, yet he’s never been the most valuable player? That just doesn’t make sense. Now I said it was a slight edge to Kobe. How slight? I’ll give Kobe 50.5% of the vote and Chris Paul 49.5%. And believe me, for those of you who know me and my religious following of Kobe, that’s saying something.

Chris Paul does get love for being in the best damn commercial I’ve seen in a long time though, as seen below:

The NBA season is far from over. Actually, the real season is just about to begin. I cannot wait to see every single playoff matchup (Except the Celtics-Hawks…. I think I’ll pass on that, thanks). I was going to end this article with a mundane sentence, but maybe this will be better, or at least give you a chance to hate on me a little more. Here are some predictions for you to chew on:

Rookie of the Year: Luis Scola (Has intangibles that Durant doesn’t)

NBA Regular Season MVP: Kobe Bryant

Biggest Underachievers: Dallas Mavericks

Surprise Playoff Team: Washington Wizards

Best Playoff Series: Suns vs Spurs

Worst Trade: Shaq to Phoenix (Ruined what that team was based on)

Best Trade: Obviously, Pau to Lakers for dirt

Eastern Conference Champion: Boston Celtics

Western Conference Champion: LA Lakers

NBA Finals: Lakers over Celtics in 6

NBA Finals MVP: Kobe Bryant

And of course…

Ugliest MotherLover in the League: DJ Mbenga

Chad Ford’s Analysis - Couldn’t be More Wrong

I was reading an ESPN Insider article the other day written by Chad Ford. It was talking about the Kobe Bryant situation and he broke it down into four questions.

1. Does Kobe have too much mileage?
2. Is Kobe really the best player in the NBA?
3. Is Kobe a winner?
4. Is Kobe worth it?

As good of a writer as Ford is, I was very surprised to see how wrong he was on many of the points he made. I’ve selected portions of his article (the highlighted) and posted my response/argument to them. Have a look.

Does Kobe have too much mileage?

It’s not only the years that concern some teams, but also the minutes. Counting NBA regular-season and playoff games, Bryant has logged 33,576 minutes — 918 games of about 37 minutes each, in just 11-plus seasons.

This is a very valid point because it is no secret that Kobe has racked up a lot of minutes in his eleven seasons. Not only that, he plays extremely hard every night, more so than a lot of other players. His mileage would be a concern but you also have to realize that no one trains as hard or takes care of their body as much as Kobe does. While other NBA players are in Aruba enjoying the offseason, he’s at the gym getting stronger, healthier, and keeping his body in top shape. Therefore, if I’m a general manager, I’m not going to worry too much about his mileage because I know the guy is thirsty for winning a title and he’ll do everything possible to stay in the best shape he can to achieve his goal.

Is Kobe really the best player in the NBA?

For instance, Bryant has never led the league in John Hollinger’s PER (player efficiency rating), which combines a player’s stats and percentages into a single measure. Last season, Bryant was well behind Dirk Nowitzki and Dwyane Wade.

To put his numbers into historical perspective, his career-high PER of 27.97 in 2005-06 ranks No. 42 all-time in the league. Several current players have posted a higher PER than Kobe did in his best season, including Wade (twice), LeBron James, Dirk Nowitzki (twice), Shaquille O’Neal (six times), Tracy McGrady and Kevin Garnett (twice).

Here’s where I start to disagree with Ford. What the hell do John Hollinger’s ratings mean? Who are the other 40+ players ranked ahead of Kobe on this list? I’d LOVE to see who they are. I bet Antawn Jamison or Udonis Haslem is on there. I must have missed the memo on when John Hollinger’s rankings became relevant. Dirk and Wade were better in those rankings than Kobe; so what? Dirk was ousted by an eight seed in the first round! Wade was swept in the first round; in the EAST! Those rankings are so ridiculous and they take nothing but pure numbers into consideration. I am 100% positive that Michael Jordan would never have been atop Hollinger’s efficiency rankings but does that mean he was not the best player in the game? Tracy McGrady has twice had higher efficiency rankings than Kobe. Well, first off, it’d be nice to see Tmac play a whole season for once. And secondly, we all know how “efficient” Tmac has been in the playoffs. Shaquille O’neal is going to be ahead of Kobe for obvious reasons. When you take 15 shots a game from 2 feet away, you’re bound to have high field goal percentages. I talked about this in depth with my friend last year and how ridiculous these rankings are. Here’s something for you to look up John Hollinger. Look up how many players in the league are double and triple teamed with no solid, consistent second option. Then tell me how many lead the league in scoring and take their teams to the playoffs in the western conference. Tracy McGrady has Yao Ming. Dwayne Wade has Shaquille O’neal. Kevin Garnett, Dirk and Shaq are all big men so they have a much easier time scoring than a guard does. I agree with Lebron being more efficient but that is it. There is no question that Kobe is the best player in the game, at this moment in time, and has been for the past several years. So you’re wrong to question that Chad Ford.

How does Bryant’s postseason prowess compare to Nowitzki’s? In the playoffs, Dirk has more points per game, more rebounds per game, more blocked shots per game, a higher field-goal percentage, a higher 3-point field-goal percentage and a higher free-throw percentage. In the past three seasons, Nowitzki has led his team to the NBA Finals, while Bryant hasn’t won a single playoff series.

Wow Dirk has more blocks and rebounds than Kobe?! No way! I would have never imagined that! I wonder if..if..he also has more blocks per game than Michael Jordan!  Seriously, are you really comparing the rebounding and blocked shots of a 7 footer to a guard? Making that point is as stupid as saying that Ladanian Tomlinson has more yards per carry than Jeff George. And please don’t get me started on the supporting cast difference. I’m not knocking Dirk by any means but lets not kid ourselves, 10 out of 10 people will take Kobe over Dirk any day of the week.

Is Kobe a winner?

If LeBron were to suddenly be available in a trade, does anyone believe that after six months the Cavs would still be waiting to receive a serious offer? Or 10 serious offers?

Umm, if Lebron had a no trade clause and said he would only consider being traded to three teams? If Lebron had stubborn, idiotic management who traded an All Star (Caron Butler) for Kwame Brown and all they have left to show for Shaq is Lamar Odom? Then yes, he would be still waiting to receive a serious offer. Don’t kid yourself and think that every team in the league minus the Spurs and Cavs wouldn’t take a hard look at trading for Kobe if he didn’t have such a small list. The Wizards would love to send Arenas and change for Kobe, but he’s not interested in Washington. New York would trade the Statue of Liberty for Kobe, but he’s not interested. Charlotte, New Orleans, and other bottom feeders would trade all their young talent for Kobe. Golden State, Sacramento, the Clippers, even the Rockets would trade for Kobe. Don’t sit here and tell me that more than 10 teams aren’t interested in the best guard in the league. Can you honestly say that the Rockets wouldn’t send Tmac for Kobe in a heart beat if that was in any way possible? Please.

Is Kobe worth it?

By then our eyes and hearts will likely have caught up with what the numbers and logic are already telling us: Kobe Bryant is a great player, but in a team sport like basketball he lacks the ability, on his own, to deliver an NBA championship.

Jordan didn’t win without Pippen. Shaq didn’t win without Kobe or Wade. David Robinson didn’t win without Duncan. Hakeem didn’t win without Clyde. No one has ever won alone so I’m tired of hearing people knock Kobe and say he can’t win alone. Name someone who has. Ewing? Barkley? Malone? Stockton? Kobe has his list of teams because he wants to go to a place that will provide him the assistance he needs to reach and win the NBA finals. That is his admission of not being able to do it alone. Why else is he not interested in going to New York or Philly?

Chad Ford is a great writer and has always provided good reading material. However, he was really off base with his analysis of the Kobe situation and someone had to call him out on it.

In Case You Didn’t Know…

…The NBA Season kicked off last night with three games, highlighted by…take a wild guess… Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers.  I’m an avid basketball fan but I didn’t even realize until a few days ago that the NBA season was about to be upon us.  This led me to think, of all the big time sports in the U.S., the NBA has the least hyped or anticipated opening day of any.  We all know when college football is about to start.  We all DEFINITELY know when the NFL season is about to start because it is talked about everywhere from schools to offices to nursing homes.  We all know about the start of the MLB season.  Most of us have an idea about the start of college basketball.  But the NBA just strolls in on a Tuesday night out of nowhere!  I guess this is because they know that they cannot compete with the college football weekend, NFL weekend (especially this year with Pats-Colts), and usually the World Series (barring a sweep).  I guess it wouldn’t hurt to try though.  I would have watched the Lakers game had it been on Sunday night around 9pm.  And would a little advertising the week before the start to your season really hurt Mr.Stern?

Anyway, only thing of significance that you need to know is that Kobe Bryant was booed and booed loudly at the start of the Lakers game against the Houston Rockets. 

“So what?  Isn’t he booed everywhere other than Los Angeles??” 

Yes.  He is booed everywhere other than Los Angeles but this game WAS in LA.  He was booed early and often in the first quarter, which, given the fact that it’s Kobe Bryant and he’s the most competitive, angriest basketball player on earth, fired him up en route to him dropping 45 points.  Those very same fans that jeered him to start were chanting M-V-P by the 4th quarter.  The Lakers lost on a late Shane Battier 3 pointer, as Bryant had little help from teammates.  Now isn’t that a shocking development?!

Lakers-Mavs Trade Talks

1:47 PM

I have learned from some of a credible source that the Lakers and Kobe Bryant have decided that it is no longer in the best interest of either side for him to continue to practice with the team. It seems as if trade talks are in the works right now and all indications point to Dallas being the destination for Kobe Bryant. It seems that Kobe has played his last game as an L.A. Laker. More to come as I get it.

1:54 PM

I am hearing that Dirk is definitely involved. The negotiations are between sending Josh Howard, Devin Harris, or expiring contracts. LA is trying to get a player plus contracts. Dallas is obviously trying to send over the least that they can.

October 18, 2007

9:35 AM

Kobe Bryant has returned to practice with the team, after initial reports saying he would no longer do so.  All questions regarding any rumors are being answered with “No comment” and we have not heard from Bryant since yesterday afternoon. Bryant is listed as “Questionable” for the teams upcoming preseason game.

It’s Time to Move On

It seems odd to be writing about a basketball story while we’re in the middle of college football, pro football, and the major league baseball championship series. Especially since the basketball season hasn’t even started yet. But here we are, talking about basketball, and who better to talk about than the most polarizing figure in the game since Michael Jordan. It doesn’t matter if you love or hate Kobe Bryant. You pay attention when his name is in the news. That’s how he’s polarizing. You hear about him and either hate him more or love him more. Either way, you have an opinion on the guy.

This time is a little different though. We saw him shoot off at the mouth about wanting to be traded, then not wanting to be traded, then being indifferent about it. Since training camp has started in Los Angeles, Kobe has been mum on the topics of early summer and has focused his interviews and conversations on the future of the Lakers basketball team. Funny thing is, he is the future of the basketball team and his mood, good or bad, dictates the direction of the franchise.

I predicted in an article I did back in the middle of summer, “Eye of the Storm”, that Kobe would have another explosion and the Lakers would be forced to trade him.

…But in order to advance in the playoffs, Kobe is going to need a lot more than what he’s got. What are the Lakers waiting for?

I still can’t see this feud ending quietly. I don’t see it that way. I am giving this until the second week of September, a little over a month, before we hear from Kobe again, louder than ever. And don’t be surprised if this time, a lot of the same media members who bashed him in May have come around and see his viewpoint. He will have a lot more support this time around and remember, what Kobe wants, Kobe gets.

I was about a month off on the time frame, and granted, Kobe wasn’t the one who brought this to the media this time around, but nevertheless, it’s a story again. The Trade-Kobe or Don’t-Trade-Kobe debates have changed direction to Where-To-Trade-Kobe. It’s no longer a matter of “if” anymore. It’s a matter of “when and where”.

So why is Kobe Bryant all over ESPN and national talk radio again if he didn’t say anything? Because his owner, Jerry Buss, decided to unleash the media frenzy by admitting that he will listen to offers for Kobe. Translation: Kobe Bryant is on the trading block. Now what really irks me about this decision is why it took so long to decide to trade him. There were players like Kevin Garnett, Baron Davis and Jason Kidd available much earlier, yet the Lakers were persistent upon not trading #24. Now, all of a sudden, they have decided that it’s best to part ways. I absolutely understand the importance of trading Kobe Bryant due to his contract. For those of you who aren’t aware, Kobe is the only player in the league who has the power to veto any trade. He can dictate where he wants to go. Kobe also has an option in two years to become a free agent. If he becomes a free agent, he most certainly will sign with another team and the Lakers will get nothing in return. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to trade Kobe for the most value that they can get in return. Why it took so long to do so? I don’t know and don’t understand.

There were rumors that came out late yesterday afternoon that Kobe was so infuriated by Jerry Buss’ opening up to the media, he emptied out his locker.

a) Kobe shouldn’t be mad at anyone for opening up to the media, because he did it first.

b) Those rumors proved to be false anyway.

The reason I brought it up though was because the Lakers season and team cameraderie, any that they would have had, is now shot. It is impossible to play with the same focus and effort when you don’t know if your star player is going to be with you in a week or not. That’s how it will be for his teammates. How will it be for Kobe? I don’t question his competitiveness or want to win at all. I even took a lot of heat over the summer for saying he is as competitive as Michael Jordan. However, he is still a human being. Take your job as an example, whatever it may be. If you are not sure that you will be working for your company next week or not, will you be able to maintain the same type of focus and enthusiasm compared to if you knew you’d be there for 5 years? If your boss was talking to other companies about swapping you out, even if it is at your own request, you won’t be able to maintain the same level of focus at work. It’s just not possible. My point in all this is that the Lakers MUST move Kobe as soon as possible.

Another reason is, if they hold on to him the rest of the season and begin next year with him on the roster knowing that the clock to him opting out and walking as a free agent is ticking, every single team in the league will lowball the Lakers. The Lakers have leverage right now in trade talks. They aren’t forced by the hands of time, yet. They will be in a year. I think it’s best to trade him now because your franchise will get fresh new players at the start of the season, rather than in the middle. Your city won’t have to deal with the constant rumors month after month. The Los Angeles fans will be able to come to the Staples Center without having to fret and think, “This may be the last time I see Kobe in a Laker uniform.” The other time you can trade him, and still be able to get a fairly good deal, is right before the draft next April. This way, a team can offer you a nice top pick to go along with the players that they package. Only downside of this is Kobe’s veto clause. Translation: He’s not going to allow you to trade him to the Bobcats, even though they are offering you a top 5 pick in addition to players. The teams that Kobe will go to via trade are Chicago, Dallas, and Phoenix. All three of those teams are championship contenders so they’re not going to have the sexiest draft choices come April.

So to reiterate: Trade Kobe Now.

There are three teams that he will willingly go to, as mentioned above. I’ll start with the least likely of the bunch and work my way to the most likely. Note that in the NBA, the salaries have to match up for a trade to work. You can’t trade Kobe for 5 years worth of first round picks because the money must match. That thought process is used before suggesting or giving my opinion on trades, like the ones below.

Phoenix Suns

Kobe Bryant for Shawn Marion and Raja Bell.

The Suns would make this trade in a heartbeat but the Lakers would be moronic to do so. The dollars match up but the player talent doesn’t. But then again, you can never put something past an owner and GM who traded Shaquille O’neal for Briant Grant, Lamar Odom, and Caron Butler (then traded the best of the three, Butler, to the Wizards where he became an all star and received Kwame Brown in return).

Dallas Mavericks

Kobe Bryant for Dirk Nowitzki and Josh Howard

This trade makes sense for the Lakers because they get a top 5 player and a solid complimentary player in return. Dirk will give them the low post scoring that they need. Josh Howard won’t score 30+ like Kobe, but 20 a game isn’t unreasonable. The salaries match up. The snag in this trade is that Kobe will be in the same conference and will most likely become the biggest hurdle for the Lakers to overcome in the playoffs. That’s too much irony for Buss to stomach.

Chicago Bulls

Kobe Bryant for Ben Wallace, Luol Deng, Kirk Hinrich

Kobe Bryant for Joakim Noah, Luol Deng, Ben Gordon, Draft picks

Either one of these trades would work financially. Los Angeles could address a number of needs, most notably a big man and a point guard in the first scenario. In the second, they could get a lot of young talent as well as draft picks. Either way, they would be happy. I think the Lakers would take this deal in a heartbeat. Believe it or not, the snag in this deal is the short pockets of the Bulls owner, Jerry Reinsdorf. He doesn’t like to spend a lot of money and if you bring in Kobe, you’re going to have to resign him to an enormous deal. If you don’t, you’ll have to deal with a lot of competition for the free agent in two years. The other reason Chicago is hesitant is because they spent a lot of time and effort putting together the pieces of their team through the draft.

That being said, I think it’s an absolute no brainer. Those pieces that Chicago put together aren’t going to be good enough to beat a Western Conference team. They weren’t even good enough to be in the finals last year. Ask Lebron James what its like to face Duncan, Ginnobli and crew in the finals. It’s no easy task. Kobe has been there, done that. He’s played with the big boys and he’s played them very well. Adding him to the Bulls would put them in the Finals, without a doubt. They’d also have an extremely good chance to win because western teams usually beat themselves up just trying to reach the Finals.

There comes a time where you just need to part ways, and do so without damaging yourself and the other individuals involved. We all knew this would end badly. Now it’s important for L.A. to swallow its pride, and make a move to save face and cut their losses. If not, the fans will never forgive them for letting Shaquille O’neal and Kobe Bryant leave them and getting absolutely nothing in return for two hall of famers.

Fascination With Disaster

I have a nine year old cousin who is in the fourth grade. A few months ago, before summer vacation began, she came to my office to visit and was telling me about her class project. They had to come up with three professions that they would want to be when they grew up. This made me think about when I was a kid and wanted to be a football player and a basketball player, at the same time. I also wanted to be a meteorologist but that was because the weather guy on the news was “cool” at the time and I wanted to be like him; we don’t need to talk about that. The point I’m getting at is as kids, we have such huge aspirations of what we want to be and what we’re going to do with our lives. Then you hit your twenties or your thirties and you realize that those dreams will never come true. You realize that you’re going to be an average, above average, or maybe even a little better than that, 9-5 Monday through Friday worker. You’re going to have two kids and a dog and that will be your life.

You flip on ESPN and you see stories of guys like Pacman Jones, who was throwing $81,000 in cash one night at a strip club. $81,000 is almost double the average salary in most states. You see guys like Vick, who have $130 million dollar contracts, now facing jail time and no football career all together. I’d say 98% of us will never seen $50 million in front of us, let alone $130 million. You turn on the entertainment channel and see stories about Britney Spears who had it all, but now is a 24/7 train wreck. You watch Lindsay Lohan throwing her life and her riches away at the age of 21. Then you think, ‘If I were in that person’s shoes, I’d have the greatest life ever. I would never mess up the way these idiots are throwing their life-lottery-ticket away.’ Soon, your thoughts turn to anger and frustration. You’re frustrated because these people, these stars, are living your dream and ruining it. That was supposed to be you scoring 81 points in a single game. That was supposed to be you diving over 250 pound men for a touchdown. That was supposed to be you, but it isn’t.

Our fascination, and almost addiction with troubled athletes and stars isn’t because the media bombards us with 24/7 coverage. We are provided that coverage because we want to see it. I just went on espn.com at 9:48AM Eastern Time and the number one topic commented on was Vick, with over 4,000 comments. Number ten is no other than Pacman Jones, even though it’s been over a month since he’s been suspended from the league. We want to see these stories, we want to read about these stories, and we want to talk about these stories. In a way, it appeases us by saying “Ha ha, you had it all but guess what buddy? Now you’re back in reality. Have fun in jail.”

I spoke in length with a close friend of mine, with a psychology degree from a prestigious university, about our attraction and appeal to watching and commenting on the “lives gone wrong” of celebrities and athletes. “Cliques” are formed by people associating with others who have similar traits or characteristics as themselves. You want to be around those who are like you because it helps reinforce whatever it is you’re doing. Stuck up cheerleaders stick together. Angry goth kids stick together. Math geeks stick together. Alcoholics make friends at the bars so that they feel like they aren’t alone; so that what they are doing is justified because Tom and Nancy are doing it also. Now parlay that into sports. Have you ever noticed that once a few people start bashing an athlete, the snowball effect takes its course? People who know nothing about Barry Bonds’ attitude or the game of baseball hate him. Why? Because they hear about it all the time and everyone else hates him. People who know nothing about Kobe’s trial hated him and presumed him guilty. Why? Because Bill O’Reilly and everyone with a voice on a TV or radio was presuming him guilty.

Why are we so interested in watching train wrecks and celebs throwing their lives away? Because without knowing it, it makes us feel better as individuals. It makes that 9-5 job not so bad anymore. Things could be worse and you could be going to jail, but you’re not. It makes us feel like, “Okay, he was living my dream but he screwed up and now its over for him. I still have my life. I win.” If some random John Smith from Alabama was the leader of a dog fighting ring and was facing two or three years in prison, we wouldn’t give a crap. Just like Vick, he’d still be facing jail time and animals were still harmed, but we wouldn’t care as much. The reason is because he wasn’t out there living our dream nor having the opportunities to succeed that we never had; the ones we wished we had. He didn’t fall from the top to the bottom. He just fell from average to gutter.

I’m not saying it’s everyone’s dream to be a star athlete. A lot of you wanted to be doctors and lawyers and all the other prestigious professions; and that’s fine. My point is, the reason we are often so fascinated by watching the tragedies unfold in lives of famous people is because whatever it was we envied about them at some point, is no longer there. We have no more reasons to look up at them and be like “Man, I wish I was Mike Vick. He has it all,” because now, Vick, Lohan, Spears and many others don’t have it all. They have nothing. They are in trouble and we no longer aspire to be them. Now our lives seem to be a lot better. We feel superior. We win. Until another superstar with everything handed to him on a golden plate comes along that is.

The Eye of the Storm

Future hall of famer Kevin Garnett finally got traded to the Celtics. The years of discussion about where Garnett should go or how he should demand to be traded are forever in the past. It’s done and over with. No longer can we imagine Kobe lobbing oops to Garnett or Nash and K.G. winning a title together. Two of the most popular superstars in the NBA have been subject of trade rumors all summer. One was quiet about his discontent; the other was loud and forceful about his. The quiet one got moved, the loud one didn’t.

Kobe Bryant has been silent now for the past month. He’s not answering questions about his anger with the Lakers. He’s not posting it on his website. He’s not doing exclusive interviews with Ric Bucher or Stephen A. Right now, Kobe is focused only on USA Basketball, or so it appears.

Obviously, the noise that he made earlier didn’t have the effect that he had hoped. He didn’t get moved and the Lakers didn’t bring anyone else in via a trade. It’s clear now that Garnett was still available to be moved, and the Lakers didn’t go out and get him. Ron Artest was on the block and the Lakers turned that one away. Jermaine O’neal was within reach, the Lakers didn’t want to pull the trigger on that trade either. Instead, they signed Coby Karl and Derrick Fisher. Oh, and of course, most importantly, the Lakers kept Andrew Bynum.

So the Lakers have done nothing of consequence and Kobe Bryant has not made another comment about his situation in the past month, month and a half. Now what? Are we going to go into the start of the season like nothing happened? Is Kobe going to suit up the same way he has for over a decade? Will bygones be bygones and Kobe busts his hump to get a 7^th or 8^th seed in the west, followed by a first round exit due to lack of help? Not a chance.

I don’t think, even for a minute, that Kobe is going to just let this go. You can hate him all you want but you have to give credit where credit is due and when it comes to competitiveness, there is no one more so than Kobe. Jordan and Tiger are on the same level as him, but not higher. This dilemma he is in with the Lakers organization right now isn’t something that he’s going to lose. He’s not going to put up with them not bringing in significant improvements. He’s just not. Kobe is waiting for the summer to conclude. He got a lot of bad press early on and now a lot of that has simmered down. As Ric Bucher pointed out in his column, the Lakers and their lack of action are making Kobe’s case for him without him having to say a word.

Okay they didn’t go out and get K.G. because maybe that would have crippled their future completely. Well, it’s not like they’ve gone out and gotten solid players to help improve the team though. They drafted a point guard last year, drafted one this year, and then signed one as a free agent. I don’t understand what the management in LA is doing but I can understand the frustration that Kobe feels when he sees players like Artest, O’neal, Kidd, Baron Davis, and Gerald Wallace come and go without the Lakers making a move. The Staples Center is going to fill up no matter what as long as #24 is there. He gives them a chance to win any game just like Tom Brady or Peyton Manning due with their respective teams. But in order to advance in the playoffs, Kobe is going to need a lot more than what he’s got. What are the Lakers waiting for?

I still can’t see this feud ending quietly. I don’t see it that way. I am giving this until the second week of September, a little over a month, before we hear from Kobe again, louder than ever. And don’t be surprised if this time, a lot of the same media members who bashed him in May have come around and see his viewpoint. He will have a lot more support this time around and remember, what Kobe wants, Kobe gets.

I wanted to name this article “The Quiet Before the Storm” but then I thought about it and realized that this isn’t the quiet before the storm. The storm started a few weeks after the Finals when Kobe initially came out about all this. Now, we’re in the eye of the storm. The beginning of the summer brought the initial impact, put us all on edge. Now everything is quiet and calm, but it has that feel that there is more to come. It feels like this is just a brief pause in the action, a time for us to gather our thoughts, take a breath, and prepare for part two. It is said that the tail end of a hurricane is often the one that lashes out the most fury, brings about the most destruction. Enjoy the few weeks left in the eye but make no mistake about it: This storm is packed with rage, rage that we will see soon enough.

(”After biting their prey, black mambas leave it to die. “)

UPDATE: Kobe and K.G. Trade Talks Heating Up

Quick update for my folks at work having a miserable Monday.

Kobe – A dialogue has been opened back up with management but still no major progress has been made and he has not softened his stance regarding wanting out of L.A. This is a stance, as I wrote in my earlier article, I don’t see him changing. He is set on getting out of L.A. and going to Chicago, Phoenix, or Dallas. UNLESS the Lakers somehow land K.G. Which leads me to my next update (I know you like that segway).

K.G. – Now that it’s obvious that common sense has prevailed in Minnesota and trading Garnett is seen as an option, the floodgates have opened as far as other teams and their offers. The frontrunners however are clearly Phoenix and the Lakers. Dallas is a distant third right now in the race for K.G.’s services. The details of the package L.A. is willing to offer have not been disclosed but my common sense tells me it will most likely involve packaging Lamar Odom and the overrated, overhyped, baby-faced soft creampuff known as Andrew Bynum. As known by many, Kobe and K.G. are pretty close friends and Garnett owns a house in Malibu, California. Of course Phoenix would probably gouge their eyes out if Kobe and Garnett pair up so look for an offer including lots of draft picks from Phoenix as well as a third team (Boston? Atlanta?). The next 48-72 hours should be interesting so stay tuned. Oh and contrary to what some are reporting about Dallas and Minnesota trade talks; Dallas isn’t going to send Dirk for K.G. It’s not happening. Cuban has a man-crush on Dirk (See Dirk’s MVP award presentation in which Cuban cried like a… well.. finish the sentence as you please). Stay tuned for updates.

Hmm. Maybe getting some value for K.G. this as opposed to none next year isn’t a bad idea after all.

You may move Kobe now, or forever hold your peace

As usual, Kobe Bryant had to do something to get the spotlight back on him because we all know how much he loves it. The NBA Finals weren’t much of an obstacle for him but the Paris Hilton saga was. But of course, Kobe dwarfed that story in L.A. too with his month of “trade me” “trade me not” “trade me #%@!’ing now!” drama. So what do I think is going to be the end result you ask? Ok, well, you didn’t ask but I’ll tell you anyway.

I think there is a 1% chance that the Mamba will ever be a Laker again. That 1% chance rests only because its Kobe Bryant, the Lakers, Hollywood, AND because there is a minute possibility that the Lakers make a splash and send Lamar Odom, Bynum and some other scrubs to Minnesota for K.G. I don’t see it happening at all but you never know. In that case, I’m sure Kobe would stay. That being said, he’s as good as gone in my book and should be in yours too.

Right now, Jerry Buss and Kobe are playing chicken. Buss is saying through his people that he’s not going to trade Kobe and Kobe is saying through his people that he’d be willing to sit out the entire season next year if his demands are not met. Obviously, one of them is going to blink first and I think it’s in the Lakers’ best interest to bite the bullet now before a tank rolls up and demolishes that franchise (that tank being an angrier Kobe).

You cannot have an infuriated and stubborn superstar on your team. You just can’t. It doesn’t work. Never has, never will. Yes, I realize that you can’t get even close to fair value for Kobe, especially since he’s holding the Lakers hostage with his three team list of Phoenix (of course), Chicago, and Dallas. But holding onto him for another season is just going to make matters worse inside the locker room and the end product on the floor won’t be good. We saw what Kobe is capable of doing in the infamous Game 7 against Phoenix where he didn’t shoot the ball in the second half. The Lakers don’t need that for 82 games.

What they should do is go ahead and trade him before the draft. Three teams are possibilities as mentioned before. The Lakers don’t want to send him to Phoenix because they don’t want to see him in the playoffs. So instead, they’d send him to the east for lesser value which to me makes absolutely no sense at all. You HAVE to trade the guy so you go out and get the best possible value. I would rather have Marion, Diaw and Barbosa or a draft choice verses getting Ben Gordon, Tyrus Thomas and the 9^th pick overall. (Deng isn’t likely to be moved if the trade is for Kobe). You can send Kobe to the east for less value and have the comfort of not seeing him the playoffs, or send him to the west for better value and risk seeing him in the playoffs (which really doesn’t matter because the Suns can wax the Kobe-less Lakers with their bench!). Chances are the Lakers won’t be any good either way but at least they’ll have a better start on their future by sending him to the Suns and getting legit compensation. Take the best value you can get, and move on.

I think the majority of the blame should fall on Jim Buss, the son of Jerry Buss and the apparent heir to the throne of Lakers’ Owner. He drove away Jerry West, a lifelong Laker, he drove away Phil Jackson until Jeanie Buss, Jim’s sister, convinced Phil (her boyfriend) to come back. (Could this be any more Hollywood? Seriously this is a script for Guiding Light or As The World Turns.) Jerry Buss got Shaq booted and now it looks like he’s going to have to get rid of Kobe too. What a legacy Mitch Kupchak will have. Imagine interviewing for another GM position as Kupchak, “Well I uh, I traded Shaq…um I traded Kobe. I brought in Kwame Brown by trading for a player who became an All Star. And I signed Vladmir Radmanovic to a long term contract. (Awkward silence). Yeeeeah so should I go ahead and shut the door on my way out?.” Good luck with your career buddy.

Lakers should move on before the draft and get the maximum value that they can get. Send the Mamba to Phoenix and start your 3-5 year, or 20 year rebuilding process.

Yes Mamba, you have won the spotlight yet again…