The Melo Backpedal

So Kobe supposedly wants to me traded. Think it will happen? Think again. Players say they want to be traded all the time, but it doesn’t mean their serious all the time. Could he really ever leave the bright lights of Hollywood? Could it have been just a threat? A ploy to force the Lakers to make some dramatic roster moves this summer, even if it means crossing the luxury tax threshold? TMB takes a close look inside the situation and tells you why he’ll still be a Laker for at least one more season, and likely the rest of his career.

#1) Money

One thing we’ve learned from Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss trading away Shaquille O’Neal in the summer of ’04 was that Buss wanted to get the team under the salary cap, and most importantly, wanted to get under the luxury tax threshold. Buss isn’t just the team owner, he’s a business man, and wants to make a lot of money. We all know the only way he can justify having the highest ticket prices in the league is to either have a legitimate title contender or the leagues biggest superstar. It would be impossible to turn this franchise into a title contender over the summer without keeping Kobe Bryant on the roster. Lebron James isn’t walking through that door. Dwayne Wade isn’t walking through that door. Few players are as marketable as Kobe, he’s what puts asses in the seats, and he’s who pays Jerry Buss’ bills every month. No way will the Lakers make as much money without him.

#2) His No-Trade Clause

Kobe Bryant is the only player in the NBA with a “no trade clause” in his contract. That makes trading him very complicated, as he can only be traded as long as he approves of the deal. They can’t just ship him off to Atlanta and say, “Nice knowin’ ya, pal.” You can bet that no matter what he says, he’s a diva, and will only play for a handful of teams. After playing in Los Angeles his whole career, you know he won’t agree to play for a small market team, so scratch that idea. He loves to be in the bright lights, and he won’t settle for anything less. He doesn’t want to go to a rebuilding team with a youth movement going on either, so scratch that idea. He’ll only play for a contender, as he’s clearly implied by his comments over the past two days. The small handful teams remaining have a good amount of chemistry, a nice core of players, and at least one All-Star player. Take away that All-Star, who would have to be part of the trade to acquire Kobe, and a few other guys, and you have basically the same type of talent surrounding Kobe as the Lakers did this year.

#3) The Lakers Won’t Get Equal Value

Some star players bring so much value to the table that it’s nearly impossible to get equal value in return via trade. Recent examples of that are Shaquille O’Neal to Miami and Allen Iverson to Denver. Did the LA or Philly get anything back that made them a better team? Absolutely not. They only got back a few pieces that sped up the rebuilding process. The Lakers, who can’t make that same mistake again, not only need to get better, but need to get some star power in return. Few players bring to the table what Kobe does on a nightly basis, and few have the same type of star power he does. Let me repeat, the Lakers would have to not only get equal value, but at least some star power in return or the ticket holders are going to riot.

#4) Few Teams Have the Assets

Most large-market contenders, who have the assets to get a trade completed, won’t want to mess with the team they currently have in place. Sure, there might be a few teams who would be willing to make a move to add the possible missing piece to their championship puzzle, but do those teams have the assets to get it done, are they willing to give up a star in return, and will they still have enough talent to surround Kobe with once the trade is completed? These are questions that will need to be answered before anything happens. It wouldn’t make sense unless a team can give up enough to pry Kobe away from the Lakers, while keeping enough talent to entice Kobe to approve the trade.

#5) Kobe Doesn’t Play Well With Others

Kobe Bryant doesn’t seem to play well with other stars, so you have to ask yourself two questions: A) Would Kobe be willing to play second fiddle for another star in another city? B) Would another star, who’s already established, let Kobe come in and be the leader of his team? Both situations are highly unlikely. Anybody who plays with Kobe, besides Shaq, has had their role diminished. Just ask Lamar Odom. Kobe has to have the ball in his hands, he has to take at least 20-25 shots per game, and he’ll pout like Scottie Pippen if he doesn’t get to take the final shot of the game. There are a few players who would welcome that, but I can’t think of any All-Star caliber players who would.

After saying he’d like to be traded on several radio shows yesterday, Kobe backed off those statements a bit when speaking with ESPN’s Dan Patrick on his radio show later in the afternoon.

“It’s tough. I always dreamed about retiring as a Laker. I just hope and hope that something can be resolved. Something can be figured out. Just something so I can stay here and be in this city and be with the team I love.”

“When Phil and I spoke, he was optimistic and determined that we’ll both be back,” Bryant told Patrick. “Phil is somebody I listen to. I lean on him a lot. He assured me things are going to be okay, which was very encouraging.

“I don’t want to go anywhere else. I want to be here for the rest of my career.”

Furthermore, Kobe hasn’t even officially asked the Lakers organization to trade him yet.

“We are aware of the media reports. However, Kobe has not told us directly that he wants to be traded,” Lakers owner Jerry Buss said in a statement Wednesday afternoon. “We have made it very clear that we are building our team around Kobe and that we intend for him to be a Laker his entire career.”

Some people feel that Kobe’s the one who built this house, so he should stay and live in it rather than jump ship now that things aren’t going as he had planned. The Lakers chose to keep him over Shaquille O’Neal three years ago, allowed him to have his own team where the offense revolved around him, and now he supposedly wants out? I don’t buy it. Kobe vastly overestimated Mitch Kupchak’s ability to acquire enough talent to win (Caron Butler for Kwame Brown; are you kidding me?), and Jerry Buss’ lack of spending to acquire free agents hasn’t helped either. The Lakers could probably get enough in return for Kobe if he didn’t have to approve any deal, but it’s probably best for both parties to stick it out and try to put together a winner in Los Angeles.