Kobe Bryant Fans!

RUMOR HAS IT…

In this week’s section geared exclusively towards the latest rumors floating around the NBA…

Kobe and Dr. Buss: Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers continue to be the center of attention as the regular season rapidly approaches.  It looked like an uneasy peace was reached when Bryant showed for training camp despite his standing trade request.The Lakers hoped for a strong start and a possible midseason trade to bolster the roster - thus convincing Bryant to eventually rescind his demand.

When owner Dr. Jerry Buss spoke last week to reporters (admitting that Bryant was no longer untouchable), Buss broke media silence that Bryant felt was agreed to by both parties.  Whether that was done intentionally or inadvertently by Buss, suffice to say it did not sit well with the Laker All-Star.

Now Bryant has been sitting out practices nursing his “knee.”  His agent Rob Pelinka was seen by reporters at the team’s headquarters in El Segundo.  His status for the next preseason game in Bakersfield is uncertain.

The vibe has changed from “if” - to “when” and “where.”

Bryant isn’t going to hold out - if the process takes as long as expected it’s probable he has not played his last game in LA - but his days as a Laker appear to be numbered.

Inertia: Translating the desire to make a move into an actual move is a difficult process. The inertia of a Kobe Bryant trade has been a slow moving iceberg since before the draft in June.  A number of teams are very interested - the two mentioned most often are the Chicago Bulls and Dallas Mavericks.

Having learned the hard way after trading Shaquille O’Neal for less than value - the Lakers are said to have taken a stand:  No Luol Deng - No Bryant.  No Dirk Nowitzki - No Bryant.

To date the Bulls have held fast on Deng - the Mavs certainly aren’t trading Nowitzki.

Complicating matters for Bulls’ General Manager John Paxson is not just his attachment to Deng but the additional players he’d have to send.  The Lakers would like to start with Kirk Hinrich and Deng, but being that Deng may be too much for Paxson - it’d probably be a Deng/Ben Gordon core with additional pieces to match salary (certainly Joakim Noah would be of interest).  For now it’s nothing doing until either party gives way on Deng.

The Mavericks might offer the world outside of Nowitzki - but it could take Josh Howard, Jason Terry and/or Devin Harris to entice a third team to give up a suitable All-Star to the Lakers.  Multi-team trades are often complicated - and Dallas would need to keep enough talent to surround Bryant and Nowitzki with enough complimentary pieces to compete.

Speculatively, perhaps the Utah Jazz might be interested in Terry if the Lakers will take on Andrei Kirilenko along with a player like Howard.  Of course that assumes the Mavericks are willing to pay that price . . . or that the Lakers would even consider such a package.

Other teams will certainly enter the fray but it’s going to take a lot for the Lakers to move Bryant - even if it has become inevitable that he doesn’t finish his career in the purple and gold.  Complicating matters further is Bryant’s no-trade clause which can veto any progress the Lakers make if he doesn’t deem it suitable.

Unless something gives, this may be a very long, drawn out process.

Source: Eric Pincus @ Hoopsworld 

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