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Kobe Bryant:: Boo Lakers, Hooray Trade!

by David Snyder

"That place is a mess," Kobe Bryant said about the Lakers management. "If we're not making strides here to improve this team right now, to be aggressive in that nature, then what's the point of having me here?

"I would like to be traded, yeah," continued Bryant "Tough as it is to come to that conclusion, there's no other alternative. It's rough man, but I don't see how you can rebuild that trust."

And with a right hook down go the Lakers.

The punch came from Kobe on Stephen A. Smith's talk show and resonated from east to west coast. Kobe Bryant, the player the Lakers bet their entire future on, wants out.

Another revelation, Kobe had nothing to do with the Shaq trade.

Really.

Even if he didn't "ask" for it, are we supposed to believe the constant in-fighting and media scrutiny about the damaged relationship between the two stars wasn't the cause of the Big Aristotle's move to South Beach?

If you have to get rid of one of your girlfriends are you going to keep the girl that has been with you for as long as you can remember, and sure she has put on a few pounds and wrinkles, but man is she sweet? On the other hand, are you going to go for the girl that is five years younger than you, has a strippers body, and an oral fixation? There is no choice. You go for the youth and talent over sentimentality and experience.

Kobe shoved Shaq out of L.A. with his spotlight. The Lakers made him their star and he has given them two scoring titles in two years, not exactly what they were looking for. Kobe found out how hard it was to win without a force like Shaq. Someone to rebound and eat space like no one ever has in this league. Someone that can dominate any center in the league on any given night. Sure Kobe scored a lot of points, but if scoring was all basketball was than the Mavericks would still be in the playoffs.

The Lakers' front office is getting what they invested in. If you put your money in a shaky stock don't complain when you are tapped dry. Kobe was shaky from the time he stepped off the plain in L.A.

The best basketball player in the league?

Maybe. To bad it isn't one-on-one, or a game of 21 because then the Lakers might have a few more rings.

The Miami Herald's Dan Lebatard always says that in the NBA it only takes having the two best players on the court to dominate a playoff series. Kobe has obviously come to that realization, and now knows that scoring championships do not feed the ego like an NBA championship.

Will Kobe be traded?

No.

No team wants to eat that contract. No team wants to jeopardize their shot at winning by giving up half their roster.

If the Suns traded Shawn Marion, it would be a disaster. Does anyone remember the Raja Bell/ Kobe incident? Therefore, I guess you'd get rid of Bell too. Now what? You have half of a team that came two suspensions from going to the Western finals. Suns fans don't want Kobe either. Who can blame them?

Bill Simmons brought up a funny trade concept. He proposed Dallas trade Jason Terry, Josh Howard, and Jerry Stackhouse for Kobe. Dismantling one of the best regular season basketball teams ever.

Kobe fits nowhere. Except L.A., where the culture is what Kobe has mandated.

Get Kobe the ball.

So, here you are Kobe with no championship in sight. Only scoring titles piling up.

Ego has destroyed your team.

What did you think was going to happen when the Lakers traded one of the top three centers of all-time?

You must have thought you could take on the load, bare the brunt, shoulder the responsibility, and any other cliché that applies.

Under the weight, you have cracked, and I bet you wish you could take it all back.

David Snyder grabs stories floating around the world of sports and breaks them down at Bigdaveonsports.com. It is your one web stop for all of your sports news needs, without the bias and pomp. Bigdaveonsports.com.