Perhaps Kobe Isn't on a Hopeless Team After All
My how things can change in a week, especially when that week is the first one of a new season. Take Kobe Bryant, for instance. The reluctant Los Angeles Lakers' trade demands have hinged on the premise that his supporting cast in L.A. simply isn't good enough for him to contend for a championship.
In the wake of this week's events, might he reconsider? In the first week of the season — and with the Los Angeles Lakers' second-best player, Lamar Odom, sidelined following shoulder surgery — L.A. has more than held its own against the league's elite.
Opening day produced a dramatic fourth-quarter comeback against the Rockets that was turned aside only by a last-second 3-point heave by Houston's Shane Battier. That was followed by an eye-opening 21-point win at Phoenix, a game that was actually less close than the final score indicated — L.A. had a 33-point lead in the fourth quarter. And on Sunday, the Los Angeles Lakers kept up the good feeling with a 119-109 win over Utah. That's three fairly impressive results, and the news gets better the deeper you look. Start with 20-year-old center Andrew Bynum — the same player Kobe Bryant ripped in a leaked off-season video and wanted traded to New Jersey for Jason Kidd last February. He's been unbelievable in the first three games, shooting 65.2% with per-40-minute averages of 21.6 points, 17.0 rebounds, and 4.6 assists.
And that open sore at point guard that hamstrung the team a year ago? So far, things have been much better. Re-imported starter Derek Fisher has solidified the position at the defensive end and helped space the floor with his long-range shooting, while backup Jordan Farmar has looked far more composed than in his turnover-prone rookie season. Rookie Javaris Crittenton helped out too, at least in the Phoenix game — he contributed an impressive 9-minute stretch while the Los Angeles Lakers' second unit was blowing the Suns off the floor.
Look, it's only three games and we shouldn't get too carried away … especially since both the Los Angeles Lakers and Andrew Bynum had very strong starts to their seasons a year ago before fizzling down the stretch.
But it's hard not to be impressed by the Los Angeles Lakers' depth. Andrew Bynum, Jordan Farmar, and Javaris Crittenton all are bench players. So is Vladimir Radmanovic, who emerged from a dungeon underneath Phil Jackson's doghouse to score 19 points against the Suns. In fact, so complete was L.A.'s effort in the Phoenix game that Kobe Bryant had a poor game — 6-for-15, five turnovers, and "only" 16 points — and L.A. still won on the road.
The Los Angeles Lakers have multiple quality players at every position, many of whom are interchangeable. Andrew Bynum, Kwame Brown, Chris Mihm, and emerging third-year talent Ronny Turiaf all are capable centers; Odom, Radmanovic, and Luke Walton can play either forward spot; and capable reserves like Maurice Evans and Brian Cook fill out the picture. If Fisher, Jordan Farmar, and Javaris Crittenton can hold
down the point, there aren't any glaring weaknesses here.
That'sespeciallytrueonceOdom returns, which should happen in a few more days. He hasn't always meshed well with Kobe Bryant because he likes to play with the ball in his hands and it's usually in Kobe's, but certainly his return makes it more plausible that the Los Angeles Lakers could do some damage this year. Kobe Bryant should feel lucky that his supporting cast is looking so good, because of a second reality that's become clear this week: He's not going anywhere, at least for a while. Kobe Bryant can make all the demands he wants, but the Los Angeles Lakers aren't going to trade him unless a deal crops up that serves their interests. Nothing has come close. The Los Angeles Lakers' trade talks with the Bulls are effectively at a dead end, and nobody else has stepped up with an offer L.A. considers remotely fair.
As a result, the Los Angeles Lakers are likely to keep their unhappy star at least until the trade deadline, and perhaps all season. While Kobe Bryant fumes, his team is the one that holds all the cards. Kobe Bryant is under contract for two more years, so the Lakers can patiently hold on to him while raking in all the merchandising and ticket sales that Kobe Bryant helps create.
There's a feeling they'd be more amenable to dealing him next year, rather than be left high and dry a year later, but again there's no pressure: L.A. can cut $20 million in salary and make a run at some other free agents if he were to depart free and clear in 2009, when Kobe Bryant can exercise an optout in his contract.
Of course, part of this is a mess of Kobe Bryant's making. He may be unhappy in L.A., but many teams aren't anxious to trade their best players for such a high-maintenance star. Additionally, he reportedly balked at waiving his notrade clause if a trade to the Bulls sent Luol Deng back to the Lakers — but trading Deng was the only way the Lakers would sign off on the deal for Kobe Bryant. Along the same lines, his list of approved trade destinations was shockingly brief — supposedly Chicago and Phoenix were the only names on it, and the Lakers weren't about to trade Kobe Bryant to a division rival.
In retrospect, it seems Kobe Bryant may have overplayed his hand. Rather than swarms of teams flocking to make offers, the Lakers only listened to a couple of interested parties and never got an offer they found even remotely tempting. Perhaps if Kobe Bryant had been more amenable to other destinations, or less rigid on the terms of the trade itself, he could have had his release from L.A. sooner. Of course, maybe now he won't be as interested in departing. He has the best coach in basketball, one of the league's best second units coming in relief, and probably more offensive freedom than he'd get in any new destination. If Andrew Bynum can add a second star to the picture and provide some lowpost scoring to take the heat off Kobe Bryant — something that worked pretty well when a guy named Shaquille was here — then L.A.'s prospects brighten considerably. Obviously, all this is being seen through the rose-colored glasses that the opening week of the season offers. It may very well be that Andrew Bynum returns to his slipshod work habits, that Odom can't stay healthy, and that the second unit stops playing so well. But in the wake of three impressive efforts to open the season, one can't help but wonder if Kobe Bryant, by not being traded, has landed on a far better team than he would have otherwise.
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