Kobe Bryant 101
On June 19, 2000 I was staying at the Radisson Hotel across the street from USC, visiting campus for my freshman orientation. About two miles north on Figueroa Street that night, Kobe Bryant was winning his first championship with the Lakers. I didn't get much sleep. The impromptu parade of cars (Benzos, Civics, low riders, it didn't matter) made my hotel their turnaround point before they looped back to the Staples Center.
I've lived in LA now for over seven years, and I've observed the domination and decimation of the Lakers.
Domination? Three world championships.
Decimation? Since Shaq left, the team's record is 121-126 (plus 4-8 in the playoffs)-- unacceptable by purple and gold standards.
In all that time, one thing has been consistent: Kobe Bryant is a dream to watch, but a nightmare to root for.
Kobe scored 81 points in one game. Kobe forced out Shaq.
Kobe is the league's back-to-back scoring champion. Kobe talked trash on his own teammates.
Kobe is a 9-time all star. Kobe had unconsensual adulterous sex that created a nightmare for his image, the team's PR people, and, oh yeah, a girl in Colorado and a wifey in Newport Beach.
Kobe has drained 50+ points in 21 games. Kobe talked trash on his own management.
Now it's the dawn of the 2007-2008 season. Despite rampant trade rumors, Kobe doesn't seem to be going anywhere fast. That's bad news, Los Angeles. He's the most disruptive force in our town except for fire and earthquakes -- one notch above holiday traffic.
The obvious solution? The Lakers need to part ways with one of their most iconic players in franchise history. He's a bad boy, and in a worse way than Dennis Rodman.
Obvious doesn't mean easy. The biggest reason the Lakers haven't been able to ship his tail out of town is that pesky salary cap. Kobe commands some serious cheddar -- about $20 million per year. Whoever wants his talent needs to give up about $20 million worth of their own, which would tear the gut out of just about any team in the NBA. Even if somebody decides to build a franchise around him, they'll be so decimated that Kobe wouldn't want to be there. That wouldn't matter with most players, but Kobe has veto power over any trade deal. He's reportedly the only player in the NBA with that bargaining chip in his contract. Yes, he's that good. And that bad.
Unless somebody can come up with a miraculous trade (Chicago is out, Dallas is out), Kobe will play a two-year waiting game until he's eligible to opt-out of his contract. That means he'll waltz out of town (or walk across the hallway into the Clipper locker room) and the Lakers will get nothing in return. Zip. Zilch. Zero. Nada.
If another miracle takes place and the Lakers find a way to start winning, he could stay two more years (contractually his decision, of course). Don't expect that to happen. The Lakers return almost the same roster as last year's .500 team. The addition of Derek Fisher is nice, but won't make enough difference. The only chance is for a blockbuster trade to bring some more talent in around Kobe. They've been talking about bringing in Amare Stoudemire from Phoenix (the talent and salary numbers match, and he and Kobe have been talking and like the idea), but they've talking about it for months. It doesn't look like that will happen.
The running theme in this ordeal is that salary cap. It's not like the Lakers can't afford to spend more. According to Forbes, they have plenty of cash and are the second most valuable team in the NBA. And it's not like other teams won't have problems fitting in Kobe's salary demands if he were to opt out in two years (still just 31 at that time -- remember he turned pro at 18). Sure, $20 million is a lot -- but Kobe probably has a greater impact on a team than Alex Rodriguez, who is expected to command over $30 million per year. There are only 5 guys on a basketball court, and Kobe plays almost the whole time. Rodriguez is one of 9, and spends a good portion of that time sitting on the bench waiting his turn.
If you've read this far, you probably want the solution. Sorry. There isn't an easy one. It was supposed to be a trade of some sort, but the Lakers spent all off season making it clear they weren't strong enough to take action.
There is a more difficult option for Laker management. They need to frame this debate. Mitch Kupchak Cupcake needs to go to the mat for his team. He needs to make some noise about the problem he's having with the salary cap, and force the league to respond. If he can't even do that, the Lakers need to find somebody who will actually lead.
AP photo by Mark Avery.