"can we honestly say that there won't be a better offer for Bryant than an expiring Maggette, an expiring, gimpy Cassell, and some mid-1st rounders?]."

Isn't that about what netted Iverson?
Sir Charles? Kareem? My belief is that the Lakers aren't smart enough to take that kind of deal. You can't get fair value for one of the top 5 players, so get so far under the cap that you can soon sign...one of the top 5 players. Jerry West didn't pull some magic trick to get Shaq, he just worked for a Lakers team under the cap. That's all the Lakers have to do to reboot at anytime. Get the youth together, have a few solid veterans, then get far enough under the cap. NBA stars will beat down their door.

At any rate, EB for Kobe never.

i bet kobe was wishing he signed with the Clippers back then. We would've been great, i think. I hate Kobe and i hate the Lakers, I hope he gets stuck there.

EB for KB can not happen. Always been a Kobe fan but losing Brand (+ two or more players) for that deal would only make the Clips look like the Lakers. Can anyone come up with a realistic scenario where Kobe is dealt somewhere that retains enough talent to make them a contender? He appears to me to be in a nearly impossible situation.

John R, saw your Livvy update and couldn't have been happier minus the free agent market note.

pasted word-for-word from an e-mail i just sent to my season seat neighbor and anti-laker buddy:

i don't think i'm alone when i say w/ the utmost ecstasy that this kobe fiasco is fannnnnntastic! things are still shaking down and i'm sure there will be a lot of flip-flopping back and forth, but all is not well w/ the purple and gold. i have a joker grin just thinking about it.

kobe is upset about the "insider info" (saying he shoved shaq out the door) that leaked out pointing the finger at him about the current state of laker affairs. he claims it was buss's idea. no one has brought this up, but kobe in fact never told buss "don't let shaq go". i'm sure he took the news about shaq's exit w/ glee. i really don't believe he would have resigned w/ the lakers if they extended shaq. if he wasn't the culprit for the downfall of their dynasty, he was at least an accessory. still guilty in my book.

there are different kinds of clipper fans. some bigamists that root for both LA teams. some who cheer for the underdog, but are neutral for the local favorite. most that love the clips despise the lakers. there's a small group (myself included) that defected from the lakers (i grew up cheering for them all throughout the 80s/90s and almost cried during magic's hiv announcement) to the clippers b/c of that guy named kobe. the fake-smile-in-public, the un-hip-hop, the desperate emulation of 23, the primadonna. the best nba player? that he is. one of the most passionate about the game of bball? definitely (recall him and fisher crying on the bench at the end of det's clinching win). a high-character guy and a great teammate? kobe's a failure on both accounts.

it's a great time to be a laker-hater and i'm relishing every moment of it.

No Way. If the Clippers trade EB for KB, I'm becoming a Laker fan.

shaun livingston is staying at the bellagio in vegas just saw him. i wonder what he's doing- not rehabbing.

EB for Kobe would never happen. Clippers should let Kobe whine all he wants, and then sleep in the bed that he made. The Pacific division is going to get a lot more competitive with Oden and Durant coming, so if Kobe does decide to leave, it will be out of the division....
On a side note, how does the trading of draft picks work towards matching salaries, does anyone know? If the Lakers were to trade Kobe for Maggette, Cassel, and a couple of first round draft picks, how much (towards matching Kobe's salary) are the picks worth, and who decides that? Just curios...

The CBA decides of course. Picks count as $0 until they become a player. Rookie contracts are on a set scale.

Also, Oden and Durant will be joining the Northwest Division, but the larger point is valid. There are no easy games in the Western.

Thanks John. So, when teams trade future draft picks, its more for the prospect of getting something in the future, rather than any cap relief or salary match up to make a trade work. Essentially just an added bonus, rather than throwing in another player so the contract $$ works out.
Yeah, I was thinking old school when all the western teams were in the same division...but yes, Western conference will be even more competitive than it already is....not an easy road for the Clippers either way. :S

No way would the Lakers in a million years trade Kobe across the hall. The Lakers lied to Kobe to keep him from signing with Clips back when Kobe was a FA and considering doing just that. If he'd have signed with the Clips and the Clips then made the trade for Sam Cassell, the Clips would have been the favorite to win the NBA Championship. Can you imagine the Clips hanging a championship banner in Staples and the Lakers having to replace both Shaq and Kobe?

craig, that's what dreams are made of...

i wish...that's like my birthday and christmas all at the same time...

2 hopeless teams have to make room for Sonics & TBlazers. Let's be realistic, LA teams have no chance to come close to top 8 in the west.

Kobe, Brand & Maggette might prefer to GO EAST for greener pastures.

Noel - IMO if the Clippers can get consistent good PG play out of Cassell (or a new PG), solid play from Kaman (and Baby Shaq?), and pick up another perimeter shooter, and good coaching from Dunleavy they could be a sleeper with Brand and Maggette (starting, sorry JR) next year. I know, that's farfetched, but we can dream.

I guess King James was sick of Kobe getting all the attention. 25 of the Cavs last 29. Detroit only had to stop 1 guy. I am pretty sure he got hacked on that final drive and still would not be denied.

Rasheed Wallace is a little bitch.

Jax, I agree. But squeezing too much out of Brand & Maggette won't help either. Need few solid reserves(why did we get rid of Mikki Moore?) if we are really serious about winning.

best hope for both LA franchises is to combine both teams...

the LA clakers??? lappers???

bryant, maggette, brand, odom, kaman, cassell...

a damn good team if you ask me...

i don't know what the uniforms will look like...

Aside from him being in Vegas, what is the latest on Livingston?

.

From a reliable source:

"he is stable, and his progress is coming along better than expected, but as far as playing next year, it's way too early to tell or to even think about it. I think the Clips have to proceed thinking they won't have him next season, definitely not at full strength, but only time will tell. but he is doing well for where he's at right now."

Thanks, Kevin.

Now, let's just say (best-case scenario) that Shaun does play next season. As he's obviously not going to get his extension this summer, does that mean he would be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2008-2009 season? Or could we extend him during the season (if he plays)?

It would be a shame if he suddenly came back, close to his old self, and the Clippers no longer had the power to retain him.

.

I say we should trade EB and Cuttino for Kobe and Turiaf. I know everybody loves EB, but you need a superstar to win championships. EB struggled against double teams and his midrange shot made it easy for defenders to switch to perimeter players. Kaman also needs to be the primary rebounder and he simply relied on EB way too much to get into any rhythm. Trade EB and focus on a rookie power forward - maybe even Baby Shaq. When Shawn is healthy, the Clips will be very strong - Maybe even Championship strong. EB has failed to get his teams to the playoffs 90% of the time. Kobe never fails to impress.

You don't want Kobe on the Clippers. He hasn't shown that as a leader (that's what he'd be on the Clips) that he can get everyone involved. He's a bad chemistry guy because he wants to be the man and his ego is to big to even understand the concept of team, except what a team can do for HIM. Put Kobe on the Clippers, and you can say goodbye to the team concept.

well, my opinion is that Kobe can really get anyone involved when the game starts and up to the end.

that's why hes been to many championships before. he's a true leader.

Kobe can be a team leader - he just has to trust his guys and his coach. The Lakers were crap all year but they still made the playoffs. The Clips did not. Just like Maggette, a selfish player can be a team player with the right motivation. I hate Kobe, but I want the Clips to win. EB is a great role player, but I rarely saw him step up in the final seconds of a game. He flusters under the pressure and goes long periods doing absolutely nothing. The Clips need a inside presence and outside shooters. EB, Sammy, and Maggette are all midrange shooters. With zones and double teams, you need specialists that can create spacing not great all round players. I say, trade all three if you can and get tough guys that work under the bucket and long range shooters that have speed and accuracy. Otherwise, move EB to center and have him work exclusively under the bucket and trade Kaman. Otherwise, the Clips will again be mediocre next season.

Ok. Look at it this way:
Who do you want your daughter to bring home:

Duncan or Rasheed?
Parker or Chauncy?
Brent Barry or Lindsey Hunter?

Get the point...