alamo50
04-20-2005, 09:51 AM
By Michael Ventre
msnbc.msn.com
Here’s a blockbuster trade that makes sense: LeBron James for Kobe Bryant.
I know it’s highly unlikely. I know it’s one of those scenarios sportswriters dream up when they’re safely in front of their keyboards and don’t have to deal with the fallout. But what the heck, let’s amuse ourselves for a moment, shall we?
LeBron will seek a bigger market eventually, and the conventional wisdom is that he’ll leave Cleveland and wind up in New York. The new Cavs owner, Dan Gilbert, insists he’ll be able to keep LeBron, but so far he sounds like a blowhard with no grasp on reality who is in over his head. Also, LeBron reportedly will receive more money from Nike if he is a Knick, which I assume could be adjusted to also include being a Laker.
LeBron would get as many endorsement possibilities in L.A. as he would in New York, and he would be with an organization that has a stronger winning tradition than the Knicks. As much of a mess as the Lakers are right now, the Knicks are in even worse shape and probably will be for a longer period. Even LeBron’s arrival at Madison Square Garden won’t turn them around.
Meanwhile, Kobe needs both a better team around him and a change of scenery. If he went to the Cavs, he’d immediately be the leader of a possible playoff contender in the weak East. As long as he remains with the Lakers, he will be blamed for the franchise’s plummet because of the perception that he was the reason the team traded away Shaquille O’Neal. A trade to Cleveland would give him a fresh start and a chance to rehabilitate his image.
I don’t think Cleveland would ever make the deal, because it would be highly unpopular. LeBron is a native son of Ohio, and fans want him to stay. Plus he’s under contract with the Cavs until 2008.
But if the Cavs wait too long, and LeBron insists on leaving, they won’t get value for him in return, especially if he demands a trade only to the Knicks. That’s why they should think about pulling the trigger well before that, when there’s no pressure to make a deal and they can get somebody who will be a cornerstone of their franchise for the next several years — like Kobe.
Again, it won’t happen because the new owner will worry about alienating fans. But once he experiences the cold reality of doing business in the NBA, he may want to reconsider.
msnbc.msn.com
Here’s a blockbuster trade that makes sense: LeBron James for Kobe Bryant.
I know it’s highly unlikely. I know it’s one of those scenarios sportswriters dream up when they’re safely in front of their keyboards and don’t have to deal with the fallout. But what the heck, let’s amuse ourselves for a moment, shall we?
LeBron will seek a bigger market eventually, and the conventional wisdom is that he’ll leave Cleveland and wind up in New York. The new Cavs owner, Dan Gilbert, insists he’ll be able to keep LeBron, but so far he sounds like a blowhard with no grasp on reality who is in over his head. Also, LeBron reportedly will receive more money from Nike if he is a Knick, which I assume could be adjusted to also include being a Laker.
LeBron would get as many endorsement possibilities in L.A. as he would in New York, and he would be with an organization that has a stronger winning tradition than the Knicks. As much of a mess as the Lakers are right now, the Knicks are in even worse shape and probably will be for a longer period. Even LeBron’s arrival at Madison Square Garden won’t turn them around.
Meanwhile, Kobe needs both a better team around him and a change of scenery. If he went to the Cavs, he’d immediately be the leader of a possible playoff contender in the weak East. As long as he remains with the Lakers, he will be blamed for the franchise’s plummet because of the perception that he was the reason the team traded away Shaquille O’Neal. A trade to Cleveland would give him a fresh start and a chance to rehabilitate his image.
I don’t think Cleveland would ever make the deal, because it would be highly unpopular. LeBron is a native son of Ohio, and fans want him to stay. Plus he’s under contract with the Cavs until 2008.
But if the Cavs wait too long, and LeBron insists on leaving, they won’t get value for him in return, especially if he demands a trade only to the Knicks. That’s why they should think about pulling the trigger well before that, when there’s no pressure to make a deal and they can get somebody who will be a cornerstone of their franchise for the next several years — like Kobe.
Again, it won’t happen because the new owner will worry about alienating fans. But once he experiences the cold reality of doing business in the NBA, he may want to reconsider.