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CR - Yes, I know. He's the only player in the league who has a No-Trade Clause. Then again, if I knew I was stealing 83M over the next three years, I'd ask for a No-Trade Clause, too.
I was just bringing to attention how valuable having a scoring type of player who passes the ball (Deron Williams) would be to a Laker team who boasts two guys who are nearly ten feet long, are are very skilled. So since the Lakers can't trade Bryant unless he mercifully waves his NTC, they will either have to amnesty him, or live with him.
By the way, you know how guys like Tim Duncan and many others have taken less money to accomodate their team bringing in additional players? To date, Bryant has never, ever taken one nickel less than the max. Never ever, including his last contract extension. Hey, what a guy.
But the selfishness doesn't end there, of course. Case in point was tonight. Bryant re-entered the game with 4:$5 left in the 4th, and the Lakers up by 4 pts. Houston was in the middle of their comeback flurry. When Bryant came back in the game, he was 7-20. His solution to the bleeding was to jack up three straight jumpers, all misses, which ignited the Houston fast break. Bryant also committed a turnover and proceeded to get beat down the court by not one but two Rockets. Uncontested lay-up for Houston. Rockets go up - for good - overcoming a 12-point Laker lead with 6 minutes to go. Bryant did hit three out of his last four jumpers, but missed a three-ball to tie it with about ten seconds left. He did not have an assist over the last 4:45 despite the fact that the entire arena knew he was going to shoot, and Pau Gasol was 10-14 for the game. Bynum had been ejected, by the way. So there was Pau having a reat night, hitting everything, and the two Rocket bigs were Scola and Patrick Patterson, both listed at 6'9" - but both are more like 6'8".
I live in LA and see almost every Laker road game, because I love to watch them lose. With Bryant going unrestrained on this season-long shooting binge, things won't get much better. Bynum, despite Bryant, is becoming the best offensive center in the league. Gasol is already a Top 3 offensive power forward. I've been saying it for years, but I just can't understand the fascination with this fool. Granted, Laker fans are complete and total morons. But still...how difficult is it to see that Bryant makes the game MORE DIFFICULT for his teammates on a nightly basis?
I will say this. This season is the first time I've heard Laker broadcast people or radio personalities actually speak up about his selfish play. James Worthy almost lost his mind last week after the 9-31 game.
Tonight he was 10-27. Two games ago he was 3-20. I don't know. Basketball is a team sport, and Bryant is just making a mockery of it. I'll go to my grave saying that he's the most hideous player to watch who's every played in the league. I hate the Lakers, so I love the fact that they're playing mediocre ball and not dominating. But I also love basketball, so it just strikes a chord with me when I see ten foot long guys not getting the ball when they're two feet from the basket...yet they find themselves fighting for rebounding pos ion after yet another 21-foot fadeaway.
