Well, one thing is for certain, this has DEFINITELY not been dull since the All Star break!

We had huge trades, shakeups all over the league, and then there's that silly little problem of a probable 50 win team not making the playoffs in one conference while more than likely a team with a losing or .500 record will make the playoffs in another conference.  So who's got the real mojo now, and who's lost it?  Let's look at the teams who made the most and biggest moves and analyze their probable playoff projections as things stand now.  I rank each team based on my own impressions, feel free to comment:

1. San Antonio Spurs - Im not the biggest fan of the Spurs, but Im also a straight shooter.  The Spurs gave up the least next to the Lakers to get a player that can help them in the playoffs (Kurt Thomas), and then they get back one of the players in a month (Brent Barry).  Say what you like about this, but it's SMART.  Ever since the all-star break the Spurs have been playing at an amazing pace, but even more amazing is that it's not a playoff pace yet.  Popovich has them in end-of-season form a little earlier than usual, because he knows full well that more than any other year in recent memory home court will REALLY matter in the playoffs, and the less travelling you have to do the better this off-season.  The Spurs are going to be a very tough team to beat this year, because they seem bound and determined to prove once and for all they are NOT a soft champion, and to beat an NBA this competetive would solidify their claims to historical greatness.  For once, I am on their side, I would like to see it happen, they are the Patriots without the cocky swagger, and I can live with that.

2. Los Angeles Lakers - When did "Showtime" come back to L.A.?  The Lakers gave up a bunch of scrubs, got a solid (if underutilized before now) Pau Gasol, and suddenly POOF they are playing like it's the 80's again!  The biggest difference maker to me is that Kobe has stopped trying to be the "man" for 48 minutes and instead focuses this into the final 8 minutes of the game, and that spurt of focused intensity is proving devastating for nearly every team out there.  The rest of the game he is the playmaker and the leader everyone clamored for him to be all along.  I can live with this Kobe Bryant, and I can root for this team thats playing an extremely solid style of ball that is eerily similar to the all out triangle offenses of the Bulls' haydays.  There's still a part of me that wonders if all the pre season "trade me" stuff was just a smoke screen to make the team gel together, if so, I have no complaints, it's proven to have worked perfectly.  The Lakers have gone from a first round exit waiting to happen to being the team NO ONE wants to face in round one.

3. Cleveland Cavaliers - Ok, so you rip apart the team that got to the NBA finals last season, trade off most of them, bring in a whole bunch of underachievers from other teams, and the one thing that hasn't changed is that LeBron really has no help, but they are still winning.  Either the Cavs' management are the biggest bunch of #### savants the NBA has ever seen or we are missing something here, and I think what we are missing is just how amazing a player LeBron really is.  Ok, so in the cluch he can be made mortal, but for the other 43 minutes of the game he is simply unstoppable.  Now if only his team could do for him what the Lakers are doing for Kobe, and allow LeBron to focus that intensity into the final 8 minutes of the game only, and the Celtis and Pistons would be deeply concerned.  Until that can happen, the burden of carrying so many big men on his broad shoulders will keep making King James the best NBA player to not win a title of this generation.

4. Boston Celtics - The no longer thought of but hardly forgotten trades of the pre season that led to their resurgence cannot be overlooked, nor should they be.  The Celtics are proving to the regular season at least that they will be the class of the NBA come playoff time.  The real problem will be injuries and having the target on their backs, because EVERYONE will be gunning these guys as we get closer and closer to the playoffs, and they are already showing signs of slowing down.  The biggest mistake Doc Rivers would ever make would be to rest his stars and sit on their record in order to give them time to get healthy.  These guys will have to be ready to play through pain to win the title this year, so he better get them ready for it now.  I love what the Celtics have done for the NBA this year, but I just see too many cracks showing right now to even say they will come out of the east let alone win it all.  And the upcoming addition of Sam Cassell is NOT going to help, Sam I Am is just too old and too self centered to really make a big #### on this kind of a stage, but he will at least give them some extra scoring in key moments (poor man's Robert Horry in a way).   In the end, I am afraid it will be close but no cigar this year for the Celtics.

5. Dallas Mavericks - I think after 2 years I have finally spotted the Mavs major weakness, and it's Avery Johnson.  I know he has turned the Mavs from a scoring first team into a decent (but still overrated) defensive team, but in the end, he is gun shy.  Avery has a game plan and sticks to it almost to the bitter end.  The addition of Jason Kidd will ONLY help if he is allowed to play his style of ball, not Avery Johnson's.  Let Kidd be the leader you traded half the team for and you might have a chance, sort of like what D'Antoni does with Steve Nash, who is the on court coach and D'Antoni is the time out/off court coach.  Avery may be one of the nicest and most respected men in the league, but in the end he is not flexible enough to take this team to the next level, and this is showing in his team over the past 2 years, and the recent overtime loss to the Lakers is a solid example, as they had no fire in their eyes, no anger, no WILL to win that game, while the Lakers just went out in OT and burned them.  Don't even get me started on the Spurs game with Kidd on the bench at crunch time, that's almost a whole blog in itself!   No fire = no title, and the Mavs have no fire at all right now.  They'll barely make the 2nd round at this rate.

6. Phoenix Suns - Ah how the mighty have fallen.  Now don't get me wrong, I am not signing off on the Shaq trade, nor do I think it was a horrible deal overall.  I just think the expectations are a bit too high for this early in the trade to say the Suns are done.  Do I think they can win it all, sure I do, but Im a Suns homer, albeit an objective one.  The flaws are right there for all to see, the Suns are HORRIBLE on defense, and their offense is spluttering like bacon in a too greasy pan on Sunday morning.  How much of that is the lack of Marion or the addition of Shaq is an open debate, but in the end each is only one man, so each has to bear the burden of their own.  The Suns can make this work, and the one thing I can point to is what I said at the announcement of the trade, having a happy locker room in a league with margins this small is amazingly powerful.  As long as the Suns are not giving up on themselves or the season I don't see where we can either.  Will they set the world on fire with defense, no, but they will make it entertaining as hell along the way at least!  Next year I think will be their year.

As for the others who made moves, they can't even register on the radar right now.  Marion must be wondering what time warp he entered going from the #1 ranked team in the tough West to the worst team in the NBA, and Seattle must be drooling at the thought of all the cap room and draft picks they will have (Too bad Seattle FANS will never see them).

Team to watch out for:  Hornets, plain and simple.  I said before they play the toughest schedule of the 2nd half and they are still in there and slugging it out with the big boys.

Team to stay away from:  Jazz - no one wants to see them on their schedule right now, especially if you are a Western Conference team, they are the spoiler team of the West if you are on the playoff bubble.

Mid-season Whiner award  Isiah Thomas.  I remember once Charles Barkley saying that Jerry Reinsdorf had to have pictures of the Bulls owner fornicating with farm animals in order to keep his job, but I find myself wondering what skeleton Thomas has on the Knicks ownership to keep HIS job.  Has there EVER been a worse coach, for a more high profile team, that has NOT been shown the door after even ONE season of ineptitude this bad, let alone MULTIPLE years?  Bring in Jerry Colangelo, Snoopy, John Wooden, Buck Rogers, ANYONE for god's sake, but get rid of Isiah!  And now he doesn't want to talk about Marbury anymore..ok..let's just go back to that other little topic that kept your name in the papers during the pre-season...you remember Isiah, that little legal trouble you so smarmily smiled through?  If ever there was a "Teflon Don" in the NBA it would have to be Isiah Thomas.

Im out - Thanks for reading!!

Dal

For the first time in several years, I can honestly say I look forward to watching regular season NBA games. 

Don't get me wrong, I love the NBA, but in recent years the regular season product has been decidedly "hum drum", with only the Suns providing some real excitement to what is an otherwise boring grind of 82 games.  Now we have something to look forward to!

Let's just throw out out the "what team traded for this or that player" for the time being, the trade deadline's passed, and now it's time for everyone to make their stretch runs, and for once even some of the teams in the East are going to be worth watching!  (Besides Detroit I mean). 

Look at it this way - Several teams revamped their rosters completely (Cleveland, Dallas), some made modest but powerful moves (Houston, New Orleans), some built for the future (OH good lord the Sonics!!), while others decided the time is now!  (Lakers, Suns).  And then, in the midst of it all, there is the sleeper trade of them all, where the quiet, steady Spurs gain a highly underrated force in Kurt Thomas.  I would challenge you to find another mid season trade deadline where so many teams made so many moves for so many different reasons.  Amazing!

Now, despite what all the pundits out there will say, that the Western Conference playoffs will be insane while the East will be relatively quick and easy, I will concede that could be the case.  But I think that once the first round is over, the Eastern Conference playoffs will be just as intense as the West will be, because the top four teams in the East (Boston, Destroit, Cleveland and Orlando) are very well matched up against one another.  Remember last year where the East was mostly sweep after sweep (or lose just 1 game in the series) - We didnt get a good series until the Cavs/Pistons in the East finals.  I don't see that happening this year.

As for the West, good god.  This is...WOW...This is going to be one of the best off seasons ever, and what's ####y to me is that through all the hubub of trades and changes, as much as I absolutely HATE to admit this, I would not be surprised to see the Spurs come out of the West.  In the playoffs chemistry is just as important as defense to winning a championship, and NO ONE except the Pistons can compare with the Spurs when it comes to Chemistry. 

I am a Suns' Homer, of course, never denied it, but I always try to call a #### a #### (so to speak), and to all the Spurs Homers out there, my hat's off to you, the Spurs' management steered a very unsteady course with all the trades, stuck to their guns, and in the end picked up a potent (if limited) big man in Kurt Thomas who will give them even more of a defensive presence and another mid range shooter with a solid touch.  Great pickup by the Spurs and much as in the Gasol trade, you didn't have to give up much of anything to get him.

The team I feel got hosed the worst in this bout of trades was Cleveland.  Poor LeBron, the man just can't get the help he really needs.  They blew up the team mid season and got older, slower, and less athletic, and didn't shore up ANY of their weaknesses (on either side of the ball), which means King James will win the MVP award but probably be bounced in the 2nd round when Ben Wallace decides to resume his late season nap. 

Next most hosed is the Mavs, who would have won this award if the Cavs deal hadn't come down at the last minue.  Kidd's good, but not that good, and he's never been that good with a skilled big man (Kidd's good at passing IN to the basket, Dirk plays more away from it), and in the end, I feel this just hastened the end of the Mavs run near the top of the elite teams by about 2 years.  Their window just closed and they have little to build on towards the future, having traded away their best young players and several key draft picks.  It's a shame, I like the Mavs.

The unqualified winner of the Trade game was the Sonics, who basically called a Mulligan on this season, will play it out for experience, and solidified their future through at least 2010.  The only pity in all of this is that because of the pissing match between the owners and the city of Seattle that the real winners of this trade bonanza will be whatever city the Sonics move to.  That is the true shame, because the fans in Seattle deserve MUCH better than what they are getting from both their city managers and the ownership of the Sonics.

You talk about the Suns, the Lakers, and every other team who did or did not make moves (major or minor) during this mid season, and in the end it all boiled down to this.  The bigget winner of all?

US!!!!!!!!!!!  We FINALLY came out ahead here!  WOOHOO!!!

*kicks back to enjoy*

Im out - Thanks for reading - Dal

Sometimes I truly wonder why I am a sports fan, especially when you consider how the people who play the sports I enjoy seem to care less about the game than I do.

Take a good long look at your favorite team(s), and I will bet you that at least half of team members could give a rat's spit about you or any other fan for that matter.  They care about #1, first and foremost, and the virtually anyone else can go take a flying leap, in their opinion.

Now, with that said, let me qualify this a bit, because I know I've just sounded harsh.  I accept they give up a LOT to be famous, most notably their privacy.  But then again, they get paid a staggering amount of money to do what they do, and part of that salar includes being good ambassadors for the games they play in order to keep the road paved for those who come after them. 

I'll throw out three personal experiences as examples of what I am talking about here:

Back when I was in my teens, and we called the Phoenix Suns the Phoenix Nuns (because they won NUN of their games at the time, the team being jacked up on coke for the most part), I attended a home game against the Lakers with my Grandfather.  He was a bus driver, and a guy whom he picked up every day gave my grandfather his pair of courtside tickets because he thought he was a damn nice guy (quite astute of him, because my grandfather WAS a damn nice guy).  Anyways, after the game was over, and Showtime had driven the Nuns into another drug induced coma, as he was leaving the court my Grandfather reached out to shake Magic Johnson's hand as he walked by, and Magic not only stopped to shake his hand, he gave me his towel he had thrown around his neck and shook my hand as well, saying "thanks for coming out to see us all play".  He didn't have to do it, but Magic was, for all his other faults, a great ambassador of the game, and he realized that without us sitting in the seats, there's no money to pay for those houss, cars, and "posse's" that today's players seem to take so much for granted.  Needless to say it made quite an impression on me.

A few years later I was in a video store deciding on a rental, when in walked Richard Dumas, who was at one time quite the rising star for the Suns before drugs and some serious personal issues got in the way.  He was alone, except for a woman on his arm, and he was almost immediately surrounded by fans, except for me.  Don't ask me why but my gut told me "hey, this guy's on his own time, leave him alone" so I went about my business, and when I was walking out after picking out my videos, Dumas caught me at the door, and he offered me his autograph, since I was wearing a Suns T-shirt at the time.  I thanked him and said he didn't have to, I knew he was there to do something personal, and he said "I know, that's why I'm offering, you were the only one who had that kind of respect, so I wanted to say thanks, and thanks for being a fan of the Suns."  And with that he took out his pen and autographed my receipt.

Now the third tale.  This took place about 5 years after the Dumas incident, and the company I was working for had scored a luxury box for a Suns/Bulls home game.  As one of the managers, I got to go.  We lost the game (I have NEVER been to a Suns home game where we have won, curiously enough, I've only ever seen them lose, though I have seen them win on the road, go figure), and afterwards I watched John Paxson and Bill Cartwright walk over with Kevin Johnson to a boy at courtside who was in a wheelchair, and they gave him a signed basketball, and stood for photo's after they wheeled him out on the court.  I found out later through the local paper that the boy in question just happened to be there, and was a huge fan of both teams.  The players got wind of it and set the whole thing up during halftime as a surprise for the boy.  It wasn't a Make-A-Wish kind of thing, or something they had to do to get their names in the paper, it was just something they did because they wanted to. 

Look, I'm not saying that pro athletes need to do these kinds of things on an everyday basis, they have their lives to live just like we do, they just have a lot more means than we do to live their life, that's all.  But when you hear pro athletes, who make as a yearly MINIMUM more than most of us will make in a lifetime, whine and complain about the pay, and then at the same time basically treat the job as a 9-5 occupation, it's amazing that we as a society tolerate that.

Basic rule of business is this, whenever a company pays you $1 in salary they are expecting to make at least $1.25 back, and as you climb up the ladder that ratio gets larger and larger, to where if you make $100k the company will expect about $400k in revenue from you for whatever it is you do.  Now apply that ratio to a multimillionaire pro athlete, and you find the ratio to be enormous.

Just in the recent sports news, you have athletes who refuse to face reality and admit their responsibility (Clemens) all in the name of protecting their so called legacy (whereas no one ever thinks that by just standing up and saying "I did it" their legacy would actually be more solidified), to the Latrell Sprewells who think $25 million dollars isn't enough to feed a family (I would like to take him to a third world country and show him how many families that kind of money could feed), and now you have Devean George, who is basically a scrub, playing scrub minutes and giving scrub productivity, but has a heightened sense of self importance to the point where he wants to hold up a trade that would improve his team's chances of winning a title (supposedly, I'll write more on the trade if it goes through), just so his "small salary" could possibly grow next year.

Hate to tell you Mr George, but you just killed your chances of getting any kind of a contract for anything other league minimum by what you just did.  I'm all for looking out for number one, but sometimes when you are a pro athlete, and you play like #2, you gotta just shut up, drop to your knees, and thank God almighty that someone with so little real talent is permitted to make that kind of money in the first place, and not go looking for more money that you haven't earned. 

Again, it all comes down to professionalism, and respect.  Those that have it, for themselves, the game, and the fans, HAVE legacies that we all celebrate and admire.  Those who don't have these priorities tend to end up like so many other has beens and never was, just a footnote in someone's team roster.

Ok, I've just pushed the OFF button on my Rant.  Thanks for reading!

Dal

It's been a while since my last posting, new job, lots of personal **** going on, but I've still managed to slip in and watch a few NBA games here and there this season, and now that the All Star break is coming up soon I thought I would throw out some of my thoughts regarding various teams - no specific orders, no axes to grind, just some blunt and straightforward thoughts...(And yes Im using the Harry Potter grading system, it's much more fun!)

Los Angeles Lakers: I have to admit, they have been impressing me so far this season.  I still don't think they will be able to keep this up for the whole road, but they'll make the playoffs and if they are playing then like they are now (or better), I feel sorry for the team that gets them!  Im an admitted Kobe hater, but in the 4 games Ive seen him play this year Ive asked myself "who is this guy and what's he done with Kobe Bryant?"  He's dishing, he's rebounding, he's TRUSTING his teammates!  I've been so amazed by all this it's even had me wonder if all the trade rumors and I want outta LA talk at the season's beginning was a secret plot with Kobe and Phil to rally the other team members!  So far so good for Laker Lovers, lets see how it holds up for the rest of the season is my only caveat.  GRADE O (Outstanding)

Miami Heat: Oh how the mighty have fallen.  Miami had all the makings of a dynasty, a solid core group of powerful veterans in Shaq, Zo and Wade, and a good group of role players, this team was ripe and ready to bring in some young talent through the draft and prepare for the inevitable passing of the torch, instead they stuck with basically the same team that won the championship and let father time pass them by.  It's truly a pity that the last two dominant big men we will ever see, Shaq and Zo, will end up their careers on such a down note, when there was SO much promise in the beginning.  Look for a 5 year rebuilding period before Miami even comes close to climbing out of the cellar.  GRADE T (Troll)

Phoenix Suns: It's been an unusual year for my team, no question.  Rumblings all around about discord, and there they sit in first place in the west, go figure.  Offensively the Suns can hang with anyone and beat anyone with the possible exception of a healthy Golden State or Hornets team.  Defensively there seems to be a bit more of an edge, Ive noticed.  They seem to be willingly giving up some games to work on their defense and then make up for it the next night with their standard offensive dominance.  After three successive years in the Western finals, I find myself wondering if D'Antoni is finally working on his bench and his defense to make a serious run at the Spurs and Mavericks of the world.  The problem is, I have a sneaking su####ion neither of those teams will be in the Western Finals this year, I wouldn't be surprised to see the Hornets or Lakers there.  GRADE E (Exceeds Expectations)

Boston Celtics: They play a weak schedule, and dominate.  They go .500 against each team that beats them.  They have the same formula that Miami used to win the title a few years ago (3 power players with a series of role players), and people are looking to find out what's wrong with this team.  While I am not a huge Celtic fan, I am a fan of good basketball, and this team is playing some of the best overall B-Ball Ive seen in years.  They are like the Anti-Spurs, proving you can play defense and make it exciting at the same time!  Do I think they will keep up this pace?  Not a chance, they will have a few slips and slides along the way.  Do I think they will be in the Eastern finals?  Absolutely.  GRADE O (Outstanding)

Detroit Pistons: After the debacle that was the Cavaliers series last year, this team could have folded its tent and completely rebuilt, but Joe Dumars and Flip Saunders were smarter than that, they knew their guys still had some legs, they just needed a bit more support from their bench, and voila!  More bench time, fresher starters!  Look at it this way, their starters are playing an average of 8 minutes per game less than last year, which if you add that up over 82 games means they will have play about 9 games less this year than last year, meanwhile they are dominating the league.  A seven game series of Boston and Detroit might be the best thing to happen to the NBA since the old Laker/Celtics series in the early 80's - I know I'd pay for a ticket, and I dont even LIKE the Pistons!  GRADE E (Exceeds Expectations)

Chicago Bulls: I must admit I am NOT surprised at how the Bulls are playing this year.  Last playoffs I remember talking to a friend of mine when the Bulls lost that if they didnt get some inside presence in the offseason they were going ot be bottom of the barrel at BEST, and it's been pretty much as I thought I would be.  The Bulls made the cardinal mistake of believing their press clippings, not realizing they played well above their collective abilities last year.  Firing Scott Skiles was an expected move, but overall it's a useless gesture.  The Bulls will make the playoffs, but are a first round sweep waiting to happen for the Celtics and Pistons of the league.  Its a pity, though, because they are just 2 or 3 pieces away from being a real power.  GRADE P (Poor)

Portland Trailblazers: WOW!  This is a team of the future, no question about it.  When they get a bit older, a bit more seasoned, and get 100% healthy, this is the team that will dominate the Western Conference after the Spurs' age finally makes them drop off the Title radar.  They play exciting, energetic, fan friendly ball with just enough defense to make you realize that when they "grow up" and become veterans they will have little or no competition in defense or offense.  They have made Portland a fun team again, and can even make some of us forget about the "Jailblazers".  GRADE: E (Exceeds Expectations)

Dallas Mavericks: I will wrap this blog up with Big D, which for me means Big Disappointment.  I just can't get a handle on this team anymore it seems.  Last year they played all 82 regular season games at a Playoff intensity, only to find they didn't have another gear to move in to when OTHER teams (Golden State) played at THEIR intensity level.  This year they just seem to be going through the motions, it almost seems like they are afraid to get on a huge roll like they did last year because they wont have anything to draw upon come playoff time.  Jason Terry seems to be the only Mav playing with anything resembling energy and desire, Dirk looks like a statue most of the time, and Avery looks like he too is trying to figure out just what the hell this team is thinking.  They are playing like a team afraid to succeed, and unless they get it together during the 2nd half of the season this is another playoff debacle just waiting to happen.  GRADE A (Acceptable)

Last minute thoughts: 

Is it just me or does Isiah Thomas have to have some incriminating film of the Knicks' owner fornicating with various farm animals in order to keep his job?   I have never seen such incompetence rewarded with continued employment in over 30 years of watching the NBA. 

Speaking of incompetence, isn't it about time someone in Minnesota told Kevin McHale it's the 21st century now, you can draft big men and use your free agent money to bring in GOOD players?

I keep hoping Baron Davis' body holds up for the entire season and playoffs, he's one of the best point guards to ever play the game, but never got his due because of his continued health problems.  GOOD LUCK BARON!!!

You would think that before the Seattle Sonics move they would at least ensure they will give their new city a truly competetive product.  Durant's the only reason people watch this team right now, and he's going to probably end up like LeBron, a great player with VERY mediocre talent around him that he will have to make look like stars night in and night out.

Jason Kidd's mustache makes him look like Joe Pantoliano's long lost twin brother.  Shave that thing JK!!

Just some various things that are flittering around in my head today I thought I would share:

 - Was it just me or was (once again) Stephen A Smith on ESPN being just a plain old fashioned JERK when it came to the discussions about the Kobe Bryant situation?  Especially when it came to the question of whether or not Kobe was right in taking this to media first rather than the Laker's front office.  I can respect that everyone has an opinion, but why does this guy have to take EVERY differing opinion from his own as a personal affront and try to win the "arguement" by simply yelling?  He is probably good for ratings in some ways, but personally?  I see him starting to respond to something I reach for the remote.

 - Congratulations to the Spurs on making the NBA Finals once again.  Do I like the team?  Nah, I never made any secret about that.  But I always give the devil their dues, and there's no question that the Spurs right now are playing some very strong, very passionate team ball.  So congratulations and good luck in the finals, Spurs, I think you have a VERY good chance of winning the title this year.

 - Is it just me or is Jeff Van Gundy proving to be the ONLY ESPN commentator with any passion on the game play-by-play ?  I find myself watching the games just to hear this man respond to the VERY obvious fawning made by his other two commentators.  While they try to justify nearly every call, he calls a #### a #### and says hey, that was a bad call, or that was a good call, and STANDS by his opinion!  WOW, a commentator with class on ESPN, what is the world coming to!

 - Read my blog on the Kobe Bryant situation for the details, but the bottom line is still this, neither the Lakers NOR Kobe want a trade to happen, this is just another example of the Kobe First Rules, and for a trade to happen would be one of the biggest shockers in recent NBA history.  But both parties have no one to blame for this situation but themselves, the Lakers for hitching their wagons to Kobe, and Kobe for basically causing a potential dynasty to be dismantled due to petulence and petty infighting over who has the biggest star or the biggest paycheck.  Such a pity, the Lakers could still be winning titles if they could have found a way for everyone to live together.

 - So if this guy ( I forgot his name) that's gonna be drafted number one this summer, is going to bring possibly a title to the north west ?  I dunno, the Trailblazers and Sonics seem to me to be more than just one star player away from a title run.  First off the Blazers have to be able to let go of their passle of lawyers they have to have on staff to keep up with all the court cases, it's getting in the way of the salary cap *grin*, and second the Sonics have to just set a case of C4 under the team, blow it up, and start over with Ray Allen as the aging veteran, and go from there.  Just adding one star player right out of the draft is not going to make THAT much difference folks.  They might make the playoffs next year, but that's about it, be honest.

 - My congratulations to both the Pistons and the Cavs for giving us at least ONE competetive series in the conference finals.  Frankly for all it's bad play, this has still been one of the more competetive series in the entire playoffs!  The bad plays to a degree are at least caused by the other teams more often than not, instead of just plain ineptness by supposed professionals.  Frankly I thnk either team could beat the Spurs in the finals, but only if Detroit cleans up it's game, and the Cavs do NOT wake up to the fact that they are just one step away from the Finals.

 - Speaking of the Pistons, WHEN is someone gonna finally step up to Rasheed Wallace and say "Sheed, two words - GROW UP!".  Good lord this man is a 5 year old in a hulking body, and nothing has really changed since the days when he choked out his own bloody coach!  He whines and cries and whines and cries and then tries to cover up for it by making semi-spectacular plays, all the while making the refs tired of his rhetoric and in my own opinion, more willing to overlook a foul or two simply because they wanna #### Sheed off!  Just look at his 'Shirt throwing" after game 4 the other night as just the latest example in a career full of incidents.  Talented player?  Yes.  Gifted player?  Not really.  Whining detriment to his team?  ABSOLUTELY!

 - Last but not least, a couple predictions:  (1)  There will be a 7 game NBA finals, regardless of who the Spurs face.  (2) Just prior to draft day, there will be one, maybe two BLOCKbuster trades, involving at least one of more of the following teams:  Nets, Lakers, Bulls, Suns, Blazers, Rockets, Hawks.  (3) Someone will find Vince Carter's old pair of Air Jordans and return them to him, allowing him to once again be Half-Man, Half-Amazin!

Ok, Im out!

So, the inevitable has finally happened, Kobe wants out..oh no, maybe he doesn't want out, or make that a maybe I want out, maybe I want in...

First off, yeah, I'm not Kobe's biggest fan (read my bio), but the Lakers are one of my favorite teams, so I have learned to live with him, so to speak.  But I have never, for one moment, trusted this man's motives as being "for the team".  Let's take a good look at this man's career, shall we ? 

First off, he is drafted right out of high school, where he was tearing up the high school leagues and making heads turn in the NBA as the second coming of Jordan.  The Lakers manage to get their hands on him, and within 2 years he is basically controlling the offensive flow, along with this big dude named Shaq.   Initially, things are fine between the two of them, Kobe was still in his "Im a rookie" phase, while Shaq was the big name and the big superstar. 

Kobe's game suddenly begins to grow by leaps and bounds, as he has both the innate skills and the veteran teammates around him to help him thru the rough edges.  Then comes the "Boo-Star" appearance. 

For those who have forgotten, this was when Kobe was supposed to make his big "coming out" moments, in his home town, against Jordan of all people, and against some of the best of the NBA's aging veterans.  Kobe gives a strong performance, but is regularly booed by his hometown crowd, and when he was named MVP, the boo-birds were out in force, and this for a hometown boy made good?  What did they know that we didnt, perhaps...

I have never, for one moment, forgotten the look in Kobe's eyes that night as he accepted his MVP award.  They were not the eyes of a man grateful for being given one of the highest "unnofficial" awards in the NBA, nor the eyes of a penitent rookie who just made his mark, they were the eyes of a man who had seemingly made a choice to stuff those boos down the throats of those who were making them, they were the eyes of someone who decided this was no longer the time to play the team game, it was time to play the game Kobe's way.

It is from this moment that I mark the rise of the Kobe First rules, that have seemingly governed the Lakers franchise ever since.  The Kobe First rules are basically simple - whatever makes Kobe happy first is what will happen.  If you want proof, just look at a relatively small thing that happened during his rape trial (I do think he was innocent of rape, BTW, that was so obviously a wanna-be groupie who was out for money is was scary).  He COMPLAINS about the kind of airplane the Lakers GAVE him to fly back and forth for his legal proceeedings!  COMPLAINS!!  When I first read that I was amazed that Jerry Buss didnt just take Kobe over his knee and give him a good old fashioned spanking for god's sake!  But no, they caved in again, just as they always do.

I wont even get in to the details of the infamous Shaq/Kobe/Jackson triangle (Talk about a triangle offense, this was an offensive triangle).  Suffice it to say tho, that one again the Kobe First rules came in to play, and he not only got rid of Shaq, but Phil too, all because the team was not "Kobe's Team" it was Shaq's or Phil's.  Kobe lovers can frost this particular cake all they want to, but look beyond the partisanship and see what was really cooking here. 

The Laker's hitched their wagons, voluntarily, to Kobe Bryant.  Basically one of the most storied NBA franchises was placed in the hands of a young man with an ego problem.   And this was done willingly folks, never for a moment forget that. 

Now what's happened, the Lakers are given a trade-me demands by Kobe, and then he gets wishy washy about it.  It's another ploy in the Kobe First rules, don't kid yourselves.  Kobe knows darn good and well that if he goes to another team, there might actually be some people who are NOT willing to abide by the Kobe First rules, and he might just have to suck it up and become a full-fledged team player for once, as well as having teammates who won't be willing to stand by and let Kobe control the game for 3 quarters, and then suddenly have to bail the Lakers out when Kobe's legs are gone.   For once, he would not be the center of attention as he is now, hence the sudden wishy-washy attitude.

The Trade-Me demand is a ploy, a way to get the Laker's front office to do what he wants or he threatens to take his ball and go home.  The sudden 180  he did is his way of saying well, ok, if you really mean it, I might stay...but only if you really mean it, but I still might take my ball and go home, just remember that.

What is SO sad about all of this is that the Lakers asked for this all along.  They gave this young man the keys to the franchise, and now they are reaping what they have sown.  I love the Lakers, always have (except when they play my Suns), but I have not been a Kobe fan ever since that day when he won his first All-Star MVP.  He went from being a young man with the talent and desire to be even better than Jordan, to being a bitter man who made a CHOICE to be the best one on one player the NBA ever saw, rather than being the best all around player and teammate the NBA ever saw. 

If I were the Lakers ?  Call his bluff, for once.  Trade him.  Send him to another team, and get back to rebuilding your franchise, even if it takes another 5 years, use the lottery and trades to rebuild a new, young core of talented TEAMMATES and let Phill Jackson do what he does best, take raw talent and turn it in to a winning team around one or two young star players, you'll be back in the conference finals, maybe the NBA finals, in 5 years or less.

Unfortunately, the chances of this happening are next to zero.  Kobe's contract alone is a huge obstacle, and there are few GMs out there who would be willing to put up with the Kobe First rules.  I hope I am wrong on this, but with the exception of the Shaq trade, the NBA has proven itself helplessly redundant about giving in to it's mega-stars demands.  Kobe does not want a trade, don't kid yourselves.  What Jerry Buss and Mitch Kupchak have to be worrying about is what he REALLY wants.

The Lakers are WHY I became a fan of the NBA.  Ive loved the team ever since the early days of Magic/Kareem/Worthy.  I never saw, before or since, such poetry in motion as the Showtime Lakers.  It's why they are still in my top 5 favorite teams, even tho I cannot STAND Kobe Bryant.

Let's face some hard, honest facts here folks.  We can sugar coat this all we want, but the simple fact is, Kobe has been, and always will be, a Me-First, You-Second type of player.  He is the single most dominant player on an NBA court today, but so was Jordan in his early years, and he had to have help to win his 6 rings.

Because he is so dominant, the media and even the fans tend to write him a blank check when it comes to his litle pecadillo's and personality traits.  But just look at his career, if he does not trust a player, he does not utilize that player.  He does not play to make his TEAM better, he plays to make HIM better, and if the team keeps up, fine, if not, fine. 

When Kobe and Shaq were together, you had a tandom that was potent because Shaq was older, more experienced and able to cope with Kobe's personality (however badly it was handled on all parties).  The Lakers front office hitched their wagons to Kobe, and now it is his team.  All that's left now is to figure out how to work with it.

People have been talking about possibly bringing in Kevin Garnett.  This would be probably the single WORST move the Lakers could make.  Kevin and Kobe (I can see it now, the KK brothers) would simply not be able to work together in the long term.  Would Kobe be willing to submit to Kevin in game-on-the-line situations?  Would Kevin be willing to submit to Kobe?  The answer is no in each case. 

So what do the Lakers have to do to compete for a title again ?  Simple.  Since they have hitched their wagons to Kobe, blow up the team and let's start over.  It's time to wipe the slate clean.

To compete, the Lakers have to first rebuild their bench.  Their are simply not enough threats coming off the bench to make even some of the weakest NBA teams worry.   They need a second unit that is predicated on 3 defensive minded players with 2 scorers, this way they can give Kobe more minutes off the floor and keep him fresher for the stretch runs, which is where Kobe tends to fade.  Let Kobe get the team a lead, bring in the 2nd unit, and let em play defense for 5-8 minutes at a stretch, which will give Kobe a good 10-15 minutes rest during the game, keeping his legs under him for the 4th quarter runs.

As for the starters, it's hard to say.  Kobe is hard to get a handle on, so it's hard to say what kinds of players would be a good fit with him.  Odem is doing all he can, and I would keep him simply because he is a veteran presence, one of the few they have.   But they need a solid guard and 2 solid forwards to compliment Kobe and Odem.   They would have to be players who are willing to take backseats during critical moments of the game, while also be willing to step up in case Kobe's shot is not dropping. 

If I were the Lakers I would have my scouts scouring the european leagues for just these types of players.  I strongly feel that most of the current NBA talent would not be willing to relegate themselves to semi-backup roles during the "Kobe Show", while at the same time be willing to step up and knock down shots just because the big star's shots are not dropping now.  It's a double standard to a lot of people's minds, and one that would keep most NBA players, with a strong sense of ego, from wanting to sign.

It all comes down to the Kobe Show.  If Kobe can somehow learn to sublimate his phenomenal talent for the betterment of his team and his teammates, the Lakers, even with this current squad, can make it to the conference finals, tho they cannot win a title.  They need at the very minimum a new bench, one that can spare Kobe for the later minutes of the game, when he usually very tired and his legs are no longer under his shots.

Sorry to be so blunt about this Laker's fans, but there's no getting around it.  As good a player as Kobe is, he is still the team's biggest strength, and it's biggest weakness.

Next Blog:  Miami Heat