- New Jersey is 9-12 with their Big Three and slipping, as everyone awaits a major transaction...

- Four other teams besides the Nets likely to make a move of significance before the trade deadline: Bulls, Sixers, Grizzlies, and Knicks...

- Three more teams that need to be looking for trade partners: Heat, Kings, and Cavaliers...

- Multiple THUMBS DOWN to ALL Jazz fans for booing Derek Fisher, the epitomy of class, during his first game back in Utah as an opposing player...

- 29 other teams would absolutely love to have Shaquille O'Neal and his 15 point 7 rebound average, but at $1.3 million...

- Surprising to say but Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony averaging 25 apiece for the Nuggets is NOT gonna get it done...

- On the other hand, the Lakers have four players averaging in double-figures and two more right under 10 ppg with Jordan Farmar and Vlad Radmanovic at 9.8 and 9.4 respectively. Watch out, it's only the beginning...

- Lebron James, hands down, is the MVP of the NBA right now, with Hammer Howard second...

- Josh Smith is the best team defensive player in the league, while Kobe Bryant remains the best one-on-one defender in the game...

- Just imagine if  Kobe and Smith were on the same team...

- Like I said after the second week of the season, by Christmas time the Clippers would be back in their old true form...

- Most suprising team is Orlando while Miami is the most disappointing...

- San Antonio, in its quest to repeat as champions for the first time, is serious about gaining home court advantage throughout the postseason and having the best regular season record in the NBA...

- Sleeper to win the Western Conference has to be the L.A. Lakers and the sleeper in the East has to be the Cleveland Cavs...

- Most likely teams to be disappointed in the playoffs: Phoenix and Detroit...

- My TOP 10, with special mention in parentheses:

1) San Antonio (12-0 at home)

2) Boston (10-0 at home)

3) Phoenix (10-3 on the road)

4) Orlando (11-2 on the road)

5) New Orleans (only 6-5 at home, but 8-2 on the road)

6) L.A. Lakers (above .500 both home and away)

7) Detroit (above .500 both home and away)

8) Utah (only 5-7 on the road)

9) Dallas (only 4-6 on the road)

10) Denver (only 4-5 on the road)

And Finally...

A team that considers itself a title contender and then loses to the Minnesota Timberwolves (worst team in the NBA and is on the verge of threatening the all-time record for futility) is probably not going to win the championship anytime soon. Boy I can't wait for Christmas Day...

The on-again off-again Lakers drama continues with another episode that puts Days of Our Lives to shame. Just when you think everything's all fine and dandy in Lakerland, Jerry Buss and Kobe Bryant find another way to steal the spotlight from the rest of the league.

Let's just say that it's pure Hollywood. Let's also not forget that the Lakers have to create the stir because a storied franchise like this one, with a reputation for putting on a show every time, must keep reminding us that the attention should be on them. Not the World Champion Spurs. Not even the Boston Celtics. Just like America's teams the Dallas Cowboys and New York Yankees, the spotlight belongs to L.A.

The fact that Kobe's frustration ultimately led to him demanding and rescinding a trade cannot be ignored. He was serious enough that Buss and Bryant met in Barcelona to discuss the issue. Buss mentioned that he took offers during the summer but wasn't even close to moving Bryant because of a lack of value he would get in return. The reality is you'll never get equal value for Kobe. Philly didn't get equal value for Allen Iverson, and if people tell you Los Angeles got equal value for Shaquille O'Neal they're probably Miami fans.

So Bryant understood Buss' smart business decision not to move him and he went about his business, continuing to train and work hard to be ready for Team USA's FIBA tournament. Kobe then went on to impress the nation with his leadership, defense, and teamwork. It was just another display of Bryant's 100% commitment to his game and more importantly it showed how much loyalty Kobe has for the game of basketball.

This is why you love Kobe despite all of the off-court issues, primadona attitude, and criticisms of selfish play. If you've been witness to the evolution of Kobe since he became pro, you will realize why he is highly respected amongst his peers. And Buss has the utmost respect for Kobe even though Bryant called him a "liar" and an "####."

So the looming question remains: Is Buss running out of patience with Mr. Bryant? I really don't think he is. What we are seeing here is just two people in a relationship who respect and love each other to death just going through some growing pains. Like a young couple in year three of a relationship.

We realize that it all just makes for great entertainment and the media sensationalizes it because after all, it is L.A. And it's also natural for us fans to only look at the negatives in this drama, because some of us are just dying to "Beat L.A."

But if you look deeper into Buss' statements, his first comment is the one that should be amplified most. He said that "we don't want to trade Kobe and if we win everything will be ok." The solution is simple. Win and Kobe remains a lifelong Laker. Lose and go home.

So now it's up to Kobe Bryant to do his part and show he's a true leader and above all, a winner. I believe he's made great strides over the last two years and it will continue this season. He's already the best in the game right now. What will happen when his game matures and he becomes the complete package?

Meanwhile, the mediator Phil Jackson said that "it's probably best that it comes out now... and we can start the season the right way... that's what I believe will happen", showing signs of optimism for his ballclub. He has to react that way because he is their coach and he has to remain positive for the sake of the team. But at the same time Jackson has been a frontline observer so we cannot dismiss his point of view. He has seen this happen before in Chicago, although the circumstance were a little different. Nevertheless, Jackson is on Kobe's side and it's great to know that Kobe has Phil's support. This realization will only facilitate in Kobe's growth as a leader as he copes with learning how to be a winner.

Many great players in all of sports have been dealt away later in their careers, and many have stayed with a single team. With an organization like the Lakers, you can expect at all times a total commitment to winning and excellence. That is why just about every decade, the Lakers regularly make appearances in the NBA Finals.

And It's true that "you can't keep too many loyalties" like Buss intimated, since the business aspect of running a franchise is what dictates most decisions. But do you really expect Buss to deal away the number one draw in the league and trade the player who guarantees sell-outs everywhere you go just because that player calls you a liar? My father called me worse as an adolescent and I still never left home. It wouldn't be too intelligent of a business decision for Buss to trade his number one asset, especially if that particular employee never takes a day off from work.

But if Buss could trade Shaq, he could more easily trade Kobe right? Wrong. It was a smart business move to deal O'Neal because first of all, Shaq was no longer showing the level of commitment to his game like he did before winning his first title. Secondly, Shaq wanted big money that Buss was not willing to pay for an out-of-shape no-free-throw-making late game liability who was nearing the end of his glory years. Look at O'Neal now. 12 points and 6 boards a game. That's Chris Mihm numbers. Lastly, Shaq was also bickering with Kobe, who at that point already proved to Buss he had the work ethic worthy of a $100 million long-term deal. The key here is long-term. So ultimately Buss chose Kobe and Shaq got his cash somewhere else and O'Neal went on to win a title courtesy of Dwyane Wade.

Which brings us back to my boy KOBE, who is itching for a shot at his first title as the main dude. Bryant has much to prove not only to his critics but most importantly to himself. His summer temper tantrums were just a by-product of his maturation process as the leader of his team. He never assumed this role with O'Neal around, and now that it's his team he really isn't that sure yet as to how he's going to lead and how he's going to win. The Lakers, at this point, still do not have an identity they can call their own.

Indeed, that time will come whether or not Kobe sports the purple-and-gold. Because even if he leaves the Lakers in a couple of years, I guarantee that the organization will again find a way to build the pieces of another championship franchise in the near future.

For now, stay tuned after these messages for previews from the next episode of L.A. Divas...

I wouldn't be surprised if the A.I. deal backfires on the Nuggets. Don't be too quick to elevate Denver into elite status just yet. George Karl not only has the egos of 'Melo and Iverson to tame, but he still has that ever-lingering  headache called Kenyon Martin. And more importantly, how will J.R. Smith's and Earl Boykin's roles change and how many minutes and touches will they lose? Many questions but is there an "answer"? We'll see...

Meanwhile in Minnesota, K.G. is upset that Glen Taylor and Kevin McHale have failed once again to bring in that much needed support. The best chance for Garnett to win is in L.A. or Boston. The Lakers have more to offer. The T-Wolves can pick any three plus a draft pick between  Andrew Bynum, Kwame Brown, Lamar Odom, Smush Parker, Sasha Vujacic, Vladimir Radmanovic, Aaron McKie, Brian Cook, and Chris Mihm. The Celtics would most likely part with Wally Sczerbiak, Sebastian Telfair, Theo Ratliff, plus a scrub or two. The choice is K.G's. If he wants to win bad enough, all he has to do is demand it.