kobe wants to be traded

[partlycloudy]

Kobe wants to be traded
Increasingly upset over the direction of the team since its outster from the playoffs, the Lakers icon says he needs to move on.

Continuing a week that has been as close to unforgettable as any in the Lakers' rich history, Kobe Bryant has said he wants to be traded from the Lakers.

"I would like to be traded, yeah," Bryant told ESPN radio. "Tough as it is to come to that conclusion there's no other alternative."

Bryant, who turns 29 in August, has four years and $88.6 million left on his contract. Bryant's frustration has continued to boil since the Lakers were eliminated by the Phoenix Suns in five games earlier this month, and Bryant has been increasingly vocal with his displeasure, which started with his acknowledgment to The Times last Saturday, when he said he wanted the team to acquire more pieces around him.

"We are aware of the media reports," Lakers owner Jerry Buss said in a statement. "However, Kobe has not told us directly that he wants to be traded. We have made it very clear that we are building our team around Kobe and that we intend for him to be a Laker his entire career. We will speak directly to Kobe and until we do that, we will not comment publicly about this."

Despite Bryant's declaration, it will not be as easy as it appears to move him to another team.

Bryant will obviously waive his no-trade clause, but he has a trade kicker in his contract that is believed to add about $13 million to his total contract value, a cost to be absorbed by any team that acquires him. The money would be paid like a signing bonus and would not count toward the salary cap. The Lakers had to pay a similar fee to Lamar Odom when they acquired him from Miami three years ago, paying him about $8 million.

Bryant was acquired as a fresh-faced teenager in 1996 and the Lakers had the nucleus of a three-championship run when Shaquille O'Neal was signed a week later as a free agent. Together, at the best of times, O'Neal and Bryant were an unbeatable tandem. But, at their worst, they bickered incessantly and brought an end to what could have been a long-running dynasty.

The Lakers have not won a playoff series since O'Neal was traded in July 2004. Most recently, Bryant was seething after the Lakers were eliminated by the Suns, saying they had to make changes as quickly as possible.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-...la-home-center

[White_Male_Canada]

Isn`t this the same guy who said it`s either Shaq or me !?

If memory serves me correctly then this is his team. He wanted to be the top dog so now he is. Now it`s not going so well and this cry-baby is at it again!?

Sad thing is, he`ll get what he wants and it`s not a trade. He wants management to now reflect his ideas as how things are run.

[partlycloudy]

i don't blame him for wanting to be traded, the lakers suck. the way things are now, he's pretty much 'damned if you do, damned if you don't'. he can keep the ball and score himself and be called a ball hog or pass the ball and watch his team lose over and over. the lakers had/have no intention of shuffling personnel so talking trade is his only leverage to get some change.

[rick_932]

looks like kobe switched up his story...


Bryant talked to Dan Patrick on ESPN Radio and seemed to reconsider slightly.

"I'm so tired of talking," Bryant said. "It's tough. I always dreamed about retiring as a Laker. I just hope and hope that something can be resolved. Something can be figured out. Just something so I can stay here and be in this city and be with the team I love."


Bryant told Patrick he talked to Jackson after talking to Smith and felt resassured.

"When Phil and I spoke, he was optimistic and determined that we'll both be back," Bryant told Patrick. "Phil is somebody I listen to. I lean on him a lot. He assured me things are going to be OK. Things are going to be all right. Don't go full bore just yet. Take a deep breath and let us work these things out and everything will be all right. Which was very encouraging.

"I don't want to go anywhere else. I want to be here for the rest of my career. It was encouraging to hear that."

[The Truth]

Kobe if full of crap. It's playoff time for crying out loud. All the basketball news should be about the players that are still in the playoffs. If Kobe is not playing he should just fuck the hell up. Who cares anyway. Let's talk about what Lebron did instead.

[trannybanger]

For real, Kobe is just a cry baby media whore. He has no problem taking the credit when things are great, but if things aren't going well... well its not his fault, so trade him so he can be with winners. Yeah right.

He should shut up, and go practice.

[The Truth]

He keeps bitching about the Lakers, saying that they don't support him. I guess he forgets about all they did for him with the Colorado incident. What an ingrateful son of a bitch.

[trannybanger]

Not too mention he drops some cash on a rock and gets to keep that gorgeous ass wife of his too. I'd say he lives a pretty damn charmed life.