Kobe Bryant Close to Being a Bull

[DDR]

I was just thinking: I'm loosening up on my "don't trade Tyrus and Noah" stance. I'm starting to look at them as bonus players that we shouldn't ever have had in the first place (thanks, Isaiah!). How about this: Ben Wallace, Tyrus Thomas, Ben Gordon and draft picks? Lakers get a big-time defender (and earner) in Wallace to match up with the West's bigs (and Kobe's contract), they get a scorer to replace Kobe (though it's important to note that I'm not saying Gordon can replace Kobe's production) and they get a big man with a very high ceiling in Thomas. Plus, they get some draft compensation (probably going to be late in the round, but they can take a flyer on a Euro or two and wait a couple years for him/them to come over).

How far from equal value is that? 80 cents on the dollar?

The problem with that trade is that Kobe will veto it since it drains the Bulls' roster. By removing Wallace, Thomas and Gordon, the team looks something like this:

Starters: PJ Brown, Joe Smith, Luol Deng, Kobe Bryant, Kirk Hinrich

Bench: Joakim Noah, Chris Duhon, Andres Nocioni, Thabo Sefalosha, etc.

How much different is that roster from Chris Mihm, Lamar Odom, Kobe Bryant, Derek Fisher with guys like Jordan Farmar, Luke Walton, Kwame Brown and Andrew Bynum off the bench? It's basically the equivalent of the current Lakers in the East, perhaps a bit better defensively. That team goes from competing for a conference championship to a 2nd round knockout.

If I had to play the role of Paxon, I'd be doing exactly what he's doing now, that is, refusing to lose the team's long-term future for possible success this season (because even if the Bulls get Kobe, depending on who they have to trade, would that team still be good enough to beat a San Antonio, Dallas, Phoenix or Houston in the finals? I doubt it). If you've got to give up one of the young guys, I'd move Joakim Noah before Ty Thomas. Noah's a scrappy player, an energy boost and a solid rebounder, but he's never going to be more than a solid role player. He's too small to guard the bigger forwards and not quick enough to guard the smaller, faster forwards. He's got no post game and no jumper, so offensively it's like playing 5-on-4... granted the Bulls are like that with Ben Wallace, but his defensive presence makes it a fair trade off. The Bulls can do without Noah, I feel, more than they can do without Tyrus Thomas who just seems to have much more upside and basically serves the same role that Noah does, only better.

I just don't see a better situation than the proposed three-way with Sacramento. Everybody wins... LA gets Wallace (not in his prime, but good enough) and a 20-10 guy and lockdown defender in Artest (who isn't more of a headache than Kobe at this point), the Bulls get their man and Sacramento gets Ben Gordon and PJ Brown... meaning Chicago's roster doesn't get drained and Kobe would probably sign off on it.

Then the Bulls roster looks the same, except you're moving PJ Brown (who would still need to be signed) instead of Tyrus. Yeah, I'd rather have Tyrus long-term, but I think the Bulls still win the East with a starting five that includes Joe Smith, Deng, Kobe and Hinrich (who's severely underrated), and a bench that starts with Sixth Man of the Year candidate Nocioni, sparkplug Joakim Noah, big lockdown guard Thabo Sefolosha, Chris Duhon and Aaron Gray.

[VC//]

Keep Kobe away from the BULLS...damn it.

[CS85]

Deal is dead.

Kobe Bryant is not coming to the Bulls.

General manager John Paxson put an end to more than a week of feverish speculation, declaring, "There's not a deal to be done" in the Bryant sweepstakes following Thursday's practice.

"It's time to put it to rest," Paxson said.

Paxson had grown weary of responding to the endless speculation regarding Bryant's future and wanted to ease the minds of his team, which many consider an Eastern Conference favorite.

Paxson acknowledged having several conversations with the Lakers regarding Bryant but refused to divulge specifics. It's known that the Bulls engaged in multiple talks trying to engineer three-team trades, but nothing ever got close, Paxson said.

Paxson refused to say his team was distracted by the daily rumors regarding the incident, saying merely that the Bulls "played poorly" in Wednesday's season-opening loss the Nets.

But Paxson wanted to make sure the situation didn't become a distraction.

"Today sends a message that our guys don't have to worry about anything anymore," he said.

[TFoA]

Well it would've been idiotic of them to do it. They make that trade and they become the Chicago Lakers.