Kobe Bryant: "I Would Like To Be Traded"
05-30-2007, 12:47 PM
#1
Im No Superman
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Arcadia, CA
Age: 38
Posts: 4,226
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Kobe Bryant: "I Would Like To Be Traded"
My friend called me when he heard it on espn radio this morning, the article is on ESPN.com
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2886927
The story lines that have engulfed the Los Angeles Lakers in the last week hit a crescendo Wednesday when Kobe Bryant said he would welcome a trade.
"I would like to be traded, yeah," Bryant said on 1050 ESPN Radio in New York. "Tough as it is to come to that conclusion there's no other alternative, you know?"
Bryant, interviewed by Stephen A. Smith, was asked if there was anything the Lakers could do to change his mind.
"No," Bryant said. "I just want them to do the right thing."
Earlier in the day, Bryant said team owner Jerry Buss masterminded the trade of Shaquille O'Neal -- and Shaq later confirmed Kobe's account.
The issues between Bryant and the Lakers have reached a boil, beginning with Bryant voicing his displeasure with the club's direction, his suggestion that Jerry West should return to fix things, West's statement that he has no intention of undermining GM/good friend Mitch Kupchak, and, unrelated but bizarre in its timing, Buss' arrest early Tuesday for investigation of driving under the influence of alcohol.
Bryant was left "beyond furious" by a report in Tuesday's Los Angeles Times that read, "as a Lakers insider notes, it was Bryant's insistence on getting away from Shaquille O'Neal that got them in this mess."
O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat after the 2003-04 season, and the long-held belief has been that the deteriorating relationship between O'Neal and Bryant was a factor in O'Neal's departure.
In response to the Times' story, Bryant, interviewed by Smith for a Philadelphia Inquirer column, said Buss "called a meeting with me after he spoke with Jim Gray [of ESPN] to talk with him about Shaq's future in the middle of the 2004 season.
"He met with me at the Four Seasons Hotel here [in Newport Beach, Calif.] across from Fashion Island, which is now the Island Hotel," Bryant told Smith. "I went up to his penthouse suite. [Buss] looks me dead in the face and says: 'Kobe, I am not going to re-sign Shaq. I am not about to pay him $30 million a year or $80 million over three years. No way in hell. I feel like he's getting older. His body is breaking down, and I don't want to pay that money to him when I can get value for him right now rather than wait.
"This is my decision. It's independent of you. My mind is made up. It doesn't matter to me what you do in free agency because I do not want to pay [Shaq], period.'"
"Dr. Buss said that," Bryant told Smith. "And I haven't said anything for years because I've always felt like folks were just looking to create controversy. Now I know. I realize what extent [the Lakers] will go to, to cover themselves."
Reached afterward, O'Neal told Smith that he believed his former teammate to be beyond reproach.
"I believe Kobe 100 percent," O'Neal said when reached in Los Angeles. "Absolutely. There's no doubt in my mind Kobe is telling the truth. I believe him a thousand percent.
"I would have respected Dr. Buss more as a man if he would have told me that himself, because I know he said it. But he didn't [tell me]. He never said a damn word to me."
Buss was unavailable for comment Tuesday, as was Kupchak. Buss, 74, was booked early Tuesday for investigation of drunken driving and driving with a blood alcohol content of 0.08 or above.
The Lakers missed the playoffs in the first season after O'Neal was dealt for Lamar Odom, Caron Butler, Brian Grant and a first-round pick, and have been eliminated in the first round the last two seasons. O'Neal and the Heat won the NBA championship last season.
"Sure, Shaq and I had our issues," Bryant told Smith. "So what! We always did and we won three titles. That doesn't change what was told to me. It doesn't change the fact I never, ever, said to get rid of him."
While Bryant re-signed for $136 million for seven years the day after O'Neal was traded, he has pushed for trades -- he wanted Carlos Boozer, then Jason Kidd, then Ron Artest -- that the Lakers were unable to pull off. Meanwhile, Odom has undergone shoulder surgery but is expected to be ready for training camp in October; Kwame Brown has undergone reconstructive surgery on his left ankle and might not be ready for the start of camp.
And now Bryant, who reportedly has made it clear to the Lakers that he may see fit to terminate his contract in two years, has told Smith he won't continue to wait for Buss to build the roster around him.
"Promises made to make this team better have not been kept," Bryant told Smith. "So where does that leave me?"
"I would like to be traded, yeah," Bryant said on 1050 ESPN Radio in New York. "Tough as it is to come to that conclusion there's no other alternative, you know?"
Bryant, interviewed by Stephen A. Smith, was asked if there was anything the Lakers could do to change his mind.
"No," Bryant said. "I just want them to do the right thing."
Earlier in the day, Bryant said team owner Jerry Buss masterminded the trade of Shaquille O'Neal -- and Shaq later confirmed Kobe's account.
The issues between Bryant and the Lakers have reached a boil, beginning with Bryant voicing his displeasure with the club's direction, his suggestion that Jerry West should return to fix things, West's statement that he has no intention of undermining GM/good friend Mitch Kupchak, and, unrelated but bizarre in its timing, Buss' arrest early Tuesday for investigation of driving under the influence of alcohol.
Bryant was left "beyond furious" by a report in Tuesday's Los Angeles Times that read, "as a Lakers insider notes, it was Bryant's insistence on getting away from Shaquille O'Neal that got them in this mess."
O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat after the 2003-04 season, and the long-held belief has been that the deteriorating relationship between O'Neal and Bryant was a factor in O'Neal's departure.
In response to the Times' story, Bryant, interviewed by Smith for a Philadelphia Inquirer column, said Buss "called a meeting with me after he spoke with Jim Gray [of ESPN] to talk with him about Shaq's future in the middle of the 2004 season.
"He met with me at the Four Seasons Hotel here [in Newport Beach, Calif.] across from Fashion Island, which is now the Island Hotel," Bryant told Smith. "I went up to his penthouse suite. [Buss] looks me dead in the face and says: 'Kobe, I am not going to re-sign Shaq. I am not about to pay him $30 million a year or $80 million over three years. No way in hell. I feel like he's getting older. His body is breaking down, and I don't want to pay that money to him when I can get value for him right now rather than wait.
"This is my decision. It's independent of you. My mind is made up. It doesn't matter to me what you do in free agency because I do not want to pay [Shaq], period.'"
"Dr. Buss said that," Bryant told Smith. "And I haven't said anything for years because I've always felt like folks were just looking to create controversy. Now I know. I realize what extent [the Lakers] will go to, to cover themselves."
Reached afterward, O'Neal told Smith that he believed his former teammate to be beyond reproach.
"I believe Kobe 100 percent," O'Neal said when reached in Los Angeles. "Absolutely. There's no doubt in my mind Kobe is telling the truth. I believe him a thousand percent.
"I would have respected Dr. Buss more as a man if he would have told me that himself, because I know he said it. But he didn't [tell me]. He never said a damn word to me."
Buss was unavailable for comment Tuesday, as was Kupchak. Buss, 74, was booked early Tuesday for investigation of drunken driving and driving with a blood alcohol content of 0.08 or above.
The Lakers missed the playoffs in the first season after O'Neal was dealt for Lamar Odom, Caron Butler, Brian Grant and a first-round pick, and have been eliminated in the first round the last two seasons. O'Neal and the Heat won the NBA championship last season.
"Sure, Shaq and I had our issues," Bryant told Smith. "So what! We always did and we won three titles. That doesn't change what was told to me. It doesn't change the fact I never, ever, said to get rid of him."
While Bryant re-signed for $136 million for seven years the day after O'Neal was traded, he has pushed for trades -- he wanted Carlos Boozer, then Jason Kidd, then Ron Artest -- that the Lakers were unable to pull off. Meanwhile, Odom has undergone shoulder surgery but is expected to be ready for training camp in October; Kwame Brown has undergone reconstructive surgery on his left ankle and might not be ready for the start of camp.
And now Bryant, who reportedly has made it clear to the Lakers that he may see fit to terminate his contract in two years, has told Smith he won't continue to wait for Buss to build the roster around him.
"Promises made to make this team better have not been kept," Bryant told Smith. "So where does that leave me?"
05-30-2007, 01:13 PM
#7
Senior Moderator
Originally Posted by synth19
I'll give you our #9 pick, Gordon, Noch, & Heinrich for Kobe. 
Are you nuts? The Bulls are some experience away from winning the East. Thats it.
Trending Topics
05-30-2007, 01:14 PM
#8
Senior Moderator
Originally Posted by SG81
Raptors 
The only Raptor that might draw any interest from the Lakers is Bosh. And still, it would have to be Bosh + + a lot for Kobe.
05-30-2007, 01:17 PM
#9
The sizzle in the Steak
05-30-2007, 01:21 PM
#11
Senior Moderator
Originally Posted by synth19
I'll give you our #9 pick, Gordon, Noch, & Heinrich for Kobe.
...? No freaking way. The Bulls need an inside presence anyhow...Kobe may bring more offense but he's not going to bring a title to Chicago.
05-30-2007, 01:22 PM
#12
Senior Moderator
Originally Posted by dom
The only Raptor that might draw any interest from the Lakers is Bosh. And still, it would have to be Bosh + + a lot for Kobe.
Bosh and Bargniani for Kobe
05-30-2007, 01:24 PM
#14
Senior Moderator
Yes, we do need an inside presence... but these folks are expendible IMO when you have Kobe. I hate Gordon.
Originally Posted by Yumchah
Dude, are you ...? No freaking way.
The Bulls need an inside presence anyhow...Kobe may bring more offense but he's not going to bring a title to Chicago.
...? No freaking way. The Bulls need an inside presence anyhow...Kobe may bring more offense but he's not going to bring a title to Chicago.
05-30-2007, 01:36 PM
#17
Senior Moderator
Okay...I'm a bit puzzled with the article quoted above. Why's the player furious about the story by that Laker insider who claimed that it was Kobe who wanted Shaq out of LA...? Hasn't Shaq been alluding to Kobe wanting him out since he joined Miami...? Didn't Phil Jackson say pretty much the same thing as well...?
I'm not sure I get what Kobe is throwing a tantrum about then...?
And also, what IS it these days with athletes who just can't honor a bloody contract they signed...? If it is indeed true about the PAST reports that Kobe wanting to be "THE MAN and ONLY MAN" on the Lakers, he got his wish by having Shaq moving on to the Heat. Is his rich contract suddenly not enough for the mess he created upon himself?
Meh...I say keep him in LA.
I'm not sure I get what Kobe is throwing a tantrum about then...?
And also, what IS it these days with athletes who just can't honor a bloody contract they signed...? If it is indeed true about the PAST reports that Kobe wanting to be "THE MAN and ONLY MAN" on the Lakers, he got his wish by having Shaq moving on to the Heat. Is his rich contract suddenly not enough for the mess he created upon himself?
Meh...I say keep him in LA.
05-30-2007, 01:39 PM
#18
Safety Car
Originally Posted by hornyleprechaun
Atl!
05-30-2007, 01:44 PM
#23
Senior Moderator
Originally Posted by SG81
i bet he goes to the Knicks 
That'd be priceless.
05-30-2007, 01:46 PM
#24
Three Wheelin'
Join Date: Sep 2003
Posts: 1,549
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by Yumchah
Okay...I'm a bit puzzled with the article quoted above. Why's the player furious about the story by that Laker insider who claimed that it was Kobe who wanted Shaq out of LA...? Hasn't Shaq been alluding to Kobe wanting him out since he joined Miami...? Didn't Phil Jackson say pretty much the same thing as well...?
I'm not sure I get what Kobe is throwing a tantrum about then...?
And also, what IS it these days with athletes who just can't honor a bloody contract they signed...? If it is indeed true about the PAST reports that Kobe wanting to be "THE MAN and ONLY MAN" on the Lakers, he got his wish by having Shaq moving on to the Heat. Is his rich contract suddenly not enough for the mess he created upon himself?
Meh...I say keep him in LA.
I'm not sure I get what Kobe is throwing a tantrum about then...?
And also, what IS it these days with athletes who just can't honor a bloody contract they signed...? If it is indeed true about the PAST reports that Kobe wanting to be "THE MAN and ONLY MAN" on the Lakers, he got his wish by having Shaq moving on to the Heat. Is his rich contract suddenly not enough for the mess he created upon himself?
Meh...I say keep him in LA.
Buss tells him they'll build contender, but at the same time tell's Phil that they're rebuilding.. Kobe finds out and
05-30-2007, 01:51 PM
#26
Senior Moderator
Originally Posted by chinoz
I think what Kobe is pissed about is that..
Buss tells him they'll build contender, but at the same time tell's Phil that they're rebuilding.. Kobe finds out and
Buss tells him they'll build contender, but at the same time tell's Phil that they're rebuilding.. Kobe finds out and
Like I said, I'm quite sure Kobe knew of the mess he was getting himself into when Shaq went to Miami. And if it takes Mr. Bryant that long to figure out that passing the ball to himself to get a bucket or two or setting some scoring streak record in team sport means nothing in generating success in the standings/titles, he's a retard.
05-30-2007, 01:54 PM
#27
Three Wheelin'
Join Date: Sep 2003
Posts: 1,549
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by Yumchah
It took him this long to figure out he's in a mess after Shaq was ousted...?
Like I said, I'm quite sure Kobe knew of the mess he was getting himself into when Shaq went to Miami. And if it takes Mr. Bryant that long to figure out that passing the ball to himself to get a bucket or two or setting some scoring streak record in team sport means nothing in generating success in the standings/titles, he's a retard.
Like I said, I'm quite sure Kobe knew of the mess he was getting himself into when Shaq went to Miami. And if it takes Mr. Bryant that long to figure out that passing the ball to himself to get a bucket or two or setting some scoring streak record in team sport means nothing in generating success in the standings/titles, he's a retard.
All I know is that it's going to be a great off season!
05-30-2007, 01:55 PM
#28
What Would Don Draper Do?
kobe should have at least figured out the lakers are going in rebuilding mode after drafting bynum.
i really don't care where he ends up. he's still a jordan stan.
...but i'll trade mcgrady, juwan, rafer, luther head, our first round pick, and everyone else (but yao and battier)...
i really don't care where he ends up. he's still a jordan stan.
...but i'll trade mcgrady, juwan, rafer, luther head, our first round pick, and everyone else (but yao and battier)...
05-30-2007, 02:02 PM
#29
I can't find my garage
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: SoCal
Age: 35
Posts: 4,688
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
kobe, like garnett, is such a hard person to trade. i honestly think he'll stay in LA. i like lakers i like kobe, therefore i would love to see him stay. but if tradin him away can benefit both the lakers And kobe, im all for it!
05-30-2007, 02:06 PM
#30
__B-Series-ous__
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: --==TEXAS==--
Age: 46
Posts: 590
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by mltk53
kobe, like garnett, is such a hard person to trade. i honestly think he'll stay in LA. i like lakers i like kobe, therefore i would love to see him stay. but if tradin him away can benefit both the lakers And kobe, im all for it!
or...
Dirk from Dallas for Kobe... im telling you that may happen!
05-30-2007, 02:10 PM
#31
What Would Don Draper Do?
Originally Posted by mltk53
kobe, like garnett, is such a hard person to trade. i honestly think he'll stay in LA. i like lakers i like kobe, therefore i would love to see him stay. but if tradin him away can benefit both the lakers And kobe, im all for it!
these days, the player has more clout than the team. if a player wants a trade bad enough, the team will trade him. it's just where and who do you get in return that will be the questions.
05-30-2007, 02:10 PM
#32
Just dial 1911
Join Date: May 2004
Location: San Diego, CA
Age: 49
Posts: 12,144
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like
on
1 Post
This thread is hilarious. Normally Kobe is bashed for being a selfless ball hog, but the second there's a hint of a trade you guys are licking your chops hoping he'll come to your team.
Oh, and some of you guys who are suggesting one to one trades are out of your minds.
Oh, and some of you guys who are suggesting one to one trades are out of your minds.
05-30-2007, 02:13 PM
#33
What Would Don Draper Do?
Originally Posted by B16A2/EG6
Suns… Leandro Barbosa and Shawn Marion for Kobe or maybe even Amare Stoudemire for Kobe…
or...
Dirk from Dallas for Kobe... im telling you that may happen!
or...
Dirk from Dallas for Kobe... im telling you that may happen!
1. the suns aren't gonna be able to pay nash, amare, marion, etc max contracts. there were talks last week about the suns entertaining the thought of trading amare.
2. with mark cuban, i wouldn't be surprised by anything. and i'm sure there are doubts now if dirk really is the man to lead the suns.
05-30-2007, 02:17 PM
#35
J M U ... DUUUKEESSSS
iTrader: (1)
I doubt he'll be traded, I'm sure Buss and Kobe will meet/talk and everything will get worked out.... he stays a laker... Plus, it's harder now for talented players like Kobe to stay with a team for their whole career....
No doubt that if he does get traded, it should be really interesting where he goes and how he interacts/adds to his new team.
No doubt that if he does get traded, it should be really interesting where he goes and how he interacts/adds to his new team.
05-30-2007, 02:19 PM
#37
Senior Moderator
Originally Posted by joerockt
This thread is hilarious. Normally Kobe is bashed for being a selfless ball hog, but the second there's a hint of a trade you guys are licking your chops hoping he'll come to your team.
Oh, and some of you guys who are suggesting one to one trades are out of your minds.
Oh, and some of you guys who are suggesting one to one trades are out of your minds.
05-30-2007, 02:19 PM
#38
...
Join Date: Mar 2006
Age: 42
Posts: 14,398
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by joerockt
This thread is hilarious. Normally Kobe is bashed for being a selfless ball hog, but the second there's a hint of a trade you guys are licking your chops hoping he'll come to your team.
Oh, and some of you guys who are suggesting one to one trades are out of your minds.
Oh, and some of you guys who are suggesting one to one trades are out of your minds.
so true