Kobe's Beef

By now you've heard the news. Kobe Bryant says he wants off of the Lake Show. He says he feels betrayed by the organization as a "Lakers Insider" went on record with the "Kobe forced Shaq out of LA" blast. Kobe also says he was lied to about the direction the team was going when he resigned.

Let me break this down for you. Kobe Bryant isn't going anywhere. In fact, I don't think he wants to go anywhere.

For starters, he's wanted to be "the man" in LA the whole time. Bryant today revealed that owner Jerry Buss told him that there was no way that he was going to resign Shaq in 2004; that it was simply way too much money for a player of Shaq's age and physical condition. That may be true, but Kobe didn't exactly stand up and say, "You can't get rid of him. If he goes, I go." Instead, Kobe resigned with the Lakers after weighing offers from other teams around the league that summer.

As for the lying about rebuilding the team, I think he's telling the truth, but actions speak louder than words. Shaq was traded Miami for Lamar Odom, Caron Butler, Brian Grant and a 1st round pick BEFORE Kobe put pen to paper on his deal in LA. Did he think that trio was going to bring another championship to LA? Yet there was Kobe, signing his contract shortly after the trade, and that contract has further hamstrung the Lakers. At an average of nearly $20 million per year for Kobe with a luxury tax threshold of around $60 million at the time, how were the Lakers going to pay any quality players to play with him?

The result? A predictable 3 years of frustration. The Lakers have been a fringe playoff team ever since, and now Kobe says he wants out. Well, it's not going to happen.

First of all, there's no one outside of Dwayne Wade and Lebron James that would be equal value for Kobe. And the thought of getting a few players back and making the team better is noble, but star power sells seats in LA.

This is about one thing - getting Jerry West back in the fold. West might be the only executive in the league that Kobe trusts right now, and his history of success is well documented. West's return would spell the end for the Lakers current GM, Mitch Kupchak, and based on the deals he's made since the summer of 2004, he deserves to be shown the door. Like trading Caron Butler (you remember him from the Shaq deal) to the Wizards for Kwame Brown. Butler has become an all-star, while Brown has been both injured and insignificant.

So don't worry, Kobe fans. You don't need to retire that yellow #24 jersey just yet. Expect Bryant to be there when the season starts in late October. Just don't expect to see the same front office.