Lakers Lose Opener

The Los Angeles Lakers lost their season opener to the Houston Rockets 95-93. The Rockets led the game 92-80 with 1:36 to go before a series of turnovers would allow the Lakers in to game. With :21 seconds left in the game, Luke Walton stole the ball from Rafer Alston, which led to Kobe finding Derek Fisher for a wide open jumper to tie the game at 92 a piece. Shane Battier broke the tie with a clutch three pointer leaving 2.5 seconds left on the clock. The Rockets immediately fouled Kobe on the next inbound forcing him to miss the last free throw on purpose and the Lakers were unable to corral the rebound. Kobe ended the game with 45 points but on 13-32 shooting. Kobe had a career high in FT attempts (27) but went just 18-27 from the stripe. Kobe pulled in 8 rebounds, dished out 4 assists, and had 4 steals. The Lakers body language may prove that all of the off court drama is affecting their game. Kobe even managed to get booed in the introductions. Tracy McGrady dropped 30 points and Yao chipped in with 25 points and 12 rebounds. Lamar Odom was inactive for this game.

Dimwitted Cuban

Mark Cuban usually makes wise basketball decisions, but then there are those times when he says such an outlandish statement, that it makes you just scratch your head. According to The Dallas Morning News, Cuban said that he will not trade for Kobe Bryant if Dirk Nowitski is involved in the trade."If and when I talk to Jerry, I'll make it clear that we're not going to trade Dirk," Cuban told the newspaper. "And we're not going to dismantle our team. Kobe's one of the top players in the league. But without the right team around him, he's in the same position he was in Los Angeles."
"So you don't want to just shuffle the deck chairs. Either you're making an improvement to your team or you don't do it. And with a team that won 67 games last year, it's tough to improve significantly."
Before I totally rip Cuban let's just compare Dirk and Kobe.
Kobe Bryant is a like a cold-hearted snake, with no regard, and has a sick killer instinct. Not to mention Kobe is the best player in the world right now.
Dirk Nowitski is a soft, 7-footer who happens to know how to shoot. Dirk is not dependable in clutch situations and always chokes on the big stage.
I know that Dirk and Mark are good friends, but when you're Mark Cuban you have to make decisions that are best for your organization.
Laker fans don't want Dirk Nowitski, but Maverick fans have to be a little disappointed in Mark Cuban's decision. Trading Kobe for Dirk would instantly put the Mavericks as the favorites in the league. That's how much a Kobe-for Dirk trade would affect the league.

Ceaseless Boisterousness

Jerry Buss has now confirmed that he would "certainly listen" to trade offers for Kobe Bryant. A Kobe Bryant trade has never been more imminent. Jerry Buss's statements quote caught Kobe "off guard". The Lakers and Kobe had agreed not to mention "the situation" publicly anymore. That all changed when Jerry Buss decided to open his mouth. Trade rumors are running rampant. Kobe Bryant missed three consecutive practices and many believed it was to send a message to the Lakers. Then there was the rumor that Kobe cleaned out his locker. Kobe Bryant denied that he cleaned out his locker, Kobe claimed that he was simply reorganizing it. The Lakers and this entire situation is spiralling out of control. Being a Laker fan nowadays is almost becoming a chore. Day by day you here more and more stories that makes you wonder why you are still a Laker fan. Could Kobe really be traded? Could this really be happening? According to all the NBA Insiders, the two most likely destinations for Kobe to end up, if he were to be traded are Chicago and Dallas. Chicago would have to gut their nucleus of young players to acquire Kobe. A straight up Kobe-Nowitski trade could happen and this would solve the Mavericks dilemma of not having a killer instinct but Nowitski along side Lamar Odom would do the Lakers no good. The best case scenario is that Kobe stays and the Lakers surround him with enough talent for the Lakers to contend. The worst case scenario is that Kobe is traded.

I never want to see Kobe in a Bulls jersey....or in a Maverick jersey for that matter.

Eerie Silence

There is an eerie silence in Lakerland right now. After an eventful beginning to the offseason, the Lakers have not addressed the need to upgrade the current roster. While re-signing Derek Fisher bodes well for the Lakers' chemistry, and re-signing Luke Walton and Chris Mihm will somewhat stabilize the role players, the Lakers are still missing that supporting superstar to take the Lakers to the next level. The opportunities have been coming and yet the Lakers have not negotiated a trade to improve the roster. Many criticized Kobe for taking out his frustrations out on the Lakers, but when you can not trust you own organization and they insist on being mediocre, sometimes it's time for a change.Why haven't the Lakers acquired Jermaine O'Neal? Why are the Lakers so stubborn when it comes to giving up that damn Andrew Bynum? The Lakers' reluctance to give Bynum up will be their downfall. Phil Jackson has a big decision on his hands. Within the next four weeks Phil Jackson will reveal if he plans on re-signing with the Lakers or not (his current contract expires after this season). I personally hope Phil stays. Phil is just what Kobe needs to succeed and win his fourth championship.