Okay, so Kobe seems to have cooled off his initial trade demands after "talking to Phil Jackson":
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.
So let's make some sense of this. Kobe is coming back to the Lakers, which is still his best (and most comfortable) option. But now he's let the Laker's organization know how easily he could crush them publicly, and withdrew quick enough to avoid the any backlash the organization and its media relations department could draw up. Mamba for three!
What did Kobe get? Probably more control over the decision making of the franchise. If Jerry West isn't hired (and he isn't likely to come back, which you have to believe Kobe knew already and took into consideration when he went public), then you have to believe Kobe will be having some input into the offseason decision making. Sort of like Kevin Garnett in Minnesota.
Kobe wants some help - that's undisputable. He wants to win now, in his prime, not three or four years down the line. That's why the Lakers' drafting of Andrew Bynum has bothered him for a while. At first, I imagine, Kobe wrote it off as a smart pick, and that they would showcase Bynum, his value would go up, and then Andrew would be used as the centerpiece in a major trade to land immediate help. It seemed to be working... Bynum for Kidd was a strong possibility at the trading deadline last season. But the Lakers did nothing, and the second half of the season was a futile waste of time. Kobe's team had a losing streak, Kobe went off for 50 points several games in a row, but in the end none of it mattered. Phil Jackson stopped coaching and caring. The team rolled over and played worse in the playoffs against the same Suns team they had almost upset the year before.
Kobe does not want to waste another season waiting for Farmer, and Bynum, to mature. He's an old 29. His body is breaking down, and when you start to approach that big, round 30 year old mark, you tend to start thinking about the goals that are important to you. Especially athletes, knowing they won't be on top for much longer.
Look for the Lakers to make a trade this offseason. No, it won't be Kevin Garnett - the T-Wolves can't move Garnett, not for whatever the Lakers have to offer. My opinion? The Pacers trade Jermaine O'Neal to the Lakers for Bynum plus. That doesn't really work straight up due to salaries, so there may be a third team involved (my thinking - the Knicks shift Steve Francis to the Lakers, and get back some of the awful contracts from Indy - probably Jamaal Tinsley; maybe Channing Frye and Marquis Daniels also get involve, or Malik Rose's contract, but you get the general idea).
I will say this: either Kobe or Bynum will not be on the Lakers next season. Which one do you think the Lakers will keep? Exactly....
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