So the Lakers don't know what to do with their disgruntled super star. Apparently they have been in talks with the Bulls every day. The Lakers are asking for Luol Deng, Ben Gordon, Tyrus Thomas, Joakim Noah, and someone else to match salaries, not to mention probably at least one first rounder. Now as far as equal value goes, this isn't bad. As far as probability, it's crap. No way do the Bulls get rid of a bunch of young good players. And, no way Kobe gets rid of his no trade clause to play on a team that might be worse than his current situation.
I think for this to actually happen, the Lakers need to concede Luol Deng. If they get Gordon, Thomas, Noah, another decent player, and first rounder I think the Lakers should take it. This leaves Kobe with Kirk Hinrich, Luol Deng and Ben Wallace. That's not a bad start for a team. In turn, the Lakers get something out of Kobe before his value drops next year and before he walks the year after. The Lakers would have a lineup somewhere along the lines of Derek Fisher, Ben Gordon, Lamar Odom, Tyrus Thomas, and Andrew Bynum/Kwame Brown/Noah. I don't think that's a terrible team. It could certainly make the playoffs, with one or two guys stepping up even just a little bit. The Bulls instantly become the East Rivals of the Celtics, making for a good matchup.
Speaking of that matchup, let's go through position by position and see who wins.
Point Guard: Rajon Rando VS. Kirk Hinrich
Hinrich wins big. Even if Hinrich wasn't a good defensive player, Rondo might not touch metal in this one.
Shooting Guard: Ray Allen VS. Kobe Bryant
Ummmm.... do you have to ask? Ray Allen isn't bad, but I wouldn't have him covering Kobe. Kobe can go out there and break ankles. And with old man Allen, he might actually break them.
Small Forward: Paul Pierce VS. Luol Deng
Deng gets a lot of attention and people believe he is a rising star about to explode. But I'll take the guy who's already a star. And, oh yeah, he got stabbed and lived to ball about it. Pierce, by a solid margin.
Power Forward: The Big Ticket VS. Andres Nocioni
This is the biggest mismatch in the whole game. Fortunately for the Bulls, Nocioni won't be guarding KG. But as far as the position goes, KG dominates in every way imaginable.
Center: Kendrick Perkins VS. Ben Wallace
Ben Wallace is great on defense but can't do much on offense, although that might change if Kobe dishes him the ball under the hoop. Oh wait, if Kobe gets anywhere close to the hoop he's shooting it, right? Eh, who cares, he has a better chance of either making the basket or free throws than wallace anyway. Kendrick Perkins is a body. He'll get garbage buckets and rebounds because everyone will be keying on the other guys. Wallace wins. Also, Wallace would be on Garnett and Nocioni would be on Perkins.
In the end I think Kobe's 40 points, Deng's 18 and Hinrich's solid contributions across the board make the difference. Ray Allen probably scores twenty in the first half because Kobe is slacking off him a little too much to help out on other guys. KG goes for 22, 12, and 5, because that's what he does. But I think Kobe turns up the D in the second half and makes Allen or Pierce work on defense trying to stop him to tire them out on offense. This, as well as Kobe going as Ray Allen's jock strap for Halloween, leads to Allen going cold. Final minutes, Hinrich guards Allen, Kobe on Pierce, Wallace on KG, Nocioni on Perkins, and Luol Deng double teams the ball because they don't have to worry about Rondo making a shot from farther out than the defensive circle under the hoop. Last shot goes to Pierce, and there's no way in hell Kobe let's him get off a shot that doesn't look like a sixth grader pretending he's Paul Pierce.
I'd take the Bulls to win over the Spurs in the finals in six games, with Kobe winning it by pushing off Bruce Bowen to hit the game winner at the top of the key. The NBA considers changing the call but then realizes the last time a Bulls player won game six and the finals with a last second push off at the top of the key jumper, it was MJ. Air Kobe's are born. MJ is forgotten in three years, after Kobe wills the Bulls to 73 wins and for the second time Kobe has gone for a threepeat (Lakers and Bulls, and he actually goes on to win four straight. Jordan ever win four straight?). And the best player in the league finally wins some hardware with just his name on it and everyone realizes Kobe is the best basketball player ever.
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2 comments:
And then you wake up from your dream. I wouldnt put hinrich that far ahead of Rondo. Rondo has excellet defense and will lead the league in steals this year. He will give hinrich a headache. The front court will be dominated by the C's in this match up also. Perkins is an above average defender and will pick his spots to score from all the opens due to the focus on the big three. With Nocioni on him it will only make it easier. Peirce will be defending Kobe and will do a good job at it. His offense will probably suffer due to his focus on defense during this series. If Deng becomes a problem Tony Allen or Posey will be off the bench to spell Ray Allen. I think the C's would still win in a series since they couldnt handle KG in the post, thus opening everything else up. It would be a fun series for sure.
I want to see Deng double down with E House in the game. How many three point bombs is he going to nail, before you have to go back to single coverage. Wide open looks for house all day everyday. Rondo can't shoot at all but he's above average in every other thing. No way henrich is going to dominate rondo.
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