Bryant Rumors Heat Up

RUMOR HAS IT…
In this week's section geared exclusively towards the latest rumors floating around the NBA…

Kobe and Dr. Buss: Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers continue to be the center of attention as the regular season rapidly approaches. It looked like an uneasy peace was reached when Kobe Bryant showed for training camp despite his standing trade request.

The Los Angeles Lakers hoped for a strong start and a possible midseason trade to bolster the roster - thus convincing Kobe Bryant to eventually rescind his demand.

When owner Dr. Jerry Buss spoke last week to reporters (admitting that Kobe Bryant was no longer untouchable), Buss broke media silence that Kobe Bryant felt was agreed to by both parties. Whether that was done intentionally or inadvertently by Buss, suffice to say it did not sit well with the Laker All-Star.

Now Kobe Bryant has been sitting out practices nursing his "knee." His agent Rob Pelinka was seen by reporters at the team's headquarters in El Segundo. His status for the next preseason game in Bakersfield is uncertain.

The vibe has changed from "if" - to "when" and "where."

Kobe Bryant isn't going to hold out - if the process takes as long as expected it's probable he has not played his last game in LA - but his days as a Laker appear to be numbered.

Inertia: Translating the desire to make a move into an actual move is a difficult process. The inertia of a Kobe Bryant trade has been a slow moving iceberg since before the draft in June. A number of teams are very interested - the two mentioned most often are the Chicago Bulls and Dallas Mavericks.

Having learned the hard way after trading Shaquille O'Neal for less than value - the Los Angeles Lakers are said to have taken a stand: No Luol Deng - No Kobe Bryant. No Dirk Nowitzki - No Kobe Bryant.

To date the Bulls have held fast on Deng - the Mavs certainly aren't trading Nowitzki.

Complicating matters for Bulls' General Manager John Paxson is not just his attachment to Deng but the additional players he'd have to send. The Los Angeles Lakers would like to start with Kirk Hinrich and Deng, but being that Deng may be too much for Paxson - it'd probably be a Deng/Ben Gordon core with additional pieces to match salary (certainly Joakim Noah would be of interest). For now it's nothing doing until either party gives way on Deng.

The Mavericks might offer the world outside of Nowitzki - but it could take Josh Howard, Jason Terry and/or Devin Harris to entice a third team to give up a suitable All-Star to the Los Angeles Lakers. Multi-team trades are often complicated - and Dallas would need to keep enough talent to surround Kobe Bryant and Nowitzki with enough complimentary pieces to compete.

Speculatively, perhaps the Utah Jazz might be interested in Terry if the Los Angeles Lakers will take on Andrei Kirilenko along with a player like Howard. Of course that assumes the Mavericks are willing to pay that price . . . or that the Los Angeles Lakers would even consider such a package.

Other teams will certainly enter the fray but it's going to take a lot for the Los Angeles Lakers to move Kobe Bryant - even if it has become inevitable that he doesn't finish his career in the purple and gold. Complicating matters further is Kobe Bryant's no-trade clause which can veto any progress the Los Angeles Lakers make if he doesn't deem it suitable.

Unless something gives, this may be a very long, drawn out process.

Celtics/Batista Part Ways: After a complicated courtship this summer, the Boston Celtics waived forward-center Esteban Batista. Despite not making much of a dent with the Atlanta Hawks last season, a monster FIBA tournament (20.8 ppg, 12.4 rpg) made Batista somewhat of a hot commodity late in the summer. Teams like the Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns, and Indiana Pacers were in pursuit. Originally Batista turned down the Celtics before reconsidering.

The move is surprising considering how thin the Celtics are at center with the young Kendrick Perkins and the aging Scot Pollard. No one on the roster is a legitimate 7'0" - which means Boston will need to play Kevin Garnett, Leon Powe (6'8") and Glen "Big Baby" Davis (6'9") at the five.

It's not clear if the Celtics are looking elsewhere for size but while Batista has potential - his defensive game is not NBA ready at this time. The Celtics are in win-now mode and apparently decided the roster spot was too valuable for a project.

Expect to see Batista get another shot in the league before long.

Chris Bosh's Knee: After participating in the Toronto Raptors first two preseason games in Italy, Chris Bosh shut things down briefly to nurse a sore left knee (the same knee he hurt last season). He "tweaked" the knee in a scrimmage on October 3rd resulting in swelling and discomfort. He isn't expected to be sidelined much longer but it has to be a concern. Bosh did take the summer off from the Team USA to recover from plantar fasciitis - hopefully the knee won't continue to be a factor.

Like the Raptors, the Los Angeles Clippers had returned to the playoffs after a lull - but their star power forward Elton Brand wasn't quite healthy the following season (and LA would miss the postseason). The Raptors need to use the Los Angeles Clippers as a cautionary tale. Toronto snuck up and won the Atlantic Division last season (which has since improved) - no one will be taking the Raptors lightly this time around.