Kobe's Right About Lakers Management
NBA Commissioner David Stern's effect on the 2011-2012 Lakers' season continues to play itself out.
Since the once-faultless leader of the league placated cry-baby Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert and rescinded the trade that would have sent Chris Paul to the Lakers, Lamar Odom to the Hornets and Pau Gasol to the Rockets, the ripples have turned a near-championship squad into also-ran's and shrouded the team in turmoil.
Immediately after Stern's decision, Odom's feelings were hurt and the weak, psychologically fragile Odom showed himself again- necessitating a trade to the Dallas Mavericks.
And since then, with the fate of eventual free-agent Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard dangling in the breeze, the rumors regarding Gasol's future in Los Angeles have persisted.
And now Kobe Bryant has had enough. There was this the other day:
And last night Kobe showed his frustration even more, telling the front office to crap or get off the pot, so to speak.
I could justify trading either Gasol or Odom for a player like Paul. Even Howard would merit some thought, as I am still not impressed with the actual basketball skill displayed offensively by him. To lose both does the Lakers no good and would weaken the overall roster.
Trading for Howard makes no sense for this team, as the season has shown that a true Point Guard is their biggest deficiency. Derek Fisher, who has has a storied career, is showing rust. Whether it be from being the face of the NBPA during the lockout or just plain Father Time claiming another victim, it's clear he can no longer be considered a viable option as a starter. To be honest, it was obvious last year in the playoffs watching him get torched by JJ Barea time and time again.
So Kobe's right: the front office needs to make a decision. More importantly, Mitch Kupchak needs to make the right decision. Keep Gasol and come out and say so. Put an end to all this uncertainty so the team- and more importantly Gasol himself- can just focus on basketball.
And the rest of us can resume yelling and screaming at Stern for denying the Lakers the point guard they negotiated for in the first place.
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