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| Bryant asks for trade; says Buss mastermined trading O'Neal ESPN.com news services Updated: May 30, 2007, 12:56 PM ET The story lines that have engulfed the Los Angeles Lakers in the last week hit a crescendo Wednesday when Kobe Bryant said he would welcome a trade. "I would like to be traded, yeah," Bryant said on 1050 ESPN Radio in New York. "Tough as it is to come to that conclusion there's no other alternative, you know?" Bryant, interviewed by Stephen A. Smith, was asked if there was anything the Lakers could do to change his mind? "No," Bryan said. "I just want them to do the right thing." Earlier in the day, Bryant said team owner Jerry Buss masterminded the trade of Shaquille O'Neal -- and Shaq later confirming Kobe's account. The issues between Bryant and the Lakers have reached a boil, beginning with Bryant voicing his displeasure with the club's direction, his suggestion that Jerry West should return to fix things, West's statement that he has no intention of undermining GM/good friend Mitch Kupchak, and, unrelated but bizarre in its timing, Buss' arrest early Tuesday for investigation of driving under the influence of alcohol. Bryant was left "beyond furious" by a report in Tuesday's Los Angeles Times that read, "as a Lakers insider notes, it was Bryant's insistence on getting away from Shaquille O'Neal that got them in this mess." Kobe Bryant talks about the past, present and future of the Lakers while addressing reports that he may want to be traded. Listen O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat after the 2003-04 season, and the long-held belief has been that the deteriorating relationship between O'Neal and Bryant was a factor in O'Neal's departure. In response to the Times' story, Bryant, interviewed by Smith for a Philadelphia Inquirer column, said Buss "called a meeting with me after he spoke with Jim Gray [of ESPN] to talk with him about Shaq's future in the middle of the 2004 season. "He met with me at the Four Seasons Hotel here [in Los Angeles] across from Fashion Island, which is now the Island Hotel," Bryant told Smith. "I went up to his penthouse suite. [Buss] looks me dead in the face and says: 'Kobe, I am not going to re-sign Shaq. I am not about to pay him $30 million a year or $80 million over three years. No way in hell. I feel like he's getting older. His body is breaking down, and I don't want to pay that money to him when I can get value for him right now rather than wait. "This is my decision. It's independent of you. My mind is made up. It doesn't matter to me what you do in free agency because I do not want to pay [Shaq], period.' " "Dr. Buss said that," Bryant told Smith. "And I haven't said anything for years because I've always felt like folks were just looking to create controversy. Now I know. I realize what extent [the Lakers] will go to, to cover themselves." Reached afterward, O'Neal told Smith that be believed his former teammate beyond reproach. "I believe Kobe 100 percent," O'Neal said when reached in Los Angeles. "Absolutely. There's no doubt in my mind Kobe is telling the truth. I believe him a thousand percent. "I would have respected Dr. Buss more as a man if he would have told me that himself, because I know he said it. But he didn't [tell me]. He never said a damn word to me." Buss was unavailable for comment Tuesday, as was Kupchak. Buss, 74, was booked early Tuesday for investigation of drunken driving and driving with a blood alcohol content of 0.08 or above. The Lakers missed the playoffs in the first season after O'Neal was dealt for Lamar Odom, Caron Butler, Brian Grant, and a first-round pick, and have been eliminated in the first round the last two seasons. O'Neal and the Heat won the NBA championship last season. "Sure, Shaq and I had our issues," Bryant told Smith. "So what! We always did and we won three titles. That doesn't change what was told to me. It doesn't change the fact I never, ever, said to get rid of him." While Bryant re-signed for $136 million for seven years the day after O'Neal was traded, he has pushed for trades -- he wanted Carlos Boozer, then Jason Kidd, then Ron Artest -- that the Lakers were unable to pull off. Meanwhile, Odom has undergone shoulder surgery but is expected to be ready for training camp in October, Kwame Brown has undergone reconstructive surgery on his left ankle and might not be ready for the start of camp. And now Bryant, who reportedly has made it clear to the Lakers that he may see fit to terminate his contract in two years, told Smith he wouldn't continue to wait for Buss to build the roster around him. "Promises made to make this team better have not been kept," Bryant told Smith. "So where does that leave me?" |
| QUOTE (Strider @ May 30 2007, 04:53 PM) |
| You trade Curry, Lee and Crawford and the team will still suck and Kobe will be complaining. You'd have to work it without including Curry. The package would start with Crawford, Lee/Frye, Balkman and future draft picks. And you might have to throw in Marbury because LA's got no point guard. But I don't see the Lakers doing it, unless they wanna make another retarded Kwame Brown-esque trade. If you're trading Kobe, you better be getting good youngsters + an expiring contract or two. They'll wanna clear cap and make a run at another superstar. The Knicks don't have expiring deals though. |
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| He has a NO TRADE clause. |
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| I hope the club suspends him for his comments. I would. |
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| He was supposed to be the next Michael Jordon, well he is not. |
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| STEPHON: I'D BE OK WITH KOBE By MARC BERMAN June 17, 2007 -- Stephon Marbury opened his wallet to New York City policemen, firemen and teachers yesterday and opened his arms to Kobe Bryant becoming a Knick. In an appearance yesterday in Marbury's hometown Coney Island, he announced a series of $1 million donations then addressed the brewing Bryant saga, saying the NBA would benefit greatly if Isiah Thomas secured the Lakers' star. Yesterday, Bryant met with Lakers owner Jerry Buss in Barcelona, Spain, with the L.A. Times reporting Bryant restated his trade demands. The report said Buss warned Bryant a trade would be a long-term process. "Hey, I'm not opposed to it," Marbury said with a laugh. "I want to be clear-cut. I'm not opposed to it." Presiding over opening ceremonies at the annual Stephon Marbury Basketball Classic at Surfside Gardens, the Knicks point guard said he believes the NBA could use a jolt after the Spurs swept to their fourth title in nine years in the lowest-rated NBA Finals. "New York would be dynamite for [Kobe]," Marbury said. "This would be someplace where basketball would become the biggest and highest of the high for the NBA. It will help the game in a tremendous way because that would give New York that solidification . . . where you look at the Knicks as, oh, man, that's the team again. There's still a search for that team that people want to follow." It is believed the Lakers would ship Bryant to the Eastern Conference, and the Bulls and Knicks appear to be his preferences. Thomas said he will keep Eddy Curry out of any offer, but David Lee, Channing Frye and Jamal Crawford would be on the table. Bryant has a no-trade clause, making it easier for him to go where he wants. Marbury said he is allocating profits from his $14.98 Starbury sneakers and upcoming children's books to make $1 million donations to the NYPD, fire department, EMT and New York City teachers. "Being able to help those programs that would allow EMS to hire 2-3 people, if it saves more lives, I'm down for that," Marbury said. "I felt compelled to do that." Marbury has added a new wrinkle to his summer-long basketball tournament, with players required to read three books and write an essay. Marbury, who has two years and $42 million left on his contract, made a $10,000 donation to the Brooklyn Public Library two weeks ago. marc.berman@nypost.com |
| QUOTE (TomSelleck @ Jun 17 2007, 05:37 PM) |
| Nate Robinson and Channing Frye for Kobe Bryant TRADE ACCEPTED |