Chicagoist: Enough With the Kobe Talk

Chuck Sudo

Thu, 18 Oct 2007 12:22:05 -0600

Kobe's selfishly trying to do his best to get out of the mess that he made. The mess that the Lakers are in is the result of Jerry Buss sucking up to Kobe, and now that it looks like they won't return to championship glory in his physical prime, he wants out. While the Bulls definitely have the trade bait and contracts to match Kobe's money, it would leave them thin on talent, Kobe no closer to returning to the finals, and the Bulls having to rebuild, again. The sportswriters in this town seem to forget that it took the Jordan-led Bulls seven years to reach the NBA Finals. The second three-peat had one of the deepest benches ever assembled. This current squad has its flaws, but they have a very flexible bench, geared toward deep playoff runs. Let's hope Mariotti, Downey, Couch et al remember that if the Bulls get start the season strong.

Andy Sternberg

Thu, 18 Oct 2007 12:08:25 -0600

I agree that Downey's column was totally moronic. Leave crazy speculative trade talk to Cubs or Bears coverage, the Bulls are the only ones who appear to be in good shape at this point (I know, the season hasn't even started). Bottom line -- last year they gave away Chandler for P.J. Brown, which not only left us thin when Wallace was injured... Brown didn't even bother showing up except for one half of one of those last playoff games. Now we'll get to watch Chandler hit double-doubles for the rest of his career. Kobe doesn't deserve ANY of the Jordan comparisons, much less the privilege of wearing the same uniform. I definitely don't want to spend the next ten years regretting giving away the likes of Gordon, Hinrich, Thomas and whoever else. Skiles ain't gonna pretend to coach Bryant, and I doubt that Pax would even think about it for a second.

Bud Selig

Thu, 18 Oct 2007 10:02:34 -0600

Sports reporters jumped the gun a little this week. Kobe didn't clean out his locker -- he CLEANED his locker. http://deadspin.com/sports/great-moments-in-media/the-journalists-is-smart-and-diligent-311814.php If the Bulls decide to make a big trade, good for them, but trading most of your team for one excellent player is a terrible idea. I hope this rumor just dies a quiet death. Mike Downey is an idiot for trying to feed the fire, while Jay Marriotti was an idiot long before this latest column.