Will Kobe opt out and sign with the Blazers if the Lakers get owned in 2009?

[Turf Hitta]

LOL there's no way A) Kobe would sign in Portland or B) Portland would sign Kobe. It simply wouldn't happen. Portland will be as much as 30 million under the cap in 09, so theoretically it could happen, but Kevin Pritchard places a very high premium on character (ie not publicly berating team mates, no rape cases, no prima donna attitude, no huge ego, etc) so while his talent is undeniable, its just not a good match from either side. Its not like we'll even need Kobe anyway. Chris Paul is more likely, but that is likely as much out of the question as Kobe because he's probably going to sign a huge extension before he becomes a free agent anyway. Igoudala wouldn't be too bad for a long term option at the 3 though.

LMAO@thinking Kevin Pritchard wouldn't shit his pants if he had a shot at Kobe...ahahahahahahah. That's like saying the Knicks wouldn't have wanted MJ on their team in the 90s.

Trust me, if you knew anything at all about KP its that he will pass on great talent if the guy doesn't fit the culture of the team. He believes team chemistry is more important than the talent of any one player. He says as much in almost every interview he's in. For example:

http://espnradio.espn.go.com/espnradio/podcast/index

Sorry to bust your bubble, but not everyone thinks of Kobe as highly as you do.

Everyone who knows a thing or two about Kobe knows he's a great leader and has excellent character...he brings the best out of his teammates and is an extremely motivational locker room presence. If Pritchard would pass up on Kobe for his character, then he'd also pass up on MJ and Magic, and he'd be a total idiot, which I find extremely hard to believe.

I think you can put the "great leader" and "gets the most out of his team mates" talk away for now at least. Like I said, KP is not taking on a guy who badmouths his team mates in public, is of questionable character (rape case - I know he isn't guilty but it DOES taint his character and speaks volumes about his self centered mentality), and does not fit the culture of the team. A guy can have one, maybe even 2 of these knocks on him in the case of an exceptional talent, but all three of these things and its a no go.

LOL! Kobe gets these Lakers to the Finals when no one expected them to be there and people STILL shit on him...gotta love it! Like I said, according to your claims, the Blazers wouldn't have taken on Jordan in his prime...wait...didn't the Blazers pass up Jordan for Bowie in the draft? It all makes sense now!

You got to be kidding me. A LOT of people predicted them to not only go to the finals, but DOMINATE the finals and win in 4 or 5 games immediately following the Gasol trade. Not just dubcc Laker fans, but a vast array of people from casual sports fans to professional NBA analysts were predicting NBA Finals at the very least for the Kobe-Gasol Lakers. Stop trying to make this into some type of against all odds story. The Lakers were FAVORED. I'm not "shitting" on Kobe (and for the love of God, STOP the MJ comparisons. They are Invalid and this thread is not about anything MJ related), but ask around, Kobe is not exactly a prime example of high character and ethical standards or leadership and this is true until he proves otherwise. Its almost like you're trying to sell me on Kobe. Why can't you just be satisfied with the fact the Kobe and Portland is not a good fit for either party involved and leave it at that? You can't convince me that he would be good for Portland (well actually he might be able to excel in his more natural sidekick role since he would have a great center to play off of again).

The Lakers were favored because they played exceptionally well up until the Finals.. before that, everyone was acting like they wouldn't do shit. It wasn't up until they took care of the Spurs that people started jumping on the bandwaggon...Nobody's tryna sell you on shit...anyone who knows both MJ and Kobe will tell you they had the same drive and character when it came to teammates and leadership. In fact, Jordan was even more of a hardass than Kobe was, at times PHYSICALLY fighting with his own players. Are you telling me your GM wouldn't have that? Disgusting...any team pretending like they wouldn't shit their pants over acquiring Kobe Bryant, the best player on this planet, are complete jokes...PeACe

Again, this thread is not about Jordan, and as was readily proven last night, he can't compare. Jordan could do all that shit and still get the job done. Now, you are disregarding Kobe's blatant and well documented character flaws and how detrimental he can be to team chemistry. Team chemistry trumps and individual player's ability.

[OG Hack Wilson]

LOL DIS NIGGA NOW SAYIN NO1 EXPECTED THE LAKERS TO GO TO THE FINALS
AFTER THE GASOL TRADE ALL THE LAKER GROUPIES WERE TALKING ABOUT HOW THEY GOT THE BEST SQUAD IN THE NBA
AND NOW AFTER THEY CHOKE COLLECTIVELY AS A TEAM, ALL THESE EXCUSES POP UP

CELTICS >>>>>>>>>>> LAKERS
KG, RAY ALLEN, PAUL PIERCE >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> KOBE, ODOM, GASOL

MJ >>>>>>>> KOBE

Don't forget that we all thought Bynum was returning up until a few weeks back, pussy boy.

i told you back in march nigga was DONE FOR THE YEAR SON

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

LOL there's no way A) Kobe would sign in Portland or B) Portland would sign Kobe. It simply wouldn't happen. Portland will be as much as 30 million under the cap in 09, so theoretically it could happen, but Kevin Pritchard places a very high premium on character (ie not publicly berating team mates, no rape cases, no prima donna attitude, no huge ego, etc) so while his talent is undeniable, its just not a good match from either side. Its not like we'll even need Kobe anyway. Chris Paul is more likely, but that is likely as much out of the question as Kobe because he's probably going to sign a huge extension before he becomes a free agent anyway. Igoudala wouldn't be too bad for a long term option at the 3 though.

LMAO@thinking Kevin Pritchard wouldn't shit his pants if he had a shot at Kobe...ahahahahahahah. That's like saying the Knicks wouldn't have wanted MJ on their team in the 90s.

Trust me, if you knew anything at all about KP its that he will pass on great talent if the guy doesn't fit the culture of the team. He believes team chemistry is more important than the talent of any one player. He says as much in almost every interview he's in. For example:

http://espnradio.espn.go.com/espnradio/podcast/index

Sorry to bust your bubble, but not everyone thinks of Kobe as highly as you do.

Everyone who knows a thing or two about Kobe knows he's a great leader and has excellent character...he brings the best out of his teammates and is an extremely motivational locker room presence. If Pritchard would pass up on Kobe for his character, then he'd also pass up on MJ and Magic, and he'd be a total idiot, which I find extremely hard to believe.

I think you can put the "great leader" and "gets the most out of his team mates" talk away for now at least. Like I said, KP is not taking on a guy who badmouths his team mates in public, is of questionable character (rape case - I know he isn't guilty but it DOES taint his character and speaks volumes about his self centered mentality), and does not fit the culture of the team. A guy can have one, maybe even 2 of these knocks on him in the case of an exceptional talent, but all three of these things and its a no go.

LOL! Kobe gets these Lakers to the Finals when no one expected them to be there and people STILL shit on him...gotta love it! Like I said, according to your claims, the Blazers wouldn't have taken on Jordan in his prime...wait...didn't the Blazers pass up Jordan for Bowie in the draft? It all makes sense now!

You got to be kidding me. A LOT of people predicted them to not only go to the finals, but DOMINATE the finals and win in 4 or 5 games immediately following the Gasol trade. Not just dubcc Laker fans, but a vast array of people from casual sports fans to professional NBA analysts were predicting NBA Finals at the very least for the Kobe-Gasol Lakers. Stop trying to make this into some type of against all odds story. The Lakers were FAVORED. I'm not "shitting" on Kobe (and for the love of God, STOP the MJ comparisons. They are Invalid and this thread is not about anything MJ related), but ask around, Kobe is not exactly a prime example of high character and ethical standards or leadership and this is true until he proves otherwise. Its almost like you're trying to sell me on Kobe. Why can't you just be satisfied with the fact the Kobe and Portland is not a good fit for either party involved and leave it at that? You can't convince me that he would be good for Portland (well actually he might be able to excel in his more natural sidekick role since he would have a great center to play off of again).

The Lakers were favored because they played exceptionally well up until the Finals.. before that, everyone was acting like they wouldn't do shit. It wasn't up until they took care of the Spurs that people started jumping on the bandwaggon...Nobody's tryna sell you on shit...anyone who knows both MJ and Kobe will tell you they had the same drive and character when it came to teammates and leadership. In fact, Jordan was even more of a hardass than Kobe was, at times PHYSICALLY fighting with his own players. Are you telling me your GM wouldn't have that? Disgusting...any team pretending like they wouldn't shit their pants over acquiring Kobe Bryant, the best player on this planet, are complete jokes...PeACe

Again, this thread is not about Jordan, and as was readily proven last night, he can't compare. Jordan could do all that shit and still get the job done. Now, you are disregarding Kobe's blatant and well documented character flaws and how detrimental he can be to team chemistry. Team chemistry trumps and individual player's ability.

Kobe currently has the strongest character and highest will to win in the league...Kobe is the only player who coulda' gotten the Lakers to the Finals this year, after our disastrous 42 win season, so quit acting like he didn't reach the top of the western conference. You better hope the players on your team can develop HALF the character of a Kobe Bryant. still LMAO@"not wanting" Kobe.

[OG Hack Wilson]

hey NIK


my boy Derek Jeter is viewed in the same light (clutch) in the baseball world as Kobe


Jeter has 4 titles (1996, 98, 99, 00) but hasn't won in years

doesn't mean he lost his drive


sometimes the ball doesn't bounce your way....and sometimes Pau Gasol gets bullied by Kevin Garnett

phil jackson said the 24 point comeback "ripped the hearts out of us" (us=lakers)

[Blow Out the Candle of the Devil]

Kobe currently has the strongest character and highest will to win in the league...Kobe is the only player who coulda' gotten the Lakers to the Finals this year, after our disastrous 42 win season, so quit acting like he didn't reach the top of the western conference. You better hope the players on your team can develop HALF the character of a Kobe Bryant. still LMAO@"not wanting" Kobe.

NO NO REMEMBER ITS A COLLECTIVE TEAM EFFORT, HE DIDNT TAKE THE LAKERS TO THE FINALS, THE TEAM AS A WHOLE GOT ITSELF THERE... YEA IF ONLY EVERY PLAYER IN THE NBA HAD HIS CHARACTER.. BEING A FUCKING COWARD AND SITTING ON THE BENCH TO WATCH YOUR TEAM GET SLAUGHTERED

[OG Hack Wilson]

go celtics 

[Turf Hitta]

LOL there's no way A) Kobe would sign in Portland or B) Portland would sign Kobe. It simply wouldn't happen. Portland will be as much as 30 million under the cap in 09, so theoretically it could happen, but Kevin Pritchard places a very high premium on character (ie not publicly berating team mates, no rape cases, no prima donna attitude, no huge ego, etc) so while his talent is undeniable, its just not a good match from either side. Its not like we'll even need Kobe anyway. Chris Paul is more likely, but that is likely as much out of the question as Kobe because he's probably going to sign a huge extension before he becomes a free agent anyway. Igoudala wouldn't be too bad for a long term option at the 3 though.

LMAO@thinking Kevin Pritchard wouldn't shit his pants if he had a shot at Kobe...ahahahahahahah. That's like saying the Knicks wouldn't have wanted MJ on their team in the 90s.

Trust me, if you knew anything at all about KP its that he will pass on great talent if the guy doesn't fit the culture of the team. He believes team chemistry is more important than the talent of any one player. He says as much in almost every interview he's in. For example:

http://espnradio.espn.go.com/espnradio/podcast/index

Sorry to bust your bubble, but not everyone thinks of Kobe as highly as you do.

Everyone who knows a thing or two about Kobe knows he's a great leader and has excellent character...he brings the best out of his teammates and is an extremely motivational locker room presence. If Pritchard would pass up on Kobe for his character, then he'd also pass up on MJ and Magic, and he'd be a total idiot, which I find extremely hard to believe.

I think you can put the "great leader" and "gets the most out of his team mates" talk away for now at least. Like I said, KP is not taking on a guy who badmouths his team mates in public, is of questionable character (rape case - I know he isn't guilty but it DOES taint his character and speaks volumes about his self centered mentality), and does not fit the culture of the team. A guy can have one, maybe even 2 of these knocks on him in the case of an exceptional talent, but all three of these things and its a no go.

LOL! Kobe gets these Lakers to the Finals when no one expected them to be there and people STILL shit on him...gotta love it! Like I said, according to your claims, the Blazers wouldn't have taken on Jordan in his prime...wait...didn't the Blazers pass up Jordan for Bowie in the draft? It all makes sense now!

You got to be kidding me. A LOT of people predicted them to not only go to the finals, but DOMINATE the finals and win in 4 or 5 games immediately following the Gasol trade. Not just dubcc Laker fans, but a vast array of people from casual sports fans to professional NBA analysts were predicting NBA Finals at the very least for the Kobe-Gasol Lakers. Stop trying to make this into some type of against all odds story. The Lakers were FAVORED. I'm not "shitting" on Kobe (and for the love of God, STOP the MJ comparisons. They are Invalid and this thread is not about anything MJ related), but ask around, Kobe is not exactly a prime example of high character and ethical standards or leadership and this is true until he proves otherwise. Its almost like you're trying to sell me on Kobe. Why can't you just be satisfied with the fact the Kobe and Portland is not a good fit for either party involved and leave it at that? You can't convince me that he would be good for Portland (well actually he might be able to excel in his more natural sidekick role since he would have a great center to play off of again).

The Lakers were favored because they played exceptionally well up until the Finals.. before that, everyone was acting like they wouldn't do shit. It wasn't up until they took care of the Spurs that people started jumping on the bandwaggon...Nobody's tryna sell you on shit...anyone who knows both MJ and Kobe will tell you they had the same drive and character when it came to teammates and leadership. In fact, Jordan was even more of a hardass than Kobe was, at times PHYSICALLY fighting with his own players. Are you telling me your GM wouldn't have that? Disgusting...any team pretending like they wouldn't shit their pants over acquiring Kobe Bryant, the best player on this planet, are complete jokes...PeACe

Again, this thread is not about Jordan, and as was readily proven last night, he can't compare. Jordan could do all that shit and still get the job done. Now, you are disregarding Kobe's blatant and well documented character flaws and how detrimental he can be to team chemistry. Team chemistry trumps and individual player's ability.

Kobe currently has the strongest character and highest will to win in the league...Kobe is the only player who coulda' gotten the Lakers to the Finals this year, after our disastrous 42 win season, so quit acting like he didn't reach the top of the western conference. You better hope the players on your team can develop HALF the character of a Kobe Bryant. still LMAO@"not wanting" Kobe.

Are you using desire to win and character as interchangeable terms?

[blue crew]

Kobe currently has the strongest character  in the league...

ahahah damn cuzz, i done seen it all now. i thought this jew could never take his kobe bryant diccrydin to new levels and he just proved me wrong.

even phil jaccson himself wrote a whole book about how kobe's selfish attitude, horrible character and huge ego broke up the lakers and caused him to have problems with everyone from shaq to karl malone to his own wife.

ask his wife and lil daughters if they daddy has good character when he rapes a bitch, gives up on his team (the game 7 against phx) and is always bitchin and cryin.

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

^You say I'm a "diccryder", but you're seriously the biggest "diccryding" Kobe hater I've ever known in my life, cuzz. Phil "Jaccson" was on bad terms with Kobe, but they got cool after that and Phil "Jaccson" spilled all the beans about Shaq fucking the Lakers over when he was with the organization. That's besides the point...Everyone who knows Kobe knows he has strong character and is a very humble dude with a respected drive to succeed. If anyone questions Kobe's character and praises MJ, they are obviously some bitchel ass haters.

LOL there's no way A) Kobe would sign in Portland or B) Portland would sign Kobe. It simply wouldn't happen. Portland will be as much as 30 million under the cap in 09, so theoretically it could happen, but Kevin Pritchard places a very high premium on character (ie not publicly berating team mates, no rape cases, no prima donna attitude, no huge ego, etc) so while his talent is undeniable, its just not a good match from either side. Its not like we'll even need Kobe anyway. Chris Paul is more likely, but that is likely as much out of the question as Kobe because he's probably going to sign a huge extension before he becomes a free agent anyway. Igoudala wouldn't be too bad for a long term option at the 3 though.

LMAO@thinking Kevin Pritchard wouldn't shit his pants if he had a shot at Kobe...ahahahahahahah. That's like saying the Knicks wouldn't have wanted MJ on their team in the 90s.

Trust me, if you knew anything at all about KP its that he will pass on great talent if the guy doesn't fit the culture of the team. He believes team chemistry is more important than the talent of any one player. He says as much in almost every interview he's in. For example:

http://espnradio.espn.go.com/espnradio/podcast/index

Sorry to bust your bubble, but not everyone thinks of Kobe as highly as you do.

Everyone who knows a thing or two about Kobe knows he's a great leader and has excellent character...he brings the best out of his teammates and is an extremely motivational locker room presence. If Pritchard would pass up on Kobe for his character, then he'd also pass up on MJ and Magic, and he'd be a total idiot, which I find extremely hard to believe.

I think you can put the "great leader" and "gets the most out of his team mates" talk away for now at least. Like I said, KP is not taking on a guy who badmouths his team mates in public, is of questionable character (rape case - I know he isn't guilty but it DOES taint his character and speaks volumes about his self centered mentality), and does not fit the culture of the team. A guy can have one, maybe even 2 of these knocks on him in the case of an exceptional talent, but all three of these things and its a no go.

LOL! Kobe gets these Lakers to the Finals when no one expected them to be there and people STILL shit on him...gotta love it! Like I said, according to your claims, the Blazers wouldn't have taken on Jordan in his prime...wait...didn't the Blazers pass up Jordan for Bowie in the draft? It all makes sense now!

You got to be kidding me. A LOT of people predicted them to not only go to the finals, but DOMINATE the finals and win in 4 or 5 games immediately following the Gasol trade. Not just dubcc Laker fans, but a vast array of people from casual sports fans to professional NBA analysts were predicting NBA Finals at the very least for the Kobe-Gasol Lakers. Stop trying to make this into some type of against all odds story. The Lakers were FAVORED. I'm not "shitting" on Kobe (and for the love of God, STOP the MJ comparisons. They are Invalid and this thread is not about anything MJ related), but ask around, Kobe is not exactly a prime example of high character and ethical standards or leadership and this is true until he proves otherwise. Its almost like you're trying to sell me on Kobe. Why can't you just be satisfied with the fact the Kobe and Portland is not a good fit for either party involved and leave it at that? You can't convince me that he would be good for Portland (well actually he might be able to excel in his more natural sidekick role since he would have a great center to play off of again).

The Lakers were favored because they played exceptionally well up until the Finals.. before that, everyone was acting like they wouldn't do shit. It wasn't up until they took care of the Spurs that people started jumping on the bandwaggon...Nobody's tryna sell you on shit...anyone who knows both MJ and Kobe will tell you they had the same drive and character when it came to teammates and leadership. In fact, Jordan was even more of a hardass than Kobe was, at times PHYSICALLY fighting with his own players. Are you telling me your GM wouldn't have that? Disgusting...any team pretending like they wouldn't shit their pants over acquiring Kobe Bryant, the best player on this planet, are complete jokes...PeACe

Again, this thread is not about Jordan, and as was readily proven last night, he can't compare. Jordan could do all that shit and still get the job done. Now, you are disregarding Kobe's blatant and well documented character flaws and how detrimental he can be to team chemistry. Team chemistry trumps and individual player's ability.

Kobe currently has the strongest character and highest will to win in the league...Kobe is the only player who coulda' gotten the Lakers to the Finals this year, after our disastrous 42 win season, so quit acting like he didn't reach the top of the western conference. You better hope the players on your team can develop HALF the character of a Kobe Bryant. still LMAO@"not wanting" Kobe.

Are you using desire to win and character as interchangeable terms?

Desire to win is big part of having strong character in the game of basketball.

[Antonio_]

It's interesting that Kobe can opt out after 2008/09, and that the Blazers have INSANE cap room at the exact same time. So if the Lakers get owned East Coast Style again, it would be easy to switch teams, have excellent teammates and get mad dough for Kobe.

Why should Kobe switch team? Lakers have Phil Jackson, Bynum, Gasol, Odom and reached the NBA Finals being the 2nd younger team in the League. I see no reasons to leave.

[Turf Hitta]

^You say I'm a "diccryder", but you're seriously the biggest "diccryding" Kobe hater I've ever known in my life, cuzz. Phil "Jaccson" was on bad terms with Kobe, but they got cool after that and Phil "Jaccson" spilled all the beans about Shaq fucking the Lakers over when he was with the organization. That's besides the point...Everyone who knows Kobe knows he has strong character and is a very humble dude with a respected drive to succeed. If anyone questions Kobe's character and praises MJ, they are obviously some bitchel ass haters.

LOL there's no way A) Kobe would sign in Portland or B) Portland would sign Kobe. It simply wouldn't happen. Portland will be as much as 30 million under the cap in 09, so theoretically it could happen, but Kevin Pritchard places a very high premium on character (ie not publicly berating team mates, no rape cases, no prima donna attitude, no huge ego, etc) so while his talent is undeniable, its just not a good match from either side. Its not like we'll even need Kobe anyway. Chris Paul is more likely, but that is likely as much out of the question as Kobe because he's probably going to sign a huge extension before he becomes a free agent anyway. Igoudala wouldn't be too bad for a long term option at the 3 though.

LMAO@thinking Kevin Pritchard wouldn't shit his pants if he had a shot at Kobe...ahahahahahahah. That's like saying the Knicks wouldn't have wanted MJ on their team in the 90s.

Trust me, if you knew anything at all about KP its that he will pass on great talent if the guy doesn't fit the culture of the team. He believes team chemistry is more important than the talent of any one player. He says as much in almost every interview he's in. For example:

http://espnradio.espn.go.com/espnradio/podcast/index

Sorry to bust your bubble, but not everyone thinks of Kobe as highly as you do.

Everyone who knows a thing or two about Kobe knows he's a great leader and has excellent character...he brings the best out of his teammates and is an extremely motivational locker room presence. If Pritchard would pass up on Kobe for his character, then he'd also pass up on MJ and Magic, and he'd be a total idiot, which I find extremely hard to believe.

I think you can put the "great leader" and "gets the most out of his team mates" talk away for now at least. Like I said, KP is not taking on a guy who badmouths his team mates in public, is of questionable character (rape case - I know he isn't guilty but it DOES taint his character and speaks volumes about his self centered mentality), and does not fit the culture of the team. A guy can have one, maybe even 2 of these knocks on him in the case of an exceptional talent, but all three of these things and its a no go.

LOL! Kobe gets these Lakers to the Finals when no one expected them to be there and people STILL shit on him...gotta love it! Like I said, according to your claims, the Blazers wouldn't have taken on Jordan in his prime...wait...didn't the Blazers pass up Jordan for Bowie in the draft? It all makes sense now!

You got to be kidding me. A LOT of people predicted them to not only go to the finals, but DOMINATE the finals and win in 4 or 5 games immediately following the Gasol trade. Not just dubcc Laker fans, but a vast array of people from casual sports fans to professional NBA analysts were predicting NBA Finals at the very least for the Kobe-Gasol Lakers. Stop trying to make this into some type of against all odds story. The Lakers were FAVORED. I'm not "shitting" on Kobe (and for the love of God, STOP the MJ comparisons. They are Invalid and this thread is not about anything MJ related), but ask around, Kobe is not exactly a prime example of high character and ethical standards or leadership and this is true until he proves otherwise. Its almost like you're trying to sell me on Kobe. Why can't you just be satisfied with the fact the Kobe and Portland is not a good fit for either party involved and leave it at that? You can't convince me that he would be good for Portland (well actually he might be able to excel in his more natural sidekick role since he would have a great center to play off of again).

The Lakers were favored because they played exceptionally well up until the Finals.. before that, everyone was acting like they wouldn't do shit. It wasn't up until they took care of the Spurs that people started jumping on the bandwaggon...Nobody's tryna sell you on shit...anyone who knows both MJ and Kobe will tell you they had the same drive and character when it came to teammates and leadership. In fact, Jordan was even more of a hardass than Kobe was, at times PHYSICALLY fighting with his own players. Are you telling me your GM wouldn't have that? Disgusting...any team pretending like they wouldn't shit their pants over acquiring Kobe Bryant, the best player on this planet, are complete jokes...PeACe

Again, this thread is not about Jordan, and as was readily proven last night, he can't compare. Jordan could do all that shit and still get the job done. Now, you are disregarding Kobe's blatant and well documented character flaws and how detrimental he can be to team chemistry. Team chemistry trumps and individual player's ability.

Kobe currently has the strongest character and highest will to win in the league...Kobe is the only player who coulda' gotten the Lakers to the Finals this year, after our disastrous 42 win season, so quit acting like he didn't reach the top of the western conference. You better hope the players on your team can develop HALF the character of a Kobe Bryant. still LMAO@"not wanting" Kobe.

Are you using desire to win and character as interchangeable terms?

Desire to win is big part of having strong character in the game of basketball.

No. Separate. Character as in being a person of strong values and high ethical standards. Every player in the nba has a desire to win, so thats not going to separate one guy from the next. If you disagree with placing a premium on character (in this context) then thats fine, but I can tell you that it has worked out great for Pritchard and the Blazers since he took over in 2006. Kobe simply does not fit the movement in Portland. KP would easily pass on Kobe unless he came relatively cheap. The only guys from LA we are interested in are Westbrook and Mayo and chances are, we wont get them either.

[Turf Hitta]

It's interesting that Kobe can opt out after 2008/09, and that the Blazers have INSANE cap room at the exact same time. So if the Lakers get owned East Coast Style again, it would be easy to switch teams, have excellent teammates and get mad dough for Kobe.

Why should Kobe switch team? Lakers have Phil Jackson, Bynum, Gasol, Odom and reached the NBA Finals being the 2nd younger team in the League. I see no reasons to leave.

Again, Portland is the 2nd youngest team in the league (behind Chicago I think). Now I doubt Kobe would want to switch teams, but some of the pluses of going to Portland include Roy, Oden, Aldridge, the richest owner in all of pro sports worldwide who isn't afraid to give a player the contract of his life (Rasheed Wallace, Zach Randolph, Darius Miles, Damon Stoudamire, Brian Grant, Shawn Kemp all had HUGE contracts) and rapable white women.

[Antonio_]

It's interesting that Kobe can opt out after 2008/09, and that the Blazers have INSANE cap room at the exact same time. So if the Lakers get owned East Coast Style again, it would be easy to switch teams, have excellent teammates and get mad dough for Kobe.

Why should Kobe switch team? Lakers have Phil Jackson, Bynum, Gasol, Odom and reached the NBA Finals being the 2nd younger team in the League. I see no reasons to leave.

Again, Portland is the 2nd youngest team in the league (behind Chicago I think).

Ok. 3rd? It doesn't change a thing, man.

Now I doubt Kobe would want to switch teams, but some of the pluses of going to Portland include Roy, Oden, Aldridge, the richest owner in all of pro sports worldwide who isn't afraid to give a player the contract of his life (Rasheed Wallace, Zach Randolph, Darius Miles, Damon Stoudamire, Brian Grant, Shawn Kemp all had HUGE contracts) and rapable white women.

Ok, but keep in mind that Portland is a team who didn't reach the playoff: a lottery team. I know their young guys are very very skilled and promising, but the truth is that it's a lottery team. Why should Kobe start from zero AGAIN now that he's finally playing as the undisputed leader, as the MVP and as a star in a contending team who can do nothing but improve?

[Turf Hitta]

It's interesting that Kobe can opt out after 2008/09, and that the Blazers have INSANE cap room at the exact same time. So if the Lakers get owned East Coast Style again, it would be easy to switch teams, have excellent teammates and get mad dough for Kobe.

Why should Kobe switch team? Lakers have Phil Jackson, Bynum, Gasol, Odom and reached the NBA Finals being the 2nd younger team in the League. I see no reasons to leave.

Again, Portland is the 2nd youngest team in the league (behind Chicago I think).

Ok. 3rd? It doesn't change a thing, man.

Now I doubt Kobe would want to switch teams, but some of the pluses of going to Portland include Roy, Oden, Aldridge, the richest owner in all of pro sports worldwide who isn't afraid to give a player the contract of his life (Rasheed Wallace, Zach Randolph, Darius Miles, Damon Stoudamire, Brian Grant, Shawn Kemp all had HUGE contracts) and rapable white women.

Ok, but keep in mind that Portland is a team who didn't reach the playoff: a lottery team. I know their young guys are very very skilled and promising, but the truth is that it's a lottery team. Why should Kobe start from zero AGAIN now that he's finally playing as the undisputed leader, as the MVP and as a star in a contending team who can do nothing but improve?

Well this is completely hypothetica and doesn't have the slightest chance of happening, but I'll humor you. The starting lineup in Portland if we picked up Kobe as a free agent would be:

Westbrook? Augustin? Gordon? Bayless? (KP is known for trading up on draft day, so those options arent as crazy as they seem. Should expect he'll make a move to grab at least one of them)
Roy
Kobe
Aldridge
Oden

Not exactly starting from scratch. Thats a starting lineup of one more all star than he had in his lineup in LA. now lets take a look at the bench unit:

Blake/Jack
Rudy Fernandez (3 MVP awards in Europe THIS SEASON ALONE)/Jack
Webster/Outlaw
Outlaw/Frye
Przybilla/Frye

Thats a deeper and more talented bench than LA currently has. That doesn't look like a bad situation at all.

[Antonio_]

Like i said your team looks very promising, and i'm a fan of your coach too (i like defensive minded teams: San Antonio, Detroit, Portland, Boston..). But like you said it's not happening.