Phoenix Suns home opener could be Kobe-less

October 29, 2007 by Mike Olbinski

We should be thankful that Shawn Marion is back in the fold, playing hard and with the trade rumors a thing of the past. Who knows for sure what is going on with Marion, but from the outside it appears all that is behind him and the Phoenix Suns. The goal of winning a championship is at the forefront of their minds.

But imagine being a L.A. Lakers fan right now. The Kobe Bryant trade rumors haven’t died, if anything, they’ve intensified to the point of boiling over

And it appears that trading him may be the Lakers only way out of this problem…even Phil Jackson is now publicly talking about Kobe.

“Obviously he hasn’t thrown his heart and soul into performing on the floor,” Jackson said to reporters Saturday. “That hurts me a little bit. … He was going to work at this thing and [would] put his full being into this. Right now, he’s having a hard time doing that.”

According to ESPN, Bryant declined there was any truth to Jackson’s comments, but would you expect anything less?

Reports this morning are that the Lakers and Chicago Bulls are in heated talks daily to work out a deal.

Yet according to Doug and Wolf on KTAR this morning, Kobe himself is blocking the deal.

Not because he doesn’t want to go there. But mainly because the Lakers are asking for too much from Chicago and he doesn’t want to join a team that has been gutted to get him.

Kobe is the only player in the NBA that has a no-trade clause, or so I heard.

It appears the Lakers have no choice and the following will happen: One, they are going to have to trade Kobe, and two, they are not going to get as much as they should for him.

The players on the Lakers and the fans have to be in utter limbo. I don’t envy them.

So the big home opener on Friday night against the Lakers on ESPN could prove very interesting. Will we see Kobe playing or a team filled with former Bulls players?

Posted in kobe bryant, shawn marion, nba, basketball, phoenix suns