Should the Bulls trade for Kobe?
It's a code-red at ESPN, folks. Kobe Bryant wants out of Los Angeles. There aren't a lot of teams that both have the trading chips and would be a good fit for Kobe, but the Bulls are at or near the top of everybody's list. Should the Bulls do it? Abso-frickin-lutely. But what would it take? Let's look at the candidates:
The Blue Chips
- Luol Deng is awesome, and at 22 he's just starting to blossom into a star. Will he ever be as good as Kobe, though? Not a chance. Kobe's a perennial MVP candidate, the most explosive scorer and one of the best defenders in the league. I love Deng, but he's no Kobe.
- Tyrus Thomas is an athletic freak with monster upside. Outstanding in spurts. It wouldn't be out of the question to see him grow into a perennial All-Star.
Flash
- Ben Gordon is an outstanding scorer that can put up 30 on any given night. Hell, any given quarter. But he's awfully short and can get exposed by bigger guards on defense.
The Rest
- Kirk Hinrich. The Captain's a really good player, but I think he's about as good as he's ever going to be.
- Andres Nocioni is a gamer. All heart. The city loves him. A good 3rd or 4th option on a playoff-caliber club.
- Ben Wallace might be involved for salary matching reasons. Big Ben was solid this year, but he wasn't the Defensive Player of the Year candidate the Bulls thought they were getting.
- The Number Nine pick in the draft. It is what it is.
The Offers
- ESPN Radio this morning suggested Deng, Gordon and Wallace for Kobe and Andrew Bynum. Bynum's a decent 7-footer and would make up for the loss of Wallace. So Deng and Gordon for Kobe? In a heartbeat.
- Chris Sheridan suggests Thomas, Gordon, Duhon and Nocioni for Kobe. That's a lot of bodies to give up, but they'd still have Deng, Hinrich and Wallace to keep Kobe warm.
I think the Bulls would definitely have to give up one of their blue chips, Deng or Thomas. In addition, I think Gordon would have to be a goner as well. Essentially, the two best players on the team, possibly the draft pick and one of their other good players for Bryant. Is he really worth all that? After all, he's an aloof rapist that doesn't get along with, well, anybody. He's such a good basketball player, though, so it's easy to overlook his faults!
Kobe's estrangement from his teammates is easily explainable. He was the son of a former basketball player, travelled the world, and grew up differently from everybody in the league. He speaks Italian, for heaven's sake, so it's understandable that he doesn't get along with his hip-hop oriented teammates. The rape thing is tough to overlook, though. He was found not guilty, but the scarlet letter will follow him till he dies. I don't know. I was convinced at the time that he was guilty of something, but he's been a model citizen otherwise and maybe it really was consensual. I feel icky for even thinking about this.
The bottom line is Kobe is an MVP, he's won championships, and the Bulls could more with him in the fold. If they can do it, they should. I don't think the current core can win without an elite player.