As If We Didn't Have Enough Kobe
As annoying as it is to deal with all this Kobe stuff, it's always fun dreaming up the future. Two possible trade scenarios proposed in Bill Simmons' basketball blog particularly intrigued me. While they may not be the most likely, they're definitely the most interesting.

1) Kobe to the Mavs for Josh Howard, Jason Terry, and Jerry Stackhouse ($7.3 million sign-and-trade)

This trade works for everyone. Kobe would gladly wave his no-trade clause to go play on a contender in Dallas. The Mavs would have a starting five of Devin Harris, Kobe, Dirk, DeSagerick Dampiop, and whatever small forward they decide to throw in there. They won't lose anything on defense (Kobe's just as good a defender as Howard, if not better) and Kobe will solve Dallas' major weakness: Dirk's inability to score in the clutch. They could start my ass at the three and still win it all with that team.

The Lakers' 07-08 starters would then be Terry, Howard, Luke Walton, Lamar Odom, and Andrew Bynum. With Phil Jackson at the helm, that's still a playoff team. Plus, if the Lakers wish to get even younger, they now have a plethora of attractive trading chips.

2) Kobe and Vladamir Radmanovic to the Suns for Shawn Marion, Leandro Barbosa, Marcus Banks and Atlanta's 2008 1st round pick

What the starting fives for both teams would be post-trade:
Suns - Steve Nash, Kobe, Raja Bell, Boris Diaw, Amare Stoudemire
Lakers - Barbosa, Walton, Marion, Odom, Bynum

Again, the Lakers would still be good enough to make the playoffs, continue the rebuilding, and keep all hell from breaking loose in Los Angeles. They'd also get rid of Vlad Rad's fat-bloated-snowboarding-leg breaking contract. But just look at that Suns team. With Kobe around, they'd be unstoppable. Even Vlad the 3-point camper would prosper. 70 wins would not be out of the question and they'd steamroll the league straight to the title. The only question is if Kobe and Raja Bell could keep from going jiu-jitsu on each other.

In both these scenarios, the Lakers stay afloat, get some trading pieces, and get rid of a disgruntled superstar. But the exciting part is that each would create a dominant team; a consensus favorite for the 07-08 title. Just imagine: Kobe playing alongside Dirk, or Nash and Amare. My body shivers just thinking about it.

A Bad Week for A-Rod
First, Alex Rodriguez gets caught enjoying a night on the town with a hot blonde. A-Rod's wife ain't blonde. Then he's frowned upon for yelling at a Blue Jays rookie third baseman while passing by on the base paths, causing him to drop a popup. I don't understand what the big deal is. Was it a Bush League maneuver? Maybe. But if it you look at it that way, so is throwing vaseline balls, stealing signs, and decoying runners. There are so many little things in baseball that are unethical but overlooked as part of the game. What A-Rod did is no different. This sort of thing happens all the time. If Derek Jeter had done the same thing, the media would instead be saying what crafty gamer he is. Then again, A-Rod doesn't date Jessica Beil.

Grady Little Is Lame
Lou Pinella was ejected from a game this weekend and threw another great tantrum, throwing his hat, yelling his head off, and kicking dirt on the umpire. For that, he gets suspended indefinitely. Grady Little was also ejected this weekend, but showed about as much emotion as J. D. Drew opening a fortune cookie. Grady said about 2 sentences, got tossed, and quietly walked his ass back into the clubhouse, where he quickly plugged himself back into his morphine drip. At this point, would you be surprised if you found out he wasn't constantly on some kind of sedative? What a shame. Stay in school, kids.