"Down here in LA, with the Lakers 0-5 and not looking to get better anytime soon, talk radio is all about whether the Lakers should trade Kobe. Thought being to spare him the ignominy of going out a loser, as well letting him go to a contender where he can try to get another ring or two.
So my question is, would the Blazers hypothetically entertain a trade for Kobe for the last two seasons of his career? What would they have to give up? Would he fit into the style of play and culture of the Blazers? And finally would Kobe realistically get Portland closer to competing for a championship?
Fabian"
Not at this point. Maybe you could overlook his 40% shooting from the field, 30% shooting from the arc, and the fact that he uses almost 40% of his team's possessions in the process. Perhaps you could chalk it up to the company he's keeping, speculating he'd be more efficient with better players around him. Even so, the Blazers would never get past his playing style and salary.
Kobe is one of the best players to ever stand on NBA hardwood. Kobe knows this well. Believing he's the most talented guy on the floor, Kobe's going to put himself first...all the time. That's the antithesis of Portland's offensive system. The Blazers hate bad shots. Kobe's whole career has been built on proving there's no such thing. Now that he's older and not able to compensate for shot selection with athleticism and skill, he'd be breaking Portland's system without bringing enough goodness back into it.
Plus the guy's making $30 flippin' million dollars this year. That's so much more than Portland's entire bench combined that the Blazers couldn't match salaries under cap rules by trading all of them together for Bryant. Unless you want to lose Lamarcus Aldridge in the deal, there's no way to formulate a Bryant trade that would pass the common sense test.
