by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright May 30, 2007
All Rights Reserved.

ay proved disastrous not only for U.S. soldiers in Iraq but the Los Angeles Lakers, when three-time NBA champion, nine-time all-star and two-time NBA scoring champ 28-year-old Kobe Bryant asked for a trade. Since his teammate Shaquille O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat July 14, 2004, Kobe has been frustrated trying to regain his winning ways that brought LA three consecutive NBA championships in 2001, 2002 and 2003. While the Lakers managed to win three titles, Kobe and Shaq often feuded, eventually ending perhaps the most dominant duo in NBA history. Kobe overcame insurmountable odds in 2003-04 after being accused of rape, recuperating from arthroscopic knee surgery at a Colorado resort. Despite his legal woes, he still carried his team to the NBA finals, eventually falling to the Detroit Pistons in five games but not without its toll.

      Kobe's problems began in 2002 when NBA legend and Laker General Manager Jerry West resigned after 40 years with the franchise. West served 20 years as general manager, bringing LA six NBA championships. His crowing personnel moves involved landing in 1996 Philadelphia high school standout Kobe Bryant and Orlando Magic superstar Shaquille O'Neal. When West left in 2002 after back-to-back championships, Kobe no longer had the father figure needed to contain his sibling rivalry, leading to the team's eventual breakdown from legal woes and losing to the Pistons. Before Shaq's trade in 2004, there was plenty of media speculation that Laker owner Dr. Jerry Buss chose Kobe over Shaq, believing the 7 foot, one inch, 340-pound center had seen his best days. Shaq proved Buss wrong in 2006, winning his fourth NBA championship in Miami.

      When Buss decided to stick with Kobe, he promised to rebuild a championship team at the earliest possible time. Shaq's trade, engineered by West's replacement, GM Mitch Kupchak, proved disastrous, unable to rebound after losing the most dominant center since the late NBA hall-of-fame Laker-great Wilt Chamberlain. Kobe chased Wilt's impossible record of a 100-point game and seven-consecutive 50-point-plus games. Kobe scored 81 points Jan. 22, 2006 against the Toronto Raptors, regarded by many as more impressive than Wilt considering his size and today's competition. Kobe chased Wilt's 7-consecutive 50-plus point games in 2007, scoring 50 or more in four straight games. Kobe's season ended in frustration with the Lakers losing in the first round to Phoenix in five games. It became obvious that neither Kupchak nor Buss kept their promise of remaking a winning team.

      Since Shaq left 2004, Kupchak's player-personnel moves left the franchise bereft an effective supporting cast. Kobe was forced into a one-man show, dominating the scoring out of necessity but unable to achieve the kind of balance when Shaq played the low-post. “I would like to be traded, yeah,” Kobe told ESPN radio. “Tough as it is to come to that conclusion, there's no other alternative. It's rough man, but I don't see how you can rebuild that trust. I just don't know how you can move forward in that type of situation,” admitting to feeling betrayed by Buss and Kupchak, who didn't fulfill their promise of putting the team in championship form. “I would love for him to be part of this,” Kobe told ESPN May 28, asking to reunite Jerry West back to the Lakers. When West signaled he had no intent of returning, Kobe knew there'd be little hope of a championship.

      Last season proved that the NBA's best player wasn't enough to compensate for an otherwise mediocre roster. It wasn't fair expecting Kobe to carry the franchise by himself. Whatever one thinks of Kobe, no one can say he didn't put inordinate effort into returning the Lakers to greatness. When the Los Angeles Times cited an unnamed Laker “insider” blaming Kobe for Shaq's trade, Bryant had enough. Kobe also felt mislead by Buss, who promised, after Shaq's departure, to rebuild the team. When coach Phil Jackson returned to the team in 2005-06, Buss apparently told him he was on a 5-year plan. “They said nothing to me about a long-term plan. Absolutely nothing,” insisted Kobe. “They told Phil one thing and they told me another. Actions speak louder than words,” expressing the depth of his distrust. Kobe expressed no confidence in the Lakers' front-office.

      Three years after Shaq's departure, Buss and Kupchak failed to deliver their promise of rebuilding the franchise. If Kupchak can't do his job, Kobe has every right to complain. While he's a contract employee, he's not out-of-line questioning why the entire franchise hinges only on his performance. Even superstars have a right to expect help from their high-paid teammates. Continuing to blame Kobe for Shaq's departure only fueled a volatile situation. Even Shaq confirmed that Kobe's explanation that Buss didn't want to renew his $30-million a year contract was “100 percent” accurate. “Dr. bus promised me he would rebuild right away, and I believed him,” Kobe wrote on his Website. Calling the Laker front-office a “mess,” Kobe exposed the elephant in the room about upper mangement. No matter how lucrative the contract, no one can expect one man to do it all.

About the Author

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.

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