Sporting News hypothesizing about possible Pierce for Bryant swap

[CeltsSteve@xxxxxxx]

If Kobe goes, where will he go? 
    
By Sean Deveney - <A HREF="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/tsn/nba/article/SIG=10tmms2oa/*http://www.sportingnews.com";>SportingNews.com</A>

    
    


<A HREF="http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylc=X3oDMTA3OGpkbWJuBHNlYwNlY2w-?slug=ifkobegoeswherewillhego&prov=tsn&type=lgns";>Yahoo! Sports</A> 

    
By the end of last week, the twister that had swirled through Laker Land had 
petered out. Storms no longer were rumbling, and the gray skies had cleared. 
Things were, by Lakers standards at least, back to normal. <A HREF="http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/3118/";>Kobe Bryant</A> was 
doling out harmless cliches again, <A HREF="http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/847/";>Shaquille O'Neal</A> was not saying much of 
anything and Phil Jackson was the only one making observations on the big-picture 
aspects of life and basketball. Once again, the Lakers were just another team, 
and a darned good one at that. 

Make no mistake, though, there's a problem. The Lakers are doing their best 
to dodge it, as they have for the seven years Bryant and O'Neal have been 
teammates. But O'Neal and Bryant unleashed a sudden and emphatic stream of 
accusations and insults through the media last week, with some real hum-dingers in 
there-an invitation from O'Neal for Bryant to walk out of his contract next 
summer and a tirade from Bryant in which he called O'Neal, among other things, 
"fat." The ugliness revealed that no matter how many patches they have used in the 
past, the hole in the Bryant-O'Neal relationship just won't be mended. 

This certainly has caught the attention of front-office denizens everywhere. 
Bryant has a player option in his contract and said he would use it to play 
elsewhere. He later backed off that statement, but most around the NBA still 
believe there is a chance Bryant will be in a different uniform next season. And 
every general manager, team president and basketball operations intern has 
spent at least a few minutes wondering if maybe, just maybe, it could be their 
team's uniform Bryant wears. 

So, mark it down: The NBA trade deadline is February 19 at 3 p.m. ET. With 
O'Neal, <A HREF="http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/259/";>Gary Payton</A> and <A HREF="http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/213/";>Karl Malone</A> in the fold, the Lakers could deal Bryant, 
bring in more role players and still be a championship contender. Should they 
trade Bryant-and the chances are low-the Lakers would not get full value 
because the team is a motivated seller and because Bryant has a rape charge hanging 
over him. But the best thing for all involved is a change of scenery. The big 
question is where Bryant would land, and whether he would want to stay there 
as a free agent. 

Dallas. From a trading standpoint, the Mavericks make sense. Dallas could 
offer <A HREF="http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/3023/";>Michael Finley</A> and <A HREF="http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/3103/";>Steve Nash</A> for Bryant and <A HREF="http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/3125/";>Derek Fisher</A>. The Mavericks 
are creative when it comes to transactions, and team owner Mark Cuban is willing 
to pull the trigger on big deals. None would be bigger than landing Bryant. 
The distaste Cuban often has expressed for the Lakers, though, is mutual, and 
these would not be the happiest of dance partners. If the Lakers deal Bryant, 
it probably would be to an Eastern Conference team. 

New York. Sending Bryant to the Knicks not only would give him a team that's 
built around him, it would give him the world's biggest stage. The Knicks 
would be a playoff lock in the East with Bryant in blue and orange. A deal for <A HREF="http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/3012/";>
Kurt Thomas</A> and <A HREF="http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/1282/";>Allan Houston</A> (with the Lakers throwing in <A HREF="http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/3618/";>Kareem Rush</A> and <A HREF="http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/3346/";>Devean 
George</A>) would give the Lakers exactly what they would need: a long-range 
scorer and a hard-nosed backup big man. 

Chicago. Bryant always has tried to walk in the footsteps of <A HREF="http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/175/";>Michael Jordan</A>. 
Why not take his locker? Chicago is a huge sports market itching for a 
superstar on the level of Jordan and Walter Payton. The Bulls have the pieces to give 
up-how about <A HREF="http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/268/";>Scottie Pippen</A>, <A HREF="http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/3512/";>Tyson Chandler</A> and <A HREF="http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/3403/";>Marcus Fizer</A>? Though it's 
tough to part with Chandler, the chance of landing Bryant is worth it and, as he 
would for the Knicks, Bryant surely would punch the Bulls' ticket to the 
playoffs. 

Memphis. Bryant considers former Lakers executive Jerry West a mentor, and if 
West still were around in L.A., Bryant's feud with O'Neal probably would not 
have gotten so heated. Now that West is in charge of the Grizzlies, might 
Bryant join him? Rumors that Memphis will clear out salary-cap room next summer to 
make a maximum pitch for Bryant have little basis in reality-the Grizzlies 
have drafted, signed and traded for players whose salaries ensure the team will 
be over the cap next summer. Memphis probably is not the stage Bryant is 
looking for, and the Grizzlies have little of value to offer in return, anyway (<A HREF="http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/3116/";>
Lorenzen Wright</A>, <A HREF="http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/3513/";>Pau Gasol</A> and <A HREF="http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/3516/";>Shane Battier</A>?). 

Detroit. Would the Pistons be willing to part with <A HREF="http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/3149/";>Ben Wallace</A> and <A HREF="http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/3330/";>Richard 
Hamilton</A> to get Bryant? If so, they could be a good match for the Lakers, and 
Detroit has enough big bodies in reserve to maintain a decent front line. (A 
deal for <A HREF="http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/3015/";>Corliss Williamson</A>, <A HREF="http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/3621/";>Tayshaun Prince</A> and <A HREF="http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/51/";>Elden Campbell</A> probably would 
look better from the Pistons' perspective.) With Bryant, Detroit immediately 
would be the best team in the East, and perhaps one that could keep pace with the 
title contenders in the West. 

Boston. A straight swap of <A HREF="http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/3253/";>Paul Pierce</A> for Bryant would give the Lakers a 
star-caliber wing man and a hometown product, to boot. Pierce is not Bryant, and 
he would be forced to accept a reduced role, but he would benefit from not 
taking the pounding he subjects himself to in Boston. For the Celtics, Bryant 
would be a smoother version of Pierce-a better shooter and passer. 

Sean Deveney is a staff writer for Sporting News. Email him at 
sdeveney@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx                     
    
CeltsSteve