Re: Sporting News hypothesizing about possible Pierce for Bryant swap

["Dan Forant" <dforant1@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

That's alleged rapist............

DanF

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Shawn Niles" <shizzjr@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <CeltsSteve@xxxxxxx>; <Celticsstuffgroup@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>;
<Celtics@xxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, November 04, 2003 10:45 PM
Subject: Re: Sporting News hypothesizing about possible Pierce for Bryant
swap


> I'd prefer not to have any rapists on our team.
>
>
> >From: CeltsSteve@xxxxxxx
> >To: Celticsstuffgroup@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, Celtics@xxxxxxxx
> >Subject: Sporting News hypothesizing about possible Pierce for Bryant
swap
> >Date: Tue, 4 Nov 2003 19:19:51 EST
> >
> >If Kobe goes, where will he go?
> >
> >By Sean Deveney - <A
>
>HREF="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/tsn/nba/article/SIG=10tmms2oa/*http://w
ww.sportingnews.com">SportingNews.com</A>
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> ><A
>
>HREF="http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylc=X3oDMTA3OGpkbWJuBHNlYwNlY2w-?sl
ug=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
>
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