Chicago has a lake. Why not get a Laker to go with it?

Have you heard the one about how Kobe Bryant wants to be traded? Oh...you have. Then this won't be news for you, unless you're a Chicago Bulls' fan. The only difference is that now the Lakers are willing to let him go so Kobe would no longer be a distraction to the team, as well as the Lakers organization. Kobe has mentioned that his team of choice is the Chicago Bulls, due to their rising talent. Kobe also realizes that the Bulls are based upon teamwork and role playing, but they are still missing that one final piece. Kobe figures he is that Jordan-esque player that can bring some glory back to Chicago.

John Paxson has been willing to listen to the different trade offers, but none of them sound good at the moment. These rumors range from giving up Deng, Gordon, Noah, and Thomas, to Gordon, Hinrich, and Wallace, to Gordon, Hinrich, and Nocioni. Basically, Ben Gordon was involved in every trade aspect. The Bulls organization is having trouble do not want to give up Luol Deng, since he is the Bulls most consistent player and shows the biggest upside of the baby Bulls.

BullsCentral.com listed 5 reasons why Kobe will not go to the Chicago Bulls. Some reasons are that Jerry Buss doesn't want to let Kobe go and how Scott Skiles has limitations as a coach. With the deadline for Deng's and Gordon's contract deadlines coming up, this only adds more pressure to the Bulls organization. Deng and Gordon were the Bulls' two leading scorers last season and for Chicago and for Chicago to lose one of them would be a major loss.

Another trade rumor that came up was that there would be a third team involved. One team that was willing to get in on the trade action would be the Sacramento Kings, who are willing to give up Ron Artest and try to pick up a point guard, such as Hinrich or Gordon, to replace the injured Mike Bibby. In this trade, Sacremento would acquire a Bulls' guard. Sacremento would acquire Ron Artest and possible Ben Wallace. And then of course Chicago would get Kobe.

I know that this whole Kobe Bryant trade drama has been on and off for I don't even know how long, but this is the closest that Chicago has been to getting Kobe. He may not play the same team ball Chicago does, but the fact of the matter is that Kobe is the best player in the NBA, hands down. On the Lakers opening night game, Kobe dropped 45 points, 18 of which came in the 4th quarter, in a loss against the Houston Rockets.

All in all, I think Chicago would benefit tremendously if they acquired Kobe, even if it means the loss of Ben Gordon. I doubt that any of these trade rumors will happen, but I guarantee these rumors will come up many times in the future. Until then, the Bulls will be just fine without Kobe. Chicago will continue to play the same team basketball that they have played these few years, and they will continue to get better with or without a true star player.

Here are some of the few Kobe Bryant highlights.