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.

The Tricks of the Trade

I have trouble believing trade rumors nowadays. I think trade rumor credibility was recently tarnished thanks to Kobe Bryant. At the end of the 2006-2007 season, Bryant declared that he wanted to be traded and did not wish to be a Laker anymore. He also mentioned that the Chicago Bulls was one of the teams on his list that he would like to be traded to. Bulls fans knew that in order for this trade to happen, this meant that Chicago would have to give up either Deng or Gordon, as well as other players. But then Mr. Raperman Bryant decided to just stick with the Lakers. Regardless, It's so hard to know what the Bulls should do in times like these because everyone knows that practically every player on the Bulls has a tremendous upside and still has time to grow into an all-star caliber player.

It seems that every major trade rumor has involved the Chicago Bulls. Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, Zach Randolph, Pau Gasol, etc...why does it seem like Chicago is the best place for one of these players? What is so great about the Chicago Bulls??? I'll tell you what...FUCKING EVERYTHING! This shows that I'm not the only one who has noticed that Chicago is consistently getting better and all the NBA is taking notice of it. And the lack of a true all-star has the major players looking to Chicago as a place where they can make an immediate impact, and even eventually bring a championship back to the windy city.

But I don't know if they understand that the reason why the Bulls keep improving every year is because they already have the basic role players, besides a scoring big man. In order to bring one of these all-stars to Chicago, this would mean that Chicago would have to sacrifice Deng, Gordon, Nocioni, Duhon, or someone else that still has time to get better and has already made a major contribution to the success of the team. With the acquisition of Ben Wallace, the Bulls did not lose anything, except maybe a little too much money. Since Wallace was acquired through free agency, no core players were lost from the year before. However, Tyson Chandler was traded to New Orleans for P.J. Brown.

The reason why I bring up this trade talk is because I recently read a blog speaking of how Utah F Andrei Kirilenko requested to be traded. Kirilenko declared this only a few days after he helped Russia win the gold in the European championships. Andrei has sorta been on a downward spiral. This past year, he only average 8.3 points, which is the lowest of his career. Injuries have whooped his ass the last three seasons. But after his showing in the European championships, where he averaged 18 points and 8.3 rebounds, there is no doubt that Kirilenko still has game. Mainly known for his defense, Kirilenko would be able to contribute to the the high powered defense already covered by the Bulls. But I doubt anything will become of this trade because I doubt that Chicago's salary cap can cover Kirilenko. But I think we'll be fine without Kirilenko.

But I'll leave you with some skills that Andrei Kirilenko could bring to Chicago.