They could get rid of them all. Trade Marbury, Francis, Nate, Lee(or Frye) and a salary cap filler for Kobe and a low priced bum(Farmar?).

The Knicks would still suck but they would be more interesting

In order to make a trade, isn't it imperative that another team want what your offering? Marbury, Francis, Nate?????? Perhaps if Isiah Thomas takes a job with the Lakers first...

Well played, sir.

That would be a dream come true....

and kobe calms down:

http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/6864820?FSO2&ATT=MA

this is why i try not to talk to someone if i'm steamed. like to wait til i've cooled off a bit-no need for apologies that way!

thats good he finally got it he can't win a championship with that team.:eek:

There are no reliable sources in this mess. Kobe lies. Buss is crazy. Phil is old and chillin.

Guaranteed Kobe put up no resistance if Buss said Shaq is gone...

"Jerry, we got to keep the big man" was never uttered. Kobe is in the sour part of his M-cycle based on his bipolar moods. Steven A. Smith is having the time of his life. He is in heaven with all this crap going on.

This is exactly it. Kobe never lobbied to keep Shaq. I don't fault him for that. I understand where he was at that point in his career. If it was true that Buss just didn't want to keep Shaq because of the costs and Shaq's increasing health problems and his age, I could understand that too. When it became obvious that there was going to have to be a choice to be made, I thought it was a no-brainer for the long term to keep Kobe. But before it got to that point, Buss was intent on keeping Shaq. U don't offer a guy a two-year extention on his contract at $45 million if u have decided to get rid of him. That just doesn't make sense. And how did it become obvious that a choice had to be made? Kobe let everyone in the world know it. He was very clear on his thoughts about the offense and his role. He said that he was the one working the hardest while Shaq was using "company time" to recover and that he was tried of playing second fiddle. Never mind that this way of doing things led them to four finals' appearances in five years. He wanted to do things his own way. He was tired of the triangle offense too. This is stuff that he publicly said. And then don't forget how he felt about Phil. I still remember clearly a quote from Kobe where he said he respected Phil as a coach but didn't respect him as a man. So once Kobe made it clear that if they stayed, he wouldn't, of course Buss backed off of his desire to keep both Phil and Shaq. Technically, he didn't ask them to be let go of but he made it clear that if they weren't, he would be gone. Semantics.

BFD. The Lakers stood by him when everyone else had him fitted for a striped jumpsuit in Colorado. This guy is paid a yearly salary equivalent to the GNP of a third world country. Part of the Lakers problem is getting enough flexibility under the cap to attract better talent with his enormous salary already hanging over their head. That's a problem facing every GM in the league. Just because he runs his mouth he expects the team to jump. Since the Lakers aren't going to be a real contender any time soon and since Kobe has absolutely no leverage, they will tell him behind closed doors to go pound sand. And, in the end, he won't do a thing except pout while scoring his 35 a night.