Sportsfrog.com

He’s still a Laker. But that doesn’t mean he will be for long, as the rumors continue to swirl. The latest:

1. He won’t be in Dallas, not if LA continues to insist on Dirk Nowitzki in return.

2. Reportedly, Bryant wants to be in Chicago, and is trying to help in making that happen. The angle: Bryant wants to be in Chicago but doesn’t want their roster gutted to get him. Well shit, Kobe, why would LA deal you for anything less than a suitable ransom? From Jay Mariotti in the Sun Times:

“Because Bryant himself is the power broker behind the intensifying trade talks, a free agent without the free agency, privately demanding which players should be in the deal and which should not. That is to ensure the Bulls team he would inherit is championship-ready, which makes him more influential in orchestrating the blockbuster than general managers John Paxson and Mitch Kupchak and even the owners, Jerrys Reinsdorf and Buss. Have no fear that Luol Deng, Ben Gordon, Ty Thomas and Joakim Noah all would be lost to the Lakers, since King Kobe would veto the deal via his no-trade clause before allowing such a loaded package.

What he wants is what Paxson wants: To be paired with Deng in a newfangled version of Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, the shooter and the slasher, the egomaniac who needs the ball like air and water and the unselfish humanitarian who would complement him perfectly. Having won rings with Jordan and Pippen, Paxson knows that Bryant would need a Deng to win his championships. And with Kirk Hinrich, Ben Wallace, Andres Nocioni, Thabo Sefolosha, Chris Duhon and Joe Smith playing their roles, well, now hear this: The Bulls wouldn’t be anything like the current mediocre Lakers, they of the lame supporting cast that led Bryant to make his trade demands.”

If I am the Lakers, I don’t pull a trigger on a deal that only includes Ben Gordon, Tyrus Thomas, and Joakim Noah (plus fodder to make the money work) but, hey, maybe that’s just me. I would think, though, the Lakers would not be cool with handing Bryant exactly what he wants here, given how much trouble he has caused them in the past few years. At any rate, the watch continues.