Kobe Bryant Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Odds & Ends: Howard, Kobe, Pistons

February 9th, 2012 at 11:23pm CST by Jesse Blanchard

The All-Star reserves were announced tonight, ending the All-Star streaks of forwards Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett, and earning first-time nods for LaMarcus Aldridge, Andre Iguodala, Roy Hibbert, Marc Gasol, and Luol Deng.

Over at the New York Times, Peter Kerasotis writes the Magic feel that during the lockout too many people got into Dwight Howard's ear, convincing him to leave. Now that they are able to communicate with Howard, they would like to do some convincing of their own.
Matt Moore over at CBS Eye on Sports believes Kobe Bryant sent a message with his recent comments to the media, either improve the roster or suffer the wrath of his 30-shot nights.
There is no timetable for Cavaliers rookie point guard Kyrie Irving's return from a concussion reports Ohio.com's Nate Ulrich. This should give Ramon Sessions some time to improve his trade value.
Meanwhile in Detroit, MLive.com's David Mayo reports that the Pistons backcourt is almost healthy and the team is undecided about the long-term solution to their crowded backcourt.

Kobe Talks Future, Retirement, Trades

February 7th, 2012 at 9:11am CST by Luke Adams

In the second quarter of last night's contest in Philadelphia, Kobe Bryant passed Shaquille O'Neal on the NBA's scoring list, becoming the NBA's fifth-leading scorer of all time. After the game, Bryant indicated he'll be wearing a Lakers uniform for any future records he sets, telling Arash Markazi of ESPN Los Angeles that he'll retire as a Laker (Twitter link).

"I'm not going jump ship to go chase a sixth ring," said Bryant (Twitter link). "It's going to happen here or it's not going to happen."

Although Bryant didn't commit to a specific timetable for his eventual retirement, he expressed a desire to go out on top, saying he didn't want to "hang around and average 18 or 19 points" (Twitter link). The longtime Laker is in his 16th NBA season, though he won't turn 34 until August.

As Elliott Teaford of the Los Angeles Daily News writes, Kobe also weighed in on the possibility of the Lakers making a move before the trade deadline. While he declared the current squad strong enough to contend for a title, he also hinted that a trade or signing could help:

"We have to play very solid, near-perfect basketball, particularly with our second unit, which we have in the past. We're capable of contending. Our margin is just not as great as some of the other teams."

Odds & Ends: Lin, Billups, Williams, Kaman

February 6th, 2012 at 11:16pm CST by Daniel Seco

Lakers star Kobe Bryant eclipsed former teammate Shaquille O'Neal as the fifth all-time leading scorer in NBA history as he put up 28 points in a 95-90 loss to the 76ers. Personal records aside, Kobe's main focus remains on securing a sixth championship ring which is becoming increasingly difficult as the Lakers dropped to 14-11 on the season, with nine of those losses coming on the road. Let's take a look around the league on what was a busy Monday night for the NBA.

Jeremy Lin scored 28 points in his first start for the Knicks this evening in a 99-88 victory over the Utah Jazz. Lin, 23, wouldn't have even received this opportunity if Baron Davis' recovery had stayed on track, tweets NBA.com's Scott Howard-Cooper. With his strong performances of late, Lin is nearly assured of his contract becoming guaranteed on Friday.
Isiah Thomas' career came to an end thanks to an Achilles injury against Orlando back in 1994, says Pistons beat writer Vincent Goodwill (via Twitter). A similar fate may hold true for Chauncey Billups who left Monday's game against the Magic in the fourth quarter with what may be a left Achilles tear.
If Billups' injury turns out to be as severe as predicted, Clippers GM Neil Olshey should be commended for his decision to not shop Mo Williams even when his team's roster was overloaded with point guards.
Jimmy Smith of The Times-Picayune describes the Hornets' decision to return Chris Kaman to the active roster as a way to build a highlight-reel in order to improve trade offers. In his first game back with the Hornets, Kaman, 29, scored 10 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and made two blocks in a 100-92 loss to the Kings.

Modest Proposal: Nash To Lakers

February 6th, 2012 at 7:30pm CST by Daniel Seco

The Lakers must acquire a high-energy player to help complement Kobe Bryant and strengthen the middling point guard position in order to make a run in the playoffs this season. With Steve Blake's health still an uncertainty and Derek Fisher managing a paltry 5.3 PPG, the Lakers have put out feelers across the league in hopes of finding the right piece to help bolster their 14-10 squad. Earlier this evening, ESPN NBA Insider Chris Palmer suggested a trade (via Twitter) that would send Suns point guard Steve Nash in exchange for Fisher and Metta World Peace.

Let's take a look at what ESPN's Trade Machine has to say about this prospective deal:

In trading Fisher, 37, and World Peace, 32, to the Suns, the Lakers would project to improve by 10 wins, a hefty boost that would seemingly vault them to the top of the Western Conference. While the Trade Machine's prediction for a Steve Nash-led Lakers team sounds a bit optimistic, one must look to the success Nash, 38 on Tuesday, is currently enjoying in his 16th NBA season. Nash's minutes are slightly down (31.1 MPG) while his FG% would mark a career-high (.545), which along with his 14.5 PPG and 9.9 APG point to an overall strong season for the former first-round pick out of Santa Clara.

Among the many differences between Nash and Fisher running the point would be Nash's ability to distribute the ball while also being able to knock down a shot at a high frequency especially when a play does not materialize. Kobe's chase toward matching Michael Jordan's six championship rings would become more of a realistic goal this season upon the arrival of Nash as Bryant could decrease his minutes (38 MPG) to a more manageable level. Needless to say, Nash's overall impact may be felt most in the continued development of rising star Andrew Bynum, who was recently named an All-Star starter thanks to his 17 PPG and 12 RPG.

So far the trade looks great, but let's be honest, we've yet to consider how the Suns would fare in giving up a former two-time league MVP in Nash. The Suns front office has conceded that they are willing to deal Nash to a contender if he approached them with such a request. At 9-14, the Suns are clearly heading toward a rebuilding phase in the post-Nash era, which would become muddled with the addition of the aging Fisher and World Peace (4.9 PPG). While Fisher may serve as a strong locker room presence, World Peace's role would be a bit unclear given the roster's current glut of small forwards.

With the Trade Machine's prediction of the Suns losing an additional seven games upon trading Nash for Fisher and World Peace, Chris Palmer's trade may only come to fruition if driven solely out of respect for the future Hall of Famer Nash.