Game Day: Lakers (0-1) @ Suns (0-0), Wed 10/29/14

[Mori Chu]

The Lakers won't do that. It would be shameful and a bad way to treat arguably the greatest or second greatest player in franchise history.

I couldn't disagree more. They would have given him a contract that NO ONE in the league would have even come close to giving him. And in trading him to the Knicks they would be shipping him from one of the worse teams in the league to a team in one of the best markets in the league and that could advance to the second round of the playoffs.

Sorry, but that doesn't even come close to treating a player in a "shameful and bad" manner.

I agree that the Lakers have been great to Kobe for his time there, and they gave him a great $48.5m contract. I just meant that players often get upset if you trade them without their consent to a team they don't want to go to. This is especially true of a star or franchise player, and with Kobe being probably one of the top-10 NBA players of all time, I think a player like that should be treated in a special way. I do think that when it comes to running an NBA team, some things are more important than winning right now or maximizing draft picks and cap space. You want veterans and potential free agents to know that you'll treat them with respect and take care of them. Jerry Colangelo was EXCELLENT at this.

I'm just saying that I think that if you're the 2014 Lakers, you have to keep Kobe around until he wants to retire, or physically can't play any more, or asks to leave. I absolutely agree that it isn't cruel or unusual punishment to send him away on a huge contract, but if you have an NBA-history-all-time-great on your team, and he wants to finish his career with you, I think that you should treat that a bit differently than most personnel decisions.

[Phoenix219]

but if you have an NBA-history-all-time-great on your team, and he wants to finish his career with you, I think that you should treat that a bit differently than most personnel decisions.

But we absolutely made the correct decision on running Nash out of town without a second thought?

[Aztec Sunsfan]

I think none does. Magic is a draw.

Come on, Kareem and Magic are obvious choices. And West is The Logo after all.

[Ring_Wanted]

I don't dispute other players' greatness, but in my opinion Kobe has done just too much.

[Aztec Sunsfan]

Yeah, he is about to become the player with the most missed FGA. Not to negate his other achievements, but he is far from perfect.

BTW, I wonder if the networks will highlight the game he reaches this milestone?

[SDC]

@ESPNSteinlin The truth: Nobody is this season's Suns

OKC is this season's Memphis (8th seed everybody wants to avoid).

[Mori Chu]

There is no way they make the playoffs. They'll be noticeably under .500 with all their injuries when Westbrook and Durant start to come back, and they'd have to win too high a percentage of their games at that point to catch up.

[OE32]

I guess that's the team we dislodge? Because there's no way, barring injury, we don't make the playoffs, right?

[carey]

I guess that's the team we dislodge? Because there's no way, barring injury, we don't make the playoffs, right?

I don't want to jump to conclusions yet. I'm always wait & see guy (except very publicly when it came to Markieff but that was less about him & more about passing on Leonard so I judge him unfairly at times.) However, the way we won yesterday was impressive. That's not how Suns teams win. It has me optimistic & I'm thinking of moving off my 41 win prediction towards 50 & a 7th seed if Len stays healthy, Goran & Bledsoe miss less than 20 games each, & we don't have many games where we only make 2 3's.