JERMAINE, KOBE MAY TEAM UP

By PETER VECSEY

May 31, 2007 -- Kobe Bryant's steady squawking over the last 96 hours about his cheerless existence as a Laker (since re-signing with the team in July of '04) to anybody flashing a media credential or offering a live mike thankfully appears to be almost over.

The Post has learned a championship-caliber collaborator should soon be coming to Kobe's - the city's and the team's - emotional rescue. How poetically peculiar that the player's last name is O'Neal, as in Jermaine, not Shaquille!

Interestingly, the teammates-in-waiting were chosen four spots apart in the '96 draft: Kobe No. 13 by the then Charlotte Hornets; Jermaine No. 17 by the Blazers.

Within the last week, the Pacers and Lakers have laid the groundwork for a trade that would certainly placate both sorrowful All-Stars. L.A. inquired about O'Neal - another fake franchise player pocketing maximum money on the prowl for someone to save him from losing. And was told he was available. Indiana let it be known the Lakers have ample assets (players and/or picks) to make a fair deal.
No specifics were delivered. No negotiating has been done. Still, Lamar Odom would have to be the principal of the package in order to adhere to NBA trade specifications. He's currently on the Laker salary cap for $12,348,596 and has two seasons remaining at 900G per raises.

O'Neal earns Kobe-like numbers: $18,084M this season, and has three remaining at $19.728M, $21.372 and 23,016M. Kobe has an out after two more seasons. Should he exercise it to become a free agent, he'dHe also expressed hope at being a Laker for life. leave $47.8M on the table.
Surely Andrew Bynum ($2.030M/$2.172M/$2.769M) must be included as well. I can't see the Pacers parting with a 7-footer without getting one back.

Obviously, this very real swap talk is why Kobe's blithering abruptly ceased late yesterday afternoon.
For days, he'd avoided returning phone calls from the Lakers. Yet, soon after demanding unequivocally to be traded while a guest on Stephen A. Smith's radio show, Kobe spoke to Jackson, who unquestionably clued him in to what's going on.

A couple hours later, Kobe was back on ESPN telling Dan Patrick he hoped his "quality help issue" could be worked out.

that's fine. send him out west. i don't think they will win anyway. knicks should just focus on rashard lewis and maybe ray allen. i like o'neal but he is too injury prone and inconsistent ( sounds like most of our team anyway). now the question is if we do get lewis and allen, would we still be under the cap in 2008- 2009?

Vecsey is a known liar. There could be truth to it, but it's probably speculative, at best.

I think KG and Kobe would be a great combo. But it's tough to say whether Bynum + Odom nets KG (it might). If it does, that's a pretty depleated team. I think the best thing for the Lakers might be to toss in the towel and do a full rebuild. I mean, look at how stacked the west is. The Lakers have no shot at a title, no matter what move they make, they're still won't be better than the Suns, Spurs and Mavs.

Indy has the lakes by the short hairs now. Kobe did not help.

JO = Oh-Dumb money wise?

Nice duo, but thats a lot of scratch for two players. I think Lakes might have to send more $ to Indy to make it work. Funny, Bynum might be the next JO kind of kid who needs a few years to mature after leaving HS.

Lakes have been rebuilding with Jax as coach. ANd he did not want to come here to rebuild? Phil is smart, he got 9 rings, makes 10 mil a year, hot girlfriend and lives in Malibu to boot while living in half of montana the rest of year. Lakes got stupid the last few years.

Kobe is right to bitch on this one, and he will get some help, but it ain't gonna get it done.

Indy with its pieces are an interesting team to watch now. I don't go on last season as the trade did not help them short term. Team was in dissaray and nobody knew there roles and Carlisle was not the right coach for that group.

I think Dunleavy ends up on the Lakes. Good triangle player.

It will probably be O' Neal for Odom, Bynum, and Laker's pick, which is not a great deal for the Lakers. I could also see the Pacers try to pawn off Dunleavey or Murphy. Dunleavy actually would probably do well in Phil's offense.

[Edited by - thegame on 05-31-2007 2:56 PM]

Posted by purple012870:

My guess:

Pacers trade (26mm):
Jermain O'Neill - 18mm
Mike Dunleavy or Troy Murphy - 8mm

Lakers trade (27mm):

Lamar Odom - 12mm
Andrew Bynum - 2mm
Kwame Brown - 8mm
Vladimir Radmanovic - 5mm

Basically, a O'Neill for Bynum (youth for experience deal).

I don't know, but I would think the lakers part of the deal (with their pick) might be enough to get KG.

Posted by Bonn1997:

It can't be. Nixluva ensured us that we were the only team willing to take back JO's contract.

That's basically a guarantee that 10 other teams can.

Still, it's coming from Vecsey, who is even more off than Nixluva at times.