Posted by blueNorange:

you know him telling the media that he already had a trade offering for Kobe that's Malik Rose, Jamal Crawful, Channing Frye, and David Lee. now ... i would really love this Knick team getting rid of Crawful but it isn't right how Isiah made those players tradeable to a All-Star caliber player. sure Kobe maybe the greatest player ever but how do you think Crawful's, Lee's, and Frye's(not adding Rose) confidence feels knowing in the back of their heads that they can play very very well but when that player wants out they're as good as gone.

Isiah should've kept that trade offering to himself IMO.

LOL. It is Kobe Bryant. Last season when Brown told Marbury. Look I am not looking to trade you unless we can get a player like Kobe Bryant. Marbury's response to him was you would be crazy not to trade me for Kobe. Those guys would be fools if they thought that Isiah or any GM would not carry them on their backs to LA to get Kobe. Come on.

I think most players realize that it is a business and if a player of Kobe's stature becomes available, everyone is fair game. I think players are more bothered when a team simply wants to trade them because they don't believe in the player.

By MARC BERMAN

June 1, 2007 -- LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Isiah Thomas revealed yesterday he began constructing trade offers to the Lakers on Wednesday afternoon when he heard Kobe Bryant's emphatic trade demand.

The Knicks coach/president has backed off for now after Bryant flip-flopped four times Wednesday.

"For the hour he was available [Wednesday], we all had a scenario and it didn't take us long to figure out how we would get him," Thomas said yesterday at the NBA pre-draft camp at the Milk House Arena at Walt Disney World. "I'm sure every GM in the league had a scenario on how to get him."

If the Lakers were not interested in Stephon Marbury, Thomas likely would have to string together a package of David Lee, Jamal Crawford, Channing Frye and Malik Rose. Thomas said Eddy Curry would not be part of any package for Bryant, his strongest indication of the Knicks center's untouchable status.

"We want to build around him . . . what he's doing and what he's going to be," Thomas said of Curry. "There aren't many big men in the league like him.

"You try to add that player to somebody; you try to put them together," Thomas added. "For the one hour [Bryant] was leaving, you try to put him together with someone he likes."

Thomas has not approached Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak and won't unless further developments occur in the Bryant soap opera.

The feeling around the league is the Knicks could be Bryant's top choice. Bryant, who grew up in Philadelphia, invited Thomas and James Dolan to his Newport Beach, Calif., palace during his free agency two summers ago, telling them his desire of one day playing in the Big Apple.

The Knicks have a lot of pieces but perhaps not the one big piece that would seize the Lakers' interest. The package the Knicks would offer would leave them a subpar rebounding team, but it might not matter with Curry, Bryant and Marbury as the Eastern Conference's most potent offensive trifecta.

It is appropriate that Thomas is spending this week only minutes from the Magic Kingdom's Fantasyland.

"He's a great player," Thomas said of Bryant. "He's had a great career. Right now he belongs to the Los Angeles Lakers. I had my one hour of fantasy, walking down the aisle. The type or success he had with Shaq [O'Neal], you hope he would have replicated it here [with Curry]."

Bryant can become a free agent after the 2008-2009 season. The Knicks could be under the salary cap then because $47 million of salary will come off the books with Marbury's, Steve Francis' and Malik Rose's deals ending.

Thomas has indicated he doesn't want to sign any more contracts that go past 2008-2009, which is why he's against adding a free agent this summer with the mid-level exception.

"It's the healthiest we've been in a long time," Thomas said of the cap situation. "We don't need to do anything to set ourselves back and we won't."

The buzz at pre-draft camp has the Kings shopping Ron Artest. Despite Thomas' love of Artest's game, the Knicks appear to be mixed on him because of his baggage.

[Edited by - anji on 06-02-2007 3:43 PM]

Posted by Solace:

Right, key word is likely. Pure speculation. Curry won't be included in any trade for Kobe. That's all we know.

I agree but it's obvious what the gist of the trade would consist of. It's not like we have any Lottery Picks to give away plus Suckchap can't get screwed or else he's toast.

Posted by Solace:

Posted by TrueBlue:

Posted by Solace:

Right, key word is likely. Pure speculation. Curry won't be included in any trade for Kobe. That's all we know.

I agree but it's obvious what the gist of the trade would consist of. It's not like we have any Lottery Picks to give away plus Suckchap can't get screwed or else he's toast.

We don't have enough to get Kobe unless Curry is being included. Isiah said he won't give up Curry. Therefore, I don't know why it's even being brought up.

I think we have what it takes to piece together just a proposal without Curry, the main problem even if Curry was included other teams can put better offers on the table. I'd LOL if KOME hinted who he'd like to play with here and Curry's name wasn't one of them. Besides Kobe, Marbury, Curry and whoever else is left would be a horrible defensive and rebounding team. I don't want Kobe under any circumstance, if it isn't to completely rid the roster of all it's bad contracts.

Why would the Lakers trade Kobe for Curry anyway? So they can put together a 33 win season like the Knicks'? It wouldn't make sense.

just one thing?

I think they could get a better package than that for Kobe. They wouldn't be getting one two-way player in the deal.