What if the guy you drafted in the lottery demanded a trade?

[orlandomanic]

i was watching this quick little thing on TV, where it ranked the worst trades in NBA history

and #1 and #2 was something like the Kobe and Kareem trade.

and i was like "no" those aren't bad trades, those are just team who are trying to make the best of a bad situation.

it is not it's Charlotte's fault that Kobe demanded a trade specifically to the Lakers. it is not like Charlotte could have tried make a trade with other teams like the Jazz or Pacers to get more valued players in return for Kobe then the package that the Lakers offered, because most likely the Jazz or Pacers or other small market team wouldn't have offered anything, because they knew that Kobe would refuse to resign.

i don't understand why Charlotte or Milwaukee is considered stupid for trading away Kobe or Kareem for lesser value players, when they are put into a horrible position in the first place.

if you had a player and he demanded a traded, would you trade him or refuse the demand, force him to play on your team and do everything you can to resign him when his contract was up?

[Knckles]

U do realize that the Lakers picked Kobe not Charlotte. Charlotte traded their pick for Vlade Divac and Lakers told Charlotte who to pick. A good example for your topic is Stevie Franchise.

[arrow2knee]

Force him to play if he's great his value will be higher if you know he won't sign.

[arrow2knee]

U do realize that the Lakers picked Kobe not Charlotte. Charlotte traded their pick for Vlade Divac and Lakers told Charlotte who to pick. A good example for your topic is Stevie Franchise.

wasn't there a story thow about kobe telling charlotte he wouldn't play for them.

[orlandomanic]

U do realize that the Lakers picked Kobe not Charlotte. Charlotte traded their pick for Vlade Divac and Lakers told Charlotte who to pick. A good example for your topic is Stevie Franchise.

oh come on, don't try to act so dumb.... Kobe, the Hornets, and the Lakers were talking way before the draft happen. it was all orchestrated

by the way, you are also wrong about the Lakers drafting him, the transaction history in the NBA list that Kobe was drafted by the Hornets and then traded to the Lakers, and not, the pick was traded, and then the Lakers selected Kobe.

[orlandomanic]

i think that is why Kobe went as low as he did, because he was Eli Manning the whole situation and manipulating the draft and telling every team that he only was going to resign with the Lakers.

and since Kobe comes from a rich family, he doesn't care about those huge rookie contracts, he is okay with a lower first round contract.

[Dr Aki]

U do realize that the Lakers picked Kobe not Charlotte. Charlotte traded their pick for Vlade Divac and Lakers told Charlotte who to pick. A good example for your topic is Stevie Franchise.

wasn't there a story thow about kobe telling charlotte he wouldn't play for them.

there was a story about kobe telling new jersey he wouldn't play for the nets. which forced the nets to pick kittles instead of kobe.

but charlotte wanted a big man, and all the lottery big men were taken, lakers had a pretty damn good big man they wanted to dump to get shaq. the lakers told charlotte to pick kobe for the lakers.

no amount of history rehashing would charlotte have ever kept kobe, they wanted divac all the way.

high school swingmen phenoms werent taken back then. only big men came straight out of high school like kemp and garnett

[Sofa King]

To what do I refer? The simple, now-evident question: What if Jerry West hadn't talked Calipari out of drafting Kobe Bryant?

It's true. According to Roland Lazenby's new West biography, Calipari wanted to take Kobe with the No. 8 pick in the 1996 NBA draft, and West, deeply fond of Bryant's potential, managed to talk him out of it:
First West had to take the huge gamble of trading veteran center Vlade Divac to the Charlotte Hornets for their thirteenth pick in the draft. Then he learned that John Calipari, the coach of the New Jersey Nets, planned to take [Kobe] Bryant with the eighth pick before the Lakers could snare him at thirteen.

"Jerry wanted Kobe, so he basically called up and talked Cal out of drafting Kobe," explained Hal Wiseel, who was with the Nets at the time. West encouraged the Bryant family to talk to Calipari and explain that their son really wanted to play for the Lakers. “He knew if we didn’t take him at eight, he’d drop to Charlotte, and he could make the deal with Charlotte,” Wissel recalled. “Cal was young in the league and, hey, it’s Jerry West on the phone."

Triple oof. Of course, it took a couple of years for Kobe Bryant to become Kobe Bryant, so there's no guarantee Calipari would have saved his NBA livelihood merely by standing up to West and taking Bryant with that eighth pick. Still, by 1999 -- the end of Cal's Nets tenure -- Kobe was starting to look like an elite player, and had he been able to excel for the Nets in short order, it just might have prevented Calipari from eventually heading back to college basketball with his tail between his legs. Which, of course, would have kept Memphis from regaining its elite status, and which almost certainly would have kept Calipari from eventually landing at his current home, Kentucky.

So, Kentucky fans, if you haven't already, be thankful John Calipari wasn't an NBA heavyweight. Without that failure, your 26-1 record and national title-contending Cats might never have existed. (Oh, and Lakers fans? You should probably say your thank you's, too.)

http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketba ... ris-career

[Knckles]

i think that is why Kobe went as low as he did, because he was Eli Manning the whole situation and manipulating the draft and telling every team that he only was going to resign with the Lakers.

and since Kobe comes from a rich family, he doesn't care about those huge rookie contracts, he is okay with a lower first round contract.

Exactly so y did the Hornets picked him anyway? It's because they wanted Vlade Divac since they knew the Lakers wanted him badly so I don't get y you are having sympathy for the Hornets they wanted Vlade all along.

[Sofa King]

Also...

**********************
KOBE

As far as the superstars of the early-2000s run, West of course deserves much credit for having the eye to spot Kobe Bryant's talent when few others did, and being ahead of the curve early in the preps-to-pros era. However, I don’t believe that West ever would have landed Bryant if he hadn’t been with the Lakers.

The New Jersey Nets also had Kobe evaluated as potential star and sat ahead of the Lakers in the draft at no. 8. L.A. was at no. 13 after West traded Vlade Divac for the Hornets’ pick.

So, how and why did Kobe land in Hollywood instead of the Meadowlands? There have always been conflicting accounts on the specifics. Lazenby’s account is quite charitable to West. Dime ran this brief excerpt in a recent story:
First West had to take the huge gamble of trading veteran center Vlade Divac to the Charlotte Hornets for their thirteenth pick in the draft. Then he learned that John Calipari, the coach of the New Jersey Nets, planned to take [Kobe] Bryant with the eighth pick before the Lakers could snare him at thirteen.

"Jerry wanted Kobe, so he basically called up and talked Cal out of drafting Kobe," explained Hal Wissel, who was with the Nets at the time. West encouraged the Bryant family to talk to Calipari and explain that their son really wanted to play for the Lakers. "He knew if we didn’t take him at eight, he’d drop to Charlotte, and he could make the deal with Charlotte," Wissel recalled. "Cal was young in the league and, hey, it’s Jerry West on the phone."
Here is how Chris Sheridan, then with the AP, reported things in 2002, when the Lakers and the Nets met in the Finals:
"[Bryant] was our pick. We had dinner with his parents the night before the draft and we told them he was our choice," recalled John Nash, who was New Jersey's general manager at the time.

The Nets had brought Bryant in for three workouts, and a year before that they had been hearing stories from the likes of Jerry Stackhouse, Rasheed Wallace, Doug Overton and Tim Legler about a 16-year kid from Lower Merion H.S., who was lighting up every NBA player he was matched against in workouts at the Philadelphia Sporting Club.

The afternoon of the draft, Nash received two phone calls - one from Bryant and one from his agent, Arn Tellem.

"They said Kobe had had a tremendous change of heart," Nash said. "Kobe suggested he wouldn't play in New Jersey."

Within a couple of hours, Nash learned that the Hornets and Lakers had worked out a deal to sent Vlade Divac to Charlotte for the rights to Bryant. Lakers president Jerry West had already offered Divac to the Nets for the eighth pick, but New Jersey turned it down.

As Nash recalls, he, then-coach John Calipari and then-owner Joseph Taub discussed what to do. Nash wanted to call Bryant's bluff and take him anyway; Calipari wanted to take Kerry Kittles (agent David Falk was pleading with the club to select Kittles, just as Tellem was begging them not to draft Bryant), while Taub wanted to take John Wallace to fill a need at small forward.

Calipari had final say, and the Nets decided to pick Kittles with the No. 8 pick.

"Arn Tellem had something to do with that. I don't know how much leverage a 17-year old kid can have," Bryant said. "At that point in time I was ready to play anywhere - Mars, Jupiter, New Jersey, Charlotte, didn't matter."
Perhaps the most entertaining account of the saga comes (unsurprisingly) from Sonny Vaccaro, who was with Adidas at the time, and wanted to make Bryant a centerpiece of the company’s basketball marketing. He told his version of the tale in rollicking detail back in December on Chris Vernon’s radio show in Memphis. It’s a highly recommended listen.

Vaccaro claims that Kobe's father, Joe Bryant, told the Nets brass on the day of the draft that "Kobe wasn't going to go to New Jersey, he was going to go to Italy." It was a plausible bluff, considering Kobe spent a few years of his childhood in Italy when Joe played there. But Vaccaro then said, "I doubt with the competitiveness of Kobe Bryant that he would have gone to Italy. We'll never know."

Kobe wanted to go to L.A., it was clear. As Vaccaro said, "First of all, it's Jerry West, and it's the guy on the [logo] and all that stuff. And it's the Lakers. There is something to it. It wasn't like Jerry West was with the Omaha Mushriders."

John Nash and John Calipari were every bit as accurate as Jerry West was, but they did not have the power of the Lakers franchise behind them. Yes, West was shrewd in his evaluation of Kobe Bryant, but without the Lakers, he never would have landed him.

http://thepaintedarea.blogspot.com/2010 ... as-gm.html

[orlandomanic]

i think that is why Kobe went as low as he did, because he was Eli Manning the whole situation and manipulating the draft and telling every team that he only was going to resign with the Lakers.

and since Kobe comes from a rich family, he doesn't care about those huge rookie contracts, he is okay with a lower first round contract.

Exactly so y did the Hornets picked him anyway? It's because they wanted Vlade Divac since they knew the Lakers wanted him badly so I don't get y you are having sympathy for the Hornets they wanted Vlade all along.

so what, if that story is true, the Nets should have drafted Kobe, but Kobe would have just demanded a trade. the scenario still applies . what does a team do if a player demands a trade, and expresses that they don't want to play on your team.

if Kobe told the Nets that he didn't want to play for the, then what chance do the Hornets have. the situation still applies

[Sofa King]

i think that is why Kobe went as low as he did, because he was Eli Manning the whole situation and manipulating the draft and telling every team that he only was going to resign with the Lakers.

and since Kobe comes from a rich family, he doesn't care about those huge rookie contracts, he is okay with a lower first round contract.

Exactly so y did the Hornets picked him anyway? It's because they wanted Vlade Divac since they knew the Lakers wanted him badly so I don't get y you are having sympathy for the Hornets they wanted Vlade all along.

so what, if that story is true, the Nets should have drafted Kobe, but Kobe would have just demanded a trade. the scenario still applies . what does a team do if a player demands a trade, and expresses that they don't want to play on your team.

if Kobe told the Nets that he didn't want to play for the, then what chance do the Hornets have. the situation still applies

Get your story straight. It was West all along. West had to tell the Bryant family to convince the Nets to not draft Kobe. West called a young Calipari and convinced him to not draft Kobe. If it wasn't for West wanting Kobe so much, Kobe would have been a Net. If it wasn't for West, Kobe would have been fine playing in New Jersey.

[Knckles]

U can call their bluff draft them anyway tell them if they don't play then they will never ever play in the NBA and then see their reaction. If they still don't want to play for your team either trade him cause u took a risk and failed or continue to negotiate until either sides falter. Another option is to not just draft him at all simple as that.

I believe Kobe was also fine with playing with the 76ers but I'm not 100% sure.

[BSM]

Jersey is also close to Kobe's home so why not.

[orlandomanic]

Exactly so y did the Hornets picked him anyway? It's because they wanted Vlade Divac since they knew the Lakers wanted him badly so I don't get y you are having sympathy for the Hornets they wanted Vlade all along.

so what, if that story is true, the Nets should have drafted Kobe, but Kobe would have just demanded a trade. the scenario still applies . what does a team do if a player demands a trade, and expresses that they don't want to play on your team.

if Kobe told the Nets that he didn't want to play for the, then what chance do the Hornets have. the situation still applies

Get your story straight. It was West all along. West had to tell the Bryant family to convince the Nets to not draft Kobe. West called a young Calipari and convinced him to not draft Kobe. If it wasn't for West wanting Kobe so much, Kobe would have been a Net. If it wasn't for West, Kobe would have been fine playing in New Jersey.

it wasn't West that told Calipari.... it was Kobe and his family who said that he wanted to play for the Lakers and not the Nets, West was advising the Bryant family. you need to read it again, because your comprehensions skills are horrible.

[Sofa King]

so what, if that story is true, the Nets should have drafted Kobe, but Kobe would have just demanded a trade. the scenario still applies . what does a team do if a player demands a trade, and expresses that they don't want to play on your team.

if Kobe told the Nets that he didn't want to play for the, then what chance do the Hornets have. the situation still applies

Get your story straight. It was West all along. West had to tell the Bryant family to convince the Nets to not draft Kobe. West called a young Calipari and convinced him to not draft Kobe. If it wasn't for West wanting Kobe so much, Kobe would have been a Net. If it wasn't for West, Kobe would have been fine playing in New Jersey.

it wasn't West that told Calipari.... it was Kobe and his family who said that he wanted to play for the Lakers and not the Nets, West was advising the Bryant family. you need to read it again, because your comprehensions skills are horrible.

Are you serious? Well your knowledgeable about how Kobe became a Laker is horrible. I was just trying to give you information on how it actually happened.

"Jerry wanted Kobe, so he basically called up and talked Cal out of drafting Kobe," explained Hal Wiseel, who was with the Nets at the time."

[orlandomanic]

Get your story straight. It was West all along. West had to tell the Bryant family to convince the Nets to not draft Kobe. West called a young Calipari and convinced him to not draft Kobe. If it wasn't for West wanting Kobe so much, Kobe would have been a Net. If it wasn't for West, Kobe would have been fine playing in New Jersey.

it wasn't West that told Calipari.... it was Kobe and his family who said that he wanted to play for the Lakers and not the Nets, West was advising the Bryant family. you need to read it again, because your comprehensions skills are horrible.

Are you serious? Well your knowledgeable about how Kobe became a Laker is horrible. I was just trying to give you information on how it actually happened.

"Jerry wanted Kobe, so he basically called up and talked Cal out of drafting Kobe," explained Hal Wiseel, who was with the Nets at the time."

West encouraged the Bryant family to talk to Calipari and explain that their son really wanted to play for the Lakers.
http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/4672/how-jerry-west-changed-john-caliparis-career

come on, learn how to read first, then you can start posting with the other adults.

[Sofa King]

I'm not disputing West didn't do that either. West did both. He called Calipari. He also encouraged the Bryant family to talk Calipari out of drafting Kobe. You do realize that West did both right or am I just talking to a wall?

[Sofa King]

West called Calipari and tried to talk him out of risking the Nets future on an untested 18 year old. And there was plenty more pressure put on the young coach.

http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/ ... -ya-think/

Also read here for the Full Story.

come on, learn how to read first, then you can start posting with the other adults.

Are we all adults here yet?

[BJ43]

I'm sorry were you asking a question, or this just a Kobe thread?