Sizing up the Kobe factor
Our readers have their say
Let's stick with this young Bulls core
I can respect Kobe Bryant as a good basketball player, but I don't think he can bring anything to the Bulls that our young core group can't do for themselves in 1-3 years.
They have improved every year and I want to see how far they can go together.
I've bought into the system of basketball they play, appreciate their work ethic and defensive skills, and enjoy watching an offense shared among the players rather than channeled through a superstar like Kobe every time they go down the court.
The only way to get Kobe is likely by giving up two out of three, if not all three, of our core guys, and then our team would hardly look like the Bulls anymore and the chemistry would be gone.
While our supporting players are talented, I don't think propping them up with Kobe will get us very far. Kobe can go somewhere else.
Hilary Storm
Byron
Give L.A. Lakers anyone but Deng
Yes, I want Kobe Bryant in Chicago.
Ben Gordon can't dribble a basketball or play defense, so, yes, bring me Kobe and make sure Gordon is in that deal and not Luol Deng.
Give them anyone from our team, except Deng, to get this done.
Richard J. Kapcia
Algonquin
Get Kobe, please!
Do I want Kobe Bryant in Chicago? Who wouldn't?
He is the best since MJ, and we all know what that means here in Chicago.
Is John Paxson really going to pull the trigger? I don't know. What I would say to him … do not fall in love with your players. Luol Deng is great, but not on the Kobe level.
Arkadiy Giterman
Wheeling
Please, don't do it
It would be a major mistake for the Bulls to make a trade for Kobe Bryant. It would go against the philosophy of both Scott Skiles and John Paxson.
Kobe is a spoiled, selfish superstar who would demand the offense go through him every time they have the ball. Remember Michael Jordan playing for Washington?
We already have two spoiled superstars playing baseball on the north side of Chicago. I hope Paxson does not make the same mistake as Jim Hendry has done.
Ron Plywaczynski
Arlington Heights
Stay the course
Just say no to the Kobe Show.
Dick and Bobbie Oxley
Colorado Springs, Colo.
A chance like this can't be ignored
Trading for Kobe Bryant is a move the Bulls have to make. Superstars like him come available once in a lifetime and the Bulls need to pull the trigger.
Yes, everyone would be for almost any deal that didn't involve Luol Deng, but in the end, if they move Deng, Ben Gordon and (another player) in a sign-and-trade for Kobe, you have to do it.
A core of Hinrich, Bryant, Thabo Sefalosha, Tyrus Thomas, Ben Wallace, Joakim Noah, Andres Nocioni, Chris Duhon, and Joe Smith could probably win it all.
I am as big a fan of Gordon and Deng as there is, but Kobe is that crunch-time, give-me-the-ball-and-get-out-of-my-way scorer the Bulls need. Also, defensively he matches up better against the bigger 2-guards of the league than does Hinrich or Gordon.
Frank E. Migut
Des Plaines
Stay the course
As a Bulls season-ticket holder, I hope the Bulls do NOT mortgage the future for Kobe Bryant (note that I would have been willing to do this for a big man like Kevin Garnett or Amare Stoudemire). The Bulls don't need Kobe to sell tickets (every game last year at the UC was a sellout), and the young team needs time to grow together.
I agree we need another big guard, but I'd prefer a less drastic move, perhaps the equivalent of the mid-90s version of Ron Harper or Nate McMillan.
Frankly, this has "T.O. to Eagles" written all over it.
Terry Walsh
Wheaton
Just say no
No! We have a good team.
No! We don't need a bad apple to spoil it.
No! He is not a Michael Jordan.
I will be happier with what we have.
Concezio Di Legge
Arlington Heights
A rotten apple
I really enjoy being a Bulls fan because of their young talent, charisma and genuine appreciation for one another. Trading away any part of this group for a whiny malcontent would take my heart out of the team. Kobe Bryant would be the apple that spoils the barrel.
Curt Vosburgh
Schaumburg