Originally Posted by Beats05
wow...if the Rockets also trade for Iverson, assuming they didn't package Battier for Artest, I think we'll have the Celtics of the West, and you better believe Adelman will bring the best out of Artest like he did in Sacramento.
Iverson
Tmac
Artest
Scola
Yao
I hope the Kings got someone good in that third unnamed guy
Originally Posted by blackmagnus514
[h1]Kobe Bryant says O.J. has 'the whole package'[/h1]
Kin Cheung / Associated Press
Guard Kobe Bryant stretches before a practice Monday in Macao, where the U.S. Olympic basketball team is preparing for the Beijing Games.
Email Picture
Lakers MVP practiced against former Trojan in Las Vegas and was impressed.
By Mark Heisler, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
3:31 PM PDT, July 29, 2008
MACAO -- Kobe Bryant, who lives for mano a mano challenges, went at it with former Trojan and soon-to-be Memphis Grizzlies rookie O.J. Mayo, a member of the U.S. Select team, last week in Las Vegas.
"Kobe completely shut him down in the beginning," said U.S. managing director Jerry Colangelo. "But the longer they went, the better Mayo got."
Bryant already knew Mayo, who attended his camp last summer, and already thought highly of him.
"I think the world of him," Bryant said. "I think he's extremely talented. I think he has a great overall game that a lot of young players don't have in terms of skills. He can handle, he can shoot, he can pass, he's fast, he's quick, so that's the whole package."
If Bryant mourned the loss of Lakers teammate Rony Turiaf to the Warriors, he was happy to see Sasha Vujacic re-sign.
"I'm just happy the Machine is happy," said Bryant.
Vujacic signed a three-year $15 million deal with the Lakers on Monday. With no other NBA offers that big, negotiations had dragged on. However, when Atlanta's Josh Childress shocked the league, turning down the Hawks to sign with a Greek team, the Lakers came up with the money.
"That's changed the game up a lot as far as free agency is concerned," said Bryant. "Teams are going to have to compete with teams on a global scale, not just in the NBA."
Bryant, who since the winter has been playing with a torn ligament between the fourth and fifth fingers on his right hand, says he will have surgery soon after he returns from China.
"I'm definitely set on surgery," he said. "As soon as I get back, we'll talk about it, do it, get ready for the season.
"I've heard three weeks, four weeks, five weeks. I heal pretty easy. I'm taking care of it, doing therapy, I should be back in no time."
Kobe just don't give out compliments like that.
biedrins at 9 million per year (plus possible incentives) is bad?
