Comments on: Pistons, Lakers agreed to Kobe Bryant trade in 2007

By: Todd

Todd — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 17:53:25 +0000

Oh boy, we could have had a Chauncey-Kobe combo rather than a Rip-Iverson combo? While I am not a big Kobe fan, no one can argue that he isn’t one of the most dedicated players in the game. That would have created an amazing transition from the defense-oriented teams of the mid-2000s into a well-balanced team set to compete in the latter portion of the 2000s and into the 2010s. Man, I would take Kobe in a year, over the Iverson we got in that trade. Ugghhh!

By: G

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 21:46:25 +0000

That would’ve been a sweet team on offense & D. Too bad.

By: MrCarter

MrCarter — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 21:00:27 +0000

I guess that’s a good debate topic, but we’ll never really know. But I doubt that the pieces we had at that time(Rasheed, Maxiell, Dyess, etc) would’ve been able to land us a at-his-prime Gasol, since Memphis was basically looking to clear cap room and get draft picks. But again, we don’t have a time machine for that.

By: Shawn

Shawn — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 20:44:02 +0000

I wholeheartedly disagree with your last two ascertions. Joe D has done very well with drafting and signing free agents. He did after all sign Chauncey Billups and retain his own free agents during the 6 ECF run. I know that many fault him for BG and CV being so terrible but fail to remember that Ben Gordan and Charlie Villanueva were the best available free agents from their respective free agent class. I have also heard people offer up the names of Mateen Cleeves and Rodney White as examples of his terrible drafting but fail to mention that those were weak drafts. The only glaring mistake that cannot be explained away easily was missing on so many future HOF players in the Darko draft, but even that was turned in to something better when he received a draft pick for him in the trade to Orlando.
Many of his draft picks are still in the league on other teams.

Joe has demonstrated himself to be one of the better GMs in the business without having a glamorous market to lure free agents and a money concious owner.

By: DasMark

DasMark — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 20:42:47 +0000

Please don’t get my hopes up.

If he trades Josh Smith, I’m turning in my Pistons club card.

By: I HATE FRANK

I HATE FRANK — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 19:32:44 +0000

In 2007 when was Kobe suppose to be a Free-agent? … Anyway it would have been Great for the City of Detroit.

I like said many, many times Dumars is great at making trades but he is average at drafting, and below average at signing FA’s …

By: Huddy

Huddy — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 19:14:43 +0000

No I’m saying Kobe is one of the greatest players of all time and it wouldn’t have been negative to acquire him at the very least it would have been less negative that the downward spiral that we actually experienced. Are you saying there is no way we could have acquired anyone in addition to Kobe to make a turnaround? Obviously simply getting Kobe Bryant doesn’t mean we would have won championships but simply having a player like Kobe draws interest from other players that would look at our team as a contender. To act like there is no way having Kobe Bryant on our team would have been positive is ridiculous. Check Kobe’s stats he is obviously a good player that could help just about any franchise.

By: MrCarter

MrCarter — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 18:58:23 +0000

So you’re saying that we would’ve ALSO gotten Pau Gasol in February the following year, like the Lakers did? As we know, it was that trade that started the Lakers turnaround from being just a playoff team to a CONTENDING team. Check the stats and W-L.

By: Desolation Row

Desolation Row — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 18:49:28 +0000

D’OH!

I bet you Kobe would’ve made damn well sure ‘Sheed stayed in shape. And there’s no way we lose to LeBron in ’07 or the Celtics in ’08 with Kobe on the roster. %!@#$!

By: Huddy

Huddy — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 17:58:13 +0000

Yes, would have been horrible I mean just look how bad the Lakers did after 2007 (especially in 2009 and 2010).