Kobe to Chicago?

That hallelujah you recently heard coming from the Midwest was the sound of a few million Chicagoans rejoicing at the start of the basketball season. The Bulls still don’t capture the city the way they did during the Jordan years, but I’m willing to bet that a lot of sports fan are doing the same thing I’m doing: namely, praising various deities that there’s finally something else for us to focus on other than the Cubs’ abbreviated October and the Bears and their many woes.

The first thing on everyone’s mind is, of course, Kobe. Will they pull the trigger on a trade for him? Kobe is probably one of the 10 best players of all-time, maybe even top 5 by the time the final word is written on his career. How can you not be tempted by that? But apprehension over the possible trade seems to center around two worries.

(1) Most trade rumors have the Bulls giving up what seems like half their team for Kobe. It’s not that Kobe isn’t any better than what they’d trade away. Of course he’s better. But the team still needs other parts. Kobe + a whole lot of eh ≠ championships. Just ask his current team. So maybe you trade for him, play with what you have now, and then you move to get another impact player or two in the off-season. Problem is that Kobe’s making a lot of money, which limits the club’s flexibility. Plus, the possibility of treading water is hard to swallow when most people believe the Bulls can at least contend for the East title this year.

(2) Kobe’s had numerous issues, both on the court (feuding with Shaq) on off the court (rape allegations). Will he upset the chemistry of a team that plays remarkably well together? It’s worth considering, but I submit to you two reasons why it might be a less of a worry than it would seem. The first is Scott Skiles, a disciplined coach who’s the polar opposite of the indulgent Jackson—though whether Kobe would balk at Skiles is another matter, and you’ve got to grant the point that Jackson has coached about a billion championship teams, while Skiles has so far coached none. But the second and biggest reason is that Kobe will be the man in Chicago, absolutely no questions asked. As soon as he puts on a Bulls jersey, this will be his team. That was where the beef with Shaq was. As long as Shaq was around, Kobe would never be the king. And Kobe really seems to be interested in just that: being the man and winning championships. With the Bulls, he’s got the first locked up and the second is definitely within reach. It might not be as altruistic and fluffy sounding as we’d like, but in the end sports teams exist to win championships, not to be altruistic and fluffy.

Bottom line is that I trust John Paxson more than I trust any other GM in this town. More than Jim Hendry, more than Jerry Angelo, more than Kenny Williams. And I’m sure I trust him more than the Blackhawks GM, because I can’t even think of his name right now. (Is it still Dale Tallon? I long ago lost track of who got fired over there, and I don’t care near enough to catch up on that.) So if the deal is made, I’m confident that Paxson will be taking all this and more into consideration.

Now, the last rumor I heard had the Bulls giving up only Ben Gordon and PJ Brown in a three-team deal that would bring Kobe to Chicago. Where does the line for that deal form, because that’s one I’d co-sign on in a heartbeat.

Update: As of late this afternoon, GM Paxson says that the talks are dead. Outright denial or hedge-your-bets gamesmanship? Stay tuned…