It has more to do with wishful thinking from Lakers fans on other blogs like the Bleacher Report. So, when someone like Sam Smith writes about it all of a sudden it becomes a legitimate rumor. This is just my opinion but according to Smith’s point of view is that he has heard of everyone stating scenarios where Lebron should land so he is just stating what his scernario would be…that is just my take on his article:

No, going to the Lakers makes all the sense in the world, and, at least to my view, fits LeBron better than it would other players of his caliber. Of which there’s basically only Kobe Bryant.

I’ve heard this scenario from some NBA people, though I’ve heard every other one as well, from staying in Cleveland to New York to New Jersey to running Berkshire Hathaway for Warren Buffett.

For the Lakers, it might be a great move. They’ve got the front office to do it, already some good talent to surround LeBron with, the good sense to hire quality coaching staff who would know how to run an offense (i.e., not Mike Brown), and the sheer appeal factor (especially with LeBron in Purple & Gold) to have no trouble bringing other free agents to L.A. to play with him. They could build YET ANOTHER dynasty.

Problem is, neither LeBron or Kobe are going for it while Kobe is a Laker.

First, Kobe wouldn’t go for it, because any championships he’d win, the media would credit LeBron for. And LeBron would probably get MVP. If he can win 1, let alone 2 or 3, more championships as this team’s undisputed leader, then he stands a chance of challenging Jordan in terms of all-time basketball legacy. Not if LeBron joins up. If LeBron comes, the rest of the way it’s his legacy.

However, this also applies for LeBron, to an extent. He’s made it crystal clear that he’s not fond of being considered #2 to Kobe anymore, and this is Kobe’s town. He won’t take kindly to being #2 with the fans, or to even the possibility of being #2 on the team.

Also, this is his 7th year in the league — and no, he’s not winning a championship this year, either. Given his bull-in-a-china-store style of play, and the fact that despite being a 7-year vet he has poor range, no post game to speak of, and doesn’t seem to know how to use a screen effectively, I think it’s very generous to suggest he’ll be a top player beyond his 15th year. That means that, after this year, he’s got 8 left. He’ll need to win championships every other year just to match what Kobe has done right now … if Kobe wins one or two more, he’ll need to win 6 out of those 8 years to surpass him. And don’t think for a second that LeBron doesn’t have dreams of winning more championships than Jordan, and surpassing him as the greatest player ever. That also means winning in 6 or 7 of his eight remaining years (after this one) — and again, that assumes he’ll still be able to dominate in year 15, which I’m not convinced of.

The point is, his potential for surpassing Kobe, and possibly even MJ, in terms of basketball legacy, is actually fairly narrow. His window isn’t exactly very wide, considering how far he still has yet to go. If he really wants to challenge the legacies of those two guys, sharing a couple championships with Kobe isn’t the way to do it.

Besides, as I’ve already said, it’s clear that LeBron has no intention of playing second fiddle to Kobe’s first. Kobe irks the hell out of LeBron. There’s a reason he wore those “LBJ MVP” and “CHECK MY STATS” t-shirts right after Kobe won the championship and the Finals MVP. Which would make on-court coexistence very difficult, because it would almost certainly require LBJ, not Kobe, to submit. It’s one thing for a fresh kid, like Kobe was with Shaq, to do that. It’s another thing for an established vet, who clearly thinks he’s the best player in the world, and whom many others tout as the best in the world, to do so.

Not happening. Not unless the Lakers dump Kobe. Do you think they’ll do that? As much as I’d hate it, you have to admit, it could mean more championships to come. And that just might make it worth the wrath that the front office would endure from the Lakers faithful. They’d know that once LeBron’s Lakers won a championship, the fans would forgive the slight to Kobe. So yeah, maybe they would take that chance.

But Kobe + LeBron ain’t happening.

that is awesome shaqfor3. Once again SSR has shown me that we not only have the best but also the smartest Lakers/Basketball fans I have ever met. I am adding that site to my favorites. thnx for the link…

And actually, it can be QUITE useful. See, if you go to their website, you’ll not only see the graph, but also above it, corresponding to the timeline, you’ll see who was in as the game went on. So you can compare game trends to who was on the court at that time. Makes it easy to say, “Man, when Jordan Farmar was on the court, we sucked,” or something like that.

Also, the Popcorn Machine box score allows you to click on a player’s name, and see box score stats for each separate stint that player played in the game. So if Kobe plays the entire first, then sits, then the last 8 minutes of the second, then the first 10 minutes of the 3rd, then the last 6 minutes of the 4th … you can click on his name in their box score, and see what his box score stats were for each of his separate stints on the court. It enables you to say, “Man, he was on fire to start the game, but after sitting, he was pretty cold in the second,” or something like that.

In all, it’s an extremely useful tool. I love the Popcorn Machine. Plus, it’s named after a Chick Hearn quote.