kellinator | pre-draft trade musings

Just because the season is over, doesn't mean I'm going to shut up about the NBA (or that you're going to comment on it).

First of all, I was completely amused by the trade suggestions from various sports columnists that the Lakers should trade Kobe to the Suns, because last year a co-worker asked me what did I think it would be like if Kobe and Steve Nash were on the same team, and I concocted the following scenario, which is funnier if you hold up your hands and flap them like they're sock puppets, and funnier still if you grab some yarn and tape a moptop to the hand you've designated as Nash:

Nash: Hey Kobe, I've organized a team dinner tonight after the game. Wanna come?
Kobe: Black Mamba doesn't do team dinners! *flounces off*

Just try it. Make your hand flounce. It's fun.

And then for added fun, take the moptop off your Nash hand and designate it as Raja Bell. Then proceed to beat the hell out of Kobe. (As much as I hate Kobe, I would love to see him teammates with Bell so Raja could clothesline his ass on a regular basis.)

But I for one am much more interested in the proposed trades to bring Kevin Garnett to Phoenix (he and Steve are buddies, apparently). And honestly, I think I like the idea of parting with Amare Stoudemire better than losing Shawn Marion. Is Amare more of a talent? Undoubtedly. But he's also an egomaniac who's apparently been bad for team chemistry and skipped the last team meeting of the season. I've always had a sinking feeling that Amare could at some point go Ron Artest levels of crazy, and what I'm seeing from him (including a bizarre interview where he said he'd rather have Kobe than Nash and Nash gets too much attention, leading one member of the Suns to comment "What do you expect from a guy who chooses a jersey number of one?"), isn't inspiring me to revise that opinion.

Nash. Garnett. It would be the feel-good story of the year. At least until David Stern goes off his meds again.