HOOPSAHOLIC

So was anyone really expecting it to be this bad? Becasue I sure as heck wasn't. The Los Angeles Lakers are off to the worst ten-game start in francise history with a 1-9 record, and a 136-115 loss to the Warriors on Sunday night was the proverbial icing on the cake. LA is in shambles, and not even the resurgence of the Clippers can shine light on the city that has seen its share of highs inside of Staples Center. The franchise that has 16 NBA Championships, is now the bottom feeder of the NBA. The only difference between the Lakers and the lowly Philadelphia 76ers is that the Sixers are trying to lose and be horrid, the Lakers just are. The folks in "Laker Land" still have false hope that they're supposed to be apart of the NBA's elite, just ask Jeanie Buss. Mitch Kupchak and crew thought it would be genius to ink the aging Kobe Bryant to a two year extension paying the "Black Mamba" over 24 million annually over the life of the contract. Good idea, dude! Now the Lakers not only suck, but they're stuck treading water. There's no room for improvement when you're overpaying an NBA legend on the down slope of his career, who still believes that he's still the same player he was ten years ago. Is this post a Kobe bashing? No, far from it actually. This is about trying to find a way to get Kobe help, or mostly get Kobe out. 

Kobe scored 44 points in the Sunday night loss the Warriors, but despite the good scoring numbers, the Lakers offense looked awful. Point guard Jeremy Lin complained after the game about players being selfish and what not, so clearly the team is starting to get frustrated with how things are rolling along. It's been made very clear that Kobe can still score, he's averaging 27.3 points per game this season, but he's also made it clear that he can't be "the guy" on a contending team anymore. That's no jab at the "Black Mamba," the dude is one of the best shooting guards of all-time, not to mention one of my favorite players. I just hate to see him jack up shots just to keep his team in the game. He referenced the need for his high volume shooting after the Warriors loss. 

We know that this can't be an enjoyable ride for Kobe, and I hate to see his Hall-of-Fame career end in such a pathetic way. The Lakers tried but failed to land a top free-agent such as Carmelo Anthony in the summer, but the purple and gold whiffed the same way they did a year before while trying to re-sign Dwight Howard. So now there's only one other option for Kobe if he would like to end his career on a high note, and that's to abandon ship and get out of town as fast as you can! 

Now you may be asking, what team would take on such an awful contract? The answer is simple, and somewhat of a no-brainer: the New York Knicks, duh! Of course it's the only other team in the NBA that spends money more carelessly that the Lakers! I first heard Grantland's Jalen Rose with the suggestion, and it actually sounds like an alright idea. Supposedly Phil Jackson is on board to take on Kobe's contract this upcoming offseason, and Jackson would then try to sign another big name to play along Kobe and Melo. Now who in there right mind would willingly sign up to play with high volume shooters such as Melo and Kobe? Who better than to-be free agent Marc Gasol?! The Spanish big-man would thrive as the center in a triangle offense, while we already know that Marc's older brother Pau Gasol was one of Kobe's favorite teammates. Of course this idea would only work if Kobe agreed to take a back-seat and be a third option, but if he did, Kobe would be set up nicely for success. The Lakers would be losing the Franchise's cornerstone, but if they truly want the best for their superstar and for their franchise, then they'll at least listen to offers. It would be a teary goodbye, but it's something that needs to happen.