Other Sports News

As expected, K.O.B.E.'s pulled back on his trade demands (Or not. I don't even want to know anymore.). Kind of figured that wouldn't last. The paroxysm of the sports media going into full on crisis mode was fun to watch, though. Still, if nothing else, one good thing came out of the non-story. And that's me finding the ESPN trade generator.

It lets you try and test trades between various NBA teams, approving them only if they're cap compatible (If anyone's interested, I figure the Pistons could actually trade for Kobe if they were willing to part with Hamilton and Nazr Mohammed. Dumars probably never makes the call but that's not exactly bad for the Pistons although they're probably going to explode thanks to free agency anyways. The question is whether the Lakers would make the deal. I think Kobe would waive his no-trade clause to come to a proven team like Detroit – it's not exactly LA or New York but it's still a major TV market. But I don't know if the Lakers would want to rebuild around Hamilton. He's the same age as Bryant, they play roughly the same position, and he's got proven championship credentials – both college and pro – but I don't think he has the sizzle to attract the Hollywood crowd who's going to be pissed at moving Kobe. Not compared to what deals with, say, Chicago or Phoenix offer him.). It doesn't account for things like sign and trades or shuffling draft picks, but it sure is fun to play around with.

Also, I hear there's going to be a new football league funded by a pack of billionaires led by Mark Cuban. Anything that puts more sports on my TV and so lets me avoid having to think about anything series can't be a bad thing, so good for them. As I understand it, they're going to start small with only 8 teams. And they'll only put those teams in markets that don't already feature professional football – like Mexico City or Los Angeles. So, Detroit's getting a franchise, then? Thanks to the Lions we haven't had professional football there in years.

Rimshot, please.