Your 2011 NBA All-Star Game starters, as voted by the fans and announced by the NBA are below. The game will be played in Los Angeles on February 20.

HoopsVibe's Very Quick Call: Kobe Bryant may have lost two houses and $75 million in his recent divorce proceedings, but this didn't stop the All-Star from helping others on ABC's Extreme Makeover. Click the video and watch The Black Mamba's greatest assist. 

Got thoughts? Well, get at HoopsVibe News in the comment box below.

Who said that Derrick Rose’s Chicago Bulls were one player away from winning the title? Anyone saying this over and over again is wrong. What makes you think this? What makes you feel this? The Bulls lack a quality shooting guard. That is true, but that does not make them just one player away. When was the last time this was said about another team? Did LeBron in Cleveland need one more player? What about Dirk’s team or Kobe when the Lakers got Pau?

The Quick Hit: There are many theories on the Los Angeles Lakers' recent struggles.

Perhaps, they’re bored having all but locked up first in the Western Conference standings. Perhaps, players are distracted by the trappings of Hollywood. Perhaps, they miss injured giant Andrew Bynum more than they care to acknowledge. Perhaps, Kobe Bryant’s on-going contract negotiations and unknown future was unsettling. And perhaps, tension exists between Bryant and Pau Gasol over shots and touches.

Book it. It’s over. There is no need for the 2012 season even if the lockout ended right now. "Win it all," Artest said when asked what will the Lakers do in the 2011-2012 season. "Win the whole thing. That's a guarantee.” Wow. Interesting. And here we go again. Why must you do this? And why must some of Laker Nation have to front run so much? Why? Dallas Mavericks dominating the Lakers was not enough? You were not entertained?

Kobe Bryant hates losing to LeBron James. He hates it. From Cleveland to Miami, the beatings have come over and over, leaving the Los Angeles Lakers star surly, seething. Ultimately, they’re made easier for Bryant because James has repeatedly failed in the playoffs. Bryant plays for championships, but these magnificent national stages do matter to him. In his mind, embarrassment isn’t so easily dismissed. “It is hard to digest,” Bryant said.

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HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: It’s what makes him who he is.

Kobe Bryant’s competitiveness has made him an all-time great, so much so that he’ll be a first-ticket Hall of Famer when he retires.

With such a drive to succeed, it’s no surprise Bryant was still fuming over a loss to the Miami Heat on Thursday evening.

After all, the Heat, not the Lakers, are the NBA’s glamour team. And James, not Bryant, is becoming the NBA’s most dominant player.

Of course, James always posts massive numbers when facing, and usually beating, the  Lakers, which is like rubbing a pound of salt in Bryant’s open wound.

Bryant will respond with hard work. Like Drago in Rocky 4, he’ll train, scheme, and practice with eyes on regular season and playoff rematches.

Such an approach is what has made him great.

--Got thoughts? Well, get at HoopsVibe News in the comment box below.

The NBA lockout has definitely affected coverage of pro basketball during the summer, which is obvious because there is no basketball to report. People are desperate for NBA action that they have to resort to covering recreational leagues around the nation. Kevin Durant’s street ball exploits, Kobe Bryant dominating, John Lucas III lighting it up, and LeBron James getting dunked on by little Asian kids was just the stuff shown around networks and Internet. Fans are that thirsty for that action.

Why leave a championship contender for an organization years away from contending?

This is the question Kobe Bryant and LeBron James will face if either leaves the Los Angeles Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers as an unrestricted free agent this summer to sign with the dysfunctional New York Knicks.

At this point, I think we’re all kind of desensitized by watching Kobe Bryant score. “Oh boy, Kobe poured in another 30 point game- yawn.” But Kobe’s 81 point game is his greatest singular achievement, sort of like “David” was for Michelangelo- it sums him all up in one piece of work.

As one of the most recognizable athletes on the planet, KB24 has a habit of popping up here, there and everywhere. Still, I can't have been the only one who was surprised to see Kobe Bryant make a cameo in the new Call of Duty: Black Ops commercial. In the one-minute TV spot Kobe appears for just a few seconds, wielding a heavy-duty firearm in the middle of a simulated combat situation alongside various other civilians.

Kobe's ultimate competition is MJ. That's why MJ watches him. MJ made people think what he was doing wasn't human. Ditto the Kobester.I never said Kobe was better than MJ. MJ just told me Kobe's the only one to have done the work, to deserve comparison.

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HoopsVibe's Very Quick Call: Michael Jordan thinks Kobe Bryant is worthy. Well, sort of.

Jordan, 'The Greatest of All-Time', thinks Bryant, a legendary scorer, can challenge his legacy because of his work ethic.

This is fair. Bryant is already one of the greatest players in NBA history, but he's not better than Jordan.

Jordan has six championships to Bryant's five. Jordan never lost an NBA Finals, while Bryant lost twice. And Jordan would never have chased Shaquille O'Neal out of town like Bryant did.

Of course, Jordan didn't call Bryant his equal. He said he can be compared -and that's it.

Got thoughts? Well, get at HoopsVibe News in the comment box below. 

Some of you will remember that earlier this year we put together a feature on the NBA's 50 worst tattoos that showcased the worst body art from across the league. Well, due to popular demand we've thrown the images into a short video. Check it out and let us know what you think.

The German Bomber has a great career. He is showing no signs of slowing down either. Did you ever think the guy would be here? Yep, I didn’t. This question now has to be posed if it had not already – Has he surpassed Karl Malone, Kevin Garnett, and Charles Barkley? This is a serious question. Before having a grand historic 2010-2011 season, no one should dare think about it. Today, things changed dramatically. What’s scarier? Nowitzki remains efficient.

TMZ has checked official records ... which show on January 5th, Kobe surrendered his interest in 2 of their estates to Vanessa ... on that same day Vanessa surrendered her interest in a 3rd home to Kobe. 

As far as who got what ... the title transfers don't list addresses, but our sources say Vanessa is now the full owner of the mansion she shared with Kobe in Newport Coast. As for the second home Vanessa now owns in full ...  it's the nearby mansion where her mother has been living.

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HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: This is what happens when a superstar athlete’s marriage goes wrong. He - in this case, Kobe Bryant - pays, especially if he has been unfaithful and doesn't have a prenup'.

Reports are surfacing that Bryant must fork over $75 million and the keys to two of his family’s luxury mansions as part of his divorce to Vanessa Bryant.

You, me, and 99% of the world would be impacted by this. But Bryant, who refused to have Vanessa sign a prenuptial agreement, won’t let it take away from his play on-court with the Los Angeles Lakers.

After all, Bryant played through an incident in Denver, Colorado. He’ll do the same with this.

--Got thoughts? Well, get at HoopsVibe News in the comment box below.
 

Toronto Raptor fans do not have much to celebrate. They have been in lockout mode since 2009. The lockout shouldn’t be a problem because they have been in tank mode. The Raptor fans are more concerned with getting the top pick in any draft. Do you remember Master P and the No Limit Soldiers gold tank in the “Make em say uggghh” music video? Yep. Just like that; a solid gold tank.

The NFL lockout is over. If you’re an NBA fan, sucks to be one right now. If you’re also an NFL fan, it’s a great time. Right now, Derrick Rose, Kevin Durant, Chris Paul, and Kobe Bryant are hamming it up in the Phillippines. The highlights of their All Star game are up on Youtube. The quality is bad since the broadcast was on a stream, but you get the gist of it. Did Kobe travel on that lob pass to Rose? Yep, he sure did. Who cares though. I didn’t.

This can be discussed even during a lockout. Dirk and the Mavs are still riding high from their hard earned 2011 NBA title. They swept Kobe’s Lakers, beat Durant/Westbrook Thunder, and then took out the Miami Heat. The team is battle tested especially with the grand fail against the Golden State Warriors in the 2007 playoffs. The Mavs lost a lot with a solid roster in the past. They overcame all of that in 2011.What’s next? Repeat. Duh. 

The Quick Hitter: There was no way Kobe Bryant would be denied. Not a second time, at least.

The big network has already raised the question and shot it down without much debate. Can Derrick Rose repeat as the league MVP in the new season after the lockout? Can the kid become the third point guard to do it? How? News flash – He earned the 2010-2011 MVP when everyone wrote him off. You guys are writing him off again? I get it. The 2011 playoffs were bad for him during the fourth quarter. He didn’t choke. Rose just did not shoot well.

Gregg Popovich, the brutally honest and sometimes abrasive coach of the San Antonio Spurs, summed up what every team in the Western Conference was thinking when he told us all that no one wanted to play the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round. In doing so, he broke one of the unwritten rules of sports: Never let your opponent know you're afraid of them. You can be afraid and they can know you're afraid, but you can't actually say it. Once you do, they have an advantage over you. They don't only know that they're better than you, they know that you know they're better than you. And at that point, they're free to impose their will upon you and send you home in four or five games.

It’s not a mass exodus although notable players are taking off to become international ballers. As this is happening, some fans were saying that the NBA is in better shape than the NFL. Uh how so? Are you oblivious? The NFL is about to reach an agreement to end the lockout. Where is the NBA? I’m not even sure if they are even negotiating right now. The players and owners are too far apart. There are some owners against owners. As a result, the players are leaving. 

Read the first part of this article here. In ranking these champions, I want to completely exclude their overall skill as basketball players, and focus solely on their ability to dunk the basketball. Also, I think era in which they were dunking in is very significant, as is height. With those parameters laid out, let me throw the second five names at you, in no particular order. Of these five, I will rank them by reader comments via Hoopsvibe.com, Facebook and private emails. The player who gets the most vote moves into the “Final Four” of great dunkers, from which a mythical champ will be crowned; open wide, here they come!!

No. This is not an attempt to compare any of these guys to Michael Jordan. Nope. That has been beaten, raped, and pillaged to hell and back. This is more of an examination of the talent today that might have a chance to reach Jordan’s status. They are obviously not him and will not surpass him either. The goal is ridiculous anyway. However, getting close to Jordan is possible. It’s not out of the question. 

There is a possibility that this might happen. Right now, things look grim. People are trying to remain hopeful. This is not a doom piece, but I usually go about expecting the worst out of everything. That’s life because when things go right, there is nothing to complain about. With that in mind, let’s pretend that the season is done. It’s over. Now what? The last lockout back in 1998 had the NBA miss 32 games. The league lost a lot of fans. 

Now it's Kobe, then Bynum, then Gasol. "It seems like it's changed a little bit," Bryant said after the Lakers' 97-90 win over the Golden State Warriors on Friday. "Andrew is thirsty to score and he can score. He has more of a scorer's mentality [than Gasol], so we'll take advantage of that."

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HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: He’s number two with a bullet.

According to Kobe Bryant, Andrew Bynum, the team’s young and massive center, has surpassed Pau Gasol as the Los Angeles Lakers’ second option.

Opponents have no answer for Bynum’s height, size, and length, especially when the former lottery pick receives the ball deep in the paint.

Here’s the real question: will Bryant ever let Bynum take his spot as the Lakers’ first option?

To some extent, the process is already underway. After all, Jim Buss, the owner’s son, is running the club. He drafted, developed, and refused to trade Bynum. And he let Phil Jackson leave/retire and hired Mike Brown, in part, because the former Cleveland Cavaliers’ sideline boss agreed to empower Bynum.

Bryant, at 33, is getting older. He’s played a ton of basketball and his body has sustained great wear and tear.

Currently the five time champion is battling wrist and knee issues, so Brown may start this transition by encouraging the Lakers to become more of an inside-outside team.

Inside is code for going to Bynum first. Outside is code for going to Bryant second, after Bynum has drawn an extra defender.

Of course, will Bryant let this happen?

Got thoughts? Well, get at HoopsVibe News in the comment box below.

We are back to what the NBA was when Michael Jordan retired for the first time in 1993. There is no true ultimate dominator in this league who is head and shoulders above everyone. Remember that time? Malone, Stockton, Olajuwon, Shaq, Kidd, Miller, Barkley, Richmond, Pippen, Payton, and more became prominent when Jordan left. As of 2011, there is no one head and shoulders above anyone. We can make arguments for a few select, but they each have flaws whether it’s getting old, shrinking up, or whatever. 

Hey. Who is tired of this? People want us to feel sorry for a guy who is making $90+ million, Nike cash, and other endorsement money? Say what? Why do they have to resort writing pieces basically implying “Hey he is not that bad.” Wow. Now people are defending him – the same people who were bashing him prior to the 2010-2011 season.  It’s too bad. So we’re just going to sweep the one hour Decision extravaganza complete with jersey photo shops under the rug?

“That’s why we sit and watch and tape afterwards,” continued Brown.  “So we can better understand where he wants the ball or he can better understand what I want on this particular possession or anything like that. I think it’s pretty neat that everybody’s making a big deal of it but it’s early in the process, I’m getting to know him, he’s got the five . . . championship rings, so he’s been there and done that.  I’m going to give him some freedom.”

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HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: Kobe Bryant is still The King. For now.

Some feel the Los Angeles Lakers are a franchise in transition, as Andrew Bynum takes on a greater role in the offense.

Just don’t tell Bryant, the reigning Alpha Male and Alpha Dog in La-La land. The former MVP and five-time champion still shoots at will -witness his recent 6-for-28 shooting performance.

Something larger is at play, though. For instance, the Lakers are a fractured organization. Jim Buss, the boss’ son, hired Mike Brown as coach in part because he would empower Bynum.

Of course, Buss claims he drafted and developed Bynum. And the better Bynum does, the better Buss feels about his status as a basketball executive.

So, it’s complicated.

Got thoughts? Well, get at HoopsVibe News in the comment box below.

This comes up every playoff time involving great active players such as Kobe Bryant and LeBron James right now in 2011. Whenever one of them goes deep in a playoff run putting up good statistics and highlight plays, the media and former players gas these guys up. The method is definitely a “prisoner of the moment” type thing. Why do you guys do it? There is a lot of front running and some trolling. All good though. I’m ready. We’re ready. My body is ready. Let’s do this. Remember that the standards are extremely high and strict. These legends have great accomplishments. However, further scrutiny causes them not be the ultimate GOAT.

It’s been a tough ride for Kobe Bryant and Laker Nation in 2011. They were dominated in the 2nd round of the playoffs against the Mavericks, Phil Jackson retired, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar disrespected, and Kobe looked old. Just going by numbers, the Black Mamba is not a top 5 fantasy player. Take notice that he is not being picked number one overall in many drafts. The trend picked up beginning in 2008 when Chris Paul and LeBron James started to take over.

Laker haters unite! This is your time. Hate hate hate hate! Did anyone peep Sugar Shane Mosley’s wife during the Pacquiao fight? Johnny Gill’s song was all I heard in my mind “My My My You sure look good tonight.” She sure was. Her name is Bella Gonzalez. She was screaming passionately at Sugar Shane to fight. I know Laker fans were screaming at the Lakers to fight just like her. Oy dios mios! I still haven’t gotten over the sight of her. Wow!

Derrick Rose’s Chicago Bulls have been eliminated from the 2011 Eastern Conference Finals at the hands of the Wade/LeBron-Bosh Miami Heat, 4-1. Chi-Town is fighting through some pain right now, but there shouldn’t be any. At the beginning of the season, there were not many people on the Bulls’ bandwagon. The hype grew as the wins piled up. The bandwagon grew yet many were not convinced. Rose won MVP and that’s when all hell broke loose. Tom Thibodeau received Coach of the Year. Beating Indiana and Atlanta were good. However, facing Miami caused the bandwagon to break. People keep saying that getting an upgrade at the shooting guard position over Keith Bogans is all that is needed to get the Bulls over the top to win it all.

Tough to hear, but it is time. The stars, for anyone 26 years or older, drafted from the 1990s are fading away. Let’s use the present to say our goodbyes.   Father time usually corresponds with age and decline in play. This is it. We have been following these guys since middle school. Some of you guys must have been following them since elementary days. Do not feel old. Age is merely a number. Longevity in anything is actually a state of mind, but not in sports. For anyone living under a rock, Macho Man just died. With that said, let's appreciate these players while they are still alive.

Chris Paul via twitter: Happy for my brother @KingJames and sis @SavannahRB on their engagement!!! Extremely happy for them and the good times to come #HappyNewYearSun Jan 01 06:06:50 via UberSocial for BlackBerry.

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HoopsVibe's Very Quick Call: He isn't worried by Kobe Bryant's pending divorce. And Kris Humphries' sham marriage and current status as the NBA's 'MHP' (most hated player) doesn't phase him, either.

The twitter world is abuzz because Miami Heat superstar LeBron James finally proposed to long-time girlfriend Savannah Brinson over the weekend.

Perhaps James was inspired by Michael Jordan, who got engaged last week to his Cuban model girlfriend Yvette Prieto.  Perhaps not.

So, will James and Brinson's union end in tears and tabloid covers or will these two live happily ever after? Let HoopsVibe News know your thoughts in the comment box below.

Got thoughts? Well, get at HoopsVibe News in the comment box below.

I’m sitting here listening to Mark Morrison’s “Return of the Mack.” Peep his pimp hand in the music video as he crushes it in front of his ex. That is some grimy ass stuff. Nuff said. If I ever was a wrestler, that is probably my entrance song. Mark Morrison looks like a cross between Grace Jones and DMX, though. The song has nothing to do with Pau and Kobe. Sometimes, it is nice to go back to simpler times. In 2011 Laker land, things are complicated.

Derrick Rose is officially the youngest NBA MVP for anyone living in a cave kicking it with John Rambo. He earned it at 22 years old. Leading the team to the number one record is a tall order for anyone. The 2010-2011 season is historic mainly because of this. Basketball fans witnessed something amazing that we will not see again from any 22 year old NBA player. It was fun to see all of the games on DirecTV. Chicago’s offense and the opposing team’s defensive game plans truly revolved around the Poohdini of the Hardwood.

The Chicago Bulls becoming the number one team, record wise, reveals a quantum leap this season and ramifications for the future. Not many people are examining the Bulls massive improvements – they practically flew over the Atlantic Ocean without breaking a sweat. Imagine predicting that the Bulls would be the number one team with the best defense before the season started. Imagine that. People laugh, mock, wants some weed that you smoked, and then label you a Bulls homer. That is why some of us should say, “We’ll see.”

It’s that time again for the regular season end awards just like any other television sports show. It is time to pass out the awards. Rather than giving awards for the usual categories such as Most Valuable Player, Defensive Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, Executive of the Year….you get the picture…..let’s focus on categories that truly need to be highlighted – categories that I make up! Who cares about those other official awards anyway? They’re already locked up.
 

This is the most ridiculous thing I heard coming out from these arguments. Discrediting Derrick Rose is one thing, but to completely dismiss the award just because people do not agree with your assessments is another. This is flat out stupid. Why did people pick out this year to bring this up again? This was echoed with Steve Nash’s awards and probably with Allen Iverson’s. Is this what it has come down to?

After receiving an an apology ring for Kobe Bryant's transgressions valued at over $4 million, it's no wonder the first lady of the Lakers developed a taste for expensive jewelry.  When Vanessa Bryant visited the home of the first lady of the United States, then, she had to break out something a little special.  That came in the form of a Rolex Oyster watch costing over $51,000.  That may sound a little pricey initially, but you can't overpay for luxury, right?

"I don't understand the thinking that we need saving as a franchise," Buss says. "We have three All-Stars, and we need saving?" There's an Internet report suggesting Orlando was willing to trade Howard for Bynum and Pau Gasol, but now he's shaking his head as if in pain."Where does this stuff come from?" he says. "You'd have to be kind of silly to give up two All-Stars like that for Howard. Zero truth to it. We have never been asked for Andrew and Pau and we've never offered them. I think they know we'd either say no or they would sound crazy for asking."

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HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: Publicly, Jim Buss has to downplay the Los Angeles Lakers’ interest in Orlando Magic post Dwight Howard.

Privately, the owner’s son should know the team that gets the best player wins the trade, so Buss and GM Mitch Kupchak must be open swapping Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol for Howard.

Here’s the complication: the Lakers are a fractured bunch, as most things in the world of purple-and-gold is political.

Like Bynum. For instance, Jim Buss is reluctant to trade, or even criticize, Bynum because he likes to take credit for drafting and developing the seven-foot center.

And the better Bynum plays, the more Buss can justify his role as a basketball executive within the organization.

Instead of trading Bynum, Buss has empowered him, hiring a coach, Mike Brown, who will feature his skills, and even declaring him Kobe Bryant’s equal.

So Buss' agenda and Laker politics could complicate doing what is right: swapping Bynum and Gasol for Howard.

Got thoughts? Well, get at HoopsVibe News in the comment box below.

What’s going on? Derrick Rose is not officially anointed as the 2010-2011 NBA MVP, but people are coming out from the woodwork to get vocal. They banded together to try to prevent him from getting the award. It just seems that way, which is hilarious. I do not know what the huge deal is. What is the problem? A lot of people are up in arms about this. I have to figure this out. Writers and basketball purists are getting emotional over this. I have to explore the reasoning behind the hate. 

“It’s a preseason game,’ Barnes said after Thursday’s practice at the Lakers’ facility in El Segundo. ‘Yeah, they’re catching lobs and dunking. But it’s just a preseason game. Let’s just play basketball. If you make a dunk, act like you’ve done it before. He’s got hundreds of them. There’s no need for the hoorah after every single dunk. It’s unnecessary.’

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HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: Los Angeles’ two NBA teams, the Clippers and Lakers, don’t care for each other. Not one bit.

After all, Los Angeles was always a Laker town. They had The Logo, Wilt the Stilt, Kareem, Magic, Big Game James, Shaq-Fu, Kobe Bean, Andrew Bynum, and others.

While the Clippers could never attract or keep top talent because owner Donald Sterling wouldn’t open his wallet or spend the luxury tax payments he received from league head office.

This age-old dynamic is changing. The (natural) order of Los Angeles’ basketball teams could flip flop in 2012.  

The Lakers, who are still talented, are in transition, while the Clippers have Chris Paul at point guard; Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan down low;  and veterans like Chauncey Billups, Caron Butler, and Mo Williams.

Here’s the biggest shock: the Clippers are the glamour team. Griffin and Jordan’s aerial antics will receive endless love on ESPN, youtube, and twitter.

And some, like the Lakers' Matt Barnes, don't appreciate the post dunks celebrations.

Too bad.

Barnes better realize times have changed. These are the new Clippers.

Got thoughts? Well, get at HoopsVibe News in the comment box below.

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Here are the final five studs. You have to pick one because this list will not change. Take one, only one, and roll with him all the way to the finish line. Let’s hope that the MVP race is not effed up like LeBron’s Decision over the summer where insiders knew he was going to Miami all along. Game by game analysis is a horrible way to determine this. People should do a bi-weekly thing. One game at a time causes too much overreaction. Let the games add up, okay?

The newly minted 2011 All Star game MVP worked his way to be the star of stars. 37 points, 14 rebounds, and 3 steals are great numbers. Props to Kobe. It is back to business since All Star weekend is over. Where is Kobe in the league MVP race? Remember, this isn’t the legacy award  like the All Star spots. Everyone has to put in serious work. That includes Bryant who is usually penciled in before the season started. Every great player's time fades away, too. It sucks, but that's life.

Q: Do you see yourself retiring with the Lakers? There’s been speculation you might want a change.

Bryant: “I don’t know where that comes from. I don’t have any feeling about [leaving] whatsoever.”

Q: So you definitely want to stay a Laker?

Bryant: “Of course. No question. Why not? I’ve been here for 16 years. I’m going to up and leave now?”

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HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: The Black Mamba isn’t going anywhere. Unless he wants to.

Yesterday Kobe Bryant, the superstar guard for the Los Angeles Lakers, told Yahoo Sports he would not be asking management for a trade.

Bryant has perhaps the best contract in sports. He earns between $25-30 million per annum; holds a no trade clause; and receives a large portion of his salary early in the season, which can then be invested.

Translation: Bryant isn’t upset about the changes in Laker-land.

He will work with new coach Mike Brown -even though he’s not Brian Shaw. He accepts that Andrew Bynum will have a greater role. And he has forgiven management for tying Lamar Odom in a bow and giving him as a gift to the world champion Dallas Mavericks.

All is good between Bryant and the team he has spent sixteen years with. For now.

--Got thoughts? Well, get at HoopsVibe News in the comment box below with thoughts.