Championship or Chemistry?
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by Tstelnicki03
This Kobe Bryant article was originally written on 6/24, prior to the NBA draft when it's topic material was a bit more relevant. A lot of things I wrote here still hold true right now and I'm posting it for a few reasons: a) it still holds true, b) why not a basketball article in the thick of all these baseball ones.
So, while this is a bit outdated, enjoy.
Isn't the ultimate goal of any franchise in any sport to win a championship? Isn't it? Of course it is. Anyone who's ever put on a jersey, anyone who's ever stepped onto the playing field knows...it's all about the big one. The immediate games that lie before the players matter, and why? Because they all add up to the achieving of the ultimate goal of any athlete..the championship. You're in it to win it. Period.
After reading that last paragraph, you'd think something was askew if I told you that the Chicago Bulls have a legitimate chance to be a complete and utter powerhouse in the National Basketball Association for the next 10 years if they'd lift one finger, but they're letting that finger lie still. One move and they've got it! One move and the Chicago Bulls are the Bulls of the '90's again, the Bulls of old, the Bulls that actually gave the city of Chicago a brief reprieve from being the butt of all jokes in the sportsworld..one move!
The Bulls need one player. That player is not the dominating center that many say the Bulls need. That player's name is Kobe Bryant.
Don't get me wrong, I'm the biggest fan of the Bulls team chemistry. It's wonderful, it's amazing, it's anything you want to call it. It's the reason the Bulls are a good team without one legit superstar. Unfortunately, that's all the Bulls are, a good team. Their chemistry is cute, I'll never deny that, but the Bulls' championship window is small, and it's getting smaller with every waning minute.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't we just discuss that the ultimate goal of any franchise is to win the championship? Whatever happened to that "in it to win it" stuff?
Let me be a bit more clear: the Bulls will NEVER win a championship with this team and their chemistry. No matter how weak the East is, their lack of a dominant go-to scorer incredibly out-weighs the pleasant chemistry that GM Paxson has worked so hard to create.
That being the case, why the hell wouldn't we go after Kobe!?! He's only the most dominant scorer in the game right now, a polarizing figure, no doubt, but doesn't all the good make up for the bad?
The way I see it, we'd have to give up Ben Gordon, Tyrus, Duhon, sign and trade Nocioni and the number 9 pick in the upcoming draft. The Bulls could get a 3rd team involved but that most likely will only effect where the departing players end up. At the end of the day, the Chicago Bulls will have the most dominant scorer in the NBA and an incredibly potent lineup.
A steady point guard in Capt. Kirk, an up and coming Luol Deng (who will now fit into his meant-to-be role, an above average complement to a superstar), Kobe, an aging PJ Brown and/or free agent signing and then Ben Wallace as the anchor.
Gone would be the chemistry that had been achieved, but gained is the opportunity to dominate a dissolving Eastern Conference for the next decade. Gained would be the opportunity to win championship(s), which is, as previously stated, the ultimate goal.
Gone would be the days of a different leading scorer every night. Some fans might say they enjoyed that uncertainty, the unassuming nature of the team's scorers... but I'd much rather have Kobe scoring 30 every night in wins than Luol, Ben and Kirk sharing the load and getting mixed results night in and night out. Feel free to choose for yourself.
So why can't the Bulls pull this off? It makes sense for both parties, Kobe gets out of LA and comes to a team with the pieces in place to win right away, no rebuilding involved. The Bulls get their go-to scorer, the lack of which is the only reason that they can't find a way to advance in the playoffs every postseason.
The ultimate goal is a championship, not team chemistry. Team chemistry is nice, but that alone is not going to win you a championship...which is why the Bulls need to be willing to sacrifice the team unity for the sake of the true ultimate goal. The key to the ultimate goal is there, his name is Kobe Bryant. Now all the Bulls need to do is raise that finger and use it to dial up the Lakers...let them know we'd be interested in doing some business...
