Matt Murray has been a Kings fan since the late '80s, when Wayne Gretzky grabbed headlines by defecting to the West Coast. Since then, he has been a card-carrying bandwagon member as the club soared in popularity with their sole Stanley Cup appearance to their position near the bottom of the Pacific. But things are looking brighter, as he is anxious to witness the rise of the new Kings.
Worst case scenario, Kings fans.
So, as I was tooling around the house this morning, I heard the news that Kobe Bryant wants to be traded from the Lakers. I guess he wants out of L.A. after toiling around for three seasons since Shaq left. And I didn't give it any thought, since I'm really not one for off-season basketball talk. A lot of it is just worthless blathering about what impossible trades that the Lakers should make.
But then, I heard the most chilling words ever spoken by KLAC's Steve Hartman on the Loose Cannons Wednesday afternoon:
"The Buss family might as well sell the Lakers to Anschutz if they trade Kobe."
So, as I was tooling around the house this morning, I heard the news that Kobe Bryant wants to be traded from the Lakers. I guess he wants out of L.A. after toiling around for three seasons since Shaq left. And I didn't give it any thought, since I'm really not one for off-season basketball talk. A lot of it is just worthless blathering about what impossible trades that the Lakers should make.
But then, I heard the most chilling words ever spoken by KLAC's Steve Hartman on the Loose Cannons Wednesday afternoon:
"The Buss family might as well sell the Lakers to Anschutz if they trade Kobe."
Needless to say, I became a whole bunch more interested in this story. I looked it up, and it appears as of 2001, AEG has a 27+ percent stake in the Lakers. That's was considerably more than I recently thought.
As I listened to Kobe go on every talk show he could to "clear his name," it became clear that something is brewing in LakerLand, and there's a serious possibility that Bryant could be dealt. And if that's the case, what's to keep the Buss family, Phil Jackson, or anyone else around to watch this team get dismantled? Pride? Love for the game. It's a business, after all.
I could see Anschutz offering to buy the belabored team from the Buss family. He'd be stupid not to at least put an offer out there. How many chances do you get to buy a storied franchise like the Lakers? And if that's the case, that will push the Kings franchise further down the depth chart on interest from AEG.
In fact, if AEG buys the Lakers, there's a good chance they might turn around and put the Kings for sale in order to pay for it. So not only may our cross-town rivals raise the Stanley Cup, but we may be in the midst of a shakeup within the team's ownership.
So, long-suffering Kings fan, pay attention to how this plays out. Be afraid, be very afraid if Kobe leaves the Lakers. For the ripple effect will be felt throughout the sports universe. The second Bryant is dealt to another team, the luster will be immediately off the Lakers. And the wheels could be be in motion for the current Lakers regime to abandon ship and a new owner brought in. And there isn't another suitor in a better position than Phil and AEG.
