He's Just Not That Into You

A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned that Kobe Bryant was able to overcome the "Shaq Curse" and finally win a post-Shaq championship. I figured that maybe this would be the start of the new Kobe Era, where he's actually able to win championships on his own.

That was...until the Cavs traded for Shaq.

Mind you, I think that Shaq, as a basketball force, is done. Hell, I'm a firm believer that Shaq never had any basketball skill. But, he's a proven winner. Shaq can still travel his way to the basket and score points, and if you can find the right people to put around him to do the "skill" work, you'll win championships. And now that he's on a team that has already shown it can go the distance without him, I think the Cavs' chances for a championship just improved greatly. He may very well be the last piece in the Cavs' championship puzzle.

After that trade, I'd have said that Kobe's chances of a repeat just went down to zero...until the Kobes signed Ron Artest.

This is a real coup for the Kobes, as it now makes them a team that might actually be able to win a game should Kobe not be in the lineup. Artest is another player who, despite the fact he's a piece of shit human being, can turn a team around if you put the right players around him; he was what the Rockets, who had two All-Star starters in their lineup, needed to get over the hump. It's an absolute dream for Artest, who leaves behind a team that is very quickly literally falling apart.

However, Artest needs to realize that, unlike most of the teams he's played on in the past, he's not the go-to guy here. The Kobes are Kobe's team, and no one puts Kobe in the corner. If Artest can accept his role as a guy who may occasionally get the ball and have to put it in the basket (but only after checking with Kobe first), I think we may finally get the Finals that everyone thought we'd get this year.

All that being said, if Kevin Garnett comes back, the Celtics will be able to field an All-Star at nearly every position now that they have Rasheed.

And that won't make it easy for anybody.