Look what I dug out of BB trash! I thought that getting either one of those 3 future Hall of Famers would be good. Come Wednesday, it looks like we're gonna get two of them for a combined $6 million! I'm sure everyone who is a sports fan has had their fill of the Kobe/Malone & Payton news, but let's talk about it.

First, Kobe. I was really shocked when I heard the news, probably the biggest sports-related shock since I heard about Magic in 1991 (if you don't know what I'm talking, please go to another topic). From what I've seen on television and read in the papers, there's no way that he could have done the things that are being alleged. However, just because we see athletes on TV doesn't mean that we know even an iota of what goes on in their personal lives. Who would have thought that MJ had a mistress for years? Or that Magic was into the stuff that got him sick? Or that Kirby Puckett was...well, Kirby Puckett? My gut instinct is that these charges will pass. Whether or not he's guilty is another story, but I think that the charges will pass.

Now, the positive stuff. Free agency. It looks like the Lakers scored a coup this year, adressing both of their major needs (point guard and power forward) with two future Hall of Famers at bargain-basement prices. You can probably scroll back through this topic and find posts that I've made about how much I hate Karl Malone, but now that it appears that he's gonna be on our side, I'm overjoyed. As long as the "Fab Four" can gel together and play within Phil's team concept, the season is going to be awesome. Malone, even as the 3rd or 4th option, should still be able to break the all-time scoring record within 2 years, granted that he stays healthy. If he plays all 82 games for the next 2 years, he needs to average 12.3 ppg to eclipse Kareem's 38,387 (that number has been ingrained in my head since childhood...it's gonna be a pain in the ass to remember another one!).

The other reason that I'm smiling is that San Antonio hasn't signed anyone thus far. I was worried for a minute, as I'm sure plawrence was, that Jason Kidd would pack his bags for the Alamo. Having Kidd alongside Duncan and the rest of the Spurs (minus the Admiral) was a scary thought.

But then Kidd decided to stay with the Nets, and then they even picked up Alonzo Mourning. Although his body has probably been ravaged by his kidney ailment and the subsequent medication, he is still an intimidating inside presence, and will help the Nets out greatly. They can move some of the undersized guys that had playing center over to the 4 spot, and they can have Collins learn under Mourning. And as a bonus, it's like the Georgetown reunion tour, with former Hoya teammates Mourning and Mutombo playing together again.

So it looks like it's gonna be a hell of a season again next year. The Lakers might win 75 games, or they might blow up and get eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, Minnesota style.