[zman]

Lakers have mortgaged their future just to appease Kobe. I've been a Kobe fan all along - i know he's cocky and selfish at times but somehow he's made it work for him and he's a proven winner big time. But his latest contract with the Lakers is baffling - I thought he'd play for 10 mil a year and allow the Lakers to add two more superstars and contend. Instead he'll be playing for a team that will be stuck in the middle tier, missing the playoffs and not even getting high lottery picks. So the Lakers are pretty much doomed for the next 4/5 years.

Bulls are intriguing to me. They've proven they can make the playoffs without Rose. According to most reports Rose is almost back to his all star form. I've seen quite a few moves by him while playing for team USA on Sportscenter and he looked good. Bulls are one of the two best defensive teams in the league but I thought adding Gasol was really big. Even at his age, Gasol can flat out ball. He's one of the best big man passers in the game and I can see most teams having trouble stopping their big guys from scoring.