"Don't count on it."

Thank you, John Paxson for finally laying to rest the myth that Kobe is heading to Chicago. Again, the LA Times was ahead of the curve on that one. But check out this tease. Holy smokes! I don't quite believe it and don't think I will until the deal actually goes down and the players involved pass their physicals, if only because that is one giant carrot to dangle in front of Laker Nation and if KG doesn't end up coming here, I'd rather not be crushed about it. So, no point in pinning my hopes on it, now. If I'm going to survive this Mamba Drama, it's going to take some expert emotional control. And as Paxson told Kobe, "Don't count on it."

But let's just say that Odom and Bynum leave town to make way for Garnett. We'd be looking at a Laker lineup that ran the floor something like this (keeping in mind that we're losing Mihm and Smush is as good as dead to us):
Starters
C Kwame
F KG
F Walton
G Mamba
G Farmer

Bench
F/C Turiaf
F Radmanovic
F Cook
G Vujacic
G/F Mo Evans
1st round pick
Mid-level exception

The bench is left a little thin and we could definitely use some help at center, but, my goodness, Mamba+KG = Contender

Now, would Garnett fit with Kobe? If it's a matter of ego, it's been well-established that Kobe's will rise to the top, while KG will keep any dirty business to himself. Both recognize in each other a common goal and matching intensity. This is also the exact scenario that makes Phil Jackson an invaluable coach. The guy built a legacy off of managing egos on championship teams. It's when his teams didn't have the talent that his efforts (or lack thereof, depending on how much stock you take in his sideline demeanor during games) went for naught. Again, Jackson is great at turning teams from good to elite, not bad to good.

So, for now, fingers crossed. But I remain cautiously realistic.