Fisher, a three time champion with the LA Lakers, told the Jazz that he needed to be in New York in order to get the best medical care for his 2 year old daughter, who had a horrible eye cancer.

The Jazz understandably bought out his contract, and Fisher said that it was unlikely that he would play in the NBA again. In a matter of weeks, however, Fisher signed a contract in Los Angelos, despite the distance from New York. Now for the trade.

Alright, I do have to admit, the chances of this trade going through are just awful, despite the money working out nicely.

Think you have a better idea? See if it will work here and send me your best ones.

With only 48 short days on the countdown, the time is long, painful and boring as we wait for the NBA regular season to begin. Our time is well wasted as we discuss the things that will heavily influence next year.

Greg Oden Breaking Down

This could be a case of reading too in depth to a situation, but Oden seems like he might not be ready for Trail Blazer training camp in three weeks. After recovering from having his tonsils out, which cost him most of his summer camp experience, the number one overall pick is having knee surgery. It's been labelled as exploratory, but this has to be scary for Portland fans who have their franchise's hopes riding on Oden's enormous shoulders.

Adding to the fear that he's more likely to break down early is a new article from statistical-superman John Hollinger that shows how big men taller than the 6'9"-6-11" range almost always have shorter careers. It's also come to be common knowledge that one of Oden's legs is longer than the other. There just seems to be a lot of heartbreak on the horizon for Portland, who will almost surely watch their division rivals the Seattle Supersonics reach a better record led by a better rookie that Portland could have picked.

The Kobe Saga Is Un-Answered

Still not backing off of previously made trade demands, Kobe is happily touring Asia at this point. After saying that the team needs drastic change and then having his comments re-enforced by new HOF coach Phil Jackson, Lakers management has brought in Derek Fisher and resigned super-dud Chris Mihm. So the excitement here is to see more drama unfold. Either Kobe goes and there will be a blockbuster trade, or Kobe stays and is unhappy.

The chances of someone, presumably the Pacers and Jermaine O'Neal, biting on the Odom and Bynum package is extremely slim. Remember, the Pacers are run by Larry Bird, who has lost no love on the Lakers organization in his long basketball career.

More Teams Are Good

New contenders should include Houston, Denver (with newly signed Steven Hunter) and Boston, as well as the usual surprise team, which last year was Utah. This is better than having an east that stinks. Last years Titanic division for example, now has potential playoff teams in Toronto, Boston, New York and New Jersey. With Orlando also looking stronger, the disparity, while still favoring the West, won't be so lopsided that it loses validity.

You can email the JackDaddy at jackhoops@gmail.com

But Stern didn't save the league. No, the league was saved by someone who had more power and ability than anyone else in it; Michael Jordan.

Jordan redefined the term "slam-dunk." He accomplished feats never before done by a player his size, with a charisma and flair entirely his own. Even if he hadn't won 6 championships, his amazing abilities intrigued people. In fact, people can't not watch greatness.

MJ was called "His Airness" and earned it. He played hard and was financially rewarded very well by not only the Chicago Bulls, but by any company in the world that needed effective marketing. His shoes still sell for hundreds of dollars and all players are held against his standard.

So who saves us this time?

I think there are some terrefic young players in the league today. Dwayne Wade, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire headline the group of tommorow's greatest, but there is one player who could bring the NBA back to its former spot as the number one sport in America.

And I hate him.

I don't want people to think that I'm just a Kobe hater. I've disliked him for years and years. He's a jerk, he's cocky, and his interviews speak louder than most would notice.

Take for example his performance in the 2006 playoff series against Phoenix when he took one shot against the Suns in the entire second half of game seven. He flat out quit, regardless of his talk about sticking to the game plan or trying to get his teammates involved. Bryant quit on his team and even though there was no denying it, he still did.

But Kobe is a supertalent. I truly believe, and I loathe to even write this, that Kobe is the greatest scorer in the history of basketball. I think he would beat Jordan handily in a game of one on one. He has smashed tons of Jordans career records, and although some are still intact, I would predict that Bryant has about six years left in him as one of the league's top three scorers. There are stars in the NBA, but no one that players and coaches fear like Kobe, no one so hostile with the ball. Yet his game still lacks something.

We all know that there's more to basketball than just scoring, and I'm not even talking about defense. It's the part that Jordan got and that LeBron has already figured out to a certain degree. It's how to be a leader, and more importantly, how to be a teammate.

If I were a player on the Lakers, I would be begging for a trade. The guy only knows one play, and that's the play in which he calls his own number every time. Actually, he knows the play where you yell at the guy who made a mistake during the timeout and demoralize him in front of the whole bench.

During team USA, I did see stretches of humanity in him though. ESPN's Rachel Nichols asked him if he still felt the same way about the comments he had made. The old Kobe would have licked his lips and said that he stood by his comments 100%, that he meant exactly what he said, and that he was never frustrated, only scheming to get what he wanted.

"Frustration," Bryant said. "You get frustrated and you say things you don't really mean."

If Kobe begins to take credit for the failures as well as the success of his team, we could see the league have a player who is not only dominant as a scorer, but a leader of a team that doesn't hate him.

Bryant also needs to take the competitiveness down half a notch. It's one of his most powerful weapons, but it did cost him a game and two flagrants last year after he clubbed two players after getting his shot blocked.

If he pulls it off, which I half heartedly hope he does, he would be a likeable, marketable, more than human superman who will do more for the league's good than any new anti-tanking rule or playoff format ever could.

Don't worry though Mamba, we actually wouldn't mind if you still hit Manu.