Arenas for Kobe? No Thanks

But this is the dilemma of what to do about Bryant.

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He's one of the best three players in the NBA. At 29, he's still in his prime for three or four more seasons. He'll pack your arena every night. And most folks are seduced by the fact that he's won three NBA Finals. Fans, media and basketball executives are all still struck by his physical talent, by his ability to score 50, 60 or 81 points, that he can carry a team for a couple of months and make you think it's a contender.

Of course, Kobe won all those championships with Shaquille O'Neal, and since Shaq was traded, with Kobe's blessing, Kobe hasn't gotten out of the first round of the playoffs. Gilbert has. Nothing in the three full seasons Kobe has played without Shaq suggests that Kobe can lift a mediocre team to serious contender. And there's indisputable evidence that in this incarnation as the brilliant but intolerant soloist he's very difficult to play with.

But mostly, it's not about saying no to Kobe as much as it is to saying yes to Arenas. What Arenas has done for public school children the last two years, but particularly last week, is nothing short of heroic. He's become the most popular athlete in town by a million miles. The thousands of dollars he hands out to schools, the jersey giveaways, the random acts of kindness have endeared him to D.C. in a way that was unthinkable when Grunfeld signed him four years ago.

Of course, it would be easier to dismiss the notion of Kobe's availability if Arenas did two things: lead a run to the conference finals and forget about free agency and sign an extension. The only thing that would change my mind about making a deal is if it became evident that Arenas wasn't going to stay in Washington.

But the Wizards believe he's going to stay, that he's the cornerstone around which the club will build a champion. Gilbert says he's not going to Los Angeles other than for summer vacation. And there are NBA executives who feel certain the Lakers danced that dance with the Bulls knowing full well they just wanted to appease Kobe and not really trade him.

Still, strange things happen in the NBA, and it's hard not to wonder what might happen if the phone rings in Grunfeld's office and it's Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak on the other end.