Kobe’s 52 points yesterday versus the Mavericks was certainly an impressive performance.  Lost among the celebration of the overtime win, however, was an incident he had with a towel and a fan after an interview with Michelle Tafoya.  What was the motivation to whip the towel at the fan?  Certainly not frustration.  Maybe it was a celebratory pegging.  Regardless, it’s absolutely hilarious.

Since Shaq left Los Angeles, I’ve been an advocate for Kobe Bryant winning the league’s Most Valuable Player award. Arguably the best player in the NBA, Kobe has yet to win a MVP award in his storied career. But with a couple of new weapons and development of young players, the Lakers are suddenly the best team in the West Conference. And this year, more than any other before, Kobe Bryant is the league’s most valuable player.

With their 9th consecutive win last night, the Lakers now sit atop the Western Conference at 40-17. All season long, Bryant has displayed the teamwork that many of his naysayers said he lacked. Bryant’s scoring is down, but his rebounding, assist and steal numbers are all improved from a season ago. And since the Lakers stole Pau Gasol from Memphis, Bryant’s shooting over 50% from the field and dishing out assists like a point guard.

Remember when people sung praises for Dwyane Wade and lambasted Kobe for being selfish? When that was happening, Bryant still managed to lead a team short on talent and experience to three consecutive postseasons. But this year, with the roles reversed, Dwyane Wade is currently leading the Heat to a 10-44 record, the worst in the entire league. Where’s all that ability to make players better? Wasn’t Flash supposed to have that in spades?

This article is not promoting the Lakers as your next NBA Champions; the Western Conference is much too loaded for that kind of prediction in February. Rather, it’s designed to give credit where it’s due. With general manager Mitch Kupciak’s plan finally taking hold in Tinseltown, the Lakers are locked and loaded for a deep playoff run. And there’s no bigger reason for that than Kobe’s continued maturity as a player, but even more as a leader.

Tonight marks the official debut of Shaquille O’Neal in a Phoenix Suns jersey. In a media hyped acquisition that can only rival Sir Charles Barkley’s arrival in Phoenix, the Suns feel like O’Neal is the final piece of the puzzle. He brings a defensive and rebounding mentality to the Suns, something that the team has lacked all season, ranking last in team rebounding. That’ll improve with O’Neal who asserts that he’s not expecting to be the superstar on the Suns, instead leaving that duty to the likes of the Canuck at point guard and Amare Stoudemire.

So now the table is set for O’Neal’s triumphant debut against, wouldn’t you know it, Kobe Bryant and the new-look Los Angeles Lakers. I hearken back to the days when the young Bryant was throwing lobs to the unstoppable O’Neal and the Lakers were racking up titles like it was nobody’s business. Remember Reggie Miller’s Pacers? Bryant and Shaq did them dirty in six games. Or how about the Allen Iverson led 76ers? The Lakers polished them off in five. Then there was Jason Kidd’s Nets team that got punished in a four game sweep. Yeah, Kobe and Shaq were a mighty combo.

Then the fall out happened. ESPN jerked it to the fact that Kobe demanded an ultimatum of keeping either him or Shaq. Shaq went to Miami and won a ring while Kobe stayed in LA and took first round playoff exits. The feud is over between the two, “allegedly”, and now it seems the only people who care about it live in Bristol, Connecticut and work for ESPN.

Tonight’s game should be a great one, but not for the story line. Here’s a line to follow; the Suns have the best record in the West and the Lakers are a mere game behind them. So when you tune into tonight’s game, don’t tune in for the fabricated story line of Shaq returning to face the Lakers. Tune in because, with O’Neal and the Lakers acquisition of Pau Gasol, both teams feel as if they’ve taken the necessary step to win a title. It should be a doozy.

With the Lakers recent acquisition of Pau Gasol, many are speculating about a return to championship form. Why not? The Lakers, upon the return of injured center Andrew Bynum, boast four consistent scorers in Bynum, Gasol, Lamar Odom, and that one guy….I believe he goes by Black Mamba. And lets not forget about Derek Fisher as a fifth option and a guy who will hit open jump shots when given the chance.

For the Lakers, this trade is phenomenal. Not only did they acquire an all-star caliber center, they also dumped the biggest piece of garbage in the NBA in Kwame Brown. I don’t think I need to spend much time railing on Kwame other than noting that I’ve never seen a seven footer miss as many dunks and easy shots as Kwame. Dude can’t play. Pau, on the other hand, can. And I’m excited to watch.

I really am beginning to wonder what’s going through the heads of all the other GM’s in the league. How did the Lakers orchestrate a trade for a player of Gasol’s magnitude without even surrendering any of their top ten players? How were other teams not clued in on this? What the hell is Memphis doing?

The Lakers are a lot like the Celtics in that the NBA is a better business when both are succeeding. There’s too much history and talent between the two organizations to have one or both playing poorly. Well, wouldn’t you know it but both the Celtics and Lakers are right back in the playoff hunt. The Celtics have already been thrown around in discussions of title contention with their revamped offense of Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Kevin Garnett. With the acquisition of Pau Gasol, might we put the Lakers in the discussion of title contention as well?

While many of us were busy unwrapping gifts and spending time with family yesterday, the Los Angeles Lakers were busy handing the Phoenix Suns their second loss in as many match-ups this season. Kobe got his; scoring 38 points with seven assists and five rebounds on the afternoon. The real story, however, was young center Andrew Bynum who scored a career high 28 points and had 12 rebounds against the West’s best center, Amare Stoudemire.

How about the collection of people that ESPN had no shame showing us yesterday? Ice Cube was in the house; hell we even got to listen to him talk up the Lakers like he was their GM. Phil Jackson went away from the standard tie and wore a red bow tie that, with his emo black glasses, made him look more like the king of chicken than the boss of the Lakers sideline. And then there was David Arquette who was undoubtedly taking a break from making a shitty movie and paid for his courtside tickets with what was left from his compensation check from the Scream trilogy. And how about that jam that Trevor Ariza had yesterday? Grant Hill got a face full of crotch and was absolutely posterized by a dunk that was so incredible that it was like an extra Christmas present from Santa Ariza to all the viewers. Hey Grant, not even a jolt of Sprite was going to save you from that tea-bagging.

So where should we put this Lakers team when we start looking at the big picture in the West? At 18-10 they certainly are having a better year than most pundits, myself included, expected. Andrew Bynum’s development from last year to this year has been the equivalent of night and day and his developing dominance in the low post is reminding me more and more of another guy who used to play in the paint for the Lakers. Might the Lakers have found the second scorer Kobe had been bitching about in the off season without even making a move? This team has to show me they aren’t going to wear down like they have in years past but until then I’d say the Lakers are quickly becoming a contender again.

If last night was any indication of how the Lakers season is going to shape up this year, we may be in for a long year of frustration. Shane Battier buried a dagger in the Lakers hearts last night with a three pointer that gave the Houston Rockets a 95-93 win despite Kobe Bryant going off for 45 points.

Hey Mitch Kupciak, how about getting Kobe some help. Kevin Garnett maybe? Oh, i suppose George Karl’s son will do. Jermaine O’Neal perhaps? Oh, I guess Derek Fisher does about the same stuff. Watching last night’s game made one thing apparent to me. This year is going to be the Kobe show, and nothing else. It’s Kobe versus, and I’m pretty sure the rest of the Lakers organization is okay with that.

It’s not a secret that nobody on the Lakers wants the ball except Kobe. Watch five minutes of a Lakers game and count how many times Kobe shoulders the load versus Luke Walton or Jordan Farmar doing something to get open. There’s no sense of urgency on this team. There’s no desire, no spirit. I understand they’re without Lamar Odom for a few weeks but will his return really make that much of a difference?

What we’re seeing right now is one of the greatest basketball players to ever play the game caged up with his hands tied behind his back. I side with Kobe on the trade issues; if the Lakers don’t have the desire to win like some of the other teams in the NBA, Kobe needs to get out. Thanks Kupciak. Hell of an off-season and an even better start to the 2007 season, wouldn’t you say?