I wonder how this got on the front page of ESPN’s homepage. Must be a slow day in the world of sports (not really -_-”’).

On a day that Minnesota Timberwolves franchise player Al Jefferson might be traded to the Utah Jazz, and with Charlotte Bobcats new owner Michael Jordan nixing a three-way trade with the Toronto Raptors and the Phoenix Suns, the “Worldwide Leader in Sports” makes it a point to highlight Marc Stein’s piece on Kobe Bryant trying to recruit declining defensive stalwart Raja Bell.

I can understand that anything the Lakers’ superstar does on the court is prime-time news, but his offseason pitch to a guy that plays the same position as him and is way past his prime?

This is absurd.

From a basketball standpoint, Raja Bell, whose name won’t ring one unless we’re talking about NBA hardcore fans, has lost a step or two on the defensive end of the court. Dude can still shoot the three, but is a liability on the offensive end as well as he can’t create his own shot or get to the rim like he used to earlier this decade.

So why does Kobe have such an obsession in bringing his former nemesis to LA, to the point that he’s made “several phone calls” to Bell? A gossipmonger “source” of the anonymous variety told Stein:

One source close to the situation said memories of Bell’s takedown, which earned him a suspension for Game 6 of the [2006] series — the Suns, down 3-2, won the game at Staples Center without him — are actually one reason why Bryant sees Bell as such an ideal teammate. The premise? Anyone with the gumption to hit Bryant that hard is someone he wants on his team.

That particular “takedown” is here in its full splendour:

It’s awesome.

So Kobe is going to arrange a face-to-face heart-to-heart with Bell in downtown LA real soon to try to entice Ra-Ra to don the Purple and Gold.

I can’t wait for a reality show spin-off that rivals Keeping Up with the Kardashians on E!

In other breaking sports news in the US, George Steinbrenner, who rebuilt the New York Yankees into a sports empire, died Tuesday at age 80. “The Boss” deserves an RIP for his work with the MLB giants.