Let's make a deal

I am first and foremost a 49ers fan, but like anyone who grew up in the Bay Area, I also closely follow the Raiders. That was a little hard last season, when most of their home games were blacked out. But they now have a real chance to do something that could begin to get them back on the road to respectablity.

As you may have heard, the Raiders can't seem to sign JaMarcus Russell. The core problem is Al Davis and Russell can't come to terms on guaranteed money in Russell's contract. Obviously Russell has the upper hand, seeing as contracts for #1 picks have increased fairly steadily in gauranteed money in recent years.

Since neither side is budging yet, and the season is on the verge of starting, perhaps there's another move the Raiders could make that's simple and totally logical.

Trade Russell to the Atlanta Falcons.

Before you fly off the handle and go nuts, and point out that the trading deadline for draft picks has passed, let's think about this logically for a moment and why it would work.

1. It would be very simple - if both teams agreed to this - to have a sign and trade. The Raiders would sign Russell to a contract that Atlanta would agree to pay him.

2. The Atlanta Falcons desperately need a QB. Right now they have Harrington, who sucks, and Chris Redman, who hasn't thrown a pass in the league since 1984. Since DJ Shockley is lost for the season, there's a serious lack of depth at QB. Getting their hands on a #1 pick QB who they could build around in the wake of the Vick fiasco would be an incredible turnaround for this team.

3. Atlanta is about to free up some major cap space. As soon as Vick pleads guilty to dogfighting charges, his $130 million contract can be torn to pieces on the spot thanks to what have become standard behaviorial clauses in professional sports contracts. Vick won't see another penny, and will likely lose some change in the process. And if you think he's ever going to play in Atlanta again, you're nuts. Vick directly lied to owner Arthur Blank (and Goodell) about whether he participated in dogfighting. And Blank is furious. So Atlanta will suddenly have a lot of money to throw around.

4. The Raiders appear completely unable to strike a deal with Russell, and since they already have Dante Culpepper, Russell is expendable. Plus, it's clear that the Raiders need more than just Russell to rebuild. They need an entire offense. So why not ship Russell off to Atlanta for some future draft picks and a few offensive players. They can always draft another QB in the future who they likely won't have to pay as much.

5. The deal makes incredible sense for both teams. Both teams would benefit from a trade, and both teams desperately need help immediately. It'd also be extremely easy to make sure everything fits under the salary cap.

But here's why I'm afraid this won't work. It's simply too logical. And logic is something that seems totally foreign to most sports GMs and owners. Yes Al Davis, you no longer have any logic at all. You're crazy, and likely senile.

ESPN talked about how Atlanta was looking at Chris Simms of all people. Why? For God's sake, what is Simms going to do for you that Harrington isn't. Both suck.

This is a dream scenario for both teams. Atlanta quickly forgets the Vick trainwreck by bringing in a QB to build around for years while the Raiders get multiple position players and draft picks that within two years could bring them back to respectability.

Too bad this will never happen.

-WCK

Where's Ballhog potentially going today?

So now Kobe wants to be traded again. And since he seemingly hasn't changed his mind in under 24 hours, maybe he's actually serious about it this time. Or maybe he just changed his mind again while I typed this. But if he is serious, he's gotta get traded before the draft, and that means things could happen quickly.

There are plenty of theories floating around out there about where he could wind up. One theory is obviously New York. This doesn't make a ton of sense because the Knicks don't really have anyone worth anything to the Lakers. But if you think Isiah can't find someway to mortgage away what little future the Knicks have, you'd be wrong.

The Suns have also been talked about. This would be insane beyond belief. Kobe and Nash and Amare runnin' and gunnin'. Even funnier would be Kobe and Raja being teammates. Although this would never happen because the Suns and Lakers are in the same division, if it did happen I would watch every Suns game next year. Not just so I could watch Kobe pour in 50 a night, but also to see the eventual sideline fight between the massive egos of Kobe and Amare. Something tells me, knowing the Suns luck, this team would make the NBA Finals and then right before Game 1, Amare would punch Kobe in the face who would fall backwards and crush Steve Nash. Seems inevitable.

Say Hey even came up with a scenario for Kobe to come to the Warriors. It makes a lot of sense, the one problem again is that the Warriors play in the same division.

But the trade scenario that makes the most sense (at least in theory) is Kobe going to Bulls. Chad Ford has been breaking this down for ESPN, but since we don't get Insider - where Ford's article is up - we turn to Sons of Sam Malone for the Kobe to the Bulls scenario. Both potential trades involve a third team, which always ups the ante and makes things more interesting.

As much as we hate Kobe, it still would be intriguing to see him get traded. It might help make the NBA a little more relevant again and it would at least get the bad taste of the Spurs winning a championship out of my mouth.

-WCK

For the good of the nation, let's make this trade happen

Say Hey has an incredible idea for the Warriors. Let's add Rasheed Wallace to the mix. I couldn't agree more, and as Say Hey goes on to break down, it actually makes perfect sense.

The bonus of course is having Stephen Jackson and Rasheed Wallace in the same locker room and local Oakland strip clubs. My head is exploding at the sheer thought of the opportunities presented to sports bloggers everywhere should this occur.

Chris Mullin, make this thing happen.

-WCK