If only the sense of urgency and willingness to compromise we see from the Italian league in efforts to bring in Kobe Bryant could be seen from the NBA and its players union in talks to end the lockout.
Because in Italy they are doing whatever it takes to get a deal done.
We told you over the weekend Kobe and his people were working to find a way to share the money his playing would generate with teams around the league (that’s revenue sharing among owners). Now those teams are working “intensely” to rearrange schedules to accommodate Kobe’s arrival and get in more games during his time there, according to a released statement. So the Italian league is like the NBA in one sense — money talks and they’ll do just about anything for it. Integrity be damned.
According to Sportando, some of that rearranging has been done. Virtus Bologna has had it’s bye week pushed back to the eighth week of the Italian season — after Kobe will have gone back to the United States, after his proposed 40-day deal — and some midweek games have been added to their schedule.
Virtus Bologna owner Claudio Sabatini spoke to the media Monday about his efforts to sign Kobe, because Sabatini is a publicity whore trying to garner as much attention out of this as he can. (Yes, I know, we’re writing about him, I get the irony.)
“I hope that very shortly we’ll have a deal,” Sabatini said Monday, according to the ANSA news agency. “I want to thank Kobe, who demonstrated again overnight that he wants to return to Italy.”
Despite all that, I’ll believe it when I see Kobe lace up his Nikes and walk on an Italian court. I can come up with logical reasons it could happen — Kobe’s Italian roots, the international marketing possibilities, etc. — but I still would bet against it. However, at least they are trying.
