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PHOENIX -- Kobe Bryant lashed out at Los Angeles Lakers management Sunday night for leaving teammate Pau Gasol wondering whether hes about to be traded. Cheap Jerseys From China . In a post-game monologue punctuated by a couple of profanities, Bryant said the Lakers either need to trade Gasol or come out and say it wont happen. Bryants comments came in the aftermath of a 102-90 loss at Phoenix on Sunday night. He said he doesnt want Gasol to be traded but its unfair for his teammate to try to play when he doesnt know if hell be somewhere else the following day. As Bryant put it: "If theyre going to do something, I wish they would just ... do it." "Listen, hes been the consummate professional," Bryant said. "Hes going out and hes trying to do what he can. But lets be real. If you didnt know you were going to be here tomorrow, if your heads on the chopping block and you feel like youre just waiting, its tough to put all yourself in the game." Trade rumours about Gasol have circulated since the team thought it had shipped him to New Orleans in a three-team deal before the season that would have brought Chris Paul to the Lakers. But NBA Commissioner David Stern blocked the trade. "Its hard for Pau because of all this trade talk and stuff," Bryant said, bringing up the subject even though no one asked him about it. "Its hard for him to kind of invest himself completely or immerse himself completely into games when hes hearing trade talk every other day. I wish management would either come out and either trade him or not trade him." Bryant said the Lakers have the foundation for another run at the NBA title with Gasol, who had 17 points and 12 rebounds in the loss to Phoenix. "It obviously starts with myself and Pau and the emergence of Andrew (Bynum)," Bryant said, "but you cant have one of our pillars not knowing if hes going to be here or not. Do something. One way or another, do something. If they trade him at least you have some type of closure, he gets some type of closure." Bryant, as usual, was the last player to speak to reporters Sunday night. Gasol had already left after talking about the game but mentioning nothing about a potential trade. "I talked to him a little bit about it," Bryant said. "Its just tough for a player to give his all when you dont know if youre going to be here tomorrow. So Id rather them not trade him at all. If they were going to do something, I wish they would just ... do it. If theyre not going to do it, come out and say youre not going to do it. This way he can be comfortable, he can go out and perform and he can play and he can invest all of himself in the game." Bryants comments come as the Lakers adjust to new coach Mike Brown in a lockout-shortened campaign after all their years of success under Phil Jackson, who retired after last season. Bryant touched on that, too. "Its a big challenge to fill those shoes, first of all," Bryant said, "and still trying to figure out our team and our personality, how we think. I mean thats tough to do in such a short schedule." Cheap Jerseys . - A momentary lapse in focus Saturday night proved costly for the Vancouver Whitecaps. Cheap New York Giants Jerseys . Amid lusty boos from a modest crowd on a rainy, 46-degree night, Cano began his first game in the Bronx since joining Seattle this winter for $240 million with a wink -- at Yankees starter CC Sabathia (3-3).First base has always been a position for power hitters, the mashers who can provide home runs and RBI to anchor your fantasy team and the position will improve its depth with a couple of additions this season. The most notable is Detroit Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera, who moves across the infield now that Prince Fielder has moved on to Texas. No matter what position he plays, Cabrera is a top-tier hitter. Since 2007, he leads them majors with 261 home runs, 856 RBI and 706 runs scored, along with a .326 batting average. Leading all of baseball in those categories, with consistent production year after year, makes Cabrera the biggest difference-maker, even when compared with other sluggers at first base. Arizonas Paul Goldschmidt has quickly emerged as an elite option too, in part because he adds stolen bases to his impressive power numbers. Over the past two seasons, Goldschmidt has swiped 33 bases, most among first basemen, and is one of two (Edwin Encarnacion is the other) to record at least 50 homers and 200 RBI while scoring at least 180 runs. Unless your league has an on-base percentage as a category, there is a large gap between the value of Cincinnatis Joey Votto in real life (where hes MVP calibre) and in fantasy, where hes among the top handful at first base. Vottos tendency to walk limits his RBI upside, which is a factor in his fantasy appeal. When you move beyond the top handful of players, there are still plenty of appealing options. Baltimores Chris Davis has outrageous power. He also strikes out a lot, which slowed his arrival as an everyday player but, after 86 home runs and 368 strikeouts in the past two seasons, hes settled in with the Orioles. Two of the more interesting options at first base are long-time stars. Prince Fielder has had more than 100 RBI in six of the past seven seasons, but last years 25 home runs and .819 OPS were career-lows. Going to a hitter-friendly park in Texas does seem like a decent opportunity for Fielder to have a relative bounceback in his numbers. The other veteran, who has shown more decline, is Albert Pujols, who is coming off his worst season and is pretty much a wildcard for the first time in his career. If Pujols regains his form, even somewhat, then 30 home runs, 100 RBI and a .300 average is possible, particularly coming off a season in which his batting aaverage on balls in play was a career-low . Cheap Milwaukee Bucks Jerseys. .258 (same as his average), but there is also the concern that a 34-year-old Pujols isnt going to ever have that legendary bat again. If youd rather avoid the risk of those veterans, Adrian Gonzalez is a steady enough performer and Freddie Freeman is a productive younger slugger who has driven in 203 runs over the past two seasons. Shifting to first base from catcher, Minnesotas Joe Mauer doesnt have the power of a typical top tier first baseman, but hes a career .323 hitter, so if he can stay in the lineup, Mauer will have an opportunity to make a difference in that way. Kansas Citys Eric Hosmer appeared to get back on the right track last season and San Franciscos Brandon Belt has continued to make progress. Both are young, with room to grow, so they offer worthwhile upside if you cant secure the best at the position. Upside comes further down the list too. Whether its White Sox rookie Jose Abreu, the Cuban slugger or across town with the Cubs Anthony Rizzo, who could be prime for big numbers with a little better luck (after a .258 BABIP in 2013). You probably wont have to pay premium prices for someone like Bostons Mike Napoli, even though hes hit at least 20 home runs in six straight seasons, and Oaklands Brandon Moss could be a nice source of mid-to-late round power after slugging 51 home runs in 711 at-bats over the past two seasons. St. Louis Matt Adams is a slugger on his way up and due for a full-time role this year after hitting 17 home runs in 296 at-bats last year. If you get desperate, maybe consider the Yankees Mark Teixeira, who may be ruined by a wrist injury, but has such a track record of putting up power numbers that hes worth a late-round look; certainly around the time that youre willing to venture down the road for Ryan Howard. Anyway, there are a lot of viable candidates to hold down first base for your team, but if your league incorporates corner infielders and DH spots, suddenly first base can thin out in short order, so dont wait too long. Take a good one relatively early, then worry about the upside/bounceback/sleeper options later. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. Cheap China Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NHL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys From China China NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '
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