Carter

	Bryant

Last year I wrote an open letter to Phil Jackson, suggesting -- nah, telling him outright -- that he had totally screwed up his team with J.R. Rider. Was I right, Phil? Isn't he more than a little annoying? You bet he is.

Today, I'm doing Phil a favor and I am also extending the courtesy to our friends in the Ontario Province of Canada with another open letter.

Dear Phil and Mitch Kupchak:
Dear Glen Grunwald and you, too, Lenny Wilkens:

	Carter could do his high-flying act in L.A.

Fellas, I have the answer to your problems, an idea that will move forward both the Lakers and Toronto Raptors and at no real cost to either side.

Phil, we're gonna get Kobe Bryant the heck out of there, end this stupid rivalry with Shaq, put you right back on top next season where you belong. When your team beat the Kings Sunday it was their sixth victory in seven games without Kobe. Enough said?

Glen, we're going to very carefully remove the Damoclean sword hanging over the head of your franchise by ensuring its future success for at least the next four years.

It's very simple. Phil, trade the heretical Kobe -- you've got to be thinking about it -- and get back Vince Carter.

Glen, get Vince out of there before he jilts you for a team in the States and take Kobe, who is signed through 2004-05 for so much money (the contract tops out at $14.825 million) that he can't think of resisting. Then, again, why would he? He's coming to Toronto to be the centerpiece of the team.

	Oakley

Will it work under the cap? Of course, with a little massage.

Package Charles Oakley in the final year of his contract at $6.283 million with Carter at $3.073 mil and you're up to $9.356 million against Kobe's $11.25 mil. The Raps figure to be $2 million under the cap next season. The numbers work.

In 2002-03 Oakley is a free agent and off the cap. The Lakes take the $4.074 mil option on Vince and then a max deal in 2004.

As for the Raptors, they now have inducement that should keep Antonio Davis in town and they can start Keon Clark alongside him.

Looking at personalities?

Carter needs a strong coach. Milquetoast Lenny isn't going to say boo to Vince about his flagrant abuse of the fadeaway jump shot and, good as Vince is as the No. 5 scorer in the league, he is not going to carry the Raptors to the next level all by himself, especially not with the permissive Wilkens at the throttle.

Now, Kobe, the No. 3 scorer, untamed as he is, might have a better chance and you know he will relish the opportunity, taking Vince's shots and then some. Cosmopolitan guy that he is, Kobe will love Toronto, even if he isn't wild about the taxes. With his personality and Puck's smile he can be almost as big as hockey. AND HE'S TIED UP FOUR MORE YEARS.

About 2,000 miles away, Vince and Phil are a match made in Heaven. Carter made great strides last season under Butch (no relation) Carter, who simply was a very bad coach for everybody else. Challenged, Vince worked on his jump shot, accepted responsibility, kept his mugging to a minimum.

		Shaq and Phil are allies, both clearly exasperated with Kobe's desperate need to do everything the hard way, to ignore Shaq at all costs, to incite conflict with structure. There is absolutely no reason to think it will get better.

I expect Vince would respect Shaq and agree to be Robin to his Batman. I expect Phil would nurture this relationship even as he nurtured Scottie and Michael. And regardless of how, Phil skirts the truth, he clearly has a problem with Kobe, who turns away from those little parables Phil likes to use as life lessons. Vince is also stronger and more durable than Kobe, allowing the Lakers to play at the top of the West with Jerry Buss' fiscal philosophy: pay two and load up on minimums.

And add Oakley as Shaq's bodyguard, giving the Lakers tremendous inside force, immediately stamping them as the favorite to win the championship in '02.

More important: the risks of not doing this deal can be catastrophic.

Shaq and Phil are allies, both clearly exasperated with Kobe's desperate need to do everything the hard way, to ignore Shaq at all costs, to incite conflict with structure. There is absolutely no reason to think it will get better.

And the Raptors can't ignore the evidence that Vince is going to jilt them in '03 when the best they can hope for is a sign-and-trade that will put them in the posture of take it or come up empty. With Kobe as the centerpiece the Raps will be a solid playoff team for years to come with Toronto's corporate entities in full support and the crowds at Air Canada Centre running at capacity.

Oh, and one more thing fellas.

You're welcome.

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