Say what?

A breezy, sunny Sunday morning and I'm up without an alarm at 7 a.m., thinking about the Lakers, the Warriors and why one of these organizations needs a pack leader.

Clearly a sign that I'm aging. I keep getting up earlier and earlier even though I have the body clock of a night owl. Always been that way since I can remember. I won't go into the possible reasons of deep-rooted psychology, family structure and dysfunction.

I'll just say that it is good. I'm not sick anymore (just some minor phlegm with no color) and I actually feel almost normal for the first time in almost six weeks. Clothes are in the wash and I am in the mood to start watching all of my DVRed UH football games from last season.

Yeah baby. There's a reason why I recorded all those games and nearly filled up my storage space in the DVR. Do you know how many other TV shows I sacrificed in the name of saving my precious UH games? Of course, if I could figure out how to record the games onto blank DVDs, that would help, but I'm counting on my 11-year-old nephew/tech whiz to handle that for me.

Jeannie Buss was on Dog Whisperer earlier in the year and the National Geographic channel has been rerunning the episode in recent days. Her office has seven NBA title trophies lined up by a wall. Sweet. I'm still a Lakers fan, but ... they have NOT been the same in shape, form or function since Mr. NBA Logo, Jerry West, left the organization.

West never talked much about why he and Dr. Buss parted ways. I think he saw the writing on the wall when Buss began catering to Kobe Bryant. Like Cesar Millan always says, there has to be a pack leader in every household, and most certainly the dogs cannot be allowed to lead the people who are supposed to be pack leaders. When Buss began treating Kobe like his spoiled brat son, things got out of line, leadership was flipped under the bus (pun intended), and Hall of Fame legend West got out.

That's my theory and I'm sticking to it.

And what has Dr. Buss' loyalty and submission to Kobe's demands and troubles led to? Kobe now is bringing down a sledgehammer on the very people who stuck by him through his worst times. He wants out of LA. This is a guy who wanted Shaq out, three league titles be damned. This is a guy who demands top dollar — I'll agree he's one of the best in the NBA — and still whines that his supporting cast isn't good enough. I'll agree on the latter, as well. LA should've pulled the trigger on the Jason Kidd deal, even if it would've hurt me as a fan to see some key Lakers sent to the Jersey swampland.

But Kobe isn't loyal. He's proven it in different ways and though he's much more mature now than he was a few years ago, I'm not surprised at all that he's demanding a trade. Buss did it. He tossed out the leash a long time ago, and now, whenever Kobe barks, bites and threatens to be a nuisance to the Laker household, Buss has no power to curtail it.

Maybe this has more to do with pampered mega-rich pro athletes. After all, tons of rumors flew during Shaq's royal stint with LA that he was less than inspired, even lazy. Another Buss byproduct? Perhaps. But it just seems like the richer the players get, the less they work.

As for team-oriented basketball, it's an issue for me. It's a big reason why I prefer watching high school and college sports. You know the deal. The best teams of the 1970s and 1980s knew how to pass the ball, had a team-first mentality. Now, players are more worried about their stats and $125-million contracts. They can't afford to play with minor injuries as a result. It's a free market without real consequences for selfish individuals.

That's why fantasy basketball feeds directly into this whirlpool of selfishness. Practice? Practice?! Allen Iverson was shocked when asked about the importance of practice. Is anyone really surprised that he didn't make a significant improvement to the Denver Nuggets? Does a player who shoots 8-for-25 on a regular basis really help any team? Iverson is a helluva player, great work ethic during a game, and I mean on both sides of the floor. But his shooting is so atrocious that it causes a problem for any team seeking a title. Same deal for Dominique Wilkins, who literally shot his Atlanta Hawks out of games often times. Great players for fantasy fans, horrible for the title trek.

Anyway, I digress. On to UH football on my DVR. Mmm, UH, where money is no big worry. At least until the turnstiles start rusting and there is no way for the budget to finish in the black. It won't be Colt Brennan's fault, no way. It won't be the players' fault at all.

Dr. Dobelle, I presume.