As the resident Laker fan on this board, I feel like I have to chime in with my thoughts. First of all, I am shocked. Of course, he has not been convicted of anything, but the fact that there was enough evidence to charge him is disturbing. Even though many athletes cheat on their wives, Kobe was one of those guys who you just assumed was above all that. He got married at 22, and I figured that if he still wanted to go around and chase girls, he would have stayed single longer. Whether or not he did it, I believe that he will be on the court this year. Who knows how long it will take for this to go to trial. He may plea bargain (although at this point his lawyers are saying that he'll plead not guilty), or he may fight the charges and get acquitted. Either way, I doubt that he'll spend a minute behind bars. He's got a ton of money, and he can hire the best lawyers possible. Guilty or not, his image is tarnished for life.

As for the Lakers, I think that this incident will either cause Kobe to fall apart psychologically, or have him gain an even greater focus than he's had before. Either way, it'll be a different Kobe out there. But this shouldn't change the team's status as the favorites.

As for the victim, I hope that she's making this all up. But if she truly was assaulted, I hope that there are no lasting effects and Kobe should get punished. But if she's making this all up, she's f*cked up, because she ruined a lot of people's lives just for a stunt.