Since the NBA lockout came into effect on July 1st, the speculation over where Los Angeles Lakers’ guard Kobe Bryant would possibly go has raised a few eyebrows.

So far, the three countries mentioned have been China, Turkey and Italy – with the latter making the most noise. And now, rumours are spreading that Bryant might sign a one-game deal for Virtus Bologna for a staggering $2million.

This comes from the club’s colourful owner Claudio Sabatini, who has been making just as much press coverage of his own regarding the plan to lure Kobe to Italy.

Sabatini confirmed to the Italian press that he has secured a network deal and unspecified sponsorships to pay for Bryant’s game fee and has even gone as far as dubbing Bryant’s debut with Bologna as “Kobe night”. Which might sound glamourous but could also destroy the reputation of Italian basketball.

The main factor from Sabatini’s claims is that Bryant has not actually accepted the deal yet, and no official comments have come out of the Kobe Bryant camp.

The NBA lockout has caused some players to turn to Europe for games. Deron Williams plays for Turkish side Besiktas, Sasha Vujacic and Ersan Ilyasova both make their names playing for Anadolu Efes and just recently San Antonio Spurs’ Tony Parker inked a deal to play for French club Asvel, a club he runs.

While Sabatini can financially handle something of this magnitude, the way he has gone about his business and how he has approached this story won’t of gone down too well with fellow NBA fans, and it seems that the Italian Basketball Federation (FIP) doesn’t seem to keen either, even though they haven’t said anything more on the matter. Already rejecting Bologna’s plea to alter their domestic season so that they can fit Bryant in on a 10-game, 40-day contract.

“We are delighted that they have not yet reached an agreement,” Sabatini told reporters once NBA chief David Stern confirmed that the first two weeks of the NBA season would be canceled. “Stern’s dissatisfaction was the source of great joy for us.”

The tone of Sabatini’s voice was similar to a child on the morning of Christmas Day.

That comment also might well of sealed the deal. Bryant is a proud NBA Player, a champion, an all-star and an MVP – and while he would be going back to his roots, and accepting a deal that realistically pays more than a one-game salary in Los Angeles, Bryant is a basketball player first and signing for Virtus would guarantee that he would become a one-night attraction where basketball comes second to promotion and the fact that the Italian side would really be a bunch of groupies more than team-mates.

Who cares if Virtus Bologna ended up even losing the game, they got Kobe Bryant for a night.

While I think Sabatini is a great owner who has good plans for the Italian side, he went a little too far on this saga and made it more about him then Kobe.

For more on this story and more, follow John Hobbs on Twitter @johnswisshobbs