Thanks Micchy, greatly appreciate it. Now, time for me to break this down Naismith style:
By Chad Ford
Notorious Laker Hater, but does come with some outstanding material every now and then.
What were the Lakers thinking this summer when they let Kobe Bryant dictate whom
the team acquired in the offseason?
They were thinking what any other GM thinks, let me see what my franchise player thinks about acquisitions. It happens on virtually every team in sports doesn't it? So why is it so different when it comes to Osama?
Everyone knows they were desperate to re-sign Bryant, but once you give up that
type of power to a player, he isn't giving it back.
What power? He's proven that he's worthy of the franchise player tag on numerous occasions throughout his career, so what ever "power" he wields is predicated on that title.
Since making his free agent power play this summer, Kobe already has helped
exile Shaquille O'Neal, Gary Payton and Derek Fisher. Kareem Rush was given away
last week for two second-round picks.
Really Chad? Shaq demanded a trade, Derek left for more money (and rightfully so) and Rush had about as much worth in L.A. as a three dollar bill. Gary got shafted by the organization, no doubt about it. But now it was Kobe who ordered this? According to whom? All I've ever heard Gary complain about is Mitch, never Kobe. And have you EVER known The Glove to hold his tongue about anything or anybody?
Tuesday, Bryant nailed the door shut on a Karl Malone return to the Lakers.
In a radio interview, Bryant said he didn't think Malone was coming back, then
criticized the Mailman for leaving the team up in the air.
Oh boy, you've just gotta love BSPN. With the newfound information about that whole ordeal it makes this sound even more ridiculous.
"It's not really fair to hold it over the guys' heads that are here," Bryant
said. "The guys that we have here are working hard, practicing hard every day.
It's kind of tough for them to be looking over their shoulder, wondering if he's
going to come back and then everybody is going to disappear.
"It's really not fair for us to sit around and speculate how long this is going
to go on. I mean, you can't sit up here and speculate for the remainder of the
season whether or not he is going to come back. I mean, that's not fair to the
guys that are working here."
Oh, the hypocrisy. Wasn't it Bryant who held his impending free agency over the
heads of the entire organization last year? Wasn't everyone looking over their
shoulders wondering if Bryant was going to bolt to the Clippers?
No arguments here Chad very hypocritical on the part of the Kobester, and I didn't even put it in that perspective. Kobe conducted himself like a supreme JACKASS with that whole impending free agency and the Clipper nonsense. During the season I literally wanted to strangle him as he would one day muse about being in [insert team here]'s uniform and in the next breath say he wanted to be a Laker for life.
So the same thing he accused Malone of doing he did himself and about a million times worse! Excellent point.
Maybe Malone
isn't the player the Lakers need right now, but Bryant shouldn't be the one
making that decision or delivering the message.
Again, new things have came to light about that situation since the article was written. But yes, Kobe just should have shut the hell up when asked about that on the radio station. The way common sense eludes this kid sometimes frustrates the shit out of me.
But that's not the worst of it.
What left Bryant's mouth after that speaks volumes about whose team this really is.
"They are here giving me 110 percent," Bryant said of his teammates.
Really? The Lakers are playing for Kobe now?
Again, excellent point. Giving YOU? What the fuck do you mean Kobe?!? I'm convinced that his arrogance doesn't have shit to do with maturity like I thought previously. He's a pompous asshole, plain and simple.
That wasn't a slip of the tongue. Two player agents who represent players on the
Lakers and one league source told Insider that Bryant was ruling the Lakers with
an iron fist, getting in players' faces and acting as if he owned the team.
According to one agent, Bryant even threatened to trade his client if he didn't
do things The Kobe Way.
Ruling the Lakers with an iron fist? Well good for him Chad! Personality issues aside, he works hard, gives his all every night and expects the same from the guys who are out there with him. If they can't handle it then they SHOULD be shipped out on the next thing smoking!
"The Kobe Way?" The Kobe Way to me means contacting everyone a month before training camp opens and conducting their own practices and workouts. Shit, I LIKE The Kobe Way! I just wish he didn't have to be such a prick about it.....
"I get the feeling that everyone there is pretty miserable," one agent told
Insider. "I know [my client] wants out, and he claims others do too. It's hard
enough to have a coach on you all the time, but then when a player is doing it,
too, it's just too much."
Really? I'm no member of The Los Angeles Lakers but I watch every game and all I see is comraderie abound. Guys sharing the ball, (thank GOD Kobe has at least grown in that respect this season) high fiving each other, rooting from the bench, jumping to each other's defense when adversity with the opposition arises, etc. etc. In one word? That ditty from Chad was
bullshit.The Lakers need to be careful. Word is spreading quickly around the league that
while Bryant is an awesome player, he's a terrible teammate. When the Lakers
finally have some cap room to go out and lure free agents, what top-tier player
is going to want to play there?
Once again, more bullshit from Chad Ford of BSPN. I keep hearing this nonsense about no one wanting to play with Kobe YET,
Jason Kidd has said on numerous occasions that L.A. would be a desirable destination for him. (along with Minny, San Antonio and Denver) Mind you, he's tight with Gary right? So you know they've talked, and he STILL wants to be Kobe's teammate. What does that tell you?
The Lakers responded to the whole Malone mess by stating that Bryant wasn't
"speaking on behalf of the Lakers management or organization."
Bryant has a $136 million contract that says otherwise.
Yet and still even more spin by BSPN, what else was the organization to say when the comments caused so much furor? Comments that now are really the sidedish of a much bigger issue. Kobe is FAR from perfect guys and I'll acknowledge that in a heartbeat.
I wish he knew how to relate to people better, be more likeable like Magic was. I wish he wasn't his own biggest fan and could be more humble. I wish he could just shut the hell up and stop feeding the fire with his arrogant and moronic statements. He's not perfect I know this, but the media goes totally overboard with their assessment of him and BSPN is the worst offender.
OSAMA BEAN BRYANT
