Basically what I said was David Stern Vetoed the trade because he thought he could find a better package to help him sell the team.Can you name another one in NBA history? I can't seem to find any.
Sadly I was mistaken on the issue, from what I can see there wasn't a trade vetoed like New Orleans/LA deal
Lakers made the playoffs that year. Howard just couldn't handle that he isn't a first fiddle guy anymore. Also to say Kobe Bryant, who is a 9x All defensive 1st team and 3 x All defensive 2nd, plays no defense is insane. This year he hasn't but even still at times he can lock a person down.
Howard seems to be content playing second fiddle to James Harden when the Rockets can succeed in not getting shut out of the first round. And reciting Kobe's trophy case doesn't excuse the garbage defense he's been displaying for the past four years. Namely 2012 when he was giving up transitions like his name was Caitlyn Jenner.
MJ had a massive ego, yes. But at the end of the day Phil Jackson reeled in the ego, and got Jordan to cooperate with Scottie Pippen to win five rings.
You know Kobe and MJ basically are the same person off the court as well.
Sure, I won't argue that Jordan is a turd burglar. But that doesn't change the fact that despite Jordan's ego it was reeled in enough to play with superstars like Pippen to win more rings than Kobe. But that's beside the point, namely because unlike Kobe, Jordan didn't stick around Chicago past his prime to sabotage it with his egotism.
MJ said at training to Luc Longley that he will never pass him the ball in a game because he dropped it. MJ wasn't a saint but was lucky enough for Pippen to stay around.
We've already established that Jordan was a massive asshole. But he was an asshole at the peak of his career and players would bend over backwards to play on a championship team. Kobe doesn't have that luxury anymore, I would argue he never had the luxury to begin with. Find me a superstar on level with Howard, Aldridge, or Carmelo Anthony that will play on a team with a guy who hogs the ball while at the same time sacrificing a huge contract and I'll show you a liar.
It hasn't been proven that Lakers couldn't sign anyone because when have we ever pitched to anyone other than Dwight.
Carmelo Anthony was interested but LA didn't have the money to pay him like New York did. Namely because LA was paying an arm and a leg for Kobe who was at the hospital stitching on a new arm and a new leg.
Could you count Lebron? Ofcourse he was going home.
Of course you could count LeBron. LA was one of the top contenders for James after he first left Cleveland. It was going to boil down to Miami, Chicago, and the Lakers.
Aldridge would of been foolish to come here if he wanted to contend straight away.
It is hard to contend for a championship when you have old Kobe Bryant on your team eating your salary cap. You're definitely right about that.
Ron Artest is basically Kobes bitch when he talks to the media. Kobe obviously can't be that hard to handle.
What do you mean exactly? Ron Artest was a serviceable player but he wasn't going to make you a contender like Shaq, LeBron, CP3, Gasol, Aldridge, or Love can.
I'm just gonna believe what I have read and heard from Kobe and Lakers management.
Are we so quick to forget that Kobe Bryant has stated verbally he isn't the type of player to take a paycut?
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-b...ant-does-not-want-pay-cut-help-125531553.html
Yeah, I have no doubt Kobe bent the Lakers over a barrel.
I really don't know what you want me to do. Lakers had 0 chance of being good this year, 0. So should I have just thrown away the season and not watched it? Or should I try and find some positives? Which I did in seeing the last ever season of Kobe Bryant and seeing our young players develop. It's definitely been more enjoyable than the last 2 years and having Jeremy Lin run your offense.
Well it would start if you weren't part of the problem that is the Laker's fanbase yucking up anything Kobe related. It's undeniable at this point that resigning Kobe was huge mistake, and just because this year is his final year it's appalling to root for a guy that's throwing away an entire season of basketball.
But this is behavior you, and countless other Laker fans are okay with because it's Kobe Bryant. At this point I'm sure I can start selling my turd to Laker fans if it had Kobe's name stamped into it.
If Byron Scott wasn't one of Kobes good friends I don't think it would happen as much. However still, I don't agree with him taking 20 shots a game or 6+ three pointers. Doesn't mean when they go in I'm going to hate him also.
At the very least would you want your team to have the best chance of winning, even if it meant benching Kobe Bryant? At this point Swaggy P is a much better option for LA than Kobe and that's just a miserable thing to say for both the Lakers and Kobe.
We actually had Mike Brown that year not Byron Scott.
My mistake, I meant to say Brown, not Scott.
Byron Scott and Kobe Bryant actually have a very good relationship.
Namely because Scott allows Kobe to run the team. Thus why the Lakers have been so awful under Scott.
Bosh missed 8, Lebron missed 4 and Wade missed 19. So basically 1 person who was on the shelf for a quarter of the season. Playing in the East as well completely different to the West. Don't think Heat would of done it in the West in a lockout shortened season but that is for another day. Not to take away missing Dwayne Wade hurt but Lebron and Bosh was still considered the best in the East.
Unlike the Lakers who finished fourth and after a shutout suffered a meltdown leading us to the mess we have now.
Oh so it's his contract that didn't hurt the team.
I didn't say that at all. One can easily infer that Kobe's ego was one of the leading causes to his bloated contract. Again, argue against my position.
Okay I don't know how someone who is 3rd on the all time scoring list, considered the best Laker of all time by numerous greats and even Magic himself, has 5 rings and scores 81 in a game overrated.
I never said Kobe is bad, I actually think he was a fantastic player. But I wouldn't ever hold him in the same regard as Magic. Magic did more for the Lakers by not actively harming them as much as Kobe has these past years. Following this season, the Lakers are going to be stuck in rebuilding mode for the next 2-3 years.
I would like to think he has a bit of swagger out on the court when he has got some nobody guarding him.
Swagger is fantastic, but I rather have a player who
doesn't shoot 30% on the court.
Funny how Kobe can some how take 60-80 shots a game. Some games he takes way more shots than he should but there is still almost 60 shots going around the team. The turnaround would probably be his highest percentage shot this year as well.
Yes, Kobe takes a ton of shots. He also has a shit shooting percentage this year, and the Lakers are fighting to be the second worst team in the NBA this season. The Lakers would be much better off this season with Kobe riding the bench.
Kobe the younger superstar vs Shaq the older on the decline superstar. I know who I would keep.
Not saying it was a dumb move keeping Kobe over Shaq.
I don't ever remembering arguing it was a good business decision.
You argued that Kobe Bryant and management thought Kobe Bryant could play like a superstar for superstar money. Well in spite of evidence to the reality of Kobe's situation which was a declining guard coming off a major injury.
Yep. Though he is still one of the greats of the game. His contract does not affect his legacy in the slightest is the point I'm arguing.
The contract isn't directly hurting Kobe's legacy, it's the fact his contract is strangling the Lakers from signing new talent while on the court Kobe is throwing away games with a coach nodding away like he's a massive bobble head at Kobe's whim. The Lakers were hurting with Kobe on the team the past few years, and it's going to hurt them going forward without him because the Lakers lost out on key talent that could keep them as contenders.
If you are going to say "I never said that", then I have no idea why you keep bringing up his contract.
I only remind you that you're misrepresent my position when you misrepresent my position. Much like how you continue misrepresenting it so far in this post.
Of course we were. Not one Laker fan liked it.
If that were true, then you would have been fan with Kobe walking away to play like shit for another team.
However like I said before it doesn't take away from his legacy. If that contract is a reason why I shouldn't be supporting Kobe Bryant then I must have everything all wrong.
Again, what a massive misrepresentation. Kobe in his pride, coerced LA for 25 million dollars a year. Which as a result, made LA unable to haggle for more talented players that would be worth that money. Now LA has no choice
but to build a team around the ghost of Kobe Bryant. Once Kobe finally allows the Lakers to move on, they're most likely going to continue to suck for several years until they either sign a superstar, or end up drafting another superstar. (Which is likely considering they'll end up playing for the lottery this season and the next few seasons.)
. Oh wow, so hilarious. Mocking someones hard work to make a comeback to something that he loves and he has done his whole life.
There is nothing I can say about Kobe's career that can be as damaging to it that Kobe isn't already doing to it this season, and the past few years combined.
Dude Kareem averaged 22 minutes, 10 points and 4 rebounds a game. To say he took them to the playoffs is one of the dumbest things I have heard in my life.
Kareem played his role, and understood the team couldn't be built around him. Something Kobe has failed to understand and because of his hubris, Kobe took a deuce all over the Lakers franchise for the next few years.
Look I really don't want to argue anymore. I didn't even want to reply to his but I just couldn't control myself. If you want to believe he sucks then go ahead I don't care.
Again, I never said he sucks. But rather he's simply overrated and the only people who fail to understand this are his fans, and Kobe Bryant. If that were not the case, the Franchise wouldn't be sinking like it currently is. If you fail to understand the Lakers shortcomings can be pointed towards Kobe than you suffer from Stockholm Syndrome. No more, no less.
I'll agree with pretty much everyone else on this Earth that he is one of the greatest to play the game and I will enjoy the final year of Kobes career.
Enjoy Kobe sending your team backwards for the next 3-5 years then.
