"Peek behind the banners," says one longtime NBA agent, "and it's rotten."
"Kobe is like the big rock in their front yard," says an agent who has had a Lakers client in recent years. "You can't mow over it, so you just have to mow around it."
Another agent with current Lakers clients was asked whether Bryant undermined the team's rebuilding by alienating would-be free agent recruits. "Well, duh," he replied. "Isn't that obvious?"
"I've had a lot of clients in the last five years, good players, who didn't want to play with Kobe," says an agent who has had numerous NBA stars. "They see that his teammates become the chronic public whipping boys. Anyone who could possibly challenge Kobe for the spotlight ends up becoming a pincushion for the media. Even Shaq."
"I just never felt like the Lakers put as much effort into the building-the-team part of it," says an agent who once had a free agent decline a Lakers offer. "I saw some things in the players' parking lot. Conversations between Bynum and his people and some people with the Lakers. It got pretty rough and heated."
"It's horrendous. It's evil. It's a hard drug to quit when you're winning," says a front office executive from a rival team who knows everyone involved well. "Kobe has cost the Lakers dearly in human capital. Kobe has hurt a lot of people. In some cases jeopardized careers."
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Ray Ray bailed that out.... And we move on
But just because they won pls don't real off all these stats and tell me it was a one man show Herculean effort
That is my issue
You havent seen just as ridiculous arguments in this thread to knock Kobe or MJ in an attempt to maybe just maybe put Lebron on more of a pedestal than he needs to be on? Kobe was a role player on some of the Laker titles now? WTF? The Jordan-less Bulls almost won the East? They didnt. The Knicks did. The end.
It goes both ways.
Why do you put weak in quotes? The conference sucks. The non-James Heat will seed this season easily, prob 4-6.
I'm hoping like hell as we all should that Rose stays healthy, because otherwise we will continue to be robbed of some great basketball with an all-time great player. The EC playoffs last season were utterly soporific, while the West was a high flying thrill. Probably the 8th and certainly the 7th seed in the West could have beaten any team in the East save Miami.
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The arguments people create to knock LBJ down have just become so utterly ridiculous at this point that nothing short of shooting like 85% from the field, dropping a triple double and hitting the game winning shot in every game is good enough.
You havent seen just as ridiculous arguments in this thread to knock Kobe or MJ in an attempt to maybe just maybe put Lebron on more of a pedestal than he needs to be on? Kobe was a role player on some of the Laker titles now? WTF? The Jordan-less Bulls almost won the East? They didnt. The Knicks did. The end.
It goes both ways.
I didn't see anything that said Kobe was simply a role player on his championship teams.. but when Shaq was there, Shaq was the lead dog there without question. Kobe wasn't. That's 100% true.
neither scored a point in game 7. Lebron absolutrly carried that team throughout that playoff run without a ton of help. Of course nothing like jordan, who scored every point, grabbed every board, guarded all 5 players on the floor, filmed a nike commercial and called it a day. I remember back in 92 when he beat portland at the buzzer by shooting a basketball directly out of his ass. He did it because jerome kersey dared him to, and mj was too much of a competitor to pass it up. Not a guy like lebron who is scared of a challenge and clearly wouldnt shoot it out of his ass
the lengths a lot of jordan fans go to to nitpick lebron are comical. It also is the era. Pre internet age, jordan could go struggle most of the series vs seattle getting locked down by gary payton who played with a torn calf. But the bulls win the series, everyone takes a deep breath and talks about how awesome mj was. Same way when he struggled mightily vs the knicks in 93 and the atlantic city stuff. Or in other instances. People didnt take a fine tooth comb to his successess.
and the 94 bulls lost a nailbiter 7 game series to the conference champion knicks in large part to a universally accepted atrocious call by hue hollins gifting hubert davis fts in game 5. They won 55 games desite being hit by injury including not having mj, and had they beaten the knicks theyd have been clear favorites vs indiana
its absurd to quibble with the notipn that the 94 bulls almost won the east. They were capable of winning a title that year too if a possession or two goes differently. They were every bit as good as the knicks and houston, but only one team could win
From a basketball perspective, kobe does not deserve to be compared to either of them. Its really not close
Duncan and Dirk are out there placing team over self, and Kobe's out there getting every single penny. I can't blame a guy too hard for getting as much money as possible, but come on. Kobe's made nearly $300 MILLION from NBA contracts alone, who knows how much more he's made in sponsors.
Just a selfish act by Kobe. If Dirk and Duncan can do it, so can he.
I dont have a problem with him getting his money. I think its admirable when guys take less. Im not sure what id do in that spot, i guess it depends on the situation. But i cant kill him for it, thats his personal business. Maybe if the team was in a better spot he might entertain taking less. Maybe not. Maybe hes realistic about them not contending these next couple years and figures just get paid and pad those stats on the way out. Thats how i think he sees it.