I'll say it again: Phil Jackson is a big egotistical buddhist. Phil Jackson quote: "he's not willing to let someone elses ideas penetrate his mind." What is with this guy and his future projections of his players. He wants them to think a certain way or act according to some set or pattern of ideas. This has nothing to do with basketball. It's almost as if he is telling Kobe, even though he's to self-absorbed to realize it: "hey, your too dull and stupid, how about really escaping from yourself by reading these here novels and adopting my petty high ideals." Phil Jackson is silly. ------------------
"Kobe's having a hard time with the triangle offense this year. Not last year. Last year he could hardly wait to get to the spot on the floor where Michael Jordan had been. He wanted to be Michael. But it's a different team this year. We don't have a Scottie Pippen for him, the guy who allowed Michael to be Michael. That's the cross Kobe has to bear." [/QUOTE] Huh??? Did I missed something? How is this team really that much different than last year's? You don't have a Snotty Quitten last year either, unless you are talking about Glenn Rice , so how exactly did you win last year? I can't stand the Zzz master! Like you said HOOP-T, I hope that bunch (Shaq, MJ2, zMast) will stay together for a long long time while not making the finals.
This may show how important Glen Rice was to last year's team . . . he was always another option on offense, and was the lightning rod for abuse for the whole team . . . now, it's just Kobe and Shaq, and criticisms go to Kobe. ------------------ What can change the nature of a man?
No, JR is the lightning. ------------------ "It doesn't matter. If it's the Lakers or the Spurs, I'm going to kill them." -- Cuttino "Jack" Mobley on possible playoff opponents.
First of all, I find it offensive that you would refer to him as being buddhist like its a bad thing. Second, there is nothing wrong with Jackson trying to impart these ideas onto Bryant. The ideas of a close community (team) being able to adapt better and of someone making the best of the obstacles placed before them can definitely be related to basketball. He's not trying to say Kobe is stupid, but rather that he needs to understand these concepts in order to be more successful within the team structure. ------------------
IMO Kobe is a loner and isn't liked by his teamates. I saw an interview where he was asked if he goes out with his team at night after the game(on the road). He said, "what for?" It was like team comradery wasn't the least bit important to him What an ass. They don't have any team chemistry. ------------------
That article says he used to sabotage games in high school, which wouldn't surprise me one bit. This kid is a punk, and will destroy what could have been a dynasty. I just don't see how this team can continue playing together after they get bounced in the playoffs. ------------------
I never want to be too serious when talking about events or individuals. But since we cannot be completely serious discussing other peoples lives, lets gossip. The fact is Phil Jackson wants Kobe Bryant to be something other than he is, which may be understandable when dealing with the basketball side of life, but personally assigning players, books, and then publicly criticizing that person for having a lack of intrest in other peoples past images, escapes, ideals, are whatever, is absurd. Jackson Quote: "Someone told me that in highschool, kobe used to sabotage his own games. So the game could be close. So he could dominate at the end. To sabotage the team process, to be so self-centered in your own process...it's stupefying. Obviously, after reading Phils statements above, he is the real self-centered jackass. To publicly bring up somebodys past based on hearsay shows his true character. Oh yeah, he may hide behind his Niezche and Mantras but when he comes out of it he still projectes that which he is -- a conceded b*stard. I'm just ranting like Jackson was on Kobe though. ------------------ [This message has been edited by ROCKETBOOSTER (edited March 22, 2001).]
SteveFrancisRules, lifes too short to be getting offended because the way a belief/opinion is interpreted. Though, this is exactly how wars and conflicts begin. ------------------
Read the following ESPN article. I don't know about you guys, but I think this is one of those mind games Phil is playing. Do you really think Kobe would sabatoge games, or do think Jackson is making this who thing up? That is pretty low for any coach. In my opinion the reason why Kobe is bored is because Phil is a boring coach to play with (it is his way or the highway). Bryant still not buying into triangle offense ESPN.com news services Phil Jackson likes to hand out books to his players for inspiration. Apparently, he's still trying to find the right one for Kobe Bryant. It has been well documented that the Lakers coach and his All-Star guard don't share the same philosophies of offense. Specifically, Bryant is unhappy with his role in Jackon's vaunted triangle offense. Bryant's season-long feud with Shaquille O'Neal about who should be the focus of the Lakers' offense has been the biggest problem Jackson has had to deal with this season. In an interview with Chicago Sun-Times columnist Rick Telander published Wednesday, Jackson discussed Bryant's reluctance to accept the purpose of the triangle offense – which is to distribute the ball among teammates. "The other day I said to Kobe, 'What's the problem?' " Jackson said. "He said, 'The game's too boring for me. The offense is so simple. It doesn't display my talent.' I said, 'I realize that. But we're trying to win games with the least amount of things going wrong, the fewest injuries, the least fatigue.' He said, 'But it doesn't give me what I have to have for my game.' " Jackson had given Bryant a copy of Corelli's Mandolin, a 1994 novel by Louis De Bernieres. The book is the story of a tiny Greek island occupied by the Italian army during World War II. It touches on the adaptiveness of a tight-knit community. "Kobe's a real Mediterranean kid," Jackson was quoted as saying. "I thought the book would be a good look at the culture he's attached to. It's a beautiful book. Tragic. But he didn't like it. Last year I gave him a book by Paul Beatty, White Boy Shuffle, about a black youth who grows up in a white community. But Kobe had no affinity for it. He's not willing to let someone else's ideas penetrate his mind. "The point of the book was that you can't always dictate the terms of what your life is going to be," Jackson said. "Those Greeks are going to be overrun and organized by the Italians. So they learn how to win by losing, in a way. 'We are going to be occupied, now how do we get along?' " The point apparently is lost on Bryant, Jackson said. "Kobe's having a hard time with the triangle offense this year. Not last year. Last year he could hardly wait to get to the spot on the floor where Michael Jordan had been. He wanted to be Michael. But it's a different team this year. We don't have a Scottie Pippen for him, the guy who allowed Michael to be Michael. That's the cross Kobe has to bear." Jackson then added: "Someone told me that in high school, Kobe used to sabotage his own games. So the game could be close. So he could dominate at the end. To sabotage the team process, to be so self-centered in your own process .. it's almost stupefying." Jackson said that recent on-court disturbances with Bryant might not reflect their total relationship, however. "It's not butting heads at all," Jackson said. "We had one interchange on Monday night. He was upset at his teammates. I told him he had no right to be upset with his teammates. He made the pass from up in the air. That wasn't even contentious." ------------------
Unfortunately, this whole LA junk has become tiresome in my book, and I am not so sure a lot of it is not hyped up and inflated. To be honest, Kobe is just not interested in the concept of team, unless that concept propels him to the forefront of the team's success. So, winning is not enough for Kobe. He has to look good, shine, and be proclaimed MJ reincarnated to be happy. YAWN, blah blah blah! I hope Kobe, Phil and Shaq are stuck with each other for the rest of their careers. ------------------ There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."
not to defend Kobe But wasn't this the statement folx put on Shaq when he left orlando? [I'm a big shaq Fan] Rocket River ------------------
