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[ClutchFans] As Howard sacrifices minutes for wins, Bryant cripples Lakers’ future

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by The Cat, Nov 26, 2013.

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  1. Pumpedupkicks

    Pumpedupkicks Member

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    Great article. Someone should post this on one of those LAL fan forums. :grin:
     
    #21 Pumpedupkicks, Nov 26, 2013
  2. Amel

    Amel Contributing Member

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    I don't agree with this article.

    Glamour? Seriously? Kobe is a fukin legend. He deserves every penny the Lakers give him. If I was an NBA owner and had the best player for the last 20 years in the NBA, hell yea I'll give him an additional 2 years top money. The guy has won them plenty of championships, sold out arenas, merchandise. He is an idol for kids all over the world.

    Howard, on the other hand will always be just an Allstar. He is simply not even close to Kobe. I am glad we got him, but as far as getting 30 mil less, he is not worth all that money.

    Howard is doing the right thing by not complaining. There is absolutely no room for him to complain. This is all he's got now and he needs to work hard to prove the haters wrong.
     
    #22 Amel, Nov 26, 2013
  3. Andy Sheets

    Andy Sheets Contributing Member

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    Funny considering all the hype over the summer during Howard's free agency was that "The Lakers and their fans DEMAND championships! They DEMAND greatness! Anything less is UNACCEPTABLE!" Acting like Howard ran away from the pressure of those demands. Now they're supposedly just happy to bask in Kobe's fading limelight? Ha, whatever.
     
    #23 Andy Sheets, Nov 26, 2013
  4. The Cat

    The Cat Contributing Member

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    So you'd compromise the best basketball interests of your franchise going forward to idolize a player over what he's done in the past and because of his off-court impact.

    Gee, I wonder where I got the word glamour from...
     
    #24 The Cat, Nov 26, 2013
    1 person likes this.
  5. CometsWin

    CometsWin Breaker Breaker One Nine

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    Homer article. So this means Olajuwon was selfish for going to Toronto and didn't prioritize winning. Whatever. Players have a limited amount of time to make their fortune, I don't begrudge anyone for trying to get the most money they can get. 99% of people in every career do the same thing. Kobe's 5 titles makes it pretty clear he cares about winning. Hell Jordan made $30 million or something one year, did he not care about winning? He never took a paycut to get better players.
     
    #25 CometsWin, Nov 26, 2013
  6. dkoune

    dkoune Rookie

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    You are who you surround yourself with, Dwight in L.A, was surrounded by selfish, egotistic people (Kobe, Pau), hence portrayed as selfish. Different story in Houston, Dwight is surrounded with a lot of humble and selfless players. It looks like their frequencies are rubbing off on him. :grin:
     
    #26 dkoune, Nov 26, 2013
  7. CDrex

    CDrex Contributing Member

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    Look, it's obvious that Kobe is putting himself over his team. But I think the premise of the article is a big stretch. Howard should be furious at himself for not playing well enough to a) win the game before the fourth b) be indispensable to any comeback effort. Professionalism isn't just rolling over for any situation that the league/coach/fans/injuries throw at you. It's working to be the best basketball player you can be and win the most games possible, regardless of circumstances.

    And a couple games and only-vaguely-in-context quotes isn't enough to go "oh, Dwight is a slacker and soft" and all that. But I don't think it's something to celebrate either. Let's celebrate when Dwight is kicking everyone's ass and we're winning 60 games. Until then, let's figure out how to improve to get to that point.
     
    #27 CDrex, Nov 26, 2013
  8. Amel

    Amel Contributing Member

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    Right, Kobe sucks so bad not to pay him all that money. Sorry, but Kobe is still a top 5 player in the league and probably will be when he comes back.
     
    #28 Amel, Nov 26, 2013
  9. dkoune

    dkoune Rookie

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    Minus Omer of course, his ego has been inflated lately. Maybe Dwight's new found attitude will rub off on him. ohh the irony :p
     
    #29 dkoune, Nov 26, 2013
  10. Icehouse

    Icehouse Contributing Member

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    To Kobe's credit, he still probably feels he is one of the games best players and adding 1 more max guy will be enough to win with.
     
    #30 Icehouse, Nov 26, 2013
  11. LabMouse

    LabMouse Member

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    "In a league where Hall-of-Fame veterans such as Tim Duncan (making $10.3 million/year) and Kevin Garnett ($11.5 million/year) are routinely accepting below-max contracts to help their teams build a championship roster"

    If this is true, Kobe's salary is double than the Tim Duncan's one, got respect Duncan as a true man.
     
    #31 LabMouse, Nov 26, 2013
  12. jbasket

    jbasket Member

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    This is where your argument is flawed. Even if healthy, he wouldn't be a top five player in the league. Then, factor in a torn achilles and age: terrible contract for the Lakers.

    When Jordan got paid, he was still worth what he was getting paid, and they won rings. With this contract here, this nearly eliminates any contention for the Lakers. Icon or not, players get old and franchises have to move on.

    Kobe is a genius for ripping off 48 million from the Lakers. He must have a hell of an agent.
     
    #32 jbasket, Nov 26, 2013
  13. LabMouse

    LabMouse Member

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    Still a top 5 player, probably? will, likely? HaHa.

     
    #33 LabMouse, Nov 26, 2013
  14. YOLO

    YOLO Member

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    yeah he probably feels that way but definitely far from true
     
    #34 YOLO, Nov 26, 2013
  15. The Cat

    The Cat Contributing Member

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    Uh, Jordan won 6 championships in his last 6 full seasons. It's pretty obvious they didn't need to add better players; they simply needed to retain the core they had, which Bird rights allowed them to do. The Lakers squeaked into the playoffs last season and will almost certainly miss out this year, and very clearly need lots of outside help to contend. That's a complete apples-and-oranges comparison to MJ with the Bulls. (By the way, MJ at the end of his career, with the Wizards, played for a paltry $1 million/year.)

    The argument about 99% of people doing the same thing? Funny how there seem to be lots of exceptions with the veteran NBA elite. Duncan is making $10 million/year. Garnett is making $11 million/year. Dirk has already said he's going to take a pretty major paycut next summer (after his $22 mil/year deal expires). These are Kobe's contemporaries, guys that entered the league around the same time he did. All have won rings. All are in the twilight of their careers. Two, and seemingly three, are willing to make financial sacrifices for their franchises. One is not.

    Does Kobe care about winning? On the floor, of course -- he's a great player and one of the best competitors of all-time. But that competitive streak also extends to the business side for him, and in this case, that's hurting the Lakers' long-term interests.
     
    #35 The Cat, Nov 26, 2013
  16. YOLO

    YOLO Member

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    at this point kobe is definitely not that high of a player
     
    #36 YOLO, Nov 26, 2013
  17. The Cat

    The Cat Contributing Member

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    Even if he's a top 5 player, which I don't think he was last year and definitely don't think he will be when he returns, why is it unreasonable for him to take a salary on par with the other top 5 players? You know, like LeBron, Durant, Chris Paul, etc.? Why should Kobe compromise over 40% of one team's salary cap by himself -- especially when that team very clearly needs loads of outside help?

    The answer, besides the obvious "because he technically can", is rooted in many of the very things you said -- loyalty, history, off-court impact, status, etc. Not what's best for the basketball franchise.
     
    #37 The Cat, Nov 26, 2013
  18. SamFisher

    SamFisher Contributing Member

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    Hahaha - Hi Amel!


    Do they have tv's in your country or did Liam Neeson destroy them all in one of the Taken movies? ,


    Kobe was a great player, but he hasn't had an indisputable claim to top 5 really for about 3-4 years.

    He'll be lucky to be top 50 after his rehab due to his age.

    Hopefuly the VHS tapes will come to you one day on donkeyback and you will see this.
     
    #38 SamFisher, Nov 26, 2013
    1 person likes this.
  19. Spacemoth

    Spacemoth Contributing Member

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    All I read from this is that the Lakers have decided to live in the past, and Dwight realized this so he got out as fast as he could, to the team with the best chance for the future.
     
    #39 Spacemoth, Nov 26, 2013
  20. The Cat

    The Cat Contributing Member

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    The quotes aren't vaguely in context. It's the exact subject. Read the Chronicle article, which I linked. Dwight is specifically speaking to the scenario of needing to trust his teammates (not "cruise through", himself) on a night when he may be tired or not playing well.

    I get your point, and it's well taken. But why can't both of our arguments be true? I'm guessing Dwight is very angry at himself for not playing better. However, from a leadership standpoint, it's great that he has the maturity to publicly support his team in the best way that he can. That's in great contrast to his situation in LA, when he allegedly passed copies of the box score around the locker room to complain about a lack of shot attempts (while playing hurt).

    Dwight does need to work to improve and become the best player he can be, and I don't think anything I said implies that he isn't. But in terms of team leadership, it's a great sign that Dwight has the mental awareness to take that step back, in the moment, and put the team over himself. Many stars wouldn't.
     
    #40 The Cat, Nov 26, 2013
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