Closely followed by The Coif, Pat Riley But back to Jackson. The whole Kobe-Shaq-triangle offense situation in LA is laughable. And Jackson's solution? Falsely accuse Kobe of "sabotage". And this guy's hailed far and wide as a genius! Pathetic. Phil Jackson couldn't coach his way out of a paper sack. His vaunted triangle offense is actually a product of basketball genius (and former Rockets head man) Tex Winter, he's failing miserably at his supposed strong suit (getting egos to mesh) and although he freely admits that the Lakers lack the "Scottie Pippen" -type player so integral to the triangle, he makes absolutely no adjustments forcing Kobe to play in a system that least utilizes his talents and then has the ****ing gall to blame Kobe for the Lakers failures and accuse him of sabotage!! Are you kiddin' me?! This idiots answwer to everything is, "Here, read this book." Hey, Phil, why don't you try actually COACHING? What a jackass. ------------------
I side with Phil on this one. I think Kobe is an attention starved ass. Look back at his draft antics...... ------------------ "norm, would you like to buy an indian scalp ? This deal isn't gonna make or break me Norm, so don't jerk me around." Harry Carey "Norm, if I had a mohawk scalp, I wouldn't be sitting here talking to you."
While I hate Phil Jackson as much as the next guy, I see no reason to doubt his accusation that Bryant sabotaged his high-school games. ------------------ RealGM Gafford Art Artisan Cakes
Good observation, Colt45. Like the old saying goes, "When the going gets tough..." Think about it. 3 years ago the Rocks had Bark, Dream, Pip, and the youngsters, had chemistry problems, and were going nowhere fast. Now, they have a good young nucleus led by Steve & Cat, play a completely different brand of ball, great team chemistry, and a very bright future. Do you think Phil could take on this task as successfully as Rudy & Co. have? ------------------
As much as Kobe Bryant annoys me I SERIOUSLY doubt he sabotaged his high school games. That is questioning not only a players competitive drive, but a man's character! Why would he sabotage his high school games? That is just a stupid, irresponsible remark by Phil Jackson. The guy is looking worse and worse everyday. ------------------ Meow!
Why would he sabotage his games? So he could light it up, make spectacular plays in the end, and make himself look like a hero. Kobe has a huge ego and he would rather look good while the team plays poorly, than win championships and not have as good as numbers. ------------------ When you go into court you are putting your fate into the hands of twelve people who weren't smart enough to get out of jury duty.
Competitive drive: I don't think it does question it. He'd still be aiming to win the game, plus he wants to do it in dramatic fashion. It's self-centered but still competitive. Phil didn't say he didn't try, only that he didn't try until the end. Character: Yes, I'm questioning his character. He hasn't exactly done anything to put his character beyond reproach. Plus, it's something he did as a teenager, a time a person's character is especially suspect. Especially now with Jackson's semi-retraction of the word sabotage, I think this is what he meant: that Kobe would lay off until the end of the game and then turn it on. It's not like we don't see that in the NBA either ("the 4th quarter belongs to me and Steve"). Sabotage is perhaps too harsh a word, but it probably fit what he was trying to do with his comments best. Which brings us to the final point, the remark is stupid and irresponsible: I'd have to agree. I don't know what kind of motivation Kobe's supposed to get from this. It sounds to me that it would damage the team chemistry more. But again, stupid and irresponsible doesn't make a thing untrue. ------------------ RealGM Gafford Art Artisan Cakes
Kobe Bryant was most likely the tallest, quickest, and most athletic player in his district in high school. He was good enough to sabotage games and win it. He wasn't playing in NYC, he was playing in a suburb in Pennsylvania. I doubt he would let his team lose, but I could see him doing some sabotaging. ------------------ "norm, would you like to buy an indian scalp ? This deal isn't gonna make or break me Norm, so don't jerk me around." Harry Carey "Norm, if I had a mohawk scalp, I wouldn't be sitting here talking to you."
I thought the biggest fraud in the NBA was Cato. Woops, sorry, wrong forum. ------------------ There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."
From what I’ve read in the LA Times, I think the Laker situation is exposing Jackson as just another guy that rode Jordan's coat tails. Kobe's high school coach has already spoken publicly about Jackson's accusations about Kobe sabotaging games. The high school coach says that while Kobe is stubborn and tough to coach, he did not in any way sabotage high school games. Moreover, the coach didn’t appreciate someone questioning the integrity of his old team with Kobe. Gregg Downer, Bryant's coach at Lower Merion High in Ardmore, Pa., said Monday he was irritated by Jackson's reckless characterization of Bryant and the program. "It's ridiculous," Downer said. "I'm getting tired of the microscopic existence Kobe is leading out there. To attack the integrity of myself and the integrity of my basketball program is not right. I'd like to know who his source is. It shows a lack of professionalism. "I don't appreciate it personally. I can tell you, honestly, it's 100% off base. If Phil wants to say something like that, he better recheck his sources." http://www.latimes.com/sports/nba/lakers/20010327/t000026386.html From the LA Times: …Wednesday night Jackson opted to soften the cheap-shot comments he made last week about Kobe Bryant in the Chicago Sun-Times. "If I could take the word back--'sabotage'--I would . . . " Jackson said. The Laker coach had been quoted as saying, "Someone told me that in high school, Kobe used to sabotage his own games . . . to sabotage the team process, to be so self-centered in your own process . . . it's almost stupefying." Recently, however, Jackson has been telling reporters those remarks were made off the record. I know I feel a lot better knowing he was only talking behind Kobe's back, never intending that Bryant hearing it. http://www.latimes.com/sports/columnists/simers/20010329/t000027102.html Kobe’s public reaction to Jackson stabbing him in the back: http://www.latimes.com/sports/nba/lakers/20010328/t000026681.html Interesting quote regarding Laker lack of defense: http://www.latimes.com/sports/nba/lakers/20010326/t000026227.html I think Jackson is a sleaze-ball who slithers his way into great situations. He tried to take Van Gundy’s job while Van Gundy was in it. He turned down the Nets power-job because coaching such an immature team would expose his coaching shortcomings. So he took the LA gig and took credit for all the hard work Del Harris and Kurt Rambis put into Kobe and Shaq, to help those two guys be better players. Moreover, Phil immediately started sleeping with Jerry Buss’ daughter to solidify his position in the organization (and maybe even to push West out). Phil’s brilliant, tough love coaching tactic has back-fired and now the Lakers may have to send Kobe on his way. It seems like Phil is doing his best to win a public relations battle against Kobe so that when the Lakers don’t win the title again and if LA has to trade the kid, everyone will blame Kobe for this mess. All the kid did was work his ass off all off-season, improving his jumper, defense and handles in the manner Jackson prescribed. All the while Shaq moved nearly 30 pounds over his ideal playing weight and didn’t come into camp in shape. But none of this is Shaq’s fault. I’m not saying this is Kobe or Shaq’s fault. (It’s both.) I think Phil deserves much of the blame because he put tons of fuel on the fire by further turning Kobe’s teammates against him. ------------------
Would you as least agree that Kobe is extremely selfish with the basketball? Kobe would rather be by himself then be with his teamates. At least shaq will hit the open man when he is double teamed. Kobe is bad for team chemistry IMO. ------------------
Hell yeah, Kobe is a selfish punk. So is O'Neal, who refuses to pass to anyone who is outshining him (Kobe, Penny). Ego-wise they represent the worst things about the NBA. They both want to be the man and neither guy wants to give in and sublimate all that ego for the good of the team. Remember, it was O'Neal who first started not playing defense at the begining of the season because Kobe was averaging nearly 30 points per game. Shaq has been stating all season that if he isn't the man on offense then there will be no defense, "feed the big dog." Sure O'Neal will hit the open man so long as that open man isn't media darling and after Shaq has tried to bulldoze his way to the basket. Shaq dislikes the league offices and the media for not marketing him as much as they do Iverson, Carter and Kobe. That wreaks of being a selfish punk. And we all know about Kobe... ------------------
Some of this criticism of Kobe is a little unwarranted. Before this season, I thought Kobe was as unselfish a basketball player there is, but watching a home game against the Spurs and that game in Houston(15 of 20 FGs, 44 points), its not hard to see that he would easily be considered one of the greatest by the time he's through. I think Kobe deserved to have as much freedom in the offense as he likes because of Shaq's constant laziness in the offseason and showing up overweight (I won't even get into Freethrows). But as for Phil, he's a bigger jackass than Johnny Knoxville. ------------------ Don't look at the feet
Kobe shoots 46% and gets 29.2 points and 5 assists per game. (not to mention 6 rebounds). He averages 22.8 shot attempts per game and 8.3 freethrows (85%). If he's being selfish it sure doesn't show in his assists averages or field goal perctentage. I've seen him play, and yes he's waived off quite a few picks and interior passes in his time. But more often than not I've seem him hit the resulting shots. Kobe is a player who's stuck on a team where he isn't fully utilized. I would love to see him traded to a team where he could be the #1 option. His %ages may go down but this kid could get about 33-35 points a game and become one of the best all around players in the league. Oh yeah, and Phil sucks. He rides coattails even better than Pippen. Rambis or Harris would've been fired if they'd coached the Lakers to their current record. (in fact, they were.) ------------------ The season's almost over...and I still really need that keg of Pepto-Bismol.
I wonder what would Phil say if they had Vince Carter instead of Kobe and were in the same predicament:" I heard Bill Guthridge say that Vince sabotaged all of the ACC games" ------------------ Don't look at the feet
While I'm no huge fan of Kobe's (the kid's got all the talent in the world, but needs to mature [as a ballplayer] quite a bit), I fell safe saying that he's miles better as a ballplayer than Phil Jackson is as a coach. PS JeffB, good call on the Jeannie Buss situation. Pathetic. ------------------
Come on Juan! Then you better put Garnett as selfish, because he came straight out of high school, and wouldn't he have had to jack up shots and sabotage his high school team to get to the NBA? Kobe has a ring, Garnett doesn't, that shows that Kobe at least is a team player at times. But I can't believe people are questioning Kobe's character without ANY evidence! If I came up to you and said I thought you were stealing from me, would that be true just because I said so? It's one thing to not like Kobe, but to think he sabotage his high school team? Especially when his HIGH SCHOOL COACH defended! That's just ridiculous. ------------------ Meow!
No one's clean in this Lakers "triangle." I've always disliked Kobe for being an arrogant @$$. I agree that the offense should primarily be built around Shaq, and I think the way to go is not so clear-cut that Kobe has the right to second-guess his coach. Having said that, I agree Shaq has done too much mouthing off, although I respect him more than Kobe. And I really, really, really can't stand F@*#ing Phil Jackson. I concede that he's a good coach, but I don't think he deserves much more than a nod for the success of his teams. Rudy is three times the coach he is. Rudy loves to coach. How do we know that? Because he's energized by the task of rebuilding from the beginning, and is doing a hell of a job. Phil Jackson's just an aristocratic @$$hole who won't touch a team with his gloved hands unless it's got two Hall-of-Famers on it. TWO Hall-of-Famers. You know it's true. Now, Scottie doesn't really count, but it doesn't matter. People can argue that Rudy rode Hakeem's coattails, but no matter what, you can't deny that Rudy's showed more heart in terms of what he's been willing to undertake than Phil Jackass. I've got more respect for Tim Floyd and Alvin Gentry than Phil Jackass. ------------------
Regardless of what Kobe did in high school, no one should have dug up somebody else's past in an attempt to paint a negative picture of this guy's present. You will hate it too if someone tells everybody what you did wrong years ago. I don't think Kobe is a team player, but Phil just showed that he himself is even worse. ------------------ "'Guys, stand on my shoulders. I will take you to the promise land.' That is what he does." ........ Sam Cassel on Hakeem in 95 playoffs
