If it weren't for that extra attention then he isn't getting $15M this season or all that sponsor $$. I don't feel bad for him at all.
I wonder if Harden actually yelled at Lin as a "mofo" and Feigan reported this last year or so, will Clutch be forced to shut down CF?
Someone might have made this correlation in a previous post, but... Is this what Kobe meant when he told Dwight "Let me teach you how to be a champion." ? Veteran leadership is so valuable in this league and for a championship-caliber team. If Harden's team was on a historically huge losing streak, I guarantee you he would circle the wagons and fully invest himself into improving the team as a whole. How do I know? Cause we saw it his first year here and ever since. He's always showing leadership in practice and being very vocal to help correct and fine-tune his teammates. From here we see Kobe doesn't even go to practice. Even if he didn't play every practice due to age, that is a huge missed opportunity to "Teach his teammates how to be a champion." But instead of providing veteran leadership in practices, he skips practices and then comes in for a media cameo practice so he can bump his chest and act like an a**hat.
This is pretty overblown...trash talk during a basketball game. Kenny said this happened a couple times every month with him, Thorpe, Hakeem, etc during Rockets practice.
it is very strange to me that this is Kobes first practice of the month... especially when he said "if this is what happens is practice i see why we have lost 20 games." Like in what world can your best player, the guy who takes more shots than anyone else in the NBA not practice with the team and expect to field a competitive team? No wonder they dont know how to play with Kobe... they dont get the chance to.
a supposed super star and the leader of the team never shows up for practice the whole season, only comes to a media open gimick practice to yell at his teammates. This is not even close to what happened to normal trash talk in a regular setting. This is just Kobe putting on a sope opera for the media and it's childish
Dude, Clutch City practices were not like this Laker's reality show disaster. Clutch City had much tougher minded and tougher players in general.
Shaq said that's something you do between your teammates and not embarrass everyone in front of cameras. That's the difference. Kobe wanted to put on a show and look cool
Nothing I haven't done since HS. My competitive nature. I'm not proud of it but it's the way I compete. Nothing malicious. It's competition. It's the art of trash talking. Sometimes it gets ugly. You have to challenge. You have to talk back a little bit. It's not personal. Trash talking has become a lost art.
Eh, no real story here. Kobe wasn't even being that much of an ass based on those videos. Seemed more like a tough love kinda thing... and some of it almost seemed like he was just joking around. As for the whole thing with people acting all tough and old school because they talk trash: a big ol' "meh" is my response. I mean if you can do it without it being personal, I don't see the point, anyways. It just comes back to tough love. Maybe it works sometimes, but there are many ways to motivate people, and talking trash is definitely not the best one for most.
Kobe likes to act like MJ, but he's not MJ. He likes to act like he led teams to championships, but he never did. He was always Robin and never Batman. Except he was a Robin who cried a lot but didn't care to solve the Riddler Riddles on his own unlike the real Robin who attended grade school and could help Batman solve the Riddles. The image of Kobe's career has been completely fabricated by our own society and the media and most despicably, the NBA itself. In attempt to create the next Jordan, the NBA gives us Kobe. Who is nothing like Jordan but the opposite of Jordan.
I can understand Kobe not actually practicing due to age and injuries. But I don't understand not even showing up to work with teammates and pulling this stunt.
People like to judge everything they see these days. But the fact is this is a self made man who did things his way and never wavered on his self-perception. Nick Young has the right attitude when he says that never let loud noises or other people's anger deter your game. It's YOUR game, and YOUR life. Criticism and praise are two sides of the same coin that you don't need. Be yourself, and work hard. That's the moral at the end of the day.
Kobe Bryant said it. His teammates said it. The coach admitted it as well. Pretty ironic that he's calling his teammates soft but doesnt even practice with them because he cant practice and play games, other old players like Dirk and Duncan get it done too. And those are actually winning some games as well.
Ok before we proclaim Christmas a celebration of James Harden's birth, lets see how many championships he wins or at least what he can do in the next playoffs. I like Harden's improved leadership and defense but some respect is in order here for Bryant too. Kobe has 5 rings and is an all time great. The whole lakers practice blowup is a non story anyway. I think I've had more intense streetball games.
