http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=1940902 If there was any doubt that Kobe is a punk, this article puts that to rest. Even though the person he punked was Karl Malone, that's still just classless.
I thought the funniest and most telling part of what Kobe said was this: "They are here giving ME110 percent..."
Yeah that immediately jumped out at me too. Kobe is a jackhole and a moron, and he and Malone were made for each other.
Kobe spoke about his true feelings regarding Malone coming back. Kobe appears to want full control. This increases Malone's chances of going to San Antonio to try and grab a ring as a role player.
http://www.latimes.com/sports/baske...,1,1629520.story?coll=la-headlines-sports-nba Bryant Gets Irate Mail • Malone says he won't return to Lakers because of remarks made publicly and privately by star player. 'I want to be there but he doesn't want me there.' By Mike Bresnahan, Times Staff Writer Karl Malone, the second-leading scorer in NBA history, will not play for the Lakers if he decides to play again because he is infuriated by comments made publicly and privately to him by Kobe Bryant. Malone had been favoring a return to the Lakers, but that was before Bryant's comments Monday in a radio interview that his Newport Beach neighbor would retire. Bryant also said it was tough for teammates "to be looking over their shoulder, wondering if [Malone]'s going to come back and then everybody is going to disappear." Despite playing only one season for the Lakers, Malone, 41, said Tuesday he had developed strong feelings for the organization and its fan base, but insisted he would never again play for the Lakers. He also turned down a consulting job that was offered to him in October by Laker owner Jerry Buss. "As much love as I have for the organization and for its fans, when your star player doesn't want you there, I take hints easily," Malone told The Times. "I want to be there but he doesn't want me there. "It's not about the Lakers, I love the Lakers. It's about your main guy saying he doesn't want me. I'm a big enough man to understand that, so I'm going to get on with my life, and I've got a great life." Malone had maintained an interest in the franchise while recovering from off-season knee surgery. He had appeared at a training-camp practice and an exhibition game. More recently, he sat courtside for the Lakers' Nov. 23 game against the Milwaukee Bucks. But Malone's agent, Dwight Manley, said the 14-time All-Star could not get past Bryant's comments to XTRA. Bryant also said that "it's not really fair to hold [Malone's situation] over the guys' heads that are here…. They are here giving me 110%…. I mean, you can't sit up here and speculate for the remainder of the season whether or not he is going to come back." Said Manley: "Karl is furious and irate and said this is unacceptable, coupled with some personal comments Kobe made to Karl recently in private that have eliminated the Lakers from his choice, which is counter to what the owner, general manager and several stars on the team have been hoping for, as well as some of the fans. It's pretty obvious with what happened with Phil [Jackson], Shaq [O'Neal] and now Karl, there's a pattern of tearing people down. This was a clear statement." Manley declined to disclose details of the private conversation between Bryant and Malone. Manley and Laker General Manager Mitch Kupchak had dinner on Friday before the Lakers' game against Golden State, and progress had been made in discussing Malone's future with the team, Manley said. "This is a pretty emotional, traumatic thing," he said. "We were really working toward doing a deal with the Lakers that was really moving in an off-court capacity and potential on-court capacity. All those discussions have stopped at Karl's direction." Earlier Tuesday, before Malone spoke to The Times, the Lakers released a written statement from Kupchak. "We are aware of the comments made today by Dwight Manley, and hope that they do not accurately reflect Karl Malone's feelings about returning to the Lakers," Kupchak said. "If so, it is unfortunate that he would make such a decision based on the reason given. Kobe Bryant's interview [Monday] on Mychal Thompson's radio show merely reflected his personal opinion that Karl would probably not return to play this season. Kobe did not at any time state that Karl was not returning, nor was Kobe speaking on behalf of the Lakers' management or organization." Upon learning The Times had reached Malone, the Lakers declined to comment further. Manley said the Bryant-Malone relationship "no longer exists" despite the fact they live six blocks from each other in a gated Newport Beach community. Manley also said Malone had fully recovered from off-season surgery on his right knee and would decide next month whether to return to the NBA or retire. The leading candidate to sign Malone, if he chooses to play, is the San Antonio Spurs, who have the best record in the Western Conference. The Lakers had courted Malone often since the day he declined to pick up a one-year option on his contract for this season. Malone acted as a liaison last season for Bryant and O'Neal, providing a voice of reason in the locker room and contributing 13.2 points and 8.7 rebounds. Almost five months ago, Malone supported Bryant when he signed a seven-year, $136.4-million contract to stay with the Lakers. "I'm so proud of Kobe," Malone said at the time. "The way this kid worked his butt off, he deserves it. He's proven himself. There's not a lot of guys who deserve the money they're making in this league. He's one who does." When Malone arrived at Laker practice during training camp, he and Bryant embraced, and Bryant pretended to spar with Malone's son, Karl Jr. Malone, who has remained in peak shape, felt the bulked-up Bryant's biceps and they shared a private laugh. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.latimes.com/sports/baske...1,1569697.column?coll=la-headlines-sports-nba Bill Plaschke: Bryant's Laker Legacy Becoming a Shove Story Karl Malone answered the phone at his Arkansas ranch with a sigh. It was late, he was tired, and he could explain. Earlier Tuesday, he had read a transcription of Kobe Bryant's statements that essentially likened Malone's redwood of a comeback attempt to an irksome splinter. Malone was so upset, he worked a stair climbing machine for an hour. "At level 14," he said. "I mean, I was blindsided." And now it is the Lakers who have been sucker-punched, losing their most credible locker room presence and strongest inside force for a most familiar reason. Karl Malone says he will not be returning to the Lakers because of Kobe Bryant. For those keeping score at home, the kid just won the alienation triple crown "The bottom line is, Kobe Bryant doesn't want me to play for him, and it's his team," Malone said. "You've got to be wanted, and he doesn't want me there." On the surface, Bryant's radio comments do not seem to warrant such strong reaction. But don't be fooled. This is about more than that. Bryant's words represented only a final shove, with Malone speaking as if Bryant had been pushing him out the door for weeks. "When I see that situation there, I would love to play with those young kids, are you kidding me?" Malone said. "But when your main player doesn't want you, I don't have time for all that." There has been talk of how, unlike some teams that have phoned Malone every day, Bryant rarely spoke to Malone during his rehabilitation from knee surgery, even though they live only blocks apart. When they did speak recently, according to agent Dwight Manley, their conversations were not pleasant. Malone, an old-fashioned sort who refused to publicly criticize Bryant, is clearly not thrilled that Bryant speaks as if he is the team's player-coach, talking about his teammates "giving me 110%." Also a sensitive sort, Malone undoubtedly wonders why Bryant has not publicly supported him the way Malone was often the only player who publicly supported Bryant amid the sexual assault allegations. Their issues culminated, according to Malone, when he was read Bryant's statements on the "Loose Cannons" show on XTRA radio. "He doesn't want me here, he made that known today, he told me through the press," Malone said. Among other things, Bryant said of Malone, "I don't think he's coming back." Malone says he feels great and could return soon, with the leading candidate now reportedly being the San Antonio Spurs. Bryant also said of Malone's comeback, "It's not really fair to hold it over the guys' heads that are here…. It's kind of tough for them to be looking over their shoulder, wondering if he's going to come back." Bryant sounds as if Malone were holding out instead of working out. He acts as if waiting for Malone wasn't worth the effort. The truth is, when Malone is ready, Bryant should agree to carry him to Staples Center on his back, because Malone's presence is — or was — the only way these Lakers have a chance to make any noise in the playoffs. "No disrespect to anyone, but this wasn't an equipment guy saying this," Malone said. "This was the player who you gave your franchise to. I can read between the lines." The Lakers were quick to separate themselves from Bryant's comments, highly unusual for a family organization that unconditionally supports its players, but good for them. "Kobe did not at any time state that Karl was not returning, nor was Kobe speaking on behalf of the Lakers management or organization," the statement read. Too late. Too bad. In this instance, Malone is going to be as intractable as he is under the basket. While some Bryant backers will be quick to call Malone a baby, anyone who hung around the Lakers last year knows that he was one of the few who was decidedly not a baby. He ignored every little pain. He willingly faced every question. He publicly backed every teammate. It was his first year on the team, but he was already its leader, and even owner Jerry Buss believes the Lakers would have won the championship if he didn't finish the season with an injury. And about Bryant's feud with Shaquille O'Neal? Malone was the only one who didn't take sides, and still won't. "I look at the whole scenario, and the whole thing could have been done differently, by everybody," he said. He will, however, say one thing about the fallout. "I don't want to throw daggers at anyone, but I would have quit my job before I traded Shaquille O'Neal," he said. "I would have been unemployed before I would trade him, and that's all I'll say." When O'Neal left, it took him more than a week to officially thank the Laker fans. Malone did it Tuesday without even being asked. "I don't care about the money I made there, it was nothing compared to what the Laker fans gave me every time I walked off that court," he said. "I love them. I appreciate them. And I want every one of them to know it." A third future Hall of Famer, a third farewell, these goodbyes getting as old as Kobe Bryant's act. * ------------------------------------------------------------------ http://www.latimes.com/sports/baske...1,1437537.column?coll=la-headlines-sports-nba T.J. Simers: In Land of Egos, Malone's Is the Latest to Be Bruised You can now add Karl Malone's name to the list of big babies. What a ridiculous story. I'm so tired of the whining and the crying of millionaires who feel disrespected. Now we have Malone, throwing a tantrum because he heard Kobe Bryant had said something unsettling about him, the great Karl Malone, and so now Malone is going to take his old, run-down body somewhere else, anywhere else besides the Lakers, and so take that. In fact, now we're hearing from Malone's agent, Dwight Manley, that Malone is 100% healthy, digging the knife deeper so everyone can feel the pain of losing Malone now that Bryant has disrespected him. Malone is going to take his sneakers elsewhere, as we're being told, because Karl "is furious," his agent also telling Fred Roggin on KMPC (1540) radio that for Kobe "to say Karl is a distraction is not appropriate." I read Bryant's comments from his radio interview on XTRA in the newspaper, and Bryant never used the word "distraction," which would have been accurate, though, in describing Malone's appearances this season at Staples Center. The Lakers are a work in progress, and Malone has attended several Laker games, sitting at courtside directly across from the Laker bench … the great savior waving to his former teammates. How distracting. Listen to any coach or player talk about a teammate who has been injured or lost for a time, and as the old sports cliche goes, "We can only play with the guys we have and do the best we can." In so many words, Bryant said the same thing, although he did give us another ego overdose when he said, "[The players] are here giving me 110%." PHIL JACKSON whined in a book. Shaquille O'Neal, the Big Pout, continues to carry on like a child sent to his (Miami) room without a pat on the back. Bryant remains immature and aloof in dealing with people. Gary Payton needed a binky, and with the nursery so full, I guess no one noticed Malone was no different. For the most part everyone paid Malone homage, the proud superstar taking the pay cut for the noble pursuit of a ring, the one who also became the locker room peacemaker. A little too much peace-making grandstanding for me. Now we learn that Malone is irate because the Lakers aren't counting the hours until he returns. Boo-hoo. And like a child who has been hurt and wants to strike back, his agent is making sure everyone knows it's Bryant's fault Malone won't be back. "This is a pretty emotional, traumatic thing," Manley said, and I can just picture that big power forward who took no prisoners on the court, dabbing at his eyes because Bryant said the team must play on without looking over its shoulder. Come on, the big baby is 41 years old, last seen hobbling on his last leg, and not much help, as far as I'm concerned, for a rebuilding Laker team. I wouldn't be surprised to learn later he used Bryant's remarks as a way of getting out of L.A., the proud warrior taking his game to San Antonio or Minnesota. So there. He sat at courtside in Staples, and had to know after watching a few games that there was no ring to be won in L.A. with the little time he has left. That aside, it's obvious now the piling on Bryant is going to continue. His considerable ego, of course, is a magnet for such criticism, and his aloof attitude certainly makes him a tough athlete to embrace. But the facts suggest that O'Neal requested a trade. He stays here, and maybe Bryant is gone, but O'Neal demanded to leave. Jackson priced himself out of the market, his way of leaving town, and then blamed his inability to take four future Hall of Famers and win another title on Bryant's immaturity. Payton self-destructed, and now we get Malone's bruised ego. Malone's final departure will be one more slap at Bryant, which will be welcomed by many, because Bryant is the last man standing on a team that is no longer a powerhouse. A lot of people are upset by that, and Bryant is the easy target. But you know what? They're all just a big bunch of babies. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sorry for the long post but nothing better than 2 evils fighting with each other.
I like the last line of the last article posted above: "But you know what? They're all just a big bunch of babies." They're all just a big bunch of babies. LOL, Exactly! Kobe is obviously an egomaniac. But what is Malone? If he is really 100% physically, as his agent said, then why is he dragging his feet signing with the Lakers? If that's not a distraction for the team, I don't know what is.
geeze, what to do what to do.... hmm....I got it, Ill walk the fine line... Kobe is a eogtistical, immature whiny b****, and Karla is a dirty, disgusting, whiny jazzhole... wow...a story that I dont have to choose one side over the other since I can't stand either one of em.....what a glorious situation.
Malone's reaction boils down to the fact that he was looking for an excuse to get the heck out of LA, so that he could go somewhere else and ride the coattails of a legitimate championship contender. This is supported by the fact that he is 100% healthy and still wants to sit out another month (translation: let the good team do all the work, before he hops on that gravy train and gets a ring that he didn't earn!). Despite the fact that I think Bryant is a spoiled little b!+ch, there was nothing particularly wrong with what he said in this instance. Malone is just a bigger b!+ch!
Are you serious? If it was you that little prick was talking about, would you want to come back to that team?
I agree with Kobe on this. What's it like for someone like Brian Cook who's working hard for his minutes, knowing that if Malone comes back on a whim, all his work is for naught and his playing time goes to zero. It doesn't help in building a trusting relationship between players and management and isn't good for team chemistry. And, we know the reason Malone is doing it is he wants to see if the Lakers are good enough for him bothering to return. Otherwise, he could have rehabbed on Lakers' injured list. But, he wanted to keep his options open. I wouldn't be too happy with someone doing that to my team.
