I can name a lot of superstars who've had personality conflicts with teammates. Some more volatile and violent than Kobe ever has. And these are guys people generally like. Thanks. I was rooting for you guys against Portland, not because I wanted to see you instead but because Yao and Battier are some of the nicest guys i've ever seen, and I thought they deserved to make it out of the first round. It was great seeing Yao at the press conference after game 6. And I can't lie, I also thought it would be hilarious to see you get to the second round with Tmac out. But that was secondary.
I dont think that if Kobe wanted to hurt Shane, he would've done it already. I'm pretty sure Shane can protect himself quite well As far as him being dirty, he might not be. But more often than not, for all the games I see of him on national TV (other than against the Rockets), he has always, always been a whiner, and more often than not, a jerk. He may not be a dirty player, but his facial reactions, his 'inadvertant' b**** slaps, his constant whinning, his cockiness, all come together, and makes him look like a complete dick on the court.
I have to admit that Kobe was the complete opposite of the articles description last night. Maybe he read it? When I first read it the other day, I totally agreed to. But maybe the Lakers fan a few posts up is partially correct. I never really remember feeling such angst against Kobe until this series. I never really had much of a dislike towards him until now. I think it's part him, part his team and part the Lakers fans and all the arrogance they were givin out. My deal is, I just think Kobe wants to be MJ. Sure, he's never come out and said MJ was his idle (at least not that I know of) but you can just tell that's what it is. From licking his lips to to the fist pump he mimicked in the "Where amazing happens" commercial which MJ did first. Even I, when I first saw him playing with a broken hand in high school, predicted he was the "next MJ." He was the first guy everyone thought would be second coming and he's had to live to that, at least for the media. But in reality, he doesn't have to. He can just be himself and he'd be the man. Just stop tryin to live up to the MJ hype (which I know isn't played as much as it used to, if at all, especially since Lebron is stealing that hype) and play. You're the best, just do it.
PS - sorry for the typos above. I'm surprised you can't go back and edit, or is that limited to subscribers only?
You bring good points. It doesn't make me like him any more than I did 15 minutes ago, but I know that wasn't your goal. I'll say this: He is just an easy guy to hate, and he doesn't do much to correct it. Perhaps he doesn't care, and that's his choice. For as good and as talented he is he'd be so easy to like, but the rest of his persona drags down how good he is on the court. Everyone has their "thing". Mac's is laziness, Artest is crazy, and Yao is too nice. Kobe acts like a dick (no offense). It's just who he is.
I can accept that. Of course, his cockiness doesn't really bother me that much unless he's going about it like game 2. And his whining doesn't bother me that much because most of the time i'm yelling at the ref through the tv with him. But still, understandable. But he's not a dirty player. I can't agree with that at all.
You feel more angst toward him because your team is playing the Lakers. Everyone hates whoever they play in the playoffs. I hated Utah in round 1, but couldn't care less about them now. I hate Houston now. I will hate Denver next round if we get there. Its just how it is. You may continue to hate him as much just because he's Kobe, even after the series, but it all starts with postseason matchups. Thats how rivalries and hatreds begin. I don't think he wants to be Jordan. I think he wants to be better than Jordan. There's a difference. And although its pretty clear he never will be better than Jordan, I don't hold it against him for wanting it. He wants to be the best - and if he didn't, he wouldn't be as good as he is now.
No we don't. Actually, only other Lakers fans see it your way because the truth is obvious to everyone else who watched the games. The elbow and knees to Shane were intentional and were to hurt him. The elbow to Artest was intentionally done to try to hurt him too. Your "if he wanted to hurt them he already would have" excuse is stupid. Of course, he is not going to **** back and punch someone in the face. He was trying to hurt both guys without being caught by the officials. Not to mention I'm sure even in Kobe's world he understands that if he attempted to go toe to toe with Artest he would be hospitalized.
Maybe so. But i've learned to deal with it. I've been posting on MB's for years and come across every type of Kobe hate imaginable. Its just a part of life now. Like you said, i'm not trying to make you like Kobe. I just wanted to try to provide some sort of microscope for why game 2 happened and why it doesn't define him as a person today.
Again . .. Kobe is a Douche but the difference is Kobe was going to a 'clipper-like' Charlotte team and LeBron was going to his HOME TOWN TEAM where he was already a state wide BASKETBALL GOD Rocket River
i do find it humorous when after kobe "slapped" manu ginobili in the face after his "natural shooting follow-through" and after he was suspended, he never did it again kobe is dirty, he's just smart about it by cloaking them as "basketball" moves
Agreed, he just needs to be diciplined. He tries to get away with as much as possible, and the NBA lets him cause its Kobe. Its the NBA not keeping him in check that has him playing, if not dirty, then borderline dirty.
Scola actually has the same temperament as Yao. He's incredibly mild mannered. Which is why I was very surprised that he got into it in game 2. I can only imagine what Odom and co. were doing to set him off because that was incredibly uncharacteristic. He's as likely to get into a confrontation as Yao or Shane, which is close to nil.
Thats not exactly the case. Most of us Clutchfans didn't hate the Blazers and the impression I got from the Blazers fans was they didn't hate us. They were our opponents and there was some good natured mocking on both sides but but it seems like from fans and players alike there was genuine respect. Brandon Roy is a great player, he's not Kobe Bryant level, but he plays hard and doesn't try to rub it in his opponents or the fans faces that he is good. That is why there wasn't much hatred towards him at all. Kobe Bryant while being the best of the best though does the opposite. As the article noted for him its not enough he is great but he has to rub everyone's face in it. That doesn't take away from his basketball skill but that certainly makes him someone that most people don't want to root for. I can appreciate that you are a true fan and want to support your team but take an honest look at Kobe next time he smirks after making a tough shot and tell me he isn't whiny and insufferable. Just because he is on your team though doesn't mean you should put blinders on anymore than I felt that Roger Clemens was less of a jerk because he was on the Astros. While I will still root for the team and the players I'm not going to say that that automatically makes them a better person.
