yup and biggest difference is Timmy doesnt have a gigantic ego. He's still effective because he didnt handicap the team by taking a gigantic contract. He was willing to become a role player and played to win instead of money. He is able to transition from being the man to just being a very effective player at age 40. Spurs just do everything right. Too bad they have been over shadowed by the warriors otherwise their regular season was quite amazing as well.
rather be known for greatness then being a boring spur who no one cares for. Give me Kobes life over Duncan's any day
I don't understand the Kobe hate. It's very prevalent here. Must be a Houston thing. Most on the east coast have grown to at least respect him. Bringing up Jordan or Duncan to discredit Kobe is not a strong way to debate imo. They were all great.
I get why people knock Kobe for taking the money, but at the end of the day, it's his job. You don't play forever, and you don't get many opportunities to make $50m in two years. Even had he taken $5-10m, the Lakers still would have stunk. They were rebuilding. They might as well pay to keep Kobe a Laker and ensure they receive all future royalties off jersey sales. If the Lakers were my team I might be a little upset, but at the same time, I would want them to do what it took to keep Kobe a Laker. I would have done the same for Hakeem. I'd have given him a max contract long after his best years to ensure he never left. At the end of the day, I don't think Kobe set the franchise back that much further than it already was at.
What kind of impression do you think this season had on D'Angelo Russell? He was the #2 draft pick, and he was often criticized and benched. And from the bench, he watched as Kobe was given carte blanche to be a volume chucker. Despite playing almost 400 fewer minutes than Russell, Kobe took 6 more shots and 90 more free throws.
The 2 happiest days of the other Lakers players: the day Kobe announced his retirement, and his last game.
I think when they all jumped in to hug blek member after the last buzze4, they were actually celebrating for next season. More touches and chance to score without uncle kirby looking down at them with a mean face.
Justin Termine Justin Termine @TermineRadio Ariza told us on @SiriusXMNBA that Kobe told him prior to last game of yr to not worry about Rox getting into playoffs bc he'd take of Jazz. Jul 20, 2016, 7:25 PM
