Once again behold the All Things KOBE thread...

[SoMiss2000]

Re: Once again behold the All Things KOBE thread...

</font><blockquote><font class="small">Quote:</font><hr />
Wow, next year's summer of free agency should be very interesting.

<hr /></blockquote><font class="post"> Hey Kobe Mark Cuban has tons of money.

[23]

Re: Once again behold the All Things KOBE thread...

In the offseason, I remember Phil having a meeting with Shaq, and him wanting Shaq to be the MVP this year, and how he wanted him to get in shape, and he and Phil agreed when Shaq told him I'll play like one if you get me the (you know what) ball.


Now they came in having a plan, so Shaq is looking to get a good amount of touches this year, and this seems to be the beginning of a long season. Phil should've steeped in, because of that talk he and Shaq had. He needs to reinforce the plan of the entire team. The Shaq-Kobe fighting is getting old. It makes you think Horry was right about what he said.


As far as Kobe getting tough, I can see it blown out of porportion now: Kobe seems so much more aggressive than he's ever been, you have to wonder if it was the same thing that came over him the "night" in Eagle County". The media is looking for something to explode in LA to continue something to speculate about.



These guys get paid entirely too much for this, then you want to have them share the ball with everyone else too. It'll be a long season.

[23]

Re: Once again behold the All Things KOBE thread...

In the offseason, I remember Phil having a meeting with Shaq, and him wanting Shaq to be the MVP this year, and how he wanted him to get in shape, and he and Phil agreed when Shaq told him I'll play like one if you get me the (you know what) ball.


Now they came in having a plan, so Shaq is looking to get a good amount of touches this year, and this seems to be the beginning of a long season. Phil should've steeped in, because of that talk he and Shaq had. He needs to reinforce the plan of the entire team. The Shaq-Kobe fighting is getting old. It makes you think Horry was right about what he said.


As far as Kobe getting tough, I can see it blown out of porportion now: Kobe seems so much more aggressive than he's ever been, you have to wonder if it was the same thing that came over him the "night" in Eagle County". The media is looking for something to explode in LA to continue something to speculate about.



These guys get paid entirely too much for this, then you want to have them share the ball with everyone else too. It'll be a long season.

[23]

Re: Once again behold the All Things KOBE thread...

In the offseason, I remember Phil having a meeting with Shaq, and him wanting Shaq to be the MVP this year, and how he wanted him to get in shape, and he and Phil agreed when Shaq told him I'll play like one if you get me the (you know what) ball.


Now they came in having a plan, so Shaq is looking to get a good amount of touches this year, and this seems to be the beginning of a long season. Phil should've steeped in, because of that talk he and Shaq had. He needs to reinforce the plan of the entire team. The Shaq-Kobe fighting is getting old. It makes you think Horry was right about what he said.


As far as Kobe getting tough, I can see it blown out of porportion now: Kobe seems so much more aggressive than he's ever been, you have to wonder if it was the same thing that came over him the "night" in Eagle County". The media is looking for something to explode in LA to continue something to speculate about.



These guys get paid entirely too much for this, then you want to have them share the ball with everyone else too. It'll be a long season.

[ATrillionaire]

Re: Once again behold the All Things KOBE thread...

AHHHHH.....I can't believe I missed this..........Kobe needs to chill, right now he has to look like the most humble guy in the world, this ain't helping. I don't dispute his argument, but he needs to keep it to himself.

[ATrillionaire]

Re: Once again behold the All Things KOBE thread...

AHHHHH.....I can't believe I missed this..........Kobe needs to chill, right now he has to look like the most humble guy in the world, this ain't helping. I don't dispute his argument, but he needs to keep it to himself.

[ATrillionaire]

Re: Once again behold the All Things KOBE thread...

AHHHHH.....I can't believe I missed this..........Kobe needs to chill, right now he has to look like the most humble guy in the world, this ain't helping. I don't dispute his argument, but he needs to keep it to himself.

[MFLCommish]

Kobe and Shaq are scheming

Why this? Why now?? Think about it, after reading all of it and thinking, i've come to the realization that kobe and shaq agreed on doing this to deflect the media to talk about this and not about the colorado stuff going on right now. I'm not a Lakers fan, Celtics fan, but I think this is the case although kobe did go off. I'm referring to the Jim Gray interview that he did. Now the media will talk about this instead of the colorado case. they still will but not as much. Anyone else agree?

[MFLCommish]

Kobe and Shaq are scheming

Why this? Why now?? Think about it, after reading all of it and thinking, i've come to the realization that kobe and shaq agreed on doing this to deflect the media to talk about this and not about the colorado stuff going on right now. I'm not a Lakers fan, Celtics fan, but I think this is the case although kobe did go off. I'm referring to the Jim Gray interview that he did. Now the media will talk about this instead of the colorado case. they still will but not as much. Anyone else agree?

[MFLCommish]

Kobe and Shaq are scheming

Why this? Why now?? Think about it, after reading all of it and thinking, i've come to the realization that kobe and shaq agreed on doing this to deflect the media to talk about this and not about the colorado stuff going on right now. I'm not a Lakers fan, Celtics fan, but I think this is the case although kobe did go off. I'm referring to the Jim Gray interview that he did. Now the media will talk about this instead of the colorado case. they still will but not as much. Anyone else agree?

[Alimo]

Re: Once again behold the All Things KOBE thread...

</font><blockquote><font class="small">Quote:</font><hr />
Programmed2Kill said:
shoot...he had balls a good while ago when he had the nerve to cheat on that bangin' *** wife of his, Vanessa The Undressa...
Good Point, that was funny as hell. All I can say is Kobe is my new fav player!!!!!!!!!!!! and i used to hate him
I missed the thing on espn though.



<hr /></blockquote><font class="post">

[Alimo]

Re: Once again behold the All Things KOBE thread...

</font><blockquote><font class="small">Quote:</font><hr />
Programmed2Kill said:
shoot...he had balls a good while ago when he had the nerve to cheat on that bangin' *** wife of his, Vanessa The Undressa...
Good Point, that was funny as hell. All I can say is Kobe is my new fav player!!!!!!!!!!!! and i used to hate him
I missed the thing on espn though.



<hr /></blockquote><font class="post">

[Alimo]

Re: Once again behold the All Things KOBE thread...

</font><blockquote><font class="small">Quote:</font><hr />
Programmed2Kill said:
shoot...he had balls a good while ago when he had the nerve to cheat on that bangin' *** wife of his, Vanessa The Undressa...
Good Point, that was funny as hell. All I can say is Kobe is my new fav player!!!!!!!!!!!! and i used to hate him
I missed the thing on espn though.



<hr /></blockquote><font class="post">

[CheckMate]

Re: Once again behold the All Things KOBE thread...

The Interview The transcript of Kobe Bryant's interview with ESPN's Jim Gray:

GRAY: What was your reaction to Shaq saying the Lakers are his team, and everybody knows it?

BRYANT: It doesn't matter whose team it is. Nobody cares. I don't, Karl [Malone] doesn't, Gary [Payton] doesn't, and our teammates and the fans don't either. There's more to life than whose team this is. But this is his team, so it's time for him to act like it. That means no more coming into camp fat and out of shape, when your team is relying on your leadership on and off the court. It also means no more blaming others for our team's failure, or blaming staff members for not overdramatizing your injuries so that you avoid blame for your lack of conditioning. Also, "my team" doesn't mean only when we win, it means carrying the burden of defeat just as gracefully as you carry a championship trophy.

GRAY: Do you consider Shaq to be a leader?

BRYANT: Leaders don't beg for a contract extension and negotiate some 30 million [dollars] plus per year deal in the media when we have two future Hall of Famers playing here pretty much for free. A leader would not demand the ball every time down the floor when you have the three of us [Malone, Payton, Bryant] playing beside you, not to mention the teammates you have gone to war with for years -- and, by the way, then threaten not to play defense and rebound if you don't get the ball every time down the floor.

GRAY: Shaq says that you have not been a team player. Is he right?

BRYANT: That's ridiculous. I have been successfully sacrificing my game for years for Shaq. That's what Phil [Jackson] wanted me to do, so I did it. Last year Phil told me Shaq was not in physical condition to carry the trust of our offense, so he asked me to do it. But then he saw Shaq was getting upset that the team wasn't running through him, so Phil asked me to pull back and I did. This year is no different; my role is whatever Phil want it to be. Period.

GRAY: Through out the preseason, your leg and conditioning has been lagging. Are you in the proper shape to start the season?

BRYANT: My knee is not strong enough to play yet. I know it. When it is I will play.

GRAY: Does that mean you will miss the opener [Tuesday] night and other games?

BRYANT: I probably won't play tomorrow night or until I'm ready. But I don't need Shaq's advice on how to play hurt. I've played with IVs before, during and after games. I've played with a broken hand, a sprained ankle, a torn shoulder, a fractured tooth, a severed lip, and a knee the size of a softball. I don't miss 15 games because of a toe injury that everybody knows wasn't that serious in the first place.

GRAY: Kobe, Shaq said if you didn't like what he had to say you can opt out and leave next season. Will you leave the Lakers?

BRYANT: I won't make that decision until the end of the season. I told Shaq last year that I was planning on opting out. He knew before anyone. I told him out of respect for what we have been through together. I thought he should be the first to know. The fact that he acts like this is such a big shock is a mystery to me. If leaving the Lakers at the end of the season is what I decide, a major reason for that will be Shaq's childlike selfishness and jealousy.

GRAY: Do you feel Shaq has been supportive in regards to your legal situation?

BRYANT: He is not my quote unquote "big brother." A big brother would have called to lend his support this summer. I heard absolutely nothing from him. I spoke to Devon [George], Rick [Fox], Mitch [Kupchak], Phil, and our owner Jerry Buss. And Shaq's own Uncle Jerome called and left three messages. Other teammates like Derek [Fisher], Mark [Madsen], and [Stanislav Medvedenko] left messages as well. Opponents called like [Chris] Webber, [Mike] Bibby, and many others. So did a lot of coaches. Michael Jordan, who didn't have my home phone, tracked it down to lend his support. So did Tiger Woods. But yet from my so-called big brother, I heard nothing.

GRAY: Why not resolve this behind closed doors? Why is this so public?

BRYANT: I asked Phil on Sunday [yesterday] to say something to calm this situation down before it boiled over. But he backed away, so now here we are. I have been a bigger person every time something happened with Shaq, and I don't expect this to be any different. But somebody in this organization had to speak up, because his unprofessionalism hurt us last year, and I don't want it to hurt us this year.

[CheckMate]

Re: Once again behold the All Things KOBE thread...

The Interview The transcript of Kobe Bryant's interview with ESPN's Jim Gray:

GRAY: What was your reaction to Shaq saying the Lakers are his team, and everybody knows it?

BRYANT: It doesn't matter whose team it is. Nobody cares. I don't, Karl [Malone] doesn't, Gary [Payton] doesn't, and our teammates and the fans don't either. There's more to life than whose team this is. But this is his team, so it's time for him to act like it. That means no more coming into camp fat and out of shape, when your team is relying on your leadership on and off the court. It also means no more blaming others for our team's failure, or blaming staff members for not overdramatizing your injuries so that you avoid blame for your lack of conditioning. Also, "my team" doesn't mean only when we win, it means carrying the burden of defeat just as gracefully as you carry a championship trophy.

GRAY: Do you consider Shaq to be a leader?

BRYANT: Leaders don't beg for a contract extension and negotiate some 30 million [dollars] plus per year deal in the media when we have two future Hall of Famers playing here pretty much for free. A leader would not demand the ball every time down the floor when you have the three of us [Malone, Payton, Bryant] playing beside you, not to mention the teammates you have gone to war with for years -- and, by the way, then threaten not to play defense and rebound if you don't get the ball every time down the floor.

GRAY: Shaq says that you have not been a team player. Is he right?

BRYANT: That's ridiculous. I have been successfully sacrificing my game for years for Shaq. That's what Phil [Jackson] wanted me to do, so I did it. Last year Phil told me Shaq was not in physical condition to carry the trust of our offense, so he asked me to do it. But then he saw Shaq was getting upset that the team wasn't running through him, so Phil asked me to pull back and I did. This year is no different; my role is whatever Phil want it to be. Period.

GRAY: Through out the preseason, your leg and conditioning has been lagging. Are you in the proper shape to start the season?

BRYANT: My knee is not strong enough to play yet. I know it. When it is I will play.

GRAY: Does that mean you will miss the opener [Tuesday] night and other games?

BRYANT: I probably won't play tomorrow night or until I'm ready. But I don't need Shaq's advice on how to play hurt. I've played with IVs before, during and after games. I've played with a broken hand, a sprained ankle, a torn shoulder, a fractured tooth, a severed lip, and a knee the size of a softball. I don't miss 15 games because of a toe injury that everybody knows wasn't that serious in the first place.

GRAY: Kobe, Shaq said if you didn't like what he had to say you can opt out and leave next season. Will you leave the Lakers?

BRYANT: I won't make that decision until the end of the season. I told Shaq last year that I was planning on opting out. He knew before anyone. I told him out of respect for what we have been through together. I thought he should be the first to know. The fact that he acts like this is such a big shock is a mystery to me. If leaving the Lakers at the end of the season is what I decide, a major reason for that will be Shaq's childlike selfishness and jealousy.

GRAY: Do you feel Shaq has been supportive in regards to your legal situation?

BRYANT: He is not my quote unquote "big brother." A big brother would have called to lend his support this summer. I heard absolutely nothing from him. I spoke to Devon [George], Rick [Fox], Mitch [Kupchak], Phil, and our owner Jerry Buss. And Shaq's own Uncle Jerome called and left three messages. Other teammates like Derek [Fisher], Mark [Madsen], and [Stanislav Medvedenko] left messages as well. Opponents called like [Chris] Webber, [Mike] Bibby, and many others. So did a lot of coaches. Michael Jordan, who didn't have my home phone, tracked it down to lend his support. So did Tiger Woods. But yet from my so-called big brother, I heard nothing.

GRAY: Why not resolve this behind closed doors? Why is this so public?

BRYANT: I asked Phil on Sunday [yesterday] to say something to calm this situation down before it boiled over. But he backed away, so now here we are. I have been a bigger person every time something happened with Shaq, and I don't expect this to be any different. But somebody in this organization had to speak up, because his unprofessionalism hurt us last year, and I don't want it to hurt us this year.