Jeanie Buss: ‘Any free agent that would be afraid to play with Kobe Bryant is probably a loser’
Oct 23, 2014, 12:18 PM EDT
Getty Images ESPN published a scathing article detailing the adverse effects Kobe Bryant has on free agents considering the Lakers.
Kobe basically responded with a shrug.
Lakers president Jeanie isn’t so quick to move on.
Buss, via ESPN:
“Any free agent that would be afraid to play with Kobe Bryant is probably a loser, and I’m glad they wouldn’t come to the team,” Buss said during a SportsCenter interview Thursday.
“I read the story,” Buss said Thursday. “I don’t agree with any of it. If there is somebody that’s on our payroll who is saying things like that, I’ll soon get to the bottom of it and they won’t be working for us anymore.”
In fact, Buss has a warning for all of Bryant’s detractors: “I have no doubt that Kobe will make people regret ever saying” those comments, she said.
That’s one scary threat, because it’s unlikely a 36-year-old Kobe with a recent devastating injury history is going make people pay on the court. Just what is he going to do?
Buss works on the business side of the organization, and from that perspective, Kobe’s two-year, $48.5 million contract extension – handed to him without negotiation – was a worthwhile investment. He’s just so valuable to the brand, and keeping him went a long way in preserving the loyalty of the Lakers’ customers.
But it’s increasingly difficult – whether or not he turns off free agents – to make the case Kobe provides value on the court. When you consider Kobe’s prickly personality probably rubs many teammates the wrong way, yeah, it’s fair to question just how much Kobe is holding the Lakers back right now.
That’s not to diminish all that Kobe has accomplished and all he’s given the franchise, including helping it win five championships. But the situation has changed since the Lakers last won a title in 2010, and that includes how other players perceive Kobe.
I don’t think players are “afraid” to play with Kobe. I think they’re adults who’d rather not deal with such a demanding, bordering on rude, teammate who’s no longer physically capable of playing at an elite level while making it difficult to add support while sucking up a huge percentage of the salary cap.
That’s not fear. That’s reasonable.
Buss might endear herself to Kobe with her comments, and that’s probably her goal. At this point, what choice do the Lakers have but to maximize unity between the front office and Kobe?
But she’s further alienating other players and, potentially, members of the organization. Like with everything Kobe, that might help the bottom line, but it’s hard to see it making it easier to win basketball games.
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- andrewwiggins22 - Oct 23, 2014 at 12:26 PM
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I doubt if Kobe makes the All-Star this season.
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- spursareold - Oct 23, 2014 at 12:45 PM
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Fans are stupid, and they vote the starters. I’m sure that one of the LA scribes will write a tear wrenching screed about Kobe’s twilight that will emotionally move several million paste eaters to vote him in.
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- truehooper1421 - Oct 23, 2014 at 12:57 PM
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Or ya know, he actually plays like an all star. When was the last time he hasn’t? 6 games last year? I doubt his and James Harden’s numbers will look much different. I’m no Kobe fan but writing him off is stupid. Klay Thompson’s, Eric Bledsoe’s and other fringe all star’s best seasons are worse than a below average season for Kobe.
@spursareold thinks Danny Green and Manu Ginobli should replace Kobe in the all star game. Since the Spurs won last season, no other players or teams are worthy of any recognition.
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- tomass1947 - Oct 23, 2014 at 1:48 PM
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From her point of view and a person with a vested interest, she has the right to express what kind of character traits that are not Lakers material, she is ultimately at the top and controls the purse strings! So far this pre-season Kobe has shown that he might still have a lot in his tank for his last 2 years, and how he performs this year could have a great impact on who might want to be part of his final year, and then part of the future, the one thing the Lakers past great players have had, is a drive to win championships and if they don’t have the same commitment they are not Lakers material.
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- yesser12 - Oct 23, 2014 at 2:02 PM
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He will make is based off his fanbase. He has China backing him too, he is Global. I don’t think he should make it but he will.
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- vg777 - Oct 23, 2014 at 3:06 PM
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he turned down an all star invite in the past to give the young guys a chance, probably will do the same.
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- express34texas - Oct 23, 2014 at 3:18 PM
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He wanted to turn it down, but didn’t. He’s always voted in a starter, so has to play, and that’s what the fans want. If he was chosen as a reserve, he probably wouldn’t have played at least one time that he did.
Rarely do the fans ever vote someone who isn’t worthy of being an AS. It’s very stupid to say that Kobe isn’t a top 24 player in the league right now. He’s healthy now and if he remains so, he’s easily AS caliber. Wait and see.
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- disappointedfan - Oct 23, 2014 at 2:55 PM
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I’m not sure who this blogger Dan Feldman is…but I do know that the more the national media tries to center in on more detailed subject matter outside of statistics like the Kobe effect the more I see how off base and reaching their analysis is. Colin Cowheard has been tearing through Kobe with just plain misguided analysis the past week over Kobe. He doesn’t know or consider events like a beat writer would and nor do these national news websites.
Cowheard knows that being a loud mouth spouting off unfounded accusations of team chemistry and this seasons potential will get better ratings than actual level headed analysis, and I get that.
When bloggers, not writers like Feldman here, use a ‘Smush Parker’ reference to justify their misguided analysis of Kobe and Jeanie, you know he’s a green national writer at best looking for clicks and rush hire by NBC. Clearly a newbie with his opinions on the fact that where is the free agent analysis to what was available to the Lakers? Where is the Chris Paul trade evaluation and how he said he wanted to play with Kobe before Stern illegally overturned the trade? Where is the actual beef to the ESPN story that should have included more “at the time such and such free agents were actually available but didn’t sign”, instead of just doing the lazy thing and saying Paul George didn’t want to go there despite never actually having a snow balls chance in hell because of his “restricted free agent status”.
Either you actually listen to Jeanie and know how the financials work and the history of transactions work in the NBA or you’re a TMZ version of an NBA blogger. I go here for info on the league and this is just a garbage report. Wake up Feldman, clearly a Laker hater. Probably a Orlando or Boston native.
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- Kurt Helin - Oct 23, 2014 at 4:39 PM
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You avoid the gray areas here, Lakers fans and Kobe fans (not the same thing) can be so black and white on the issues. For the record, it is incredibly easy to get people to talk bad about Kobe off the record: Former teammates, front office people, agents, you name it. There are players, good players, that look at the Lakers with Kobe and think they can do better elsewhere (I’ve talked to them and their agents). Or, to put it another way, I think Abbott’s piece was both 100 percent accurate and also lacking context. Abbott’s examples have holes (Paul George was never coming to the Lakers, Andrew Bynum had issues everywhere, etc.). What is keeping free agents away from the Lakers is not just Kobe but also questions about the entire organization and its future. More of the latter in most cases. The context is there are a lot of concerns about the Lakers from potential free agents, Kobe is part of that. These free agents aren’t afraid, they just think they have better options.
And you’re way, way off on Feldman’s background.
Smush Parker is an easily recognizable name
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- ocgunslinger - Oct 23, 2014 at 6:43 PM
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I was also wondering where this Dan Feldman came from. When he starts off with “That’s one scary threat, because it’s unlikely a 36-year-old Kobe with a recent devastating injury history is going make people pay on the court. Just what is he going to do?”
Now that statement is all in HIS mind from his assumption that Kobe will not be a good player and that perhaps he is mentally unstable . From there he goes on with he lame position. What an idiot.
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- therealhtj - Oct 23, 2014 at 7:21 PM
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If Kurt, one of the bigger Laker/Kobe proponents in the media is telling you that Kobe’s a problem, it carries a bunch more weight than a renowned hater like Abbott.
That says a lot Kurt. Too bad you’re no longer welcome in the Lakers media room. Say buh-bye to the buffet.
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- urodaddy07 - Oct 23, 2014 at 9:24 PM
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@ Kurt, why is Smush recognizable? His all-star talent. Or the media hype around LA and his relationship with Kobe.
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- Kurt Helin - Oct 24, 2014 at 6:23 AM
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He became a name in LA, fans there loved him at first then turned on him eventually, but his bashing of Kobe helped keep his name in the news.
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- limonadamas - Oct 23, 2014 at 9:34 PM
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@ocgunslinger: Feldman also had a ridiculous obsession earlier this summer insisting that Danny Ferry should be fired from the Hawks, despite a slew of former teammates and coworkers coming to Ferry’s defense. If you get on his “naughty” list (like Kobe), watch out! The power of the press! hahaha
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- Dan Feldman - Oct 23, 2014 at 10:17 PM
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“Feldman also had a ridiculous obsession earlier this summer insisting that Danny Ferry should be fired from the Hawks”
Oh?
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- disappointedfan - Oct 23, 2014 at 9:57 PM
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First of all Smush Parker has been widely regarded as someone who athletically looked good in flashes but llacked consistent effort and routinely had a bad attitude towards refs and team related issues. It’s no wonder he’s more famous a Rucker park. They’ve had a verbal back and forth for years, yet Feldman only wanted to take the player that player on 6 teams in 7 years side of the argument. So yes I’m SPOT on that one using Smush Parker as your prime example to detract against Kobe shows green tendencies. The only time Smush Parker should be a character witness in anything is when we need his take on how to not be a success in a guard heavy NBA.
Secondly Kurt, you’re a fantastic journalist and I truly enjoy this site which is why I said what I said above. As a reader I’m fine with a little mud slinging in an article to keep it fresh and more fun to read. This piece was much more about seizing an opportunity to pile on Kobe. Sure I can’t drop the fact that “anonymous sources have told me” such and such so congrats to you and Abbott on smoke and mirrors journalism.
Thirdly, saying that players/agents have said that Kobe’s attitude can turn people away from Lakers is not enough to settle a few things. 1) Those players have to be unrestricted in a specific year when the Lakers would have sufficient cap space to afford them. This article and Abbott’s article especially would have better served the audience by looking at the free agent list for each year, going back the last 4 years and compare it to the Lakers available caps space. 2) There haven’t been too many top free agents besides Melo and Lebron. Lebron probably wasn’t coming here and despite Kobe not showing for the Melo meeting wasn’t coming to LA because of money and Phil being in NY. Just give us some better examples why piling on is a good idea, not Smush Parker heights of conjecture.
And if any writers want to understand Kobe’s work ethic, expectation of commitment, training efforts and playing through pain as part of the search for bringing in free agents, then you’d realize that the Smush Parker type free agents of the world get eaten alive. Who better than Smush to act as an example that just showing up for a paycheck and what’s on the front of the jersey isn’t enough. Quite frankly the list of available players is small when you consider all of that. Good day sir.
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- 00maltliquor - Oct 24, 2014 at 8:39 AM
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SUUUUPER LOL’ing @ Smush Parker being an “easily recognizable name”, or even someone the Laker fans embraced, even if it was for a short period!!! That’s a good one jack!
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- spthegr8 - Oct 24, 2014 at 2:12 PM
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^^^ I got a good laugh @ that too. Smush who.?? ^^^
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- 00maltliquor - Oct 24, 2014 at 8:31 AM
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I know it’s just preseason, but in 6 games Kobe’s averaging 19 ppg in just 27 min. of action, and he was getting better and better as the games went on. Hate all you want but for a 36 year old in his 19th season coming off those injuries you got to say that’s pretty mind blowing.
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- rexgrossman8 - Oct 23, 2014 at 12:27 PM
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As an employee, I would appreciate my boss sticking up for me like this. Especially at a highly visible level. Jeanie has better sense and savvy than Jim and needs to be more involved on the Bball side.
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- mogogo1 - Oct 23, 2014 at 1:10 PM
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But prospective employees would look at that statement quite differently. Rather than wording it in a positive manner playing up all the pluses of having Kobe Bryant as a teammate she made it into a negative about anybody who wouldn’t want to play for the Lakers. Does that statement make it sound like the team is going to do anything at all to resolve a conflict a teammate might have with Kobe? She’s essentially told every free agent who has any doubts whatsoever about playing with Kobe that they need to just go elsewhere.
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- therealhtj - Oct 23, 2014 at 1:40 PM
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Not exactly – she said anyone “Afraid” of playing with Kobe is a loser. Fear isn’t what’s keeping free agents away. The lack of a championship caliber roster compounded by a cap situation making it improbably to improve any further os what kept the free agents away. The fact that Kobe’s a jerk who needs to have everything his way is just icing on the cake.
Who should be afraid is anyone who turns out to be one of Abbott’s “sources.” Speaking ill of Kobe is clearly a terminable offense.
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- express34texas - Oct 23, 2014 at 3:21 PM
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How does everyone know Kobe’s a jerk? Almost all of his past/present teammates speak highly of him. And Jordan was probably the biggest jerk there was then, and he had great teams. If Jordan stayed with the bulls past 99, it’d be a similar pattern. The Lakers do have cap space, that’s why they could sign anyone to a max deal. Their front office just sucks right now, that’s the bottom line. Dwight’s a sensitive little baby, he’ll never win anything.
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- therealhtj - Oct 23, 2014 at 10:23 PM
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Read Helin’s comments above. Kobe’s a problem – but a scary one. No one’s willing to go on record, but off the record, it doesn’t take much to get them talking.
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- pl4tinum514 - Oct 23, 2014 at 12:36 PM
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She’s hot, for an old bag. She can say whatever she wants.
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- asimonetti88 - Oct 23, 2014 at 3:50 PM
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Nice work by Philly J
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- mackcarrington - Oct 23, 2014 at 4:31 PM
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Well, which is it?
Is she an old bag or is she hot?
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- 2drunk2dunk - Oct 23, 2014 at 7:51 PM
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she’s a hot old bag
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- 00maltliquor - Oct 24, 2014 at 8:47 AM
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She’s the reason Phil’s hips are bad and he can’t walk around as easily anymore! lol
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- kb2408 - Oct 23, 2014 at 12:39 PM
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She is exactly correct. Melo, Paul George, Love, Dwight combined have five less championship rings than Kobe. The only one in that group that “might” win even one ring before they retire is Love. And that will be as the 3rd wheel. Paul G is the player I think really could’ve benefited from being tutored and mentored by Kobe. He’s still young enough to have been a sidekick for 2 more seasons until Kobe retires. Then one of the premier franchises in all of sports would’ve been his. And he still would’ve only been 25-26 years old. But instead he chose to stay in Indy where he will probably never win anything and get all the blame because he’s paid as a franchise player when in fact he’s not. The LAKERS are in rebuild mode but we will when another title again before teams like Indy, Houston and New York ever will.
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- kb2408 - Oct 23, 2014 at 12:40 PM
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*win*
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- therealhtj - Oct 23, 2014 at 1:42 PM
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Neither PG nor any max free agent is passing on a 5 year max deal coming off his rookie contract.
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- edon8334 - Oct 23, 2014 at 3:45 PM
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did you read the article about Paul Geroge and this exact situation?
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- toycannoni - Oct 23, 2014 at 3:51 PM
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total ignorance kb2408….
you give any of those players a shaq in his prime, or pau gasol and andrew bynum playing the best of their careers and they all have more rings than kobe
kobe cost the lakers more rings than he won, whether it be by running off great players or just distracting the team with his antics …he’s a big attraction to foolish fans and that’s the only reason he got the 2 year contract
he doesn’t get much outside help when it comes to pr money so he has to take everything he can get by sucking the lakers dry while he can, and leaving the team dead in the water when it comes to talent
since dr buss died that franchise has been a dysfunctional mess….they had a max contract to pull a great player in this year and they end up with swaggy p (lol) and boozer on waivers
your rebuild mode won’t even begin until the mamba is gone and who knows when that will be…
he says he will be a laker for life but i just don’t see buss paying him much at all after this ridiculous contract is up….we’ll see
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- sportsfan18 - Oct 23, 2014 at 11:07 PM
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@ toycannoni
Kobe doesn’t get outside money? pr money?
try OVER $30 million each of the past 3 seasons…
just google “kobe endorsement money 2013″ 212, 2011. look for the Forbes articles…
yes, he’s sucking money from the lakers but he’s raking in the dough off the court too.
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- unfrozencavemanlawyer2 - Oct 23, 2014 at 2:46 PM
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Kobe is no longer good enough to have a sidekick. Kobe is a sidekick- a 3rd wheel at best. But his massive ego won’t allow it. No alpha dog player in their right mind would want to share the court with him during his last years. Kobe won’t go gently into that good night- he’ll go out chucking up 25 shots per game and bitching at his teammates the whole time.
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- vg777 - Oct 23, 2014 at 3:07 PM
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paul george was never going to be a laker, he was a restricted free agent and indy would have matched any offer.
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- bougin89 - Oct 23, 2014 at 4:02 PM
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This shows a clear lack of how free agency and more specifically restricted free agency works.
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- bball242322 - Oct 23, 2014 at 4:25 PM
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Paul G refuted the reports saying he didn’t want to play with Kobe…PG is far too young for anyone to say he won’t be winning any championships in the future. That’s purely your speculation and opinion….Have you not seen PG in the last yr? He’s ready for stardom and a team of his own. That’s why Coach K already said PG has a spot on the Olympic team before he’s even recovered, and he’s getting the recognition of all the elite players that’s he’s one of them (including LBJ, Durant, CP3, etc..)..You know some players actually value loyalty to one team throughout their entire career and don’t want to jump ship every chance they get
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- bucrightoff - Oct 23, 2014 at 12:48 PM
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The Lakers are nowhere close to winning their division title, let alone conference title, so thinking of winning an NBA title is delusional beyond delusional.
So the appeal of joining a non-contender that isn’t particularly close, all to play second fiddle to an aging broken down player whose selfishness and ego are over the top, is somewhere in the eating your own feces range. The Lakers made their choice to “reward” Kobe for what he’s done, and they can enjoy being able to attract no free agents and remain irrelevant for the next two years.
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- mauldawg - Oct 23, 2014 at 1:02 PM
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If anyone is a loser it is JB. Why would anyone want to play with Kobe. His ego is big enough for 10 players. Staying away from KB is a smart move by any player.
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- birdy5 - Oct 23, 2014 at 1:11 PM
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Lakers will come around. In 2 years? 3? 5? A decade? Who knows for certain.. but one thing’s for sure, it still is one of the biggest & most popular markets, even if the Clippers have a share. Players will still be atttracted to it, given optimal circumstances. Building their personal brands over there is more golden than the majority of other places.
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- neelymessier - Oct 23, 2014 at 1:19 PM
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They aren’t afraid. They don’t want to play for an organization with limited talent. They don’t view Kobe as the dominant player he once was, while Kobe still believes he is, and they wonder if a guy who has barely played for a while will ever play at a high level for a season plus playoffs. Marketing Kobe as the marquee the past few years has cost Buss many players, and they won’t have enough cap room to improve enough until Kobe’s retired.
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- mogogo1 - Oct 23, 2014 at 1:22 PM
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Paraphrasing this statement, anybody not already super-tight with Kobe needs to just sign with a different team. That’s not going to attract lots of free agents. Anybody who was on the fence would be scared off by this. Who would willingly go into any work environment hearing management publicly say they back a polarizing employee 100%?
I’m anything but a Kobe hater, but the guy isn’t perfect and he has a long history of conflicts with teammates. He’s the sort of guy a smart organization works with to try and avoid future problems. Instead, this sounds like the Lakers just want to kiss his behind until he retires.
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- lakerade - Oct 23, 2014 at 1:41 PM
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I like this circling of the wagons, way to go Jeannie! It’s easy to pick and prod when things aren’t as golden as even Laker haters are used to from this franchise, but good to know the FO is staying the course, if not yet visible in action (the next big draw) then at least still in mentality. Eventually the players will arrive and there will be a winning culture waiting for them because that’s how we do. Go Lakers!
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- vg777 - Oct 23, 2014 at 3:08 PM
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exactly, with close to 30 mil in cap space next year, reinforcements are coming!
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- vg777 - Oct 23, 2014 at 3:13 PM
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This whole article is stupid – the original one that is. Kobe is the hardest working player in the NBA, everyone knows that. It’s no secret that Lebron didnt win a title till he got a glimpse at kobe’s work ethic during team USA ball. Kobe is not the nicest person, but so what? This trait made him a 5-time NBA champion, not too shabby!
You know who the article should be written about – joe johnson and amare stoudemire, who are in the top 3 of NBA’s highest salaried players, and have 0 rings – lets write about their work ethic, not willingness to take paycuts, etc…. Those guys are bums, but the story about them woudln’t sell/get viewership – that’s the difference! (that and 5 rings and a heck of a lot more accolodates beyond that!).
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- asimonetti88 - Oct 23, 2014 at 3:53 PM
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Dan Patrick was making fun of the Henry Abbott article the last two days. He said some of the same things as you. “The article says Kobe is a cancer. If I’m a fan of another team than the Lakers, I’m wishing my franchise had that cancer the last 20 years.” Considering that DP is East-Coast based and hasn’t necessarily been a huge Kobe supporter, I found that interesting.
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- toycannoni - Oct 23, 2014 at 4:01 PM
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damn….you laker fans are hilarious
the lakers are the raiders of the nba and nothing will change that anytime soon
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- 00maltliquor - Oct 24, 2014 at 8:53 AM
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Go Lakers! Go Raiders!
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- bballhistorian - Oct 23, 2014 at 2:11 PM
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I havent commented in forever on here (although i read these everyday). But here’s my 2pennies on this:
People compare Kobe to MJ. And rightfully so. And even Stevie Wonder knows that Kobe takes alot of his on & off court demeanor/style from MJ. Nothing wrong with learning from the very best.
So as a result, Kobe (like MJ) will not be a 2nd fiddle to a Championship ring…ever! It’s not even in his blood, its not even in his DNA. The sad reality, is that unlike MJ’s last rings with the Bulls when he was in his mid-30s, Kobe isn’t an elite talent to LEAD a team to a ring anymore. In addition, people say a free-agent wouldve joined him if he took less money. This, in my opinion, is NOT TRUE! His personality turns ppl off, and his well documented beefs with all-stars/role players he’s played with lead him to lay in the bed that he made. Also…
There are 5 crucial things that happened to (or around) Kobe that put him in the situation he’s in today:
1. Phil Jackson leaving in 2011 – (Kobe, like MJ, only won with him…Kobe shouldve joined Jackson/Fisher with the Knicks if he wants that ring. He and Carmelo are even close friends).
2. Trading Derek Fisher for Ramon Sessions – (why trade the only guy Kobe trusted, who also related to the guys well? Kobe won ALL 5 RINGS with Fisher…and Ramon Sessions left to the sorry Bobcats after his time in LA was done)
3. The CP3 veto – (was the nba wrong for what they did? Yes! But the lakers timing was also very wrong…a major lockout JUST ended, a lockout that was partially geared towards discouraging teams of colluding like LeBron/Wade/Bosh, and you try to do a collusion deal immediatlely afterwards?? Very bad timing. If that cp3 deal went through, it wouldve literally underminded the millions the NBA lost during the lockout that caused the next season only to have 66 games, so the NBA had to do what the NBA had to do. If the Lakers only waited until mid-season to do that trade, I promise you CP3 would be a Laker today).
4. LeBron winning rings…and the STYLE he won it in – (LeBron is all about sharing…being efficient…making the most out of other players who also get millions to play in the NBA. People said FOR YEARS his style would not work at all (i was one of them)…that Kobe/MJ style of demanding the ball and shooting in triple teams was the winning style. Then LeBron joins 2 other all stars IN THEIR PRIME and somehow makes it all work together, and as a result wins rings. That basically killed the notion of the “hero-Kobe/MJ ball” as winning basketball…a trait that Kobe suffers from till this day.)
5. Dwight leaving LA – (say what you want about him, his desire, his playfulness, etc…but for a grown man to LEAVE 30 FREAKIN MILLION dollars on the table mostly because of one guy…speaks volumes. If I was an NBA player, that wouldve spoken to me also).
So there you have it. And one more thing—-
— Stop saying Kobe LEAD his team to 5 rings. That’s misleading information! He does have 5 rings…but he LEAD his team to only 2 of them (the same number LeBron lead his team). Shaq lead his team to 3 of them. (and please dont ask — soo how many rings would shaq have without kobe? that’s like asking how many rings MJ wouldve won without Pippen). Pippen has 6 rings (and had as much impact on half of them as Kobe had when he won them with Shaq —- think about that!). In summary: Kobe has 5 rings. Jordan LEAD his team to 6 of them.
#My2pennies #imdone
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- Kurt Helin - Oct 23, 2014 at 4:41 PM
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For the record, David Stern acted as the defacto owner of New Orleans in vetoing the CP3 trade, not as commissioner, and owners do veto trades all the time. The league will argue they did much better for the Hornets/Pelicans with the next trade. You and I both know he killed the trade because other owners complained, but he was within his rights.
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- cruzan80 - Oct 23, 2014 at 7:22 PM
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Well said sir….agreed with everything you said.
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- 00maltliquor - Oct 24, 2014 at 8:59 AM
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**bballhistorian drops the mic, walks off like a boss**
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- truehooper1421 - Oct 24, 2014 at 11:41 AM
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Accept Kobe/MJ didn’t play hero ball. They were leaders of great teams. It is alos to have two heads leading the ship in the case of Kobe and Shaq. But Kobe was just as much a part of those teams winning as Shaq was so to discredit his championships is dumb to me.
Leadership and playing styles differ. Kobe played with Bigs. He was the only perimeter player on his teams that could create shots. Kobe’s PGs were spot up shooters. Same with Jordan. Jordan had pippen but he was more of a defensive/do it all guy, not a scorer although he could. LeBron is a better passer than both, and both are better scorers than LeBron so naturally, they look to score more and LeBron looks to pass more.
What makes one way of leading/playing better than the other? Nothing, other than father time. In 10 years, people will be talkin this same ish about LeBron when the next phenom takes over.
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- conradtwin1 - Oct 24, 2014 at 10:32 AM
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Well said BBall I would say Kobe isn’t top 5 player of all time probably barely a top 10 player of all time. Jordan made everyone around him better from Scottie Pippen to Steve Kerr to Kukoc. Kobe needed Shaq to win 3 titles and later Gasol he has shown he can’t lead a team like MJ did. Hey Kobe why not take less $$ for two years since the Lakers have overpaid you for 10 years and try to get better players around you and stop being all about Kobe!! Jeannie Buss should shut up and just ride off into the sunset with Chief Triangle and go live in Montana and get out of baskeball since she doesnt know anything about it!
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- disappointedfan - Oct 24, 2014 at 5:10 PM
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Definitely agree with most of what you said sir and it almost feels like an extension of what I was saying plus included what I was asking Feldman and Abbott to do first before piling on.
You didn’t mention that Kobe’s problems with Shaq wasn’t his play per se, it was Shaq’s unwillingness to 1) show up to camp in shape, 2) get surgery for various foot and other ailments in the offseason when he was supposed to, he did it on “company time” 3) take a little less money to keep the team going past the Malone/Payton year of 2004. Shaq famously shouted to Jerry Buss on the sidelines after a huge preseason dunk in their last Hawaii year “Eff-ing Pay me”, when he was in his monstrous extension years. Kobe’s standards for basketball were way above Shaq’s in 2004.
And even though Shaq won the Final MVP trophies, Kobe was a huge factor in helping lead those teams to Finals wins. Sorry but Shaq didn’t LEAD the team as much as you’re leading on.
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- uffdatx - Oct 23, 2014 at 3:46 PM
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Jeanie Buss may believe that Kobe is good for the brand, but I do not. I grew up a Laker fan in Southern California. I remember as an 11 year-old playing basketball on the Forum court during halftime of a Laker game with my Boy’s Club group from La Habra. I enjoyed watching Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, Gail Goodrich, Wilt Chamberlin, etc. Kobe is not in the same class as those all-stars. He may have the talent, but he doesn’t have the Laker Class those greats had and never will.
Of course, the reality is it is Jeanie’s money, and she can spend it as she pleases, but until Kobe retires, I will root for the Lakers to miss the playoffs each year.
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- bballhistorian - Oct 23, 2014 at 4:02 PM
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In short….Kobe’s laying in the bed he set.
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- chargerdillon - Oct 23, 2014 at 4:20 PM
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At this point the only people who get to hate Kobe are Lakers fans. He’s holding our team hostage, the rest of you should appreciate having him around while the Lakers tailspin to the bottom of the league
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- bballhistorian - Oct 23, 2014 at 4:21 PM
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(last comment)
Kobe has an old-school mentality….to “beat the best”.
Today’s NBA is the ‘LeBron’ mentality….to “join the best”.
Rather if Kobe wants to adopt to today’s mentality is his choice, but the old school mentality is not going win him anything anytime soon.
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- florida727 - Oct 23, 2014 at 4:28 PM
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She has to say those things… it’s her team. Kobe isn’t too old to win another championship. Kobe is too old for the injuries he’s sustained to win another championship. She’s just trying to justify all the money they have no choice but to pay him. At this point in his career, he’s grossly overpaid for what he’s able to contribute. Even as good as he still is.
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- billleesbrain - Oct 23, 2014 at 4:44 PM
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I think you got it backwards, Jeannie….Since the lakers will not make the playoffs this season, any superstar that chooses to play with Kobe WILL be a loser.
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- tashkalucy - Oct 23, 2014 at 6:22 PM
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I can’t believe this beating up on Kobe is going on.
This man is one of the great NBA payers of the last 30 years. Yes, he a shell of what he was in his prime. He’s probably not even an All-Star anymore.
So?
Derek Jeter was knocked by the national media his last year as well. These media people grew up playing fantasy sports and seem to think that the superstars should continue to play at that level till the day they retire. Well, Oscar didn’t. Walt didn’t. Neither did the Pearl. Hondo. Magic and Bird. In baseball Mickey din’t. Willie was diving for a fly ball in the post-season that he used to put in his back pocket.
So?
Great competitors remain that way even after their body can’t do the things it used to do. The American sporting public used to understand that and they treated the great ones with class. The current media think they’re bigger then the sports, as they want their multi-millions dollar paydays. They don’t respect the games. Don’t respect the players. Don’t have the perspective to understand sports history. It’s all about them.
As for me – I no longer listen to sports talk radio or the sports news on TV. Thanks to league subscription packages I watch a lot of games. The local announcers understand their teams and concentrate on what goes on on the floor and field. The Collin Cowheard’s and Abbot’s of the world are not worthy of shining the statues of the Chick Hern’s and the Jim Murray’s.
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- urodaddy07 - Oct 23, 2014 at 9:37 PM
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Thank you!
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- limonadamas - Oct 23, 2014 at 9:40 PM
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Hear hear!!! Totally agree…
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- 00maltliquor - Oct 24, 2014 at 9:08 AM
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Take a bow, sir
👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
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- campcouch - Oct 23, 2014 at 7:27 PM
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Dan Gilbert had an epic rant. Told a tale about winning a title too. Four years later with hat in hand, he sliced off the first piece of northern Ohio crow and consumed it. Be careful ma’am of rage induced comments. Players read and heed things like this. I’m sure those losers would be more than happy to oblige the Lakers with career games in your honor.
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- urodaddy07 - Oct 23, 2014 at 9:34 PM
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I find the trashing of Kobe distasteful. I have no problem criticizing Kobe, but the recent articles seem a bit more than just critique.It seems like a deliberate attack. I will be the first to admit that his personality is less than endearing. But i do believe this onslaught is undeserved. This guy has achieved a lot in this sport. To say he cost LA rings is speculation. Very few 2 guards have averaged 5 APG, so I’m not sure why everyone insists he doesn’t pass. And apart from Smush, I really don’t hear a lot of former teammates bashing him. Could he have passed the ball more and taken better shots? Sure. But I just think that for the media to launch this attack on someone who has done as much ah he has for the sport is disrespectful both to Kobe and to the game.
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- tipstopten - Oct 24, 2014 at 12:19 PM
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Remember she lives in California, no telling what she has bee smoking. Just stick a fork in Kobe he is done.
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- jimsjam33 - Oct 24, 2014 at 12:32 PM
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It’s over Kobe ! Get yourself a broadcasting job and dream of the past .
