E Town
05-30-2007, 10:33 PM
Kobe Bryant is a punk.
There are plenty of other ways to describe him. He's a cancer, a whining brat and an egotistical prima donna. After going on his nationwide media tour Wednesday, where he made John Kerry look like a straight shooter, it's time for the Lakers to cut the umbilical cord with their star talent. There's no doubt Kobe is the most talented player in the NBA, but if a draft was held today with all active players eligible, he wouldn't even be in my top-10. Why? Because he doesn't make players around him better, a trait that all the great players possess. Michael Jordan. Magic Johnson. John Stockton. Hakeem Olajuwon. They all elevated their respective supporting casts.
I'll take LeBron James, Steve Nash, Tim Duncan, Dirk Nowitzki, Yao Ming, Dwayne Wade, Shaquille O'Neal, Deron Williams, Tony Parker and Baron Davis to start a team before Kobe. Everyone talks about Kobe's killer instinct, but sometimes he kills his own team. How many times has he sabotaged a game or playoff series during his career? Look at the last two Lakers-Suns playoff series. Last year in Game 7, Kobe took two shots in the fourth quarter. Two. He flat-out quit. That's right, Q-U-I-T. Of course, in the days leading up to Game 7, Kobe was roundly lambasted for being a ballhog — which he was. But instead of shaking it off, Kobe decided he was going to make a statement. And he did the worst thing an athlete could do.
Unfortunately, it was another in a long line of idiotic decisions Kobe has made during his underachieving career. And don't get me started on his off the court behavior. The time Kobe sold out Shaq after he was accused of rape? Bush league. Then he runs Shaq out of town because he wanted to be The Man, and now he's complaining because he realizes he can't get it done without the Big Aristotle. You never hear teammates talk about Kobe in reverential terms, or other star players wanting to come to L.A. to play with him.
It's no coincidence.
There are plenty of other ways to describe him. He's a cancer, a whining brat and an egotistical prima donna. After going on his nationwide media tour Wednesday, where he made John Kerry look like a straight shooter, it's time for the Lakers to cut the umbilical cord with their star talent. There's no doubt Kobe is the most talented player in the NBA, but if a draft was held today with all active players eligible, he wouldn't even be in my top-10. Why? Because he doesn't make players around him better, a trait that all the great players possess. Michael Jordan. Magic Johnson. John Stockton. Hakeem Olajuwon. They all elevated their respective supporting casts.
I'll take LeBron James, Steve Nash, Tim Duncan, Dirk Nowitzki, Yao Ming, Dwayne Wade, Shaquille O'Neal, Deron Williams, Tony Parker and Baron Davis to start a team before Kobe. Everyone talks about Kobe's killer instinct, but sometimes he kills his own team. How many times has he sabotaged a game or playoff series during his career? Look at the last two Lakers-Suns playoff series. Last year in Game 7, Kobe took two shots in the fourth quarter. Two. He flat-out quit. That's right, Q-U-I-T. Of course, in the days leading up to Game 7, Kobe was roundly lambasted for being a ballhog — which he was. But instead of shaking it off, Kobe decided he was going to make a statement. And he did the worst thing an athlete could do.
Unfortunately, it was another in a long line of idiotic decisions Kobe has made during his underachieving career. And don't get me started on his off the court behavior. The time Kobe sold out Shaq after he was accused of rape? Bush league. Then he runs Shaq out of town because he wanted to be The Man, and now he's complaining because he realizes he can't get it done without the Big Aristotle. You never hear teammates talk about Kobe in reverential terms, or other star players wanting to come to L.A. to play with him.
It's no coincidence.