With all of the information Shaq is throwing to the media, do you think anyone even wants to play with Kobe? Do you think Kobe really got Phil Jackson fired? Maybe its just all about the money and Kobe wants to be the highest paid laker...and so does Shaq. I think shaq is right on when he says the team is poisoned. I mean even D Fish is leaving...I just couldn't beleive that.
Look, as far as I know, and I dont usually like to get into this behind the scenes stuff, but Kobe seems like an A-hole. I do think Kobe got Phil fired in the sense that the Lakers organization wanted to cater to him so he would stay, so they fired him. It would be pretty ridiculous if it was the case that Kobe wanted to be the highest payed Laker, but it's obvious hes really into the money. BUT, I don't think this will affect team's shopping of him at all. Who knows what Kobe will be like on another team, its hard to imagine. I dont think Kobe and Shaq can continue to exist togther, or else they will be ruining each other career, I hope they arent playing togther next year for their sakes.
It's not about money. Kobe and Shaq both have loads of it, and neither of them know what to do with it all. Kobe is getting offered pretty much whatever he wants in LA...but Phoenix was about to give him nearly just as much until they picked up Nash. Same with the rest of the teams. Kobe is out to prove people wrong. Everyone attacks his persona and his role on the team, and now he's got an open weakness with the trial going on now. People tend to attack his personal life, then put all the blame on his shoulders for the loss vs. Detroit, which is fine...but without Kobe, the Lakers wouldn't have made it past Houston in the first round. Kobe's success is always put on hold when it comes to Phil and Shaq...the "most dominant player" isn't as dominant as everyone thinks, and he's getting old. Kobe realizes that as long as he's with Shaq and Phil, they are getting rings too...and sooner or later, Shaq will be tagging on for the ride. Right now, he's still working...not as good as he was three years ago, but he's still unstoppable in the paint. In two years, he'll be like Olajuwon was with the Raptors...nothing...just a waste of cap money. I would just love for Kobe to go to a sorry team and take them to a title...then I'd be on the forums 24/7 to hear a few of these jealous guys on here go, "Man, Elton Brand carried that team to a title!" It'll be something to remember...
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting KG-MVP:</div><div class="quote_post">but it's obvious hes really into the money.</div> Kobe has been called selfish for years now, but since when is he greedy? I'm not defending him because he's my favorite player, I never do that even for him. But to say he's all about the money is rediculous. He has never complained about his contract or said he wants to be paid the most. He also settled for a few endoursements that he probably could have gotten more out of, and even lost millions to Adidas for opting out of his contract because he isn't happy. So, what makes you think he's "really into the money"?
MJ got Doug fired. MJ did whatever the heck he wanted to cause the team was his. When they were constantly losing in the playoffs, MJ got bashed. Instead of quitting like players such as T-Mac, A.I etc. He prove the haters/critics wrong. It'll just be a matter of time when Kobe proves his critic/haters wrong.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting JLee348:</div><div class="quote_post">MJ got Doug fired. MJ did whatever the heck he wanted to cause the team was his. When they were constantly losing in the playoffs, MJ got bashed. Instead of quitting like players such as T-Mac, A.I etc. He prove the haters/critics wrong. It'll just be a matter of time when Kobe proves his critic/haters wrong.</div> MJ caught the heat for that,because him & DC went back an forth over MJ shot selection at times but it was basically a total Bulls organization thing. It was clear that after losing to the Pistons in the East semi in 88' and then again losing to the Pistons in the East finals in 89', that Collins concepts were not going to get them over the hump vs the Pistons. Everyone knew the Bulls needed to make the coaching to get over to the Next step. But tothe topic question do players want to play with Kobe? I dont know but I know if Kobe is on the Lakers they would still come play with him because its to much history & tradition not to want to play for the Lakers anytime the opportunity came up imo. But if he played for the Clippers only time wuld tell if other top players want to come play alongside Kobe.
D-Fish leaving the Lakers has nothing to do with Kobe, he just feels he can and should be paid more than $3 mil, and with Payton staying it seems unilely he'll be a starter, which he wants to be. Kobe is a great player but he isn't the most sociable person. Out of millions of people, there are some who're bound to be aloof, Kobe I think is just one of them. But I don't think people should judge him as a bad person based on this. I believe with age, maturity, and (if acquitted) a smooth family marriage with Vanessa and his child, Kobe can learn to grow as a more sociable person, it takes time. If I were his teammate, I probably wouldn't be looking around for him to chill out at bars or pubs after work, but this doesn't suggest I shouldn't respect him. If he is the team captain, works and plays hard, leads, comes to work every day, be a professional on the court, I think I can respect him enough from that standpoint to play alongside him.
MJ's/Kobe's competitive fire is a double-edged sword...they'll do whatever it takes to win. Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't MJ punch out Steve Kerr in practice once? And Kobe, he socked Samaki Walker once as well. Basically what it comes down to is winning -- when they win, its their competitive spirit that did it and life is grand...when they lose, its because they tried too much and then they get murdered with ridicule and criticism.
Denial. Kobe is and will always be a selfish player. <div class="quote_poster">Quoting realdealbneal:</div><div class="quote_post">It's not about money. Kobe and Shaq both have loads of it, and neither of them know what to do with it all. Kobe is getting offered pretty much whatever he wants in LA...but Phoenix was about to give him nearly just as much until they picked up Nash. Same with the rest of the teams. Kobe is out to prove people wrong. Everyone attacks his persona and his role on the team, and now he's got an open weakness with the trial going on now. People tend to attack his personal life, then put all the blame on his shoulders for the loss vs. Detroit, which is fine...but without Kobe, the Lakers wouldn't have made it past Houston in the first round. Kobe's success is always put on hold when it comes to Phil and Shaq...the "most dominant player" isn't as dominant as everyone thinks, and he's getting old. Kobe realizes that as long as he's with Shaq and Phil, they are getting rings too...and sooner or later, Shaq will be tagging on for the ride. Right now, he's still working...not as good as he was three years ago, but he's still unstoppable in the paint. In two years, he'll be like Olajuwon was with the Raptors...nothing...just a waste of cap money. I would just love for Kobe to go to a sorry team and take them to a title...then I'd be on the forums 24/7 to hear a few of these jealous guys on here go, "Man, Elton Brand carried that team to a title!" It'll be something to remember...</div>
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting PupMelo:</div><div class="quote_post">D-Fish leaving the Lakers has nothing to do with Kobe, he just feels he can and should be paid more than $3 mil, and with Payton staying it seems unilely he'll be a starter, which he wants to be. Kobe is a great player but he isn't the most sociable person. Out of millions of people, there are some who're bound to be aloof, Kobe I think is just one of them. But I don't think people should judge him as a bad person based on this. I believe with age, maturity, and (if acquitted) a smooth family marriage with Vanessa and his child, Kobe can learn to grow as a more sociable person, it takes time. If I were his teammate, I probably wouldn't be looking around for him to chill out at bars or pubs after work, but this doesn't suggest I shouldn't respect him. If he is the team captain, works and plays hard, leads, comes to work every day, be a professional on the court, I think I can respect him enough from that standpoint to play alongside him.</div> I think that where Shaq goes, there should be a Fisher.
Ok, this is a kind of confusing thread. It goes from Shaq blurting out stuff about Kobe to the media, to Kobe is in it for the money, to Kobe isn't and has never been in it for the money, to MJ got DC fired, so, yea, kind of a confusing thread. So, I'll actually respond to the actual question. I do believe that Kobe is still a respected player. People say he got Phil fired, I don't think so. Phil wasn't even sure that he was going to come back, he said he was like, 99% positive he wasn't coaching there next year. So, I don't think Kobe got Phil fired because of that. I think that other players do respect him and would want to play alongside of him. But, it's just a matter of the Lakers management bringing them in and what not. You can't just throw a team together like they did last year. People will play along with Kobe, you just need to find the right people to do so. It's like I said, you can't just throw in another superstar and expect it to work instantly. But, it is possible to get Kobe to play alongside someone else. Umm, if this post doesn't make sense to anyone else but me, I'm sorry. I'm kind of confused typing this because this thread just totally confused me because it went to all sorts of different topics.
kobe is hands down the best player in the league and he is my favorite player i respect the man alot BUT the way he is basically forcin the lakers to do wat he says is ridculous he is makin himself look like a jackass and remember when he was a rookie and all those ppl gave him that sterotype that he was self absorbed well thats what he looks like right now he should wake up and play basketball thats all he needs to worry bout matter of fact he has to worry bout not goin to jail for the rest of his life i love kobe but damn kobe needs to shut his mouth
kobe isnt the best player in the league... he is overrated like a motherfuker... i dont know why was he all nba team, just look Tmac's stats and kobes stats for 03-04 season, who put better numbers ? if Tmac had Shaq, payton, malone like kobe magic would have won more than 56 games. i dont even know why do people compare him to MJ, he is not even close to MJ...
How did Kobe get Phil "fired" when Phil left by his own will? "if Tmac had Shaq, payton, malone like kobe magic would have won more than 56 games." No, if T-Mac had Shaq, Kobe would average 33+ppg and Shaq would kill T-Mac by the end of the season because he'd be fed up with T-Mac lazyness.
T-Mac quit on his team. T-Mac got Doc Rivers fired. Yet does he deserve any respect? Just about every organization in the L probably called Kobe. I'm sure they wouldn't call up a player if they didn't have any respect for him. Everyone I'm sure respects Kobe because of his work ethic and love for the game. If anyone doesn't respect him and his love of the game, then they're straightout ignorant.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Player4Ever:</div><div class="quote_post">kobe isnt the best player in the league... he is overrated like a motherfuker... i dont know why was he all nba team, just look Tmac's stats and kobes stats for 03-04 season, who put better numbers ? if Tmac had Shaq, payton, malone like kobe magic would have won more than 56 games. i dont even know why do people compare him to MJ, he is not even close to MJ...</div> Although as of right now I think Kobe is a jackass, he is still my 2nd fav player. I am just going to elaborate on your comment stating "if Tmac had Shaq, payton, malone like kobe magic would have won more than 56 games," The main reason they only won 56 games isn't because of Kobe. It is because Malone was out most the season, Kobe missed considerable time with a shoulder injury, Shaq missed time with a calf strain on two seperate occations. The only HOFer that played the whole season was Glove. This team wasn't given enough time to get used to each other as a whole healthy unit. It is unfair to compare Kobe and T Macs stats last year. T Mac did not have anyone to take pressure of him, he was the main focus of the offense. Kobe had 3 HOFers to share the ball with in LA. I know that Kobe is a better player than T Mac. Kobe is the best player in the L as of now. My point is that having T Mac wouldn't have helped the Lakers win any more games then they did. Injuries held this team from greatness.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting TheGeneral:</div><div class="quote_post"> It is unfair to compare Kobe and T Macs stats last year. T Mac did not have anyone to take pressure of him, he was the main focus of the offense. Kobe had 3 HOFers to share the ball with in LA. I know that Kobe is a better player than T Mac. Kobe is the best player in the L as of now. </div> tmac was the main focus and put up more points, just as many assists, and just as many rebounds as kobe being the focal point of the offense, whereas kobe had 3 hall of famers, but kobe is the better player? i'm not going to say who is better than who, but to say straight out kobe is better is absurd, and to say he is the best player is even more ridiculous. 95% of the GMs in the league would probably build their franchise around duncan or KG to win a championship before they even considered kobe, and the other 5% would be franchises just looking to make money and draft whoever is the most popular.
i hate when people compare kobe to jordan he is no were on jordans level. he mite be the best now but you cant compare him to jordan in his prime. anyway i think that any player who gets jackson fired (yes i think he did) and makes shaq want to leave HIS(as in shaq's team) deserves no respect. shaq led the team to those 3 championhips. remember the 02'03 season when shaq was out and kobe led the lakers to a horrible record and when shaq came back they got on the winning streak kobe was always the 2nd man on the team
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Player4Ever:</div><div class="quote_post">kobe isnt the best player in the league... he is overrated like a motherfuker... i dont know why was he all nba team, just look Tmac's stats and kobes stats for 03-04 season, who put better numbers ? if Tmac had Shaq, payton, malone like kobe magic would have won more than 56 games. i dont even know why do people compare him to MJ, he is not even close to MJ...</div> Kobe is far from overrated. He puts up good numbers practically every night. And why did he get All NBA First team, because he's the best player at that position. Period. TMac may have had a good season statistically, but, that's all. His team won 21 games. His head coach got fired. He missed a ton of games. For Kobe, his team won 56 games, and, if you're good with math, that's 35 more games than TMacs Magic squad won. And, to go even further with the math thing, his Lakers more than doubled the Magics win total and they had more wins by the 30 game mark than what the Magic would have at the end of the season. What else, oh yes, his team got the 2 seed in the West while the Magic got the first.....first pick in the draft lottery that is. So, maybe this is why Kobe got first team. That and his stats back it all up. Kobe is better than TMac, hands down. And why do people compare him to Jordan? Because, quite frankly, he's the closest person that there is to Jordan in the league now. He's not Jordan, but he's as closer than anyone else is.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting thedude9990:</div><div class="quote_post">i hate when people compare kobe to jordan he is no were on jordans level. he mite be the best now but you cant compare him to jordan in his prime. anyway i think that any player who gets jackson fired (yes i think he did) and makes shaq want to leave HIS(as in shaq's team) deserves no respect. shaq led the team to those 3 championhips. remember the 02'03 season when shaq was out and kobe led the lakers to a horrible record and when shaq came back they got on the winning streak kobe was always the 2nd man on the team</div> man, your memory must be fuzzy...in 02-03 when Shaq came back, they were still losing like crazy...It was only a couple of weeks before the all-star break did they start winning, and that was largely due to the role players stepping up a bit...(if u recall, early in the season when shaq was out, Kobe criticized the role players for missing shots, and when Shaq came back and they were still losing, Shaq also criticized the role players for missing shots) IN addition, lets talk about 03-04 when Kobe was out and the Shaq led Lakers played sub-.500 ball capped by a lost to the hawks...when Shaq was out, Kobe led them to a .720 + record... Yet all this makes no difference now. It's all relative because both players are obvious franchise players. What matters is what will happen next season...Kobe AND Shaq have something to prove to everyone....
