He's a very dramatic guy. A lot has happened to him over the years and he's kept his mouth shut about for a while. Yesterday everything just came out.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (PrimeTime @ May 31 2007, 02:43 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>What made him demand a trade? The Pacers organization and fans booing him and not valueing his talent. Yeah he started the brawl with the Pistons, but I also saw Jermaine O'neal slide across the court to deliver one of the fiercest punches to a fan I've ever seen. Ron Artest going into last season wanted to forget the past but the Pacers wouldnt which led to him demanding a trade. If I were him I would have demanded a trade also.</div> Are you seriously siding with Ron Artest in this argument? Honestly, the guys actions brought down their entire season, the guy was a loose cannon with maturity issues, the fans got sick of him and booed his ass rightfully so, the Pacers had to deal him and get something for that moron.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (BrewCityBuck @ May 31 2007, 04:11 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Are you seriously siding with Ron Artest in this argument? Honestly, the guys actions brought down their entire season, the guy was a loose cannon with maturity issues, the fans got sick of him and booed his ass rightfully so, the Pacers had to deal him and get something for that moron.</div>He started that one incident but the ENTIRE pacers team fought not just him. So its unfair to blame it all on him. He's a good guy to have on your team, he'll play his ass off for you and shut down any player while scoring near 20 a game. Yes I side with Artest, once a bull always a bull. and not to mention he's a hell of a player. So was booing him and treating him like sh*t worth having to rebuilda team that was heading for a championship? id say no. After the Brawl he hadnt done anything deserving of booing but try to continue playing until he was forced to demand a trade. Artest isnt a bad guy he just had one bad moment and itd be a shame if a talent that great gets defined by that one bad moment.
I don't get why people are so confused about Kobe's statements yesterday. Basically he WAMTS to stay in LA and WANTS things to work out, but based on what manangement has said and shown in the past, it just isn't a reality and he is trade-bound. At least that's what I got from it...
Kobe Bryant suffers from symptoms common to those of someone with a long history of sexual abuse. Perhaps Shaq leaving left him feeling... empty inside.
You see, when he was insinuating wanted to be traded no-one on the lakers talked to him. He has been left out on the cold. But when he said flat out he wants out, you see magic and jerry buss scarmbling to talk to him. Thats what I understood from it.Or it could mean, he is bi-polar.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (BrewCityBuck @ May 31 2007, 08:24 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I also find it pretty wierd that he's still obsessing over the whole Shaq situation, it's been 3 years and yesterday he went on and on talking about it...I think it's funny how Shaq's completely over it and Kobe's still dwelling on it.</div>You think he brought it up for nothing? Someone very inside the Lakers organization stated to the LA Times that it was 100% Kobe's fault that Shaq was traded. For Kobe, who was already ticked off at management, that was the last straw. Shaq came on the air and back Kobe up saying he is on Kobe's side "thousand percent."
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (CelticBalla32 @ May 31 2007, 08:17 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Kobe strikes again. He now told to LA time last night that he still does want to be traded:http://www.realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives...s_he_wants_out/</div>He never really backed off the trade. Media took his words out of context. He was saying he loves the Lakers and wants to remain a Laker but the management has ticked him off enough to demand a trade.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (PrimeTime @ May 31 2007, 03:28 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>He started that one incident but the ENTIRE pacers team fought not just him. So its unfair to blame it all on him. He's a good guy to have on your team, he'll play his ass off for you and shut down any player while scoring near 20 a game. Yes I side with Artest, once a bull always a bull. and not to mention he's a hell of a player. So was booing him and treating him like sh*t worth having to rebuilda team that was heading for a championship? id say no. After the Brawl he hadnt done anything deserving of booing but try to continue playing until he was forced to demand a trade. Artest isnt a bad guy he just had one bad moment and itd be a shame if a talent that great gets defined by that one bad moment.</div> The entire Pacers team faught because Ron Artest decided to run up into the stands, his teammates had no choice but to go up there and help defend him. Ron Artest's stupid decision cost that team it's entire season. Don't you thinks fans are justified in booing Ron Artest after what he did that season? Why don't you get that? If my star player (and the known nutcase) decided to run into the stands and ruin my season, I would be pissed as well. We all know Ron Artest is a hell of a player, thats not the issue. Ron Artest has been a dink his entire career, he's unpredictable, immature. And you act like Ron Artest is some victim? Jermaine O'Neal and Larry Bird both said they felt betrayed when Artest wanted out. Now he wants out of Sacramento. Why would any team want to invest it's future in this nutbag?
<span style="font-family:Century Gothic">I caught the "important" part of the interview with Stephen A. Smith on ESPN yesterday. I was somewhat in disbelief. Then it was announced that Kobe spoke to Phil Jackson and decided that he doesn't want to be traded and said that "the Lakers are my team."It's all good. The Lakers' management needed to be put on blast anyway. They made false promises about supporting Kobe, but told Phil that they're real ambition was to run the team for a future superb team.</span>
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (BrewCityBuck @ May 31 2007, 06:48 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>The entire Pacers team faught because Ron Artest decided to run up into the stands, his teammates had no choice but to go up there and help defend him. Ron Artest's stupid decision cost that team it's entire season. Don't you thinks fans are justified in booing Ron Artest after what he did that season? Why don't you get that? If my star player (and the known nutcase) decided to run into the stands and ruin my season, I would be pissed as well. We all know Ron Artest is a hell of a player, thats not the issue. Ron Artest has been a dink his entire career, he's unpredictable, immature. And you act like Ron Artest is some victim? Jermaine O'Neal and Larry Bird both said they felt betrayed when Artest wanted out. Now he wants out of Sacramento. Why would any team want to invest it's future in this nutbag?</div>Again no one forced Jermaine O'neal to start randomly punching people. If anything wouldnt they try to restrain artest instead of going around fighting fans? And in the scenario he was in with the pacers at the end he was a victim. He had already been suspended a year for his actions and learned his lesson, he was just trying to comeback and help the pacers win a title. In return they boo him and basically run him out of town and in return their entire team has fallen apart. Stay loyal to your players. rule number one. Artest has played well for Sacramento and hasnt had any problems, he took them to the playoffs but now wants to look for another job. Since the brawl with the Pistons he hasnt done anything wrong. You cant keep blaming him for something that happened 2 years ago forever can you?
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (PrimeTime @ May 31 2007, 06:02 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Again no one forced Jermaine O'neal to start randomly punching people. If anything wouldnt they try to restrain artest instead of going around fighting fans? And in the scenario he was in with the pacers at the end he was a victim. He had already been suspended a year for his actions and learned his lesson, he was just trying to comeback and help the pacers win a title. In return they boo him and basically run him out of town and in return their entire team has fallen apart. Stay loyal to your players. rule number one. Artest has played well for Sacramento and hasnt had any problems, he took them to the playoffs but now wants to look for another job. Since the brawl with the Pistons he hasnt done anything wrong. You cant keep blaming him for something that happened 2 years ago forever can you?</div> You think that the Pacers fans should have been loyal to Ron Artest after what happened the season before? Are you kidding me? He threw their whole season down the drain and you expect those loyal ticket buying fans to just brush it off their shoulders and cheer for him? Are you kidding me? "Stop booing him! He's a great player and we must be loyal to him!" Now for whatever reason he wants to screw Sacramento and leave. What a great guy. "Stay loyal to your players" while Artest decides to dishonors their contract and ask to be traded.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (BrewCityBuck @ May 31 2007, 07:07 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>You think that the Pacers fans should have been loyal to Ron Artest after what happened the season before? Are you kidding me? He threw their whole season down the drain and you expect those loyal ticket buying fans to just brush it off their shoulders and cheer for him? Are you kidding me? How for whatever reason he wants to screw Sacramento and leave. What a great guy.</div>You keep saying HE threw the season away. everyone fought, everyone threw their season away. You still havent explained to me why the Pacers instead of trying to restrain Artest went around punching fans.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (PrimeTime @ May 31 2007, 06:09 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>You keep saying HE threw the season away. everyone fought, everyone threw their season away. You still havent explained to me why the Pacers instead of trying to restrain Artest went around punching fans.</div> He did, you can't expect a bunch of ghetto NBA players to not go in the stands and get in on the action. And I edited my above post.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (BrewCityBuck @ May 31 2007, 07:11 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>He did, you can't expect a bunch of ghetto NBA players to not go in the stands and get in on the action. And I edited my above post.</div>That was their choice and that proves my point exactly. Whatever the Pacers did to ruin their season they did as a team. You cant just point a finger at one guy when everyone is fighting. JO is just as responsible as Artest was for their ruined season, yet Artest took all the blame. If I was a pacers fan I would have tried to forgive and forget and look forward to a championship run. Instead they are looking at a soon to be playoff drought. Good job pacers fans! :beee:It all worked out good for us bulls fans though, that means one less elite team in our division.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Rok @ May 31 2007, 02:50 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>You and Kobe need to realize, one team comes out as a winner. It's ridiculous to hear the same fans want Kobe, KG, AI, Kidd, so on to win a title or go to a team that will win. The last statement wasn't particularly at you Young but it comes up in every topic regarding a star player not in a winning situation.</div>I think there has to be a statue of limitations for a super-star player waiting for management to build the right team around him to give him the opportunity to win a title.if you've been with the same team 8-10 years and they keep spinning their wheels in the mud, first round flame outs, bad draft picks, rotating coaches etc (cough-twolves-cough) then yeah a star player should be ticked off and go to management to ask for a trade.If management ignores him after several discussions/request, THEN they should make it public.One star player, no matter how freaking good they are cannot win with mediocre talent (although if stern keeps expanding the NBA it may soon be possible) So if the GM can't put together pieces that fit to help the star out after that man years, he deserves a new beginning.Ray Bourque with the Boston Bruins being the best example. Dude put in 15+ years and the Bruins were never cup contenders. He deserved to go somewhere and have a shot.Tracy McGrady and Orlando being the opposite. He skulked away from the Raptors because he was second fiddle, wanted to be the man, couldn't succeed in the playoffs so after a few years, held the team ransom, made them get 40 cents on the dollar and got his wish to play with another star.I hope that sucker never wins a playoff series...Point is, there has to be some common sense invovled. It's not a black or white issue. Kobe's been what 3 years without shaq? he's being fairly impatient IMO. sucker either asked for Shaq to go, or was told before signing his extension that Shaq was gone.
Why'd you demand Shaq be traded if "help" on your team is such an issue? I thought he could do it all by himself?
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (MaRdYC26 @ May 31 2007, 04:49 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Why'd you demand Shaq be traded if "help" on your team is such an issue? I thought he could do it all by himself?</div>Kobe never demanded Shaq to be traded... Shaq demanded the trade because of management and Jerry Buss wouldn't pay him the 30 mill a year.
If Buss actually makes some moves like he has said he will, then Kobe did a damn good job in making them do something.
It was hard to imagine Iverson in another uniform, but Kobe in another seems impossible. I really can't see him on another team although it seems that it is inevitable.
