OT - Bryant calls referee "fucking ***got"

"It's important to be who you are!" --- Kobe Bryant on the press conference about his homo-phobic comment to the refs.

 

Frankly, the word doesn't bother me. No reason to suspend Kobe for being what he wants to be. He's just telling the world.

"It's important to be who you are!" --- Kobe Bryant

 

He's fighting the fine

X

 

That's not the point. Yeah, superstars get the calls. Jordan got them (but not early in his career when he was totally physically abused by the Pistons and other veteran players/teams - he had to earn his preferential treatment). Kobe has probably benefited more from "superstar calls" than any other player in the history of the league. He was anointed as a chosen one at a very young age and has been benefiting ever since. But, as I said, that's not the point.

That was my point and this is where the real preferential treatment for Kobe the individual and the Lakers as a team, comes in. Why even have the stupid
"respect the game" rule if it's so selectively enforced? ANYBODY else, on ANY other team would have received a second technical, and then a 1 game suspension (for his 16th tech). I don't even think LeBron could get away with that shit without getting T-ed up. But, it's Kobe, it's the Lakers and play-off seeding is on the line, both in that game and the one tonight. So, there is NO WAY IN HELL Kobe gets tossed and suspended. The fine thing is a farce. It's the league's way of "punishing" Kobe without hurting the Lakers on the court.

You know that David Stern absolutely wants the Lakers in the finals this year. Anyone else making it out of the west is a ratings disaster. The east is much more open. Any of these match-ups are a ratings goldmine:

Lakers - Knicks: Two biggest media markets, multiple superstars. Won't happen because the Knicks gave up too much to get Carmelo.
Lakers - Celtics: Historic rivalry, two franchises with most NBA titles, doesn't matter if it's Wilt vs. Russell, Magic vs. Bird or Kobe vs. KG, Lakers - Celtics is always good for high ratings.
Lakers - Heat: Fakers vs. Heatles. Kobe vs. LeBron. Superstar heaven and a wet dream come true for commissar Stern.
Lakers - Bulls: THIS is Stern's preference. The passing of the torch from Kobe to Rose. Phil's last hurrah vs. the team he coached to six titles. Kobe's chance to match Michael Jordan with his 6th ring. So many ways to promote this match-up between two of the three largest markets.

Of the other top teams in the west, yeah right.

Spurs - small market, boring star, second and third best players are from Argentina and France - not exactly going to get a lot of interest from Joe Sixpack casual fan.
Mavs - Stern HATES Cuban. No way in hell does this happen. While the Lakers get to play 8-5, the Mavs will be stuck playing 5-8 thanks to Cuban's big mouth. BTW, if anyone on the Mavs would have had an outburst similar to Kobe's you can bet they would have been ejected and suspended and then Cuban fined $1 million for bitching about it on his blog.
OKC - Young superstar, but tiny market. No historic rivalries (like Lakers - Celtics or Lakers - Bulls) or past post season success. No one outside of OKC would watch them in the finals.
Portland, New Orleans, Denver and Memphis - all small markets no one cares about on a national level. Outside of perhaps Chris Paul, not marketable superstars. No historic rivalries with any of the top teams in the east. Any of these would be a ratings disaster.

Not sure if I agree. I think all his behavior was offensive and he deserved a second technical and suspension for multiple reasons. He basically did three things that deserved a second technical and got a free pass on all three.

Red herring. This isn't about personal fouls, it's about multiple violations of the "respect the game" rule that would have earned anyone else a second technical and a resulting 1 game suspension.

BNM

 

Good points. I wasn't offended by the joke. It was the arrogance of the "apology" that offended me. Why "apologize" at all if you don't mean it? It just makes you look like an ass. Not that Phil cares. He is an ass, and seems to enjoy being one.

BNM

 

I am willing to bet he was forced to do it. With David Stern and the "league image" issues - that's exactly what it smelled like to me - and I like that Phil made fun of it.

 

How many times have the league intervened after a game; when the refs didn't see the call? I mean they reneged the tech given to Kobe a game earlier.

 

Yes. What if you called them a "N*gger"? Now "Cocksucker"... That is an entirely different story

 

You guys bitch too much.

 

Honestly I don't care. BUT IT'S KOBE! Gotta jump on the Hate Kobe Bandwagon! I am a Hater

 

You miss the point. Punching a chair, throwing a towel isn't suspension worthy, but you acknowledge he deserved a technical for his behavior. That would have been his second technical of the game - automatic ejection, and his 16th technical of the season - automatic 1 game suspension.

He would not have been suspended for punching a chair or throwing a towel. The suspension would have been for his cumulative season long body of work. Dwight Howard has been suspended multiple times this season for too many technicals. But, there is no way the league allows Kobe to get ejected from the Spurs game and then suspended for tonight's season finale - and both of those would have been automatic if he'd received the much deserved second technical. Seriously, short of punching a ref, I don't think there is anything Kobe could have done that would have gotten HIM a second technical in that situation. There's just too much money at stake for Stern to allow that to happen.

BNM

 

Maybe the NBA didn't want Bryant suspended for the Kings game because they want the Lakers to win. Even with all the bullshit, I doubt the NBA wants the Lakers to play us.

 

second round. You guys look like you close the season with a win

 

A rapist?