Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Kobe Bryant is exasperated. Also, there are reports of Vitamin C in orange Juice.

The best player in basketball wears the number 23.
His size identifies him as a prototypical swingman. He has the ability to singularly take over a game in several different ways.
He didn't win a playoff game this year.
At this point those who didn't read the title do a double take thinking that I've totally turned a blank stare to the Association since the Mav collapse, and don't know of the Cavalier run over in the pitiful eastern conference.
But then they'll realize I'm actually talking about he who dons the purple and yellow; he who ran Shaq out of town; he who passed up future championships to satisfy his precious ego .He who remains the most dynamic, unparalleled force in the NBA.
Anyway... the prima donna has hatched out another of his frequent fits. This time, he wishes to be reunited with longtime Laker player and exec Jerry West. That's all well and good, West did great things with the team. Kobe undoubtedly wants his squad to return to prominence (As long as everyone and their dog knows that it is in fact HIS squad). However... is Bryant really in any position to bemoan the state of the franchise? In reality, his stubbornness and immaturity are the reason that LA has fallen to where it has.
This sickens me. This guy sees the world as his oyster; a piece of seafood set to revolve around his person and act in accordance to his wishes(To rather confusingly combine two often misused cliches). He is oblivious to his own mistakes, and views developments on a purely personal level: How will this impact ME! Will I score more points? Win more championships? Come onto more hotel employees? Gain more scrutiny?
Sorry, that last part was slightly uncalled for. Kobe enjoys privacy as much as the next guy... especially if it pertains to the third distinction I mentioned.
If I were a Vegas oddsmaker, I'd set the chances of Kobe going elsewhere at an infinitesimal level. It's simply not going to happen. To get Kobe, a team would have to give up either a comparable superstar (Lebron) a top 2 pick in this year's draft+some serviceable pieces (Zach Randolph and the #1) or a combination of youngtalent too steep to justify(Think Chris Bosh+Andrea Bargnani+ any scrub player with a bloated contract). In short, the Lakers aren't giving up their identity without getting incredible, primo value in return around which they can build for the next 15 years. And the teams going after Kobe simply aren't going to sanely give up on their own long term future for 5 years of dominant Kobe.
So to conclude, Kobe is a whiny little expletive. He won't win a thing until he realizes that basketball is a team sport; and while he's perfectly capable of dissecting any defense in this league, he seems to be incapable of digesting this simple fact.

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