Can somebody explain to me why Charlotte traded Kobe to LA?

[Rowe]

http://i.cdn.turner.com/sivault/multimedia/photo_gallery/0806/nba.kobe.bryant.through.the.years/images/kobe-bryant-draft.jpg

http://www.nba.com/media/lakers/09kobe_stern_draft.jpg


I'd love to know the logic behind that decision, and who was the GM at the time.

[wang4three]

Kobe and his agent forced his way to LA.

[Rowe]

Kobe and his agent forced his way to LA.
Just the Lakers? Or did he want to go to a major market?

[wang4three]

Just the Lakers? Or did he want to go to a major market?

I'm pretty sure they targeted the Lakers. New Jersey also wanted to draft Kobe but his agent kinda suggested that he wouldn't play for NJ so we took Kerry Kittles.

[Peteballa]

http://i.cdn.turner.com/sivault/multimedia/photo_gallery/0806/nba.kobe.bryant.through.the.years/images/kobe-bryant-draft.jpg

http://www.nba.com/media/lakers/09kobe_stern_draft.jpg


I'd love to know the logic behind that decision, and who was the GM at the time.

Kobe was a young baller, they had no idea how good he was going to be..

Vlade Divac was a legit, proven center, 16/10 guy the year before he was traded.

At the time, in my opinion, it was a smart move by Charlotte and a risky one by LA. But, obviously, it paid off.

[Blzrfn]

Charlotte is stupid, and Kobe is a frontrunner. That is how it happened.

[lakerHater]

...Cuz KoMe is a spoiled Brat!

[ThemBombs]

that being said, can anyone imagine Kobe in a Hornets jersey?

[srekaL]

Good move by Kobe :lol Imagine if he had to play for Charlotte.

[High Roller]

Vlade was also a proven player then, the trade didn't seem so lopsided at the time.

[GOBB]

Just the Lakers? Or did he want to go to a major market?

Just the Lakers . Kobe grew up a Laker fan. Wanted to play for them. Agent made it possible. Lakers wanted Kobe. Calipari took Kittles instead of Kobe because Kobe had no intentions on playing there.

-just read wang posts, what he said


First West had to take the huge gamble of trading veteran center Vlade Divac to the Charlotte Hornets for their thirteenth pick in the draft. Then he learned that John Calipari, the coach of the New Jersey Nets, planned to take [Kobe] Bryant with the eighth pick before the Lakers could snare him at thirteen.

“Jerry wanted Kobe, so he basically called up and talked Cal out of drafting Kobe,” explained Hal Wiseel, who was with the Nets at the time. West encouraged the Bryant family to talk to Calipari and explain that their son really wanted to play for the Lakers. “He knew if we didn’t take him at eight, he’d drop to Charlotte, and he could make the deal with Charlotte,” Wissel recalled. “Cal was young in the league and, hey, it’s Jerry West on the phone.”



Vlade was also a proven player then, the trade didn't seem so lopsided at the time.

The hell it wasnt.

[lilkobe]

Cus Kobe refused to play for Charlotte and gave them a list of teams to trade him to that he'd play for. The real question is, why wasn't he drafted higher

[GOBB]

Cus Kobe refused to play for Charlotte and gave them a list of teams to trade him to that he'd play for. The real question is, why wasn't he drafted higher

:roll: list? Ok, tell me the list of teams. I'm pretty sure you dont know because they do not exist. It was L.A all the way.

[lilkobe]

:roll: list? Ok, tell me the list of teams. I'm pretty sure you dont know because they do not exist. It was L.A all the way.
I know he had Lakers and Knicks on the list not sure of others.

[bagelred]

Kobe Bryant was the 13th pick in the draft.

Would you trade, for example, Chris Kaman for the 13th pick in this years draft right now? I wouldn't. Most people wouldn't. Kaman is a proven legit center in this league, and the 13th pick is a gamble.

That was Divac for Bryant. Understand now? They didn't know Kobe Bryant was going to become KOBE BRYANT!!

[GOBB]

Kobe Bryant was the 13th pick in the draft.

Would you trade, for example, Chris Kaman for the 13th pick in this years draft right now? I wouldn't. Most people wouldn't. Kaman is a proven legit center in this league, and the 13th pick is a gamble.

That was Divac for Bryant. Understand now? They didn't know Kobe Bryant was going to become KOBE BRYANT!!

1996 draft class was much stronger than 2010. I wouldnt trade Kaman for the 13th pick in 1996, no hindsight.

[Knicksfever2010]

Kobe Bryant was the 13th pick in the draft.

Would you trade, for example, Chris Kaman for the 13th pick in this years draft right now? I wouldn't. Most people wouldn't. Kaman is a proven legit center in this league, and the 13th pick is a gamble.

That was Divac for Bryant. Understand now? They didn't know Kobe Bryant was going to become KOBE BRYANT!!

that was over 12 years ago, the landscape of the NBA has changed DRASTICALLY. not to mention nowadays alot more young players are coming straight from high school

[Showtime]

...Such uninformed posters around here.

Kobe's agent went around to the lottery teams informing them that Kobe would refuse to play with them. Kobe had already met with Jerry West, and was set to force his way to LA. The hornets worked out a deal to get Vlade and drafted Kobe as a trade asset. So the reason Kobe went to LA is because he and the lakers worked to force it to happen.

[KG215]

Hindsight is 20/20. I'm pretty sure no one knew Kobe was going to be this damn good when he got drafted out of high school. It's not like he tore up the college game for a couple of years and then "slipped" to the 13th overall pick.

I know the Hornets probably wouldn't have been in position to draft Chris Paul, but could you imagine a duo of CP3 and Kobe for the last 5 years? That would have been scary.

[kidachi]

Kobe was a young baller, they had no idea how good he was going to be..

Vlade Divac was a legit, proven center, 16/10 guy the year before he was traded.

At the time, in my opinion, it was a smart move by Charlotte and a risky one by LA. But, obviously, it paid off.


EXACTLY..

proven double double center>>>>hs sensation

LOL @ these posters talking like they know Kobe would be this good.

I guarantee.. nobody thought Kobe would be this good. NOBODY.

[Showtime]

I know the Hornets probably wouldn't have been in position to draft Chris Paul, but could you imagine a duo of CP3 and Kobe for the last 5 years? That would have been scary.
WTF are you talking about? Their drafts were almost a decade apart. I don't think Kobe would have made the hornets contenders and cost them Paul. I don't even think Kobe would have been good enough to impact the team soon enough to cost them Baron Davis.

[BFRESH44]

Ya it was well documented that Kobe fell in love with Jerry West and vice versa, and that he pretty much bitched and moaned his way to Los Angeles (thru his agent).

To me -- Guys like Kobe Bryant, Steve Francis, and Eli Manning are some of biggest marks in sports history for pulling their pre-draft antics.

Seriously, you're a young dude who's going to make millions of dollars where ever you play. Yet, you're going to try to dicate where you're drafted? Instead of being grateful for the oppritunity? Marks.

[KG215]

WTF are you talking about? Their drafts were almost a decade apart. I don't think Kobe would have made the hornets contenders and cost them Paul. I don't even think Kobe would have been good enough to impact the team soon enough to cost them Baron Davis.

So prime Kobe wouldn't have been good enough to keep the Hornets out of the lottery? Or even in position to get a top 5 pick? Kobe is a top 8-12 player of all-time. He had some pretty crappy supporting casts in that stretch where CP3 was drafted and LAL was only bad enough to get in the lottery once.

[Sarcastic]

EXACTLY..

proven double double center>>>>hs sensation

LOL @ these posters talking like they know Kobe would be this good.

I guarantee.. nobody thought Kobe would be this good. NOBODY.

Wasn't there a cover of a magazine that said something like "Michael was not this good at this young an age" or something. I could have sworn there was a magazine that said that.

[GOBB]

EXACTLY..

proven double double center>>>>hs sensation

LOL @ these posters talking like they know Kobe would be this good.

I guarantee.. nobody thought Kobe would be this good. NOBODY.

I gurantee you were still leaving brown marks in your underoos in 1996. Plenty of people expected Kobe to be this good. Where the hell do you think all the hype came from? The next MJ came from? Oh I get it. It came when L.A won the NBA Finals right? Right braniac? The buzz and hype Kobe had in HS was well documented. Dispite being an unproven talent people saw him being of the best players in the NBA. Much like they did with Lebron with the expectations placed on him and that mofo achieving damn near all of them. He just lacks the NBA title where people said he would have won it after 4years in the NBA. Plenty of people were high on Kobe Bryant out of HS. If not for him dictating where he would have gone? Dude would have been drafted much higher.

Maybe I'm the only one old enough to remember the Kobe Bryant phenomenon and everyone else gets thier stuff from articles or something. Heck I remember going to see this dude play at the Palestra (Upenn arena) when he was beasting for Lower Merion to win a state title. He absolutely owned in HS. Dude was in celeb charity games hooping it up. Went to one of those as well. Brandy was even there. Dude had mofos following him wherever he went and played. So you're wrong in thinking no one thought he would be this good today. People thought he would be the next MJ or better.

[BFRESH44]

Kobe was the prep player of the year in 1996. They were alot of good vibes about him as a prospect.

[GiveItToBurrito]

Kobe and his agent forced his way to LA.

This. If he hadn't been traded, the Hornets would have had a Rubio situation. All in all, it wasn't a horrible trade, all things considered - they did get Divac out of it. He's obviously not the player Kobe is, but a starting center for the thirteenth pick isn't that bad as it's happening. Some other thirteenth picks - Sean May, Telfair, Marcus Banks, and Brandon Rush. Kobe would have gone higher if not for his demands as far as market, but he was still an unproven guy out of high school, no one would have been surprised or disappointed if he'd wound up being a 20-5-5 guy, which is good but not that rare for a wing player.

[GiveItToBurrito]

1996 draft class was much stronger than 2010. I wouldnt trade Kaman for the 13th pick in 1996, no hindsight.

It's pretty difficult to accurately evaluate a draft before it occurs, everyone thought last year's draft would suck, but it's turned out to be above average. There was plenty of hype in 1996, but no one necessarily looked like a surefire franchise guy like a Shaq, Lebron, Duncan, or Webber (who was hyped up as a franchise player all through high school and college, even if he wound up falling a bit short).

[Bigsmoke]

http://i.cdn.turner.com/sivault/multimedia/photo_gallery/0806/nba.kobe.bryant.through.the.years/images/kobe-bryant-draft.jpg

http://www.nba.com/media/lakers/09kobe_stern_draft.jpg


I'd love to know the logic behind that decision, and who was the GM at the time.

so its stupid to trade Kobe for an All Star center but its not stupid for the 12 other teams to not draft him?

[Showtime]

So prime Kobe wouldn't have been good enough to keep the Hornets out of the lottery?

We aren't talking prime Kobe in regards to Baron Davis. Kobe was drafted in '97. They drafted Davis in '99. Kobe wasn't in his prime. And he would have played behind Curry and Rice anyway off the bench.

Now, in regards to Chris Paul, we don't know if the hornets would have been good enough. With Kobe, do they still trade Rice to LA for Eddie Jones and Campbell? And if they don't make that trade, they don't later trade Jones to Miami for Mashburn and PJ Brown. And then Baron's health issues come up, and the move to NOLA, etc etc. So, we really have no idea how good of a team they would have had around Kobe.


Or even in position to get a top 5 pick? Kobe is a top 8-12 player of all-time.

He would be a great player on a team we have no idea how good or bad would be. He very well could have been another McGrady in Orlando, struggling as a great individual talent but lacking team success.

[bagelred]

1996 draft class was much stronger than 2010. I wouldnt trade Kaman for the 13th pick in 1996, no hindsight.

Players taken before Kobe Bryant:

Lorenzan Wright
Kerry Kittles
Samaki Walker
Todd Fuller
Vitaly Potapenko

Yes, in HINDSIGHT, the 1996 draft was very strong. But actually, this 2010 draft class is supposedly very strong too.

I'd take Kaman over 13th pick in draft, personally......at the time, Divac was a proven asset and Kobe was a high school talent. Who knew? :confusedshrug:

[GOBB]

It's pretty difficult to accurately evaluate a draft before it occurs, everyone thought last year's draft would suck, but it's turned out to be above average. There was plenty of hype in 1996, but no one necessarily looked like a surefire franchise guy like a Shaq, Lebron, Duncan, or Webber (who was hyped up as a franchise player all through high school and college, even if he wound up falling a bit short).

If it was difficult for anyone to evaluate 1996 draft class? Then they might want to watch another sport. I heard hockey is lookin for fans. :confusedshrug:

[KG215]

We aren't talking prime Kobe in regards to Baron Davis. Kobe was drafted in '97. They drafted Davis in '99. Kobe wasn't in his prime. And he would have played behind Curry and Rice anyway off the bench.

Now, in regards to Chris Paul, we don't know if the hornets would have been good enough. With Kobe, do they still trade Rice to LA for Eddie Jones and Campbell? And if they don't make that trade, they don't later trade Jones to Miami for Mashburn and PJ Brown. And then Baron's health issues come up, and the move to NOLA, etc etc. So, we really have no idea how good of a team they would have had around Kobe.



He would be a great player on a team we have no idea how good or bad would be. He very well could have been another McGrady in Orlando, struggling as a great individual talent but lacking team success.

Kobe and McGrady aren't even close to the same player. Kobe has shown he has that uber intense competitive gene/killer instinct. I feel extremely confident in saying that no matter who his supporting cast was with the Hornets, he still would have emerged as the best player in the league, and the Hornets never would have been bad enough to fall that low)or is it high?) in the lottery.

[GOBB]

Players taken before Kobe Bryant:

Lorenzan Wright
Kerry Kittles
Samaki Walker
Todd Fuller
Vitaly Potapenko

Yes, in HINDSIGHT, the 1996 draft was very strong. But actually, this 2010 draft class is supposedly very strong too.

I'd take Kaman over 13th pick in draft, personally......at the time, Divac was a proven asset and Kobe was a high school talent. Who knew? :confusedshrug:

This draft class in 2010 has Wall, Turner, Favors, Cousins. Those are the hyped up prospects. 1996 had quite a few. You telling me who went before Kobe is irrelevant. Teams knew of his demands and didnt care to entertain taking the HS kid who was making ways to go to L.A. Like I said and its well documented. NJ planned on taking Kobe Bryant. Had that happened? Only 7 players would have went before Kobe Bryant.

No hindsight here. I knew the 96 class was strong then. And I didnt need the years to add up for it to be 2010 to say "I told you so.".

There is no comparison with 2010 draft class and 1996 draft class. None whatsoever. I reccommend you review the history of the class and get back to me. 1996 was much stronger. One of the best in recent memory. How ironic we saw history in the NBA Finals tonight by someone from that class. Go figure.

[Showtime]

Kobe and McGrady aren't even close to the same player.

They were in the early 2000's, which is what we are discussing.


I feel extremely confident in saying that no matter who his supporting cast was with the Hornets, he still would have emerged as the best player in the league, and the Hornets never would have been bad enough to fall that low)or is it high?) in the lottery.
I feel extremely confident that you have no idea wtf you are talking about.

[iggy>]

what if the sixers surprised everyone and took kobe #1 :eek:

[GiveItToBurrito]

If it was difficult for anyone to evaluate 1996 draft class? Then they might want to watch another sport. I heard hockey is lookin for fans. :confusedshrug:

What you wrote doesn't make any sense.

[GOBB]

what if the sixers surprised everyone and took kobe #1 :eek:

I wouldnt be a Sixers fan if that were to go down. Imagine if they trade the #1 pick, an unproven talent for Vlade Dicav. A proven center? Ok, dont imagine it because its stupid! :oldlol:

[OnceInADECADE]

i wish Beasley would have told his agent what team n coaches he will like to play 4

22ppg 9rpg would have happened!!

[GOBB]

What you wrote doesn't make any sense.

And neither what you wrote made sense. That makes two of us. :confusedshrug:

It wasnt hard for anyone to evaluate the 1996 draft class. Only kids who werent old enough to understand what was going on during that time period. And quite frankly thats quite a few kids here.

[Batz]

what if the sixers surprised everyone and took kobe #1 :eek:
Kobe wouldn't be what he is today...

[aj242]

Somebody has to get the quote from Bob Bass who was Charlotte's GM at the time. He said they didn't like anybody at 13 & Jerry presented the deal for Kobe & they thought they got the steal.

They didn't really want Kobe. The Hornets really had no intention on keeping him.

[KG215]

They were in the early 2000's, which is what we are discussing.


I feel extremely confident that you have no idea wtf you are talking about.

CP3 was drafted in 2005, making his first season 2005-2006, which was mid 2000's. That was when Kobe was in his prime and was emerging as the best player in the NBA. He had some terrible supporting casts in LA at that time and still managed to keep them out of the lottery all but once.

Of course it's possible the Hornets might have been bad enough in 2004-2005 to land at op 5 pick in order to draft CP3 but it's not likely if Kobe is on the team.

[GOBB]

Kobe wouldn't be what he is today...

Agreed. He wouldnt have decided against bonding with teammates at strip clubs, clubs, movies and instead watching countless hours of film on players from the past, studying his opponents (teams/individuals). He wouldnt have put in countless hours working on his game from the perimeter to the post each and every offseason where other players enjoyed thier downtime. He wouldnt have strived to be the best player in the league or in fact the NBA. He wouldnt have set out for individual goals to show people how good he is. He wouldnt have hit clutch shots, wouldnt have dropped alot of ppg.

NBA Comparison: John Starks

[Mirjalovic]

You can't evaluate 2010 draft class because its even not started yet

[RoseCity07]

If the Lakers never had Shaq, Kobe would have been an individual star like Tracy McGrady, and probably abandoned his so called "refuse to lose attitude". But since he got a taste, he all of a sudden has the same drive as Jordan to win.:oldlol:

He would have been traded to some team, because he almost got traded to Chicago while the Lakers were falling apart. He's gotten that star player to keep him in LA. Gasol and Shaq have made the differerce between Kobe being A Dwyane Wade type player, and Kobe being compared to a player he in no where near as good (Jordan).

[KG215]

If the Lakers never had Shaq, Kobe would have been an individual star like Tracy McGrady, and probably abandoned his so called "refuse to lose attitude". But since he got a taste, he all of a sudden has the same drive as Jordan to win.:oldlol:

He would have been traded to some team, because he almost got traded to Chicago while the Lakers were falling apart. He's gotten that star player to keep him in LA. Gasol and Shaq have made the differerce between Kobe being A Dwyane Wade type player, and Kobe being compared to a player he in no where near as good (Jordan).

Being a Dwyane Wade type player is still pretty damn good. As bad as Wade's supporting cast has been in Miami, when healthy, he's still had them in the playoffs. Kobe, IMO, even without Shaq would still have ended up being a lot closer to a "Dwyane Wade type player" than Tracy McGrady.

[RoseCity07]

Yeah I agree. Being a Dwyane Wade type player is damn good, HOF good, but you won't Wade fans say he is better than Jordan.

Hitting fade aways once or twice a game in big games seems to give Laker some Laker fans the impression that he is as good as Jordan. Jordan did that every game and it was expected. But Kobe makes it and he's the GOAT for making two in a row.

[KG215]

Yeah I agree. Being a Dwyane Wade type player is damn good, HOF good, but you won't Wade fans say he is better than Jordan.

Hitting fade aways once or twice a game in big games seems to give Laker some Laker fans the impression that he is as good as Jordan. Jordan did that every game and it was expected. But Kobe makes it and he's the GOAT for making two in a row.

I agree. There are still Laker fans (albeit the dumber ones) who think that every big shot Kobe hits in the playoffs/Finals means he's better than Jordan. I'm guessing they are the younger Laker fans as well since they forget Jordan did that on a regular basis. Jordan was also 6/6 in NBA Finals while Kobe is 4/6 and will either be 5/7 or 4/7 after this series. In the '04 and '08 Finals Kobe (by his standards) was pedestrian.

[BC Eagle]

If I'm not mistaken, Kobe listed LA, the Knicks, Philadelphia and Boston as the teams he'd play for.

[HAzE024]

Another reason I hate Kobe. I dont believe the sense of entitlement he has.

[lilkobe]

If the Lakers never had Shaq, Kobe would have been an individual star like Tracy McGrady, and probably abandoned his so called "refuse to lose attitude". But since he got a taste, he all of a sudden has the same drive as Jordan to win.:oldlol:

He would have been traded to some team, because he almost got traded to Chicago while the Lakers were falling apart. He's gotten that star player to keep him in LA. Gasol and Shaq have made the differerce between Kobe being A Dwyane Wade type player, and Kobe being compared to a player he in no where near as good (Jordan).
You mean a Dwayne Wade player as in he wins a title and Finals MVP with one of the best finals performances and playoff runs the only time he's had a competitive cast around him?

[lilkobe]

Yeah I agree. Being a Dwyane Wade type player is damn good, HOF good, but you won't Wade fans say he is better than Jordan.

Hitting fade aways once or twice a game in big games seems to give Laker some Laker fans the impression that he is as good as Jordan. Jordan did that every game and it was expected. But Kobe makes it and he's the GOAT for making two in a row.
Wrong bozo, Jordan didn't hit stupid Kobe fades once or twice a game because Jordan was too smart to even take stupid shots like that and he could get off better looks for himself.

Kobe has the stupidest shot selection of all time but he hits them at a high enough percentage so you cant hate on him for it

[Rasheed1]

Gobb & Showtime know what they are talkin about..


Kobe worked out for Jerry West and from then on he was going to LA no matter what..

He told teams he would only play for LA from jump..

Kobe was a pretty big deal even before he was drafted... He caught alot of heat for skippin college... Lasalle (I think it was Lasalle) offered his dad a coaching spot on the team if Kobe would agree to play for them...

People were p*ssed because he skipped and went straight to the L

He was a very good prospect... A little skinny back then, but had all the talent necessary.... he wasnt as polished as a few other players though,so teams like the Sixers took AI.... I think Ray Allen was in that draft too.... I remember the big thing at number 1 was whether the 6ers would take AI, Marbury, or Camby... Kobe was a great looking young player, but not considered quite a number 1 at that point...

[Rowe]

Philly made a smart move in that Draft. AI turned out to be one of the best #1 picks ever.

GOBB seems like one of the only people making sense, I dont remember any of the pre-hype for the 96' Draft. Its not as publicized as it is now.

[AMISTILLILL]

May have had something to do with that tie he's wearing in the draft photo.

[Nanners]

Sure he was a good prospect, but Kobe was an unproven 18 year old coming out of high school, Divac was a proven NBA center. Trading the #13 pick for Divac was a pretty solid deal for Charlotte at the time.

[macpierce]

kobe isnt jordan but he is still the 2nd greatest shooting guard of all time and a top ten player, rosecity is a loser:oldlol:

[KG215]

Stating your opinion (outlandish or not) makes you a loser?

[SprtsTmeMachine]

Simple. Vlade Divac is just better

[Basketball Fan]

To me -- Guys like Kobe Bryant, Steve Francis, and Eli Manning are some of biggest marks in sports history for pulling their pre-draft antics.

Seriously, you're a young dude who's going to make millions of dollars where ever you play. Yet, you're going to try to dicate where you're drafted? Instead of being grateful for the oppritunity? Marks.


So if you had the choice to go to a place where you feel your fit in better or you'll have a better career you wouldn't try and do what you could (legally) to make it happen? Really?

I mean loyalty is a two way street. If any of these guys turned out to be busts these people who drafted them would dump them the next day and not look back they know it too so why not go to the place where you can do the most with your talent in the limited time frame that is their professional career.

I personally have no issue with it its their career after all.

And this is coming from a Colts fan who saw John Elway do the same thing and I'm not upset about it either he'd never win a ring with us anyways.

[flipogb]

they made the pick for the Lakers , if they weren't trading it they would have drafted someone else

[Swaggin916]

Good move by Kobe :lol Imagine if he had to play for Charlotte.

I don't think they would have moved.

[32jazz]

Kobe was a young baller, they had no idea how good he was going to be..

Vlade Divac was a legit, proven center, 16/10 guy the year before he was traded.

At the time, in my opinion, it was a smart move by Charlotte and a risky one by LA. But, obviously, it paid off.


A risky move by L.A. my A**!

If Shaq hadn't already signed with the Lakers(summer of '96) he had basically given his word to Jerry West & it was no secret Shaq wanted to be a Laker (& out of ,in Shaq words, "that dried up pond" Orlando). Wanted to do movies/music & felt L.A. was the place to be.

With Shaq basically already signed the Lakers weren't taking much risk at all trading Divac (Elden Campbell would be Shaq's back up)& West loved Kobe's workout.

West says that Bryant was the best pre draft workout he had ever witnessed.

Kobe ,like me, was a huge Lakers/Magic fan. His mother used to get taped recorded Lakers NBA Finals mailed to Italy for Kobe & Kobe cried like a baby when his father told him about Magic being HIV positive.

[OmniStrife]

that being said, can anyone imagine Kobe in a Hornets jersey?
http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/574/kobenola.png

[JohnnySic]

So if you had the choice to go to a place where you feel your fit in better or you'll have a better career you wouldn't try and do what you could (legally) to make it happen? Really?
Really. Playing for a pro team is a privilege and guys should be happy when someone wants them, regardless which team it is. Saying that you wont play for this or that team and trying to cherry-pick your team reeks of premadonna-ism.

[mamba24]

The funny thing about this thread is that kobe was taken 13th overall just one spot before the last lottery slot.

1) no one thinks outside the top 2-3 players are anything legendary.
2)Kobe may have been a workholic but he did not arrive with a spoon in his mouth. ( he earned the spoon)
3)The only player in the NBA who was a sub for the lakers but was selected to start in the all star game.
4) he worked his arse off to get to where he is. he's not a natural talent he's worked on his skills.
5) still works on his game, Haters be hating and he still makes it to the finals 3rd year in a row ( would the lakers be here without him? NO)

I have not had the pleasure to see magic play live, i have watched him on tape and im sure he was amazing live. But my connection goes at looking at the lakers while MJ was making a kingdom and the lakers being a team of scrubs till shaq and kobe showed up, and to feel what others have felt when their team wins the title. Kobe has shown me 4 soo far and no5 could be on the way.

Im not going to bother with the best player on the planet or the nba argument. he is my favourite player for one sole reason. i was 12 when he was drafted and 26 now. He has been a part of my laker life for 14 years. outside my real family in sports he is the only player i have known for soo long and D-fish.

Lebron maybe king but i think prince kobe (if you will) is not doing soo bad in yet another nba finals.

[oh the horror]

There was much hype around this kid, even with him coming out of highschool. I remember it well....

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3530/3210859129_4a114f8356.jpg

[VIP2000]

Yeah, there was definitely a lot of hype around Kobe before he got drafted. Maybe not good enough to be drafted #1 but all the Jordan comparisons were legit. But Kobe was going to have his way and I doubt he would have played for Charlotte anyways.

Heck, he was already one of the most popular players by his sophomore year. He was voted to start the All-Star game despite not even starting for his OWN TEAM.

[MiseryCityTexas]

Charlotte is stupid, and Kobe is a frontrunner. That is how it happened.


like you predicted kobe to be that good without ever watching him play in 96. get the fack outta hear man.

[icemanfan]

Just the Lakers . Kobe grew up a Laker fan. Wanted to play for them. Agent made it possible. Lakers wanted Kobe. Calipari took Kittles instead of Kobe because Kobe had no intentions on playing there.

-just read wang posts, what he said





The hell it wasnt.
its called a ***** move for a reason. If I had the money the owners have I would have drafted Kobe and when he refused to play for them I would have road out the entire length of time I could. **** me **** you.

[Basketball Fan]

Really. Playing for a pro team is a privilege and guys should be happy when someone wants them, regardless which team it is. Saying that you wont play for this or that team and trying to cherry-pick your team reeks of premadonna-ism.


So how is that worse than free agency? Do you not get to pick where you go?

The "privilege" card is so played out yes its a great opportunity but so are a lot of other jobs out there that aren't even in sports. Regardless you'd only care about said player unless they were on your team if they weren't you don't care what happens to them as far as their legacy is concerned. They care about their legacies and want to have some control over how its defined its the only control they'll ever have because in the end father time will determine how long it lasts.

[GOBB]

So if you had the choice to go to a place where you feel your fit in better or you'll have a better career you wouldn't try and do what you could (legally) to make it happen? Really?

Defeats the purpose of the draft. The approach is to be thankful you are drafted. Not sit there and dictate where you want to go/not go. Otherwise why not give every prospect a sheet of paper and ask where they would like to play. But before that have a panel rank prospects 1 thru whatever.

For example Wall, Turner, Favors are the top 3 prospects people have. Ask each where they want to play. Wall lists the teams with the first being the team that takes him and so on. Once Wall first team is selected? He goes there. If Evan Turner had Wall's first team as his destination of choice? He loses out and has to pick the 2nd destination on his wish list. You keep doin that until the end of rd 1. The last pick in the first rd really has no choice because he is left with the final team to go to. So maybe he can complain and refuse to play. Then dictate where he wants to go giving a team more than 1 first rd pick.

By this time you'll see how stupid it is. And do not try and say the prospect choosing can do so because they are so good. No one in that draft besides Kobe pulled that. And the guys that went in the draft most were studs. They wasnt just great HS'ers, they were studs in college.

[Lamar Doom]

that being said, can anyone imagine Kobe in a Hornets jersey?

semi-relevant, I bought these shoes last summer, they are "draft day" kobe's and they're in old charlotte hornets colors

http://theshoegame.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/nike-zoom-kobe-iv-4-charlotte-hornets-draft-day.jpg

http://nicekicks.com/images/kobe-draft-day-4.jpg

(6-11-96 was draft day for Kob')

[GOBB]

Those are sick. Tell me you atleast scored in them. :oldlol:

[3zazer1]

Charlotte was stupid to make that trade. They were just trying to make a quick buck and didn't think kobe had the talent to be a star

Kobe,"Paybacks a b(4 rings,7 nba finals apperences)itc(1 mvp in both nba and finals)h!!!

[hoopaddict08]

I gurantee you were still leaving brown marks in your underoos in 1996. Plenty of people expected Kobe to be this good. Where the hell do you think all the hype came from? The next MJ came from? Oh I get it. It came when L.A won the NBA Finals right? Right braniac? The buzz and hype Kobe had in HS was well documented. Dispite being an unproven talent people saw him being of the best players in the NBA. Much like they did with Lebron with the expectations placed on him and that mofo achieving damn near all of them. He just lacks the NBA title where people said he would have won it after 4years in the NBA. Plenty of people were high on Kobe Bryant out of HS. If not for him dictating where he would have gone? Dude would have been drafted much higher.

Maybe I'm the only one old enough to remember the Kobe Bryant phenomenon and everyone else gets thier stuff from articles or something. Heck I remember going to see this dude play at the Palestra (Upenn arena) when he was beasting for Lower Merion to win a state title. He absolutely owned in HS. Dude was in celeb charity games hooping it up. Went to one of those as well. Brandy was even there. Dude had mofos following him wherever he went and played. So you're wrong in thinking no one thought he would be this good today. People thought he would be the next MJ or better.

If everyone knew he would be THIS good, he woudn't have dropped to 13th. Regardless of who he wanted to play for. A team could have drafted him, and let the Lakers get on their knees and beg.

Instead, guys like Antoine Walker, Marcus Camby, Stephon Marbury, Lorenzen Wright, Todd Fuller, Erick Dampier were selected above him.

If GM's around the league truly thought he would be the next MJ, then he would have been drafted much, much higher. Don't get wrong, I'm sure there were plenty of people that probably thought he would be great, but I don't think that was the case with the majority. Instead, Allen Iverson was the next big thing.