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[QUOTE=elementally morale]
Absolutely. But that was then and we are in the here and now. [/QUOTE]
Not just then.
He also was going to leave to Chicago when he demanded a trade. If not for the Grizzlies donation (Kobe's words) of Pau Gasol for Kwame Brown..... he would have left.
[QUOTE=3LiftHeatCurse]Not just then.
He also was going to leave to Chicago when he demanded a trade. If not for the Grizzlies donation (Kobe's words) of Pau Gasol for Kwame Brown..... he would have left.[/QUOTE]
Being 29 and having won only as a 2nd banana to Shaq is not the same as being 35 and flirting with greatest Laker of all time with two more championships as the undisputed leader. He is not going anywhere, it's rather obvious.
Watch this:
[url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXkehOjNBtE[/url]
[QUOTE=Kingwillball]I have paid homage to kobe in this and other threads i was responding to the doomsday idiot who said now nba is unwatchable and know-body will care. Lebron is face of the league and heat are like the Bulls of old so nba will be in good hands.[/QUOTE]
if lebron is the face. We wouldnt have a lockout
[QUOTE=elementally morale]Being 29 and having won only as a 2nd banana to Shaq is not the same as being 35 and flirting with greatest Laker of all time with two more championships as the undisputed leader. He is not going anywhere, it's rather obvious.
Watch this:
[url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXkehOjNBtE[/url][/QUOTE]
This. He's going no where to be honest
[QUOTE=3LiftHeatCurse]Not just then.
He also was going to leave to Chicago when he demanded a trade. If not for the Grizzlies donation (Kobe's words) of Pau Gasol for Kwame Brown..... he would have left.[/QUOTE]
not exactly true. Mitch K took kobe off the trading block right before the beginning of the season. From november to january, bynum was finally showing his potentiail, averaging something around 20/10 the past 5+ games before going down at memphis with his first major knee injury. At that time, the lakers were already or fighting for first place (cant remember correctly) It was only after that injury, that the pau trade was made. Point of this rambling, it looked like kobe was happy and watned to stay in LA before pau came, thanks to a progressively developing bynum.
[QUOTE=Levity]not exactly true. Mitch K took kobe off the trading block right before the beginning of the season.[/quote]
To not disrupt team chemistry, the way say the Nuggets let the Melo fiasco take precedence over their entire season. Mitch was smart for that, however it doesn't mean Kobe wasn't content with where the Lakers were headed. Getting Gasol really changed the dynamic.
Kobe isn't going anywhere, but the point still stands. He pouted and or threatened to leave the Lakers at least a few times. This isn't a Jordan situation where Kobe has major beef with the front office, and vice a versa and he will be forced to go elsewhere to finish his career on his own terms. The Lakers will make a place for Kobe to stay in house, even when he comes back from this achilles injury, even if he's a shell of the player he used to be. No bridges were burned.
[QUOTE=SamuraiSWISH]To not disrupt team chemistry, the way say the Nuggets let the Melo fiasco take precedence over their entire season. Mitch was smart for that, however it doesn't mean Kobe wasn't content with where the Lakers were headed. Getting Gasol really changed the dynamic.
Kobe isn't going anywhere, but the point still stands. He pouted and or threatened to leave the Lakers at least a few times. This isn't a Jordan situation where Kobe has major beef with the front office, and vice a versa and he will be forced to go elsewhere to finish his career on his own terms. The Lakers will make a place for Kobe to stay in house, even when he comes back from this achilles injury, even if he's a shell of the player he used to be. No bridges were burned.[/QUOTE]
Jim Buss and Kobe have never been on good terms. He used a contract situation to force team improvement but his commitment to the franchise has never really wained.
He never sat out games or stopped giving 100% - like many others have done as they ran away.
I almost would rather just see Kobe hang 'em up and retire, or pull a Barkley and come back for one game to go out on his own terms. What I don't want to see is Kobe come back, be a shell of his former self, but continue to play like the number one option and screw up the team. For better or for worse, the Lakers are now Dwight's. Let's see what he does.
[QUOTE=Levity]not exactly true. Mitch K took kobe off the trading block right before the beginning of the season. From november to january, bynum was finally showing his potentiail, averaging something around 20/10 the past 5+ games before going down at memphis with his first major knee injury. At that time, the lakers were already or fighting for first place (cant remember correctly) It was only after that injury, that the pau trade was made. Point of this rambling, it looked like kobe was happy and watned to stay in LA before pau came, thanks to a progressively developing bynum.[/QUOTE]
They were 30-15. The Lakers were looking good, even before Pau arrived.
What's funny is Dwight gets screwed in this whole ordeal. If he leaves LA the public backlash is going to be awful. If he stays, chances are Kobe will try to come back and no one knows how that's going to turn out, but given Kobe's history I doubt he'll be happy with being a second or third option. Then again, if Dwight stays in LA chances are the team won't be competing for another year or two at best. Wow.
[QUOTE=LA_Showtime]What's funny is Dwight gets screwed in this whole ordeal. If he leaves LA the public backlash is going to be awful. If he stays, chances are Kobe will try to come back and no one knows how that's going to turn out, but given Kobe's history I doubt he'll be happy with being a second or third option. Then again, if Dwight stays in LA chances are the team won't be competing for another year or two at best. Wow.[/QUOTE]
Dwight would be crazy to stay in LA. That team is in cap hell, and now have a washed up 30 million dollar hole in a Never Will Be the Same 34 year old Kobe.
That team is years away from fixing their mess.
If he's smart, he goes to Atlanta or Houston. Atlanta would instantly become the best defensive team in the NBA. Scary.
[QUOTE=3LiftHeatCurse]Dwight would be crazy to stay in LA. That team is in cap hell, and now have a washed up 30 million dollar hole in a Never Will Be the Same 34 year old Kobe.
That team is years away from fixing their mess.
If he's smart, he goes to Atlanta or Houston. Atlanta would instantly become the best defensive team in the NBA. Scary.[/QUOTE]
Uh, in a year they only have Dwight and Nash on the books.
[QUOTE=3LiftHeatCurse]Dwight would be crazy to stay in LA. That team is in cap hell, and now have a washed up 30 million dollar hole in a Never Will Be the Same 34 year old Kobe.
That team is years away from fixing their mess.
If he's smart, he goes to Atlanta or Houston. Atlanta would instantly become the best defensive team in the NBA. Scary.[/QUOTE]
After next year the Lakers would only have Nash and Howard on the books. He's playing in the best market for not only basketball, but exposure...and it's the best destination for free agents.
What more does a player want? He gets to play with Nash and Gasol next year..and perhaps Kobe...which is way better than most help superstars get...and then the following summer the Lakers will have the flexibility to do anything and everything to build around him.
Wake up.
I think some of you are downplaying the possibility of Kobe playing elsewhere after 2014. It obviously depends on what level he can play at next year, and he obviously won't come back next year like this past year, but if he comes back lets say playing at Wizards Jordan level, I could see him wanting to play more after next year and even thinking to himself that he can play better 2 years from now after he's adjusted.
Now, even if Kobe would be willing to come back for like the veterans minimum, I could easily see Jim Buss saying no to resigning him just because his style of play has such an impact on the way the team does and Kobe just won't be good enough anymore for the Lakers to justify that and not playing more through Dwight Howard.
With that being the case, if Kobe still wants to play, he'll go somewhere else. He's not going to let someone else dictate when he ends his career even if it means he won't retire as a Laker. And lets not forget, just because he says he wants to end his career as a Laker, doesn't mean thats what is going to happen. Most all-time greats say they want to end their career with their team, and it doesn't end up that way for a variety of reasons.
Too optimistic, if he was not an elite athlete he would have a hard time being able to walk again. I really feel bad for Kobe that he had to go out like that but at least the injury came late in his all time great career.