Kobe - "Cleveland is making the same mistake that Charlotte made with me"

[unbreakable]

It's the same shit source. Stop posting here

reddit is never wrong. suck my dikk nikka

[chazzy]

reddit is never wrong. suck my dikk nikka

http://www.insidehoops.com/forum/sho...d.php?t=282631

http://www.insidehoops.com/forum/sho...d.php?t=214893

http://www.insidehoops.com/forum/sho...d.php?t=202844

http://www.insidehoops.com/forum/sho...d.php?t=251914

[Sakkreth]

LeBron could of been Wiggins' Shaq then.

Kobe forced the trade though.

[SexSymbol]

It's funny how most of the first page posts are written by idiots with theories that have no evidence whatsoever

[Hey Yo]

It's funny how most of the first page posts are written by idiots with theories that have no evidence whatsoever

There's plenty of evidence of Kobe telling NJ not to draft him cause he wouldn't play for them. Only wanted to play for LAL

[aboss4real24]

[COLOR="Magenta"]kobe has a big as s mouth with his rapist asz [/COLOR]

[oh the horror]

Can someone post any source where it states Kobe forced his way out of Charlotte? Because I've never seen anything to indicate such

[inclinerator]

go back to reddit ******* neckbeard

[chazzy]

Can someone post any source where it states Kobe forced his way out of Charlotte? Because I've never seen anything to indicate such

Here's the former Hornets GM's take on what happened: http://blog.nola.com/hornetsbeat/200..._bass_liv.html

"Let's start out this way, " Bass said. "There had never been a high school player come into the league that didn't play in the front court."

Bass offered examples such as Moses Malone, Darryl Dawkins and Kevin Garnett.

"Secondly, 12 other teams passed on Kobe Bryant; 12 other teams said, 'I don't want him.' The Nets even got a workout. He refused to work out with us. He didn't work out with anybody. We had talks on the trade, but we didn't make it for about 3 1/2 weeks. We had a chance to get a 7-foot-(1) center who had been very successful in the league.

"You add all those three things together, that's why the decision was made. Plus, he couldn't make a jump shot when he first came into the league. We won 54 the first year Divac was there and 51 the next year. The only problem with that (Hornets) team was Michael Jordan was in his hey-day and Patrick Ewing had that great New York team. And we were in the Eastern Conference. That's what happened on that."

The first year the Hornets had Divac in the post, as Bass pointed out, they won a then-team record 54 games but ran into Ewing's Knicks in the first round of the playoffs and were swept in three games.

The next season, the Hornets won 51 games, beat Atlanta in the first round, but lost to Jordan's Bulls in the conference semifinals in five games.

In 1996, Lakers General Manager Jerry West was hoping to free the team's salary cap of the rest of Divac's $8.3 million salary over the next two years so the Lakers could make a play in free agency for Orlando center Shaquille O'Neal. The Lakers, who were mired in a funk, hadn't made a playoff run since the Showtime-era of Magic Johnson.

Armed with the knowledge that the Hornets were in the market for a post player, West made a pre-draft deal with Bass in which the Hornets would draft Bryant if he were still available and later swap his rights to Los Angeles for Divac.

"We had the deal, " Bass said, "but who in the world thought (Bryant) would be there at No. 13? And the Lakers, regardless of what they said after they had (Bryant), but they wanted space on the cap to sign Shaquille O'Neal. And devious as I am, I thought it would be a good way to get Shaquille out of the Eastern Conference. If we'd have gotten Michael and some others out, that would have been something."

Bryant canceled a workout with the Sacramento Kings, who had the No. 14 pick in the first round in 1996 and declined to work out for the Hornets. His agent, Arn Tellem, also told the Hornets, according to Bass, that Bryant did not want to play in a small market such as Charlotte.

"The biggest part about it when people start criticizing you . . . is what about those 12 other teams?" Bass said. "Look at who they took. They didn't get any Vlade Divac, I tell you that.

"Allen Iverson went No. 1 that year (to the 76ers) and the strange thing about it was (Bryant) grew up in Philadelphia and they saw him play in high school two years and they took Iverson ahead of him."

It was a mutual interest deal it seems. Hornets wanted a win-now big man and weren't high on Kobe in the first place, Kobe didn't want to play in a small market.

[sportjames23]

kobe FORCING entry since '96

Nikka, you lucky I wasn't drinking near my laptop screen when I read that.

[Meticode]

Kobe trade demand rumors aside, Cleveland isn't trading for a 16/11 center towards the end of his prime. They're trading for a 26/12 stretch four which they exactly need with the type of line-ups they'll be running that is 25 years old and just entering his prime.

Also Charlotte didn't have the best basketball player in the NBA on their team like the Cavaliers do either.

Kobe should worry about what's going on in Kobeland. And from the looks of it rightnow, it's not much.

[OldSchoolBBall]

Difference is Wiggins wasn't demanding a trade like a little biotch.

Seriously. LMAO @ Kobe's revisionist history re: Charlotte. Dude forced his way out and basically said he'd only play for LA, and would play overseas for a year if they didn't trade him.

[navy]

Again. Where was this quote confirmed?

[Solid Snake]

Wait what does he mean "that Charlotte made with me." Am I wrong, did Kobe and/or his agent NOT force a trade to the Lakers?????

[RedBlackAttack]

I actually made this comparison when people were saying that the Lakers always won by "taking risks" on going after "free agents" in an effort to "win now." The drafting of Kobe Bryant by giving of Divac, who was still a damn good player in his prime, shows that LA has had success with both the "win now" method and the long game.

I'm on record as wanting to keep Wiggins and forcing the Timberwolves into making a decision of either losing Love and getting nothing in return or taking some other (very good) pieces we have to offer.

However, outside of the "win now" model vs. the long game, these two deals have nothing in common. Divac was good, but he wasn't Kevin Love good. And, he also wasn't 25.

In fairness, Kobe also wasn't the No. 1 pick in the draft, so you can argue it evens out... but I don't think there is much to this comparison when you scratch beyond the surface.