ESPN Special Report: LeBron’s One Hour Decision

Reports have it that LeBron will make his decision Thursday, July 8, 2010.

Awesome news.  NBA fans everywhere want to know where the second best player in the league will end up.  After all, it let’s us know who the second best team in the league may be next year.

Except. He is televising his announcement in an hour long special.  He is going to somehow make the following words, ‘I, LeBron James, will play for. . . .’ last for 43 minutes — 17 minutes of commercial proceeds will go to charity.

Now, people have mistaken Kobe’s confidence for arrogance.  Many have used this same opinion to dislike him. To root against him.  Now, Kobe has never ever done anything like this. Despite being a free agent a few years ago, Kobe did not need a television show to ensure the spotlight was on him. So, what say you?  Egomaniacal move by the wrongly named ‘King’ James? Or is this just a way to get some money to the charities?

I think this is the true LeBron coming out.  Feeding into his own hype. A young guy who so successfully handled fame and fortune at the onset of adulthood is reverting to the young guy we wouldn’t have been surprised to see years ago.  There is absolutely no need to have a one hour tv show for this.  Hell, a 15 minute press conference would have been pushing it.

On the flip side, it is baseball season and if given the choice between the two….I’d watch LeBron Decision 2010 over the national pastime any day of July.

Shaq’s startin’ again

Shaquille O’Neal has again lost the respect of me and probably most of Lakers nation.  He apparently performed a rap freestyle dissing Kobe and blaming Kobe for his divorce — 4 years after Kobe’s ill advised mutterings. 

Let’s dissect this shall we?

1. Let’s make it absolutely clear:  Shaquille O’Neal has again (as has been the case 99% of the time) started with Kobe.  So when everyone says Kobe drove Shaq out of L.A., once again note who started whining and crying.  Notice who started talking shit first — The Big Nobody.
2. Shaquille mentions the Lakers loss to the Celtics in the Finals saying something to the effect of ‘Kobe couldn’t win it without me.’  And Shaquille fails to mention that he rode Dwayne Wade’s coattails to his only non-Kobe championship.    He also fails to note that his team didn’t make it out of the first round.  Or that Kobe and the Lakers defeated the team that ran through them so easily.
3. In a quote to the media, Shaquille says something to the effect of ‘Nothing personal, it’s a freestyle, it’s what M.C’s do.’  Someone, anyone, please tell this 300 pound mass that he’s a lot of things — a has been, a sheriff, a bad actor — but an M.C. he is not.  He has never been.  Exhibit A:  ‘I’m a horse, Kobe ratted me out, that’s why I’m getting a divorce.’  huh?  wtf? horse, divorce, what?
4. Blaming divorce on someone ratting you out – no matter how anti-man law snitching on a man’s sex life may be – is really not sensible.  Don’t blame Kobe for your divorce…blame your dick!
Technorati tags: Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, Freestyle, Rapper

Steve Nash – Hypocrite

“If it stopped the way it is, I think Chris Paul has been outstanding and his team has been the top of the charts,” said two-time MVP Steve Nash.
“It’s the team, your impact on your team and what you do overall. Let’s face it, he has been unbelievable. His scoring, his assisting, he’s a leader in steals. He shoots a good percentage. He put his team on his back in the fourth quarter. That’s what it’s about. He doesn’t have the players around him that Kobe has.”

Funny that Steve Nash should say this considering he won the award twice with superb talent around him.  A bit of the pot calling the kettle black ain’t it…or should I say eh?

Random Thoughts

The Lakers are again at the top of the West tied with Houston at 46 – 21.  Pau Gasol is out indefinitely and Bynum is expected back by the first round of the playoffs.  If Ariza can come back as well, the Lakers would be at full strength but would still need a couple of games to gel and play together.  There has been concern that Kobe, Pau, and ‘Drew haven’t played together yet.  I’ll put it like this:  Pau gelled with the team almost immediately playing out of position.  There’s no reason that bringing young ‘Drew back to a team he’s played for at the positions he plays should be a huge cause for concern.  A bigger concern may be finding a way to make sure that the bench players that have stepped up during our bouts with injury don’t lose focus like V. Rad. 

Check the following from Charley Rosen (whose book about the 71-72 Lakers is a great read) when asked which two players he would take from today’s NBA to build a team around:

That’s easy.

Kobe Bryant, because he’s a better shooter and defender than LeBron James, and can easily play both wing positions. Not to mention Kobe being one of the game’s greatest clutch performers.

Tim Duncan, for his versatility and his championship-attitude. TD is a jack-of-all-trades and master of every one.

Kobe and TD would provide an inside presence as well as an outside one — and would enable a team to play inside-out basketball. Having them both on the floor would also discourage defenses from double-teaming either one.

There’s no other possible combo that comes close.

Big win at Dallas last night though we almost blew a 21 point halftime lead.  These are the kind of games where you don’t know which team walks away with the most (besides the win of course).  Do the short-handed Lakers realize the accomplishment of coming out with a victory over a playoff bound team or do they realize they lost all but 2 points of a 21 point lead?  Does Dallas hang their heads for losing to a team missing it’s two big men or do they realize that each of their past two losses could have gone either way?  I don’t know.  But in the competitive West right now, the win is all that matters.  I’ll let the Zen Master put together the mental gymnastics!

Congrats Houston on your run!  And bigger congrats to those happily living in Lakers land knowing our streak is still THE STREAK!

Technorati tags: Lakers, Kobe Bryant, Andrew Bynum, Pau Gasol, Charley Rosen

The State of Kobe Hating

Ya wanna know how bad the Kobe hating has gotten?   Scott Skiles was recently relieved of his duties as the coach of the Chicago Bulls.  A poll by foxsports.com poses the question ‘Who is to blame for the Bulls poor season start?  38% say GM Jim Paxson, 27% say Kobe Bryant.   What kind of freaking sense does that make?

Kobe, D-Wade, King James-Let the comparisons begin. . . .

Technorati tags: Kobe Bryant, Dwayne Wade, Lebron James, NBA, MVP

The following quote from si.com says it all, in my opinion, in regards to the leading candidate for the 06-07 NBA MVP:

Our verdict: Wade’s championship credentials have made him the fashionable pick, LeBron is an appearance in the Finals away, but when, as a scout says, “you are the player all others compare themselves to,” well, Kobe can take the last shot for us, anytime.

But if you really need to read the whole article, here ya go

Another Bout with Laker Hating….

Last week I read an article by Brian Windhorst suggesting that Team USA was better off without Kobe.

I tried to remain calm as the following email indicates:

I just read your Kobe article. As a Lakers fan since 1984, I’ve gotten used to the beating Kobe receives in the media. I expected your article to be just as battering though I was slightly surprised. However, I do disagree in regards to the USA team being better without Kobe. Kobe’s job on the Lakers was to score because quite frankly there weren’t a whole lot of options to whom to pass the ball. I think Kobe would have fit in brilliantly with Team USA. Take, for instance, his play in all-star games. I know those are exhibitions meant more for highlights than anything. But if Kobe is the selfish player the media world has portrayed him to be, wouldn’t he take the opportunity to ‘show his shine’ at the All-Star game in front of the world, against the best? Instead, he gives the ball up, even plays second fiddle quite often. Not to mention, during the Lakers glory years a few back, Kobe led his team in assists 4 out of 6 years (at work so I can’t get the exact numbers). I’m just sayin’ 😉

Surprisingly, Mr. Windhorst responded. Granted, he addressed none of my points or assertions. Rather he threw out some unsupported opinions as seen below (also note his tone when mentioning Kobe’s number, hateration begins to show it’s ugly face):

Xavier, It is questionable. Kobe is probably the best player in the game right now, but I don’t think he’s the best teammate. I don’t care what anyone says and revises history, he forced Shaq out and it cost him and the Lakers a title(s). This team is about teammates. Now, if Argentina holds them to 80 points because no one can make a challenged jumper, then Kobe will get the last laugh. But so far everyone on the team is praising LeBron and Wade and you never hear that about No. 8/24. Thanks, Brian

So my response was thorough as you faithful readers can well imagine:

Brian, I’ve often asked folks who state that he forced Shaq out to provide some evidence other than personal opinion. You’re stating an opinion as fact. As in any good sports debate, you are welcome to your opinion but it should be backed up with more than just your personal feelings. FACT: Shaq was offered a contract in February that was in the neighborhood of 20 million per year. Shaq rejected. That summer, after a season of saying Buss didn’t want to pay him, Shaq signed with Miami for. . . .20 million + per year….what did Kobe have to do with that? If you offer a man a contract and he rejects, what choices do you have as an owner? Better question if Shaq had stayed and Kobe had left, do you think the media would have been quick to say Shaq forced Kobe out? Fact: SHAQ states in a recent interview, which is can be found at http://www.nba.com/features/shaq_060821.html?loc=headline, Shaquille admits some ill-advised approaches…not only to Kobe, but Penny Hardaway as well. Sorry, I’m not sure which history revision you’re referring to, but the fact remains there is no solid proof that Kobe forced Buss’ or Kupchak’s hand in trading O’Neal, simply media propagated rumor. P.S. I will probably put this email thread on my Lakers blog. If you don’t want your name associated with it, let me know and I’ll leave it out. And one other thing, then I promise I’ll leave you alone ;), I don’t think Kobe is sitting at home hoping Team USA loses. There’s no last laugh for Kobe if they lose, there’s country wide embarassment again. Further, you won’t hear about #24 because he’s not playing. When do you ever hear about a missing player when times are good?

Brian’s response (no longer Mr. Windhorst after reading his final cop out) was nothing short of disappointing….

Xavier, I’ve gone round and round with Lakers fans about this and I don’t want to rehash everything. Kobe is a great player, as I said, maybe the best. Kobe is not a great teammate. That is the point.

These are the types of folks running our media machine……