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The Lakers Oragnization does not owe Kobe Bryant Anything....
If they choose to stand by him...its understandable..(name brand/hall of famer)....but if they do not...and choose to amnesty him..this by no means should be considered disloyal. Kobe was NEVER loyal to them....remember folks....This was a man who after winning three championships with a team that raised him from a boy...chose to alienate their Star Player in shaq and their very successful coach in Phil Jackson...he destroyed a dynasty because he simply wanted to be the player who took the most shots....If that is not selfish, I do not know what is....
After they stood by him during the rape trial...and paid all of his traveling expenses, he then had the nerve to name drop Shaq's name to the police about his paying off women to keep their mouths shut about extramarital affairs. He then threatened Jerry Buss and told him in no uncertain terms that Shaq and Phil had to go if he was to stay...And even after Buss chose Kobe, he still threatened to leave the organization if no New talent was brought in after the miserable 2005 campaign where they missed the playoffs for the first time in years....What kind of loyalty is that...?
Just read the excerpts from Phil's book and then ask yourself if the Lakers really owe him anything?
“To be completely fair, there were a couple things I did over the years to alienate Kobe. The most glaring example was the interview I gave in 2001 to Rick Telander, a writer I knew in Chicago. Rick asked if I believed Kobe was the heir apparent to Michael Jordan. Assuming, naively in retrospect, that a conversation after the official interview was off the record, I mentioned to Rick that I had been told that in high school Kobe “sabotaged” games to keep them close enough for him to dominate at the end
- Phil Jackson
"“Since the charges were made, Kobe has been treated remarkably well by the Lakers organization and the fans. He gave his press conference at Staples with our blessing, and we have agree–once we attained permission from the league to make sure the funds wouldn’t be applied to the salary cap–to cover a percentage of his private plane expenses to and from Colorado for court hearings. This will cost thousands of dollars. Kobe was unhappy with the type of plane that was selected; he wanted one with higher status. He should feel fortunate he’s not footing the whole bill himself.”
-Phil Jackson
“This was another example of the basic difference between him and Kobe. Ask Shaq to do something and he’ll say: “No, I don’t want to do that.” But after a little pouting, he will do it. Ask Kobe, and he’ll say “okay,” and then he will do whatever he wants.”“Kobe’s defense, to be accurate, has faltered in recent years, despite his presence on the league’s all-defensive team. The voters have been seduced by his remarkable athleticism and spectacular steals, but he hasn’t played sound, fundamental defense. Mesmerized by the ball, he’s gambled too frequently, putting us out of position, forcing rotations that leave a man wide open, and doesn’t keep his feet on the ground.”“After the gun sounded, Kobe went over to Devean, berating him for not calling timeout when the play broke down. Kobe was right but he was wrong to reprimand his teammate on the court, in front of the crowd and the cameras.”“Worse yet, Kobe and I had gotten into it earlier in the game after he threw a poor pass that Anthony stole, resulting in a Denver layup. “You can’t make that pass,’ I told Kobe when he came off the floor in the next timeout. “Well, you better teach those motherf***ers how to run the offense,” he said. I sat him down on the spot. “Watch your mouth,” I said".
- Phil Jackson
“When I asked Kobe to stop his habit of screaming at his teammates on the court because it creates insecurity, he came right back at me. “That’s bullshit,” he said. “You’re the one that’s causing them to be anxious. They’re afraid to make a mistake.”“Earlier this week at El Segundo there was an incident at practice. On the way to the court, I asked Kobe, still nursing a sore shoulder, if he was up to doing a little running. Sure, he responded, as soon as he finished his treatment. Almost an hour went by, and there was no Kobe sighting. Finally, with an ice pack on his shoulder, he took a seat on the sideline. It began to dawn on me that contrary to what he had told me, Kobe had no intention of running. After practice I followed Kobe to the training room, asking him why he lied to me. He was being sarcastic, he said. Wrong answer. I told him that he needed to treat me with respect, not sarcasm. I turned and walked away, heading to the coaches’ locker room. A minute later I heard him cursing in the training room in front of the players, though I couldn’t make out the exact words….Now I was the one who was angry. I went upstairs to see Mitch in his office. Wasting no time, I went off on a tirade about the need to deal Kobe before the trading deadline in mid-February. “I won’t coach this team next year if he is still here,” I said emphatically. “He won’t listen to anyone. I’ve had it with this kid.” My monologue-Mitch barely said a word at first-reminded me of similar eruption in the middle of my first year when I presented what I thought was a very logical argument for trading Kobe at that time. “Everyone says what a mature person this kid is,” I said. “He’s not mature at all.” The deal I had in mind was Kobe to Phoenix for Jason Kidd and Shawn Marion.”
- Phil Jackson
“At practice the day before Kobe, who told Vitti that his finger hadn’t healed sufficiently for him to play in the Miami game, was taking a few shots left-handed when I asked him not to be a distraction. I needed to work with the players who would be suiting up. “Distraction,” he said, mockingly, unable to resist taking one more shot. A few hours later, during dinner in Key Biscayne with the staff, Vitti told us that Kobe has been threatening again to opt out of his contract, vowing “to take Slava with me.” Slava? Was this an indication of Kobe’s being totally out of touch with reality? If Kobe was interested in taking along a player who would defer to him, Slava Medvedenko was the worst choice imaginable. He hasn’t passed up a shot since November.”
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Originally Posted by Taka
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