Kobe Bryant Discussion: Mamba Out!

Mamba's on that Jordan putting everyone on blast HoF speech swag...First it was Smush, then it was KD and now Magic, MJ, Shaq & Brony are gettin it. No one is safe...

For the record, he absolutely had more skill than Bron. Kobe didn't hit the genetic lottery like Bron did or like MJ did with those mitts as hands... So he willed his way to be legendary.

On the Shaq front, I had a little discussion with @TIME not too long ago about how Kob had a part to play in the 2004 title team break-up. This kinda corroborates my narrative a bit, doesn't it?

 

http://www.lakersnation.com/lakers-...-oneal-was-critical-to-his-legacy/2018/05/12/

 

Oh shoot, looks like you already beat me to it.

 

You really think he had a part in that? I gotta say I'm not too sure I agree or ever agreed with that narrative. Whoever started it, whether it was the fans or the media, nevertheless I always thought that was just part of the Kobe hate. Both he and Shaq have said the opposite on several occasions, so...

 

i really feel that both played a part...whether one played a larger role than the other is anyones guess.

my personal opinion - 25%phil 25%kobe 50%shaq

 

More like 80% Kobe, stop this revisionist bs

 

Kobe didn't want to play with Shaq, Shaq didn't want to play witk Kobe. Phil favored Shaq from the very beginning and was IMO actually one of the main reasons for the escalation, not some great handler of egos as often portrayed.

Ultimately it was Dr. Buss who made the decision who to stick with and made the right one. Who is to blame he chose Bean? Kobe, who worked his a** off and gave his everything every night, or Shaq, who was lazy and demanded to get paid in not-so-nice fashion? Only because Kobe was the one who remained with the Lakers, doesn't make him more guilty. If anything, he was the one acting more processional and mature.

I expected that after his retirement, people would appreciate Kobe more. Instead, even more and more Lakers fans are turning on him. I don't get this sh**

 

LOL you cant be serious. No way Kobe deserves any more than 50% of the blame. Get outta here with that jazz

 

Well said.

 

lol Kobe did not want to wait his turn and threatened to sign with the Clips, snitched on Shaq after his Colorado misstep and basically sabotage that 2004 team with his legal woes...

 

annoying debates or no debates at all?

quite the quandry every offseason

 

you seemingly find anything to blame kobe for, but apparently shaq is blameless.

how long was kobe supposed to wait?

 

All the behind the scenes mumbo jumbo is just that. All the he said, she said, who said, they said and whatever the mindsets of the the players, the coaches, the fo, etc. is irrelevant.

Narratives aside. The question is who would you all have kept? A center who was aging and who was maybe a year or two from regressing and who demanded at least 28-30M a year or a young up and coming shooting guard who wasn’t in his prime yet, but was in the likeness of MJ?

Dr. Buss chose to keep the young up and coming star who hadn’t even reached his prime yet over the aging, declining superstar who was going to demand too much money for what he was going to become. Even though we’re fans we have to be somewhat objective.

 

Imho, each party is to blame (Phil, Shaq, Kobe). But the fact that Phil came back after not even one full calendar year and that years later both Shaq and Kob said they were immature in how they handled it..Also Shaq wanted to get paid so instead of 3 years 90M he compromised to a 5 year 100M deal in Miami...That all tells me they could have all made it work if they wanted to.

The only losers in all of this are the Lakers fan. I can't care less about Kobe fans vs Shaq fans vs Phil fans...I feel for only Lakers fans and point blank, we all got robbed due to their shenanigans. They're all equally to blame for this BS. We shoulda been sitting on more titles, with the cbags in the rear view mirror. Hopefully our new young crop ain't as juvenile as our previous tandem.

 

Couldn't agree more on that one Vash

 

Don't mind me.

 

I blame minorities and the welfare system for Kobe and Shaq break up. Let the debates commence.........muhaha