Kobe Bryant: "It's Championship or Bust....It's not about Regular Season MVPs"

[Ashyneezz]

They were clearly the best team, in fact they were ahead and could have taken the series had lebron not started punching dwades. Mia loss that series much more then Dallas won it.

Get that outta here. We were clearly the better TEAM that series. That had 3 players and that was it. Everyone on our team clearly knew their role and played them well. You can miss me with all that nonsense

 

[ROFL_GUY]

Hawks seem determined to deal Josh Smith - TrueHoop Blog - ESPN

 

[Houston911]

dude can't even get his story straight.

Nah you're just dumb, plus you been on my dikk for years

One of you Lebron dikk suckers explain how taking a paycut to stack a team for easy rings is competitive

Y'all keep avoiding that request

You dudes are so basic that you argued he didn't take a paycut, lmao

 

[GreatestLaker]

Just googled "did kobe want to play for the hornets" and the first 5 links all said Kobe didn't want to play for the hornets or basiclly forced a trade.

Please link me to Kobe saying he was willing to play were every he was drafted.

Kobe shunned, bypassed by several teams heading into ’96 draft - NYPOST.com

Today, Kobe discloses other draft dodgers and dissers.

John Nash’s needle isn’t the only one stuck on the 1996 draft. That time period remains equally entrenched in Kobe Bryant’s consciousness. He finds some stuff that happened funny, other things exasperating and a couple occurrences outright incomprehensible.

I didn’t raise the subject; he did.

he one rubbing Bryant the rawest implicates Dave Cowens, then the Hornets’ coach. At some point soon after the Hornets selected Bryant with the No. 13 pick, the two had a private phone conversation that went something like this.

Cowens: “You know what the deal is, right?

Kobe: “Yes, I do.”

Cowens: “Well, that’s good, because we don’t need you anyway.”

Kobe is as stupefied and infuriated now as he was then.

“Can you believe someone would say something like that to a 17-year-old!” he says, his face one-third smile, one-third scowl and one-third sinister. “That really threw me. It really hurt. Especially since it came from him. I knew about Dave Cowens. I knew what a great player

he was. I followed his career. I looked up to him because he played so hard and showed so much passion. That spit just blew me away!”

Then again, by then, Bryant should have been accustomed to being disillusioned by Hall of Fame players. Twice he worked out for Clippers’ GM Elgin Baylor … and coach Bill Fitch. After the second, the two dream weavers invited Bryant to lunch.

“They told me it was the two best workouts they’d ever seen,” he said. “That’s it, I figured, I was going be a Clipper and play in L.A. I was pumped!”

Before Bryant had finished his fantasy, his magic carpet ride crashed. Out of nowhere, Baylor and Fitch flipped the switch.

“Your skill level is off the charts. Your athleticism is exceptional. And your energy and enthusiasm are remarkable,” they gushed. “But we can’t draft you.”

Huh? What! Why not?

“Because people out here won’t think we’re serious if we draft a high school kid at No. 7.”

So, Baylor and Fitch showed they meant business by plucking Memphis center Lorenzen Wright (whose July 2010 murder remains unsolved).

Bryant never had any reason to believe he would wind up playing in nearby Philadelphia for the 76ers, holders of the draft’s oceanfront lot. There was little doubt Allen Iverson would be the top pick. Yet GM Brad Greenberg invited Kobe in, anyway, for a test run.

“I guess they saw some of my high school games. That was the only explanation I could think of for not being asked to shoot or dribble or demonstrate any of my skills” Bryant said. “All they wanted me to do was to sprint the court. They timed me on a stop watch.”

Greenberg told Bryant him Iverson had run faster.

“So?!?!” Kobe exclaimed.

On the day of the draft, or just before it, Philly columnist John Smallwood implored the Sixers to draft Kobe.

“He said they’d regret it forever if they didn’t,” Kobe recalled.

“The funny thing is, he was on my ass for one thing or another my whole senior year. The Sixers were so bad I guess that’s why he turned his attention on me. And then in the end, for some reason he changed his opinion about me. He’s looking pretty good.”

reenberg disputes Bryant’s version. In an email he said the workout consisted of more than running.

“He did shooting drills and other stuff ... had a great workout,” Greenberg wrote. “I just thought Iverson [was] a better selection at the time. I wasn’t comfortable going with a HS kid for the No. 1 pick vs. Iverson.”

Bryant estimates receiving well over 500 scholarship offers. Some were from colleges in places he never knew existed whose courses and schedules are completed online. Each day during a break, he would glide into Lower Marion H.S. coach Gregg Downer’s office and pick up the latest batch of recruitment letters.

One jutted out above the rest. It was from Dean Smith, not a form letter from the University of North Carolina, mind you, but a hand-written message from the aristocrat coach.

“I couldn’t wait to read it, but I didn’t want to do it with people looking over my shoulder,” recounted a roused Bryant . “So I opened it quietly during English class while the teacher was talking.”

Smith said he had heard how well Kobe had played against UNC’s Jerry Stackhouse (third pick of ’95 draft, by the 76ers) and knew it was all but certain he would turn pro when he graduated.

“However, by any chance, if you change your mind, I want you to know I’m holding a scholarship for you.”

Does Bryant still have the letter?

“Are you kidding, bro! Of course, I still have it! It’s from Dean bleepin’ Smith!”

If Dean Smith couldn’t entice Bryant to play for UNC, what chance did John Calipari and the Nets have of getting him to New Jersey vs. skipping off to Italy, which was the threat by agent Arn Tellem?

“Naw,” Kobe countered, “had the Nets drafted me, I would’ve played there and wouldn’t have tried to force a trade. I was 17, bro, I just wanted to ball.”

Oh, great, now he tells them. So, what would have happened had he become a Net?

“Calipari probably would still be coach,” Bryant said.

* Correction: M.L. Carr, not Rick Pitino, drafted Antoine Walker No. 6 in 1996. ... Mike Dunleavy, not Ernie Grunfeld, drafted Stephon Marbury, before trading him for Ray Allen.

 

[Jplaya2023]

lets be real...NBA cap's are set up in a way in which the current Heat roster couldnt exist without them taking paycuts, that sjust the reality of it...Ive always viewed the situation of star taking intentional paycuts in order to form stack teams as weak

thats like the only way they could have signed 3 top 10 players at the time...so yeah its lowkey cheating the situation, but its all fair game I suppose...there are 3 players on the Lakers roster making more than LeBron this season

NOT every player is blessed to be on a team with a bunch of talent from the jump, (magic, kobe) come to mind. So there's nothing wrong in trying to even the odds.

 

[Propaganda]

Nah you're just dumb, plus you been on my dikk for years

One of you Lebron dikk suckers explain how taking a paycut to stack a team for easy rings is competitive

Y'all keep avoiding that request

You dudes are so basic that you argued he didn't take a paycut, lmao

hold on and lemme take a page out of your book.

you can be praised for loving kobe more than your own father but you can't spin that into being right. now i'm not saying that you're not right...but... writing shyt that directly contradicts itself over and over with the sole purpose of trying to come off as a voice of reason is the opposite of being right. how anyone could say otherwise is beyond me.

i'm not trying to discount anything you posted but what you're arguing is silly.

 

[Cynical Thoughts]

Can't quote your whole post.
“Naw,” Kobe countered, “had the Nets drafted me, I would’ve played there and wouldn’t have tried to force a trade. I was 17, bro, I just wanted to ball.”

Why would that even be said. Unless teams thought he would force a trade.

Secondly i remember Kobe's saying he would have went to Duke.

3rdly lol at the clippers thinking people wouldnt take them serious if they drafted a high school player.

Might be some duck tales in that article.

Like I said ever article(4-5) I saw (while not going as in depth) said Kobe wanted to play for the lakers.

 

[GreatestLaker]

Can't quote your whole post.
“Naw,” Kobe countered, “had the Nets drafted me, I would’ve played there and wouldn’t have tried to force a trade. I was 17, bro, I just wanted to ball.”

Why would that even be said. Unless teams thought he would force a trade.

Secondly i remember Kobe's saying he would have went to Duke.

3rdly lol at the clippers thinking people wouldnt take them serious if they drafted a high school player.

Might be some duck tales in that article.

Like I said ever article(4-5) I saw (while not going as in depth) said Kobe wanted to play for the lakers.

You can't play college basketball if you get drafted by the NBA.

Kobe said if he had went to college instead of the NBA it would've been Duke.

 

[Houston911]

hold on and lemme take a page out of your book.

you can be praised for loving kobe more than your own father but you can't spin that into being right. now i'm not saying that you're not right...but... writing shyt that directly contradicts itself over and over with the sole purpose of trying to come off as a voice of reason is the opposite of being right. how anyone could say otherwise is beyond me.

i'm not trying to discount anything you posted but what you're arguing is silly.

Dog, let me break it down slower for you cats with poor reading comprehension

Lebron is a very competitive player who competes hard on both sides of the ball and shows a desire to win

Lebron taking a paycut to stack a team was not a competitive act....he wanted the easiest path to a ring. One act does not define Lebron as someone who isn't a competitor

Where have I contracted myself?

What have I said that a rational adult with common sense would disagree with?

Exactly......that's why y'all keep avoiding the question of "how is taking the easy way out an example of being a competitor?"

 

[Cynical Thoughts]

You can't play college basketball if you get drafted by the NBA.

Kobe said if he had went to college instead of the NBA it would've been Duke.

Maybe I misinterpreted the quote. But it seems as if he's praising North Carolina like he would have went there. I was just poking holes in the article.

I don't think Kobe was as naive and aloof about his status as that article presents him.

I said Kobe said he "WOULD"have went to duke. I know you can't go back and play......nvm.

Still why would teams think he would force a trade? Why would that even be a question? It wasn't like it happened often.

I can't think of 5 players that dictated were they went in a draft in the nba. Eli manning is the only one that come to mind.

 

[Newzz]

lets be real...NBA cap's are set up in a way in which the current Heat roster couldnt exist without them taking paycuts, that sjust the reality of it...Ive always viewed the situation of star taking intentional paycuts in order to form stack teams as weak

Thats why they are The Scheme Team.

 

[Killer Instinct]

“I guess they saw some of my high school games. That was the only explanation I could think of for not being asked to shoot or dribble or demonstrate any of my skills” Bryant said. “All they wanted me to do was to sprint the court. They timed me on a stop watch.”

Greenberg told Bryant him Iverson had run faster.

“So?!?!” Kobe exclaimed.

On the day of the draft, or just before it, Philly columnist John Smallwood implored the Sixers to draft Kobe.

“He said they’d regret it forever if they didn’t,” Kobe recalled.

“The funny thing is, he was on my ass for one thing or another my whole senior year. The Sixers were so bad I guess that’s why he turned his attention on me. And then in the end, for some reason he changed his opinion about me. He’s looking pretty good.”

 

[Long Live The Kane]

Maybe I misinterpreted the quote. But it seems as if he's praising North Carolina like he would have went there. I was just poking holes in the article.

I don't think Kobe was as naive and aloof about his status as that article presents him.

I said Kobe said he "WOULD"have went to duke. I know you can't go back and play......nvm.

Still why would teams think he would force a trade? Why would that even be a question? It wasn't like it happened often.

I can't think of 5 players that dictated were they went in a draft in the nba. Eli manning is the only one that come to mind.

Knowing this...how realistic do you think the odds of a 17 year old drafted at 13 actually having the leverage to "force" himself anywhere were? Had the deal not already been in place and the Hornets or whoever else REALLY wanted kobe, they would've 'd his agent, called their bluff...and that's where he would've played...trust

 

[Propaganda]

Dog, let me break it down slower for you cats with poor reading comprehension

Lebron is a very competitive player who competes hard on both sides of the ball and shows a desire to win

Lebron taking a paycut to stack a team was not a competitive act....he wanted the easiest path to a ring. One act does not define Lebron as someone who isn't a competitor

Where have I contracted myself?

What have I said that a rational adult with common sense would disagree with?

Exactly......that's why y'all keep avoiding the question of "how is taking the easy way out an example of being a competitor?"

so you're just gonna keep tap dancing until you think you've made a sensible point? alright. let's go with your line of thinking though:

getting yourself into a better situation/easier path/whatever semantics you wanna use to win a ring isn't competitive.

so...

were you saying that when rookie kobe pushed his way to the "goat franchise" cuz he knew that would give him a better chance to win? nope.

were you saying that when they got phil? nope.

were you saying that when kobe stayed and played with shaq? nope.

were you saying that when kobe wanted out of la cuz his team sucked? nope.

were you saying that when they got pau? nope.

were you saying that when they got dwight? nope.

were you saying that when they got nash? nope.

look stanley, we both know why you don't sing that tune when kobe benefits from situations that give him a perceived easier path to a ring...so stop trying to act like you're rational and unbiased about this. you kobots do anything to downplay lebron cuz y'all know he's the only guy out there right now that could possibly surpass him.

and don't give me that tired ass "b-b-but lebron went to them" bullshyt. cuz it makes no difference. no matter how it played out they both ended up playing with great players and THAT'S what you're criticizing bron for.

 

[Johnny Kilroy]

then what was the point of "the Decision"....thats just not true

The Decision? :hov:

Do you think LeBron was "deciding" live on ESPN?

It was the announcement. Announcing what he, Wade, Bosh and I'm sure a handful of other people knew since 07. And when they did it, it all made sense.

Melo signed a max contract with the Nuggets, 4 years. Then LeBron shocked everybody by only signing for 3 (with a player option for the 4th). Then Wade and Bosh did the same thing. Back in 2007. After they had played in a couple All-Star games and USA teams together. And all became best friends and shyt.

This is pretty easy stuff to figure out. We know you're a fakkit, but don't tell me you're a dumb fakkit at that.