Metta World Peace: Kobe Bryant's Career Plans Pushed Dwight Howard Out of LA

[LezJepzin]

Leave it to Metta World Peace to fuel whatever fire might already exist between the Houston Rockets andLos Angeles Lakers.

The first game between the two teams was already set up to be a key affair following Dwight Howard's decision to leave behind a purple-and-gold jersey in favor of a red-and-white one, but it could become an even more heated contest if MWP's words have validity.

In an interview with the Hallmark Channel he gave while at Universal Studies, the recently amnestied small forward said the following, as reported by the Los Angeles Daily News' Mark Medina:

Dwight did have some flaws just like anybody. Everybody has flaws. But Dwight just wanted to be comfortable. He wasn’t comfortable [here]. But once that happened [with Bryant's comments], I knew Dwight wasn’t coming back. I knew he wasn’t going to come back.

The comments World Peace is referring to came in an interview Kobe Bryant gave toNBA.com, one in which he said, "I feel pretty damn confident I can be at a high level for at least another three years."

Howard has always been a player who needs to feel the support of a fanbase, and that's never easier than when functioning as the unquestioned face of the franchise. Should he have agreed upon a return to L.A., he never would have experienced the feeling with Kobe still on the roster and playing at a high level.

Well, Bryant's words left no room for doubt.

If the Mamba thinks he can play at a high level for at least three more years, he can probably do exactly that

Greatness from the shooting guard and Howard are not mutually exclusive entities, even if the 2012-13 season did its darnedest to prove that statement false. However, World Peace is convinced that their presences on the L.A. roster are.

In the mind of the former Laker, Bryant's claim effectively ended the Lakers' chances of retaining D12. Add in the icy relationship between the two stars, and World Peace may very well have a point.

Then again, a central figure in this story has denied these claims:

Metta World Peace: Kobe Bryant's Career Plans Pushed Dwight Howard Out of LA | Bleacher Report

 

[Ed MOTHERFUCKING G]

Breh nobody gives a fukk what led to that p*ssy ass nikka moving to texas.

 

[MenacingMonk]

Everyone already knows.

 

[Bows Jones]

Nobody gives a fukk.

Like I said when he left, any real Laker fan that knows basketball would rather rebuild than have that no post move havin clown as our star player when Kobe is done

 

[Bilz]

Nobody gives a fukk.

Like I said when he left, any real Laker fan that knows basketball would rather rebuild than have that no post move havin clown as our star player when Kobe is done

I guess Mitch Kupchak isn't a real Laker fan

 

[PS5 Pro]

Why do people say nobody gives a fukk
You all give a fukk, every laker fan gave a fukk. Now yall seem bitter as a muh'fukka
And with all these threads of "Dis scrub could start for the lakers" and "Lakers to have 50mil in space next season" is all you needed to see

Laker fans

 

[Soundwave]

Breh nobody gives a fukk what led to that p*ssy ass nikka moving to texas.

For some reason I read this in T.I.'s voice

 

[Jesus Is Lord]

Why do people say nobody gives a fukk
You all give a fukk, every laker fan gave a fukk. Now yall seem bitter as a muh'fukka
And with all these threads of "Dis scrub could start for the lakers" and "Lakers to have 50mil in space next season" is all you needed to see

Laker fans

Yeah we're a little bitter that things didn't work out. Dwight could've been our next in line, but we didn't anticipate his bytchassness. Lets be real, your greatness or dominance should show regardless of your situation, especially if you're getting 36 minutes a game. Dwight choked attitude wise, he wasn't coddled and he couldn't get past that. We are bitter with the whole season and things went down, not just Dwight, he was just the biggest reason besides Dantoni and the injuries.

 

[ajnapoleon]

Wait should we not be praising D12 for not wanting to be Kobe's number 2?...Im mean you should want your own team or be the man right?

 

[gho3st]

Like I said b4, Dwight is too soft to snatch the team away from Kobe. The tone of the season was set once Kobe said "this is my team" at training camp last year and Dwight came back with some weak "this is our team" shyt

 

[The Devil's Advocate]

It's funny tho when Nelly said this on first take, everyone called him a hater and mad. But it was clear from not only him. But master p and Kevin hart. All who said they were very good friends with Dwight... All 3 said the same thing. "Maybe it was cause of Kobe"

Name one other SUPERSTAR who enjoyed and wanted to play with that man. In their prime. Don't give me washed up Malone, Nash, Payton. They went when it was stacked and they thought they could get a ring. Nobody came on some lebeon shyt. Prime of their career, free agent, please let me play with Kobe.

50 million in role players, rookies and washed up vets next year. Bet it

 

[MoneyTron]

Name one other SUPERSTAR who enjoyed and wanted to play with that man. In their prime.

Are we basing a player's worth on how much other superstars want to play with them now? Were people scrambling to play with MJ? Were people scrambling to play with Kareem? Or Hakeem? Or Shaq? Or Duncan or Garnett?

Kobe is from a different era and still shows in how he conducts himself.

 

[The Devil's Advocate]

Are we basing a player's worth on how much other superstars want to play with them now? Were people scrambling to play with MJ? Were people scrambling to play with Kareem? Or Hakeem? Or Shaq? Or Duncan or Garnett?

Kobe is from a different era and still shows in how he conducts himself.

No I'm not saying that. Kobe is a 5 time champ. That's what he's worth to me. That's what his career should be based on. But this is a new era

These teams are stacking up. Stars are joining other stars to make super teams. While the big 3 in Boston was trades, they spoke before and planned that and asked for it. Rodman (4 or 5 time champ, first ballot HOF, greatest rebounder ever) did join up with Jordan. Drexler and Barkley joined up with the Dream. Not to mention the spurs don't leave in free agency. It's not even a flirtation with other teams. Shaq asked to be traded away from Kobe. Bynum didn't give two shyts about staying with Kobe. But pippen never left Jordan.

Now look as more people join up. People like melo demanded to go to ny with amare. Lebron and bosh. Etc etc etc

The way Kobe is and always has been rubs people the wrong way. He's arrogant and we all know it. He rides your ass like he's the coach and we all see it. He's tough as hell on his teammates. shyt he even tough on opposing players in all star games like what he did to lebron the past two years. nikka even shytted on Phil when he left the first time.

Dude is cut throat and the whole league knows it. They respect his game and respect his rings but other players don't want to deal with him for 82 games a year. Maybe a role player. But if you a star, like nelly said.....

You want to go to place that your stats WILL go down and when something goes wrong, they looking at you off top while Kobe gets no blame AND shyts on you in public and private.

 

[2Quik4UHoes]

Why are we still talkin bout this weak ass nikka?

 

[MoneyTron]

N
These teams are stacking up. Stars are joining other stars to make super teams. While the big 3 in Boston was trades, they spoke before and planned that and asked for it. Rodman (4 or 5 time champ, first ballot HOF, greatest rebounder ever) did join up with Jordan. Drexler and Barkley joined up with the Dream. Not to mention the spurs don't leave in free agency. It's not even a flirtation with other teams. Shaq asked to be traded away from Kobe. Bynum didn't give two shyts about staying with Kobe. But pippen never left Jordan.

Rodman didn't team up with Jordan on his own volition though. He was traded because the Spurs were tired of his shyt.

Pippen didn't leave MJ because he was perfectly happy with being #2. That's something Dwight didn't want to do regardless of how long Kobe was going to play. It's why Shaq left as well because he was pushed out by management as they saw Kobe as the new #1.

You mention Pippen but fail to acknowledge that Gasol has been Kobe's #2 since 2007 and has championed for him over and over and over again. Kobe is the only reason Gasol is still on the Lakers. Otherwise Mitch would've dumped him when Pau started becoming less efficient and effective.

Barkley teamed up with the Rockets because he wanted one last shot at a championship. Same thing with the Celtics. These weren't guys in their primes looking to make a dynasty. They were trying to finish off their careers having accomplished something they hadn't.

Now look as more people join up. People like melo demanded to go to ny with amare. Lebron and bosh. Etc etc etc

They joined up partly because they saw the Lakers and Celtics with very talented teams assemble and were tired of getting their asses kicked. Bron and Dwight got stopped by the Celtics and Magic for 3 straight years. Melo couldn't get past the WCF in the Western conference. DWill got shytted on the Kobe and the Lakers 3 years in a row.

Their blueprint started with the Lakers and Celtics.

The difference is that Kobe for better and worse, put the onus on Mitch and ownership to make it happen instead of getting involved in trying to openly recruit players through the media and whatnot. After the Bynum incident he's pretty much stayed out of management talks except to say that he believes in Mitch or that he'd like the team to stay together.

The way Kobe is and always has been rubs people the wrong way. He's arrogant and we all know it. He rides your ass like he's the coach and we all see it. He's tough as hell on his teammates. shyt he even tough on opposing players in all star games like what he did to lebron the past two years. nikka even shytted on Phil when he left the first time.

Dude is cut throat and the whole league knows it. They respect his game and respect his rings but other players don't want to deal with him for 82 games a year. Maybe a role player. But if you a star, like nelly said.....

Of course, like I said, he's from a different era. He's not going to pander to others' egos. The new players will.

You want to go to place that your stats WILL go down and when something goes wrong, they looking at you off top while Kobe gets no blame AND shyts on you in public and private.

Just how do you know your stats will go down? Pau Gasol was never more efficient than with the Lakers. In fact, he was never mentioned in the top PF category until he teamed up with Kobe. Lamar didn't see significant drops. He was more efficient. The semi-star players that saw their stats go down were Metta and Nash. They were #1's on their previous teams and moved to different roles. And the role players? Farmar, Ariza, Fisher, Vujacic, Barnes, Brown, Walton, Parker, etc, etc, were all better on the Lakers.