Kobe's charmed life continues: "lived off NBA food stamps his entire career"

[BRHornet45]

Kobe's charmed life continues


LONDON

The unfairness of the Lakers surrendering Andrew Bynum’s bad knees and even worse attitude in exchange for Dwight Howard isn’t really worth discussion. Yes, I know the four-team deal was more complicated than what I just described. But I’m not discussing it. We knew the Lakers would get D12. They foreshadowed this deal by landing Wilt, Kareem and Shaq. They foreshadowed the ridiculousness of this deal when they were handed Pau Gasol for a Filet-o-Fish sandwich and a diet soft drink to be named later.

The Lakers live off league subsidies. And Kobe Bryant is the NBA’s Welfare King.

Yes, this column is about King Kobe, the most pampered athlete in the history of sports.

Before I continue, let me offer this bit of context. I don’t hate Kobe Bryant, although I could understand why he and his fans might think I do. I frequently rip Kobe in my columns, and I’m reluctant to recognize his greatness publicly. I’m a lifelong, hardcore Magic Johnson fan. Magic is the second-greatest NBA player of all time, and the greatest Laker. One of my missions in life is to protect Magic’s legacy. I’m going to do everything I can to guard his rightful standing in NBA lore. I don’t care how many championships Kobe wins, he’s not now nor ever will be a better player than Magic Johnson.

Got it? OK, moving forward.

Kobe is spoiled. He’s lived off NBA food stamps his entire career. Has any player in league history played with four different All-Star 7-footers? Shaq, Howard, Gasol and Bynum. Are you kidding me?

Given all the help he’s received, it would be embarrassing if Kobe didn’t retire with eight titles. Let’s don’t forget, in Shaq’s final season in L.A., Kobe also got to play with Karl Malone and Gary Payton. Now Kobe gets a still-effective Steve Nash to play point guard.

Nash, Kobe, Pau, Howard and Metta Artest is one hell of a starting lineup. I know, I know, they’re all past their primes except Howard. I’m not sure it matters.

Oklahoma City is better on paper. The Thunder can match L.A.’s twin 7-footers with Serge Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins. Russell Westbrook can run past and over Steve Nash. Kevin Durant is in his prime and better than the aging Bryant. With James Harden leading the way, the Thunder have a far superior bench.

But here’s the key. Dwight Howard can finally play basketball the way he was meant to play basketball. Howard was born to play defense, block shots, rebound and score as an afterthought. The ideal Howard stat line should read: 18 points, 16 rebounds, six blocks and five dunks. He can forget about spending summers working on his low-post moves. Kobe, Pau and Nash can handle the late-game scoring. Howard can worry about rebounding their misses and throwing down dunks.

If Howard plays the way he’s supposed to play, the Lakers can get by the Thunder. With Kobe and Nash, the Lakers will be significantly smarter than OKC.

We have two real hopes for L.A. failure: 1, the Heat. 2, the Lakers.

LeBron James is still the best player in basketball. More than likely, this Howard trade just snapped the Heat out of their post-championship haze. There’s a new challenge out there for James and Wade and Bosh. They whipped up on the OKC kids in June. Now there are some grown-ass men gunning for the Heat. It’s a fair fight. The Heat will be inspired.

Now, the Lakers could also self-destruct. This might be our best bet. This is quite the mix of personalities. Metta is certifiable. We know that. His name is Metta World Peace. Kobe is still the same moody ball-and-spotlight hog who ran Shaq out of town. How will Kobe get along with D12? Howard is a big, immature baby who thinks the game is indoor recess. In terms of maturity, Howard makes Shaq seem like George Will on Meet the Press. Pau is soft. Any off-court issue could send him into a prolonged funk. And Mike Brown has yet to prove he’s an elite coach. Can he handle this many egos?

No matter what happens, Kobe should not get credit for a sixth superstar championship ring if the Lakers win it all. This should count as a Robert Horry-like supporting player championship ring. Any titles Kobe wins with Howard should be marked with an asterisk and should not be considered of the same value as the titles Magic and Michael won.

The real all-time greats won titles without the benefit of welfare.


http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/dwight-howard-trade-cheapens-kobe-bryant-legacy-even-more-la-lakers-081112

[LkrFan]

I knew this was Human Beatbox article when I read the title. He HATES Kobe. :rollin

[ElNono]

good read, thanks son. god bless.

[Koolaid_Man]

good read, thanks son. god bless.


:lol Let's not forget Kwame Brown, Chris Mihm, Brian Cook, Samaki Walker...

Andrew Bynum barely contributed the the last 2 titles...

Gasol and Shaq both didn't win anything until Kobe...the common denominator is Kobe :hat

[whitemamba]

I knew this was Human Beatbox article when I read the title. He HATES Kobe. :rollin

:lol:lol:lol

[ElNono]

:lol Let's not forget Kwame Brown, Chris Mihm, Brian Cook, Samaki Walker...

Andrew Bynum barely contributed the the last 2 titles...

Gasol and Shaq both didn't win anything until Kobe...the common denominator is Kobe :hat

you sound upset, pinky... let's see you start a thread about it...

[Deuce Bigalow]

Kobe haters have the lowest IQs

"He'll never win without Shaq"
"He'll never repeat without Shaq"
"He'll never win MVP"
"Pau was the Finals MVP"
"If Kobe gets his sixth, it shouldn't count"

:lmao

[Venti Quattro]

Kobe haters have the lowest IQs

"He'll never win without Shaq"
"He'll never repeat without Shaq"
"He'll never win MVP"
"Pau was the Finals MVP"
"If Kobe gets his sixth, it shouldn't count"

:lmao

:lmao :lmao :lmao truth

[pass1st]

Son, quality objective article

[venky]

Shaq has played with:

Penny, Kobe, Malone, Payton, Wade, Alonzo, Nash, LeBron, Pierce, KG, Allen and Rondo.

Looks like Shaq is the most fortunate superstar ever.

[Koolaid_Man]

you sound upset, pinky... let's see you start a thread about it...

Pulp fiction...rape scene in the store with Zed and the Gimp...black guy just got his ass plowed..rises up and then says: "I'm pretty fucking far from fucking ok" :lol

likewise I'm pretty fucking far from being upset after this past week in LALA Land :lol

[Brazil]

Pulp fiction...rape scene in the store with Zed and the Gimp...black guy just got his ass plowed..rises up and then says: "I'm pretty fucking far from fucking ok" :lol

likewise I'm pretty fucking far from being upset after this past week in LALA Land :lol

:lmao spurs fan

[Clipper Nation]

Jason Whitlock with the rare goods, tbh...

[lefty]

Great read

[O.J. Simpson]

Uncle Tomlock going in hard.

[HI-FI]

whitlock dropping some hiroshima-esque truth bombs. the comments are hilarious, so many butthurt kobe fans can't handle reality.

[TDMVPDPOY]

good read, but he hit a button right there...why go on the offensive kobefans?

[DMX7]

good read

[namlook]

Kobe haters have the lowest IQs

"He'll never win without Shaq"
"He'll never repeat without Shaq"
"He'll never win MVP"
"Pau was the Finals MVP"
"If Kobe gets his sixth, it shouldn't count"

:lmao

That about sums it up. Loving all the hate and jealousy of late. Great fun to read. People are scared.

Now Kobe should have 8 rings or he's a failure? Bwhahaha! Magic had more talent around him than Kobe and won only five. Bird played with two hall of fame bigmen AT THE SAME TIME and won only three. And he had another HOF in DJ. When he had Walton as 6th man of he year he had THREE hall of fame bigmen. What a dumbshit.

[Rain318]

Kobe haters have the lowest IQs

"He'll never win without Shaq"
"He'll never repeat without Shaq"
"He'll never win MVP"
"Pau was the Finals MVP"
"If Kobe gets his sixth, it shouldn't count"

:lmao

The argument is that Kobe cant win without an all-star caliber bigman next to him
and there is some truth to it, just look at the championship team rosters kobe has played for Shaq, Bynum, Gasol.
Let us not forget that when Kobe was playing with big men like K.Brown, Cook they ended up missing the playoff and history making playoff exits (3-1) phx
anyway case and point take shaq, bynum and gasol away from those championship team and honesty how many rings would kobe have? We may never know.

Whoever said the rest of that should be kicked in the balls tbh

[lefty]

Lol kobe fangirls


This writer is a hater :cry

[Clipper Nation]

Damn, looks like this article struck a nerve with Kobrick stans, just shows how true it is tbh....

[ata]

The argument is that Kobe cant win without an all-star caliber bigman next to him
and there is some truth to it, just look at the championship team rosters kobe has played for Shaq, Bynum, Gasol.
Let us not forget that when Kobe was playing with big men like K.Brown, Cook they ended up missing the playoff and history making playoff exits (3-1) phx
anyway case and point take shaq, bynum and gasol away from those championship team and honesty how many rings would kobe have? We may never know.

Whoever said the rest of that should be kicked in the balls tbh

When was the last time that NBA ring was won without all-star big?

[Koolaid_Man]

The argument is that Kobe cant win without an all-star caliber bigman next to him
and there is some truth to it, just look at the championship team rosters kobe has played for Shaq, Bynum, Gasol.
Let us not forget that when Kobe was playing with big men like K.Brown, Cook they ended up missing the playoff and history making playoff exits (3-1) phx
anyway case and point take shaq, bynum and gasol away from those championship team and honesty how many rings would kobe have? We may never know.

Whoever said the rest of that should be kicked in the balls tbh


Take Pippen from MJ..how many rings? :lol = 0
Take Manu, Parker, David Robinson from Timmy how many rings? :lol = 0
Take Kareem and Worthy from Magic how many rings? :lol = 0
Take Mchale and Parrish from Bird how many rings? :lol = 0
Take Wade and Bosh from Lebron how many rings? :lol = 0

Take Pau and Bynum from Kobe how many rings? :lol = 3
Take Shaq from Kobe how many rings? :lol = 2

That's it and that's all :hat

[Jodelo]

Solid and good read, thanks.

[Koolaid_Man]

whitlock dropping some hiroshima-esque truth bombs. the comments are hilarious, so many butthurt kobe fans can't handle reality.


On Sunday, after much criticism and derision, Whitlock came through with an apology of sorts (http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/jason-whitlock-jeremy-lin-whitlock-sorry-for-lin-tweet-021112):


I then gave in to another part of my personality - my immature, sophomoric, comedic nature. It's been with me since birth, a gift from my mother and honed as a child listening to my godmother's Richard Pryor albums. I still want to be a standup comedian.

[DMC]

Kobe = great player though not the primary reason for the bulk of the Lakers' successes during throughout his career. Solid contributor at times, liability at others, had the ability to take over games on offense like few in the history of the game. Sports history will credit him as a mark in the lineage of the Lakers, about the same level of a Byron Scott or James Worthy. Won't be considered as good as Magic despite his eventual ring count. Won't be mentioned in the same sentence as MJ by anyone who's serious.

[namlook]

The argument is that Kobe cant win without an all-star caliber bigman next to him

Kobe never had a chance to play with Pippen, Rodman, Grant and the rest of the Bulls. That's circumstances and has nothing to do with him. Anyone who thinks prime Kobe would not win rings with what Jordan had around him is not being objective.

Magic and Bird never won without Hall of Fame bigmen, so let's add them to the list of players that couldn't win without an all star bigman. :toast

[namlook]

Kobe = great player though not the primary reason for the bulk of the Lakers' successes during throughout his career. Solid contributor at times, liability at others, had the ability to take over games on offense like few in the history of the game. Sports history will credit him as a mark in the lineage of the Lakers, about the same level of a Byron Scott or James Worthy. Won't be considered as good as Magic despite his eventual ring count. Won't be mentioned in the same sentence as MJ by anyone who's serious.

Weak attempt at a troll. You, I, and everyone here knows this is exactly what it is. :lol

[DMC]

Weak attempt at a troll. You, I, and everyone here knows this is exactly what it is. :lol

MJ would not have lost with Malone, Payton and Shaq on his team.

[namlook]

MJ would not have lost with Malone, Payton and Shaq on his team.

The backup argument is always to compare Kobe to Jordan, often with unprovable, hypothetical what if situations. :lol If your argument is that if Kobe was not as good as Jordan and that this means he is not one of the NBAs all time great players....well that shows what a weak position you are coming from.

[DMC]

The backup argument is always to compare Kobe to Jordan, often with unprovable, hypothetical what if situations. :lol If your argument is that if Kobe was not as good as Jordan and that this means he is not one of the NBAs all time great players....well that shows what a weak position you are coming from.

I said: "Kobe = great player though not the primary reason for the bulk of the Lakers' successes throughout his career"

So what's your point or are you just slurping?

The mark of all time great players is invariably that they were the main forces on their respective teams. We could look at John Stockton and say he wasn't the main force, but I don't think you consider him on the same level as Kobe.

Kobe stuck around. His fortune is that he was never traded because he was caught up in the media's "next MJ" fiasco and LA knew it.

Fisher has the same number of rings but more Finals appearances. Is Fisher an all time great PG?

[Koolaid_Man]

I said: "Kobe = great player though not the primary reason for the bulk of the Lakers' successes throughout his career"

So what's your point or are you just slurping?

The mark of all time great players is invariably that they were the main forces on their respective teams. We could look at John Stockton and say he wasn't the main force, but I don't think you consider him on the same level as Kobe.

Kobe stuck around. His fortune is that he was never traded because he was caught up in the media's "next MJ" fiasco and LA knew it.

Fisher has the same number of rings but more Finals appearances. Is Fisher an all time great PG?

say pimpin...you just mad cuz we scored Nash, Dwight, Jamison, and Meeks...you mad dawg...you just flat out, grit cooking, bacon grilling, toast with Jam Jelly mad :lol

[DMC]

You are still stuck with Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker. Kori outed your ass. You've been under cover too long, time to come home.

[Koolaid_Man]

You are still stuck with Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker. Kori outed your ass. You've been under cover too long, time to come home.

you mad dawg...get it over it...:lol

[DMC]

you mad dawg...get it over it...:lol

Not mad dog, Extra Stout tbh

[Clipper Nation]

:lol Kool
:lol Pinked
:lol Spurfan pretending to be Welfare Queen Bryant's #1 slurper

[Koolaid_Man]

:lol Kool
:lol Pinked
:lol Spurfan pretending to be Welfare Queen Bryant's #1 slurper


You mad dawg :lol

[Clipper Nation]

You mad dawg :lol

SLIGHTLY better comeback than calling me "Nipple Nation"... keep trying, you might come up with a funny one someday, B....

[namlook]

Fisher has the same number of rings but more Finals appearances. Is Fisher an all time great PG?

And this is always the last resort when desperation sinks in...pull out the Horry/Fisher/Kerr have rings argument.

Fisher was never an all star. No one gets credit on their resume for rings if they were not an all star when they won it. That's just common sense. If you are not an all star you are a role player.

All star = credit for ring won
Not an all star = no credit for ring won. Examples: Fisher, Horry, Kerr, Paxson etc

[djohn2oo8]

And this is always the last resort when desperation sinks in...pull out the Horry/Fisher/Kerr have rings argument.

Fisher was never an all star. No one gets credit on their resume for rings if they were not an all star when they won it. That's just common sense. If you are not an all star you are a role player.

All star = credit for ring won
Not an all star = no credit for ring won. Examples: Fisher, Horry, Kerr, Paxson etc

Except Horry and Fisher are two of the most clutch players in recent memory. And Kobe played with them both. So he always had help yet lost twice in the finals because he didnt trust his teammates.

[racm]

Stars do the big plays but they don't win without role players.

Horry was a rotation player for all 7 of his rings, tbh

[whitemamba]

Stars do the big plays but they don't win without role players.

Horry was a rotation player for all 7 of his rings, tbh

i know mike miller 7/8 3s.. ur welcome lebron

[Venti Quattro]

:lol welfare Bryant
:lol home for the aged

[BRHornet45]

.402% and .304% from 3PT


http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ltpeojURtT1r4ghkoo1_400.gif

[FkLA]

Son, Anthony Davis is already twice the player Kirby ever was tbh.

[Quadzilla99]

Op is sorely missed imo