duncan228
10-31-2007, 10:44 PM
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D8SKGJCG1.html
Kobe and A-Rod create turmoil, while Duncan just goes on winning
By TIM DAHLBERG / Associated Press
The baseball season ended with an arrogant superstar taking some of the fun out of the World Series. Two days later, the basketball season began with an arrogant superstar telling everyone he's no longer having any fun.
Alex Rodriguez is so greedy he can't get by on just $25 million a year anymore. Kobe Bryant is so self-absorbed he can't figure out why Jerry Buss doesn't just give him the Los Angeles Lakers and let him pick his own teammates.
One of the perks, of course, of being a superstar is that you're able to get away with just about anything. As long as you produce, fans will still love you, and the sycophants will still wear your jersey and beg for your autograph.
So when the home fans booed him opening night at Staples Center, Bryant seemed a bit taken aback by the reception. But it wasn't long before those same fans were cheering their star when he almost led the Lakers back from a 12-point deficit in the final few minutes against the Houston Rockets.
And don't let the "Don't Sign A-Rod" chants from Red Sox fans fool you. They already have a World Series winner, but you can be sure fans in Los Angeles, Queens or San Francisco would be more than happy to have the overpaid star in their uniform.
A-Rod picked the World Series to announce his breakup with the Yankees because it's not only all about the Benjamins, but all about him. So while he's never played in a World Series, he can one day tell his grandchildren that he was once the talk of one.
Bryant, meanwhile, has already spoiled what figures to be an awfully long season for Jack Nicholson & Co. in Los Angeles. His interaction with his teammates on opening night seemed stilted and forced, which isn't surprising since he's basically told them they're not good enough to play with him.
In Tinseltown, though, it's still all Kobe, all the time. His every utterance dominants talk radio, and every time he sneezes, a dozen reporters are there to take his pulse.
And while A-Rod traipses across the country looking for that few extra million, there will be more cameras trained on him than when he was leaving that Toronto strip club last season with a woman who wasn't his wife.
Meanwhile, down in Texas, a player who defines what a superstar should really be quietly negotiated a contract extension, picked up his fourth ring, and just as quietly went about the business of playing basketball for the San Antonio Spurs.
Tim Duncan may be the best power forward to play the game in the NBA. He's certainly one of the most successful, anchoring a Spurs dynasty that has already surpassed anything Kobe and Shaq were able to put together before their public divorce.
You don't hear that much about him because he's not flashy, works in San Antonio, and doesn't gripe every other day about not being able to play for the Lakers or the Knicks. He just shows up and plays basketball. That's what he did Tuesday when he had 24 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Spurs to an opening night win over Portland.
He's the anti-Kobe, much like Derek Jeter was to A-Rod on the Yankees. He's such a team player that he stepped aside to let Tony Parker be the star when the Spurs dusted off the Cleveland Cavaliers to win the NBA title last season.
If that wasn't enough, he's giving up millions to be able to make his team better. A-Rod always talks about playing in a World Series, but his contract demands are so exorbitant that any team that signs him will have difficulty paying enough other good players to get to the playoffs.
Duncan isn't exactly playing for small change in San Antonio. He'll make $22 million in the final year of his current contract, so don't worry about holding any charity benefits for him.
But Duncan is about to sign off on a two-year contract extension that will pay him $11 million less than the maximum NBA payout of $51 million, and he's doing it because a true superstar does what is necessary for his team to win. When the extension takes effect in 2010, the Spurs will have more money to lure free agents like LeBron James and Dwyane Wade who just happen to become available that year.
"That's just a very good example of the way his brain works and what his priorities are," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "It's as simple as that."
It may be just that simple. Duncan will play his entire career in San Antonio, and he and the city will be richer for it.
Bryant's time in Los Angeles, meanwhile, appears to be coming to an acrimonious close mostly due to his colossal ego. And A-Rod is a mercenary player on the prowl, eager to play for whoever is silly enough to top his $250 million deal.
All three are true superstars. All three are dominant in what they do.
But only one is a real winner. :smokin
Kobe and A-Rod create turmoil, while Duncan just goes on winning
By TIM DAHLBERG / Associated Press
The baseball season ended with an arrogant superstar taking some of the fun out of the World Series. Two days later, the basketball season began with an arrogant superstar telling everyone he's no longer having any fun.
Alex Rodriguez is so greedy he can't get by on just $25 million a year anymore. Kobe Bryant is so self-absorbed he can't figure out why Jerry Buss doesn't just give him the Los Angeles Lakers and let him pick his own teammates.
One of the perks, of course, of being a superstar is that you're able to get away with just about anything. As long as you produce, fans will still love you, and the sycophants will still wear your jersey and beg for your autograph.
So when the home fans booed him opening night at Staples Center, Bryant seemed a bit taken aback by the reception. But it wasn't long before those same fans were cheering their star when he almost led the Lakers back from a 12-point deficit in the final few minutes against the Houston Rockets.
And don't let the "Don't Sign A-Rod" chants from Red Sox fans fool you. They already have a World Series winner, but you can be sure fans in Los Angeles, Queens or San Francisco would be more than happy to have the overpaid star in their uniform.
A-Rod picked the World Series to announce his breakup with the Yankees because it's not only all about the Benjamins, but all about him. So while he's never played in a World Series, he can one day tell his grandchildren that he was once the talk of one.
Bryant, meanwhile, has already spoiled what figures to be an awfully long season for Jack Nicholson & Co. in Los Angeles. His interaction with his teammates on opening night seemed stilted and forced, which isn't surprising since he's basically told them they're not good enough to play with him.
In Tinseltown, though, it's still all Kobe, all the time. His every utterance dominants talk radio, and every time he sneezes, a dozen reporters are there to take his pulse.
And while A-Rod traipses across the country looking for that few extra million, there will be more cameras trained on him than when he was leaving that Toronto strip club last season with a woman who wasn't his wife.
Meanwhile, down in Texas, a player who defines what a superstar should really be quietly negotiated a contract extension, picked up his fourth ring, and just as quietly went about the business of playing basketball for the San Antonio Spurs.
Tim Duncan may be the best power forward to play the game in the NBA. He's certainly one of the most successful, anchoring a Spurs dynasty that has already surpassed anything Kobe and Shaq were able to put together before their public divorce.
You don't hear that much about him because he's not flashy, works in San Antonio, and doesn't gripe every other day about not being able to play for the Lakers or the Knicks. He just shows up and plays basketball. That's what he did Tuesday when he had 24 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Spurs to an opening night win over Portland.
He's the anti-Kobe, much like Derek Jeter was to A-Rod on the Yankees. He's such a team player that he stepped aside to let Tony Parker be the star when the Spurs dusted off the Cleveland Cavaliers to win the NBA title last season.
If that wasn't enough, he's giving up millions to be able to make his team better. A-Rod always talks about playing in a World Series, but his contract demands are so exorbitant that any team that signs him will have difficulty paying enough other good players to get to the playoffs.
Duncan isn't exactly playing for small change in San Antonio. He'll make $22 million in the final year of his current contract, so don't worry about holding any charity benefits for him.
But Duncan is about to sign off on a two-year contract extension that will pay him $11 million less than the maximum NBA payout of $51 million, and he's doing it because a true superstar does what is necessary for his team to win. When the extension takes effect in 2010, the Spurs will have more money to lure free agents like LeBron James and Dwyane Wade who just happen to become available that year.
"That's just a very good example of the way his brain works and what his priorities are," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "It's as simple as that."
It may be just that simple. Duncan will play his entire career in San Antonio, and he and the city will be richer for it.
Bryant's time in Los Angeles, meanwhile, appears to be coming to an acrimonious close mostly due to his colossal ego. And A-Rod is a mercenary player on the prowl, eager to play for whoever is silly enough to top his $250 million deal.
All three are true superstars. All three are dominant in what they do.
But only one is a real winner. :smokin