Europe: why does Kobe like to make friends with players that he almost fought

[King Emmanuel]

i mean ron artest and matt barnes both became lakers after they got real rough with kobe.. and kobe has wanted raja bell on his team for years after that clothesline incident.. is this some kind of a complex involving sociopaths??

[Splits]

[Kool Bob Love]

^

[mkurts]

He likes his men tough and rough

[unforeseen]

[JamStone]

I think it says a lot about those guys (Artest and Barnes) that they would want to go to the Lakers to play with Kobe even after incidents that suggest they don't like him, and maybe even despised him. Kind of says to me that they might not like the guy, but they respected him as a player and compe or enough that they wanted to play with him. It's no secret that Kobe isn't the most likable or sociable guy off the court. But I think it was a common misconception often portrayed on these very boards that other players didn't want to or like to play with him. I don't think Kobe has or had a problem with players who showed him respect but played tough and even dirty on the court. Kobe even showed a respectful affinity towards Bruce Bowen and Ginobili too. I think that's Kobe in his way showing respect to guys who played like Artest, Barnes, Raja, Bruce.

There was a time from the mid to late 2000s that he was widely regarded by players around the league as the best player in the NBA. And you heard it from people like Duncan and Pop. I remember hearing it from several Pistons players during that time. You might not like the guy, maybe the players didn't like him either. But they respected him.

Some of that stuff has obviously since faded. He's old. Close to being finished. Players around the league know that. The Lakers will stink and the rest of the roster is a joke. And Kobe takes up too much money. There's no reason to want to play with him now.

Of the myriad of things that people can and have criticized Kobe for throughout the years, this is hardly one that deserves mention. In fact, I think it's more complimentary of Kobe than anything. Kobe getting into scraps with other players on the court but once the whistle blows, he shows a healthy respect for that type of compe iveness he sees in certain players.

[Killakobe81]

I think it says a lot about those guys (Artest and Barnes) that they would want to go to the Lakers to play with Kobe even after incidents that suggest they don't like him, and maybe even despised him. Kind of says to me that they might not like the guy, but they respected him as a player and compe or enough that they wanted to play with him. It's no secret that Kobe isn't the most likable or sociable guy off the court. But I think it was a common misconception often portrayed on these very boards that other players didn't want to or like to play with him. I don't think Kobe has or had a problem with players who showed him respect but played tough and even dirty on the court. Kobe even showed a respectful affinity towards Bruce Bowen and Ginobili too. I think that's Kobe in his way showing respect to guys who played like Artest, Barnes, Raja, Bruce.

There was a time from the mid to late 2000s that he was widely regarded by players around the league as the best player in the NBA. And you heard it from people like Duncan and Pop. I remember hearing it from several Pistons players during that time. You might not like the guy, maybe the players didn't like him either. But they respected him.

Some of that stuff has obviously since faded. He's old. Close to being finished. Players around the league know that. The Lakers will stink and the rest of the roster is a joke. And Kobe takes up too much money. There's no reason to want to play with him now.

Of the myriad of things that people can and have criticized Kobe for throughout the years, this is hardly one that deserves mention. In fact, I think it's more complimentary of Kobe than anything. Kobe getting into scraps with other players on the court but once the whistle blows, he shows a healthy respect for that type of compe iveness he sees in certain players.

Well said.
The amount of kobe related posts in these forums even as TOSB, is indicative of the hurt feelings he has caused to some of the fan-bases. Kobe went from overrated to now silly pointless attacks, when there are plenty of legit ones: missing the playoffs, his shot selection Game 7 vs. PHX etc.

[DMC]

I don't think players get into fights because they don't like the other player. It's a situational thing. You see guys get into it that you know are friends outside the arena. There are only a handful of decent players in the NBA. They are going to end up on your team eventually.

[lefty]

[313]

This always gives me a good chuckle