Read this to see why I stand by this criticism:

http://sports.yahoo.com/n...&type=lgns

The Logo's livid with Kobe
By Adrian Wojnarowski, Yahoo! Sports
May 29, 2007

Sooner or later, Kobe Bryant turns on everyone in his life. Professional, personal, it's never mattered to him. He can be calculated and merciless this way. When he wants something, it seems everyone's disposable.

So, it is little surprise to discover that, through a source who has spoken with Jerry West, that the Logo is downright livid with Bryant for demanding West's return to the Los Angeles Lakers at the expense of his protégé, Mitch Kupchak.

Maybe there was a chance that West could've come back with the Lakers, but Bryant's self-absorbed and self-destructive crusade to crush Kupchak over Memorial Day weekend has made it far less likely.

Yes, West and Bryant have always shared the bond of cutthroat competitiveness, DNA that demands greatness of themselves and those surrounding them. For both, it has been a blessing and a curse, but it's an undeniable thread that runs through them.

Yet, here's the difference: West is legendarily loyal.

Once West's contract expires with the Grizzlies after the NBA draft, perhaps there had been a possibility that he could return to the Lakers as a consultant. Nothing has been discussed with owner Jerry Buss, the source said, and West issued a statement on Monday night insisting that he would never, ever do anything that would undermine Kupchak.

"Kobe has to turn on everyone at some point, cut people and ties in almost every relationship in his life," a former Bryant associate said Monday. "He turns on people because he believes he's not getting what he deserves. He has a one-track mind that thinks the world revolves around him and doesn't take a second to consider the costs, or what's the best way to handle something.

"This is the same stuff he did with (Shaquille O'Neal). He would leak the story, instigate it and then not understand why it never worked. Shaq is still more beloved than Kobe, and he will always be in L.A. People have seen this all before with Kobe. This never turns out right for him."

Bryant has stayed true to character in this embarrassing episode, going back and forth on his demands over the weekend. First, he ripped Kupchak, insisting that he had been, more or less, incompetent on the job. Then he told ESPN the Magazine that, unless West was brought back to run the Lakers, he wanted a trade. Once that got out, Bryant must have understood he had far overplayed his hand, done devastating damage to the mythical rehabilitation of his image.

He knew he had gone too far. He should've apologized and acknowledged he was out of line talking this way.

Only, he denied saying it, despite the fact that the writer has been a long-time confidant. Typical Kobe, selling out someone else.

"I'm not demanding anything," Bryant told the Riverside Press-Enterprise just after he had spent the weekend demanding everything.

"I'm not trying to throw Mitch under the bus, or (Lakers VP) Jim (Buss) under the bus," he told the Orange County Register just after he just spent the weekend doing just that.

For now, Kupchak loses leverage with his peers while trying to work trades this summer. This isn't the first time Bryant has created this kind of chaos for the franchise. As one NBA executive said Monday: "That made it harder for Mitch to get fair market value for Shaq. Everybody knew that Kobe's conditions to re-sign made it impossible for Shaq to stay, and Mitch had to take the Miami offer, which was the best on the table. Kobe needs to look in the mirror on that one."

Here's something else, too. Kobe thinks everyone in the NBA wants to play with him, and it isn't true. He was complaining that the Lakers could've had his buddy, Carlos Boozer, a year ago, but the Jazz were never going to trade him for Lamar Odom. Yes, there are players who'll take a trade to the Lakers, but make no mistake: It isn’t because they're enamored with the idea of hanging with Kobe.

It isn't just that Kobe doesn't have friends in his own locker room, but elsewhere too. One associate remembers a party for Bryant's daughter several years ago, when he looked around and saw no one but people who worked for Kobe. "No friends, no teammates – just agents, a barber, P.R. people … Everyone there was on the payroll."

Maybe Kupchak hasn't done the best job in the world in these three years post-Shaq (the Caron Butler-Kwame Brown trade crushed the Lakers), but he made sure that private jet flew Kobe back and forth to his rape hearings in Colorado. He made sure the organization supported him unconditionally during that humiliating time for the franchise. His reward? Kobe opted out of his contract, threatened to leave for the Clippers and declared that he wanted a basketball career free of Shaq to indulge his own shooting and scoring desires.

"Now, Kobe would go to the public with his stuff on Shaq, and he would never win," the ex-associate said. "He'd instigate, like he did with Kupchak, and he always comes out looking the same way."

Of course, that's selfish and short-sighted. Bryant wanted to show the world who runs the Lakers again, and that's wonderful and all, except that he's made it harder for the Lakers to get better this summer. Three years ago, he chased out Shaq and Phil Jackson and was granted his wish for a franchise that was all about indulging him.

So sure, West drafted Bryant into the NBA, delivered him O'Neal at center and constructed a three-time champion. What's more, the game's greatest G.M. wisely got out of Los Angeles before Kobe crushed him under his thumb, before West could be a target for Bryant.

He's a smart man to stay away for good because he understands the inevitable here: Sooner or later, Kobe Bryant turns on everyone.

i don't have to read this long ass article to know that Kobe is a little bitch. Always has been.

missfee said:

Kobe falls more into the category of cunt then bitch. Somebody needs to whoop his ass.

mostbeautifulgrlntheworld said:

something like this

I read that article too. There's a reason he's my least favorite person in the whole world.

eraclito said:

I thought it was like this...

Bryant asks for trade from Lakers<
By JOHN NADEL, AP Sports Writer
May 30, 2007

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Kobe Bryant asked to be traded from the Lakers on Wednesday, a day after calling the team's front office "a mess."

"I would like to be traded, yeah," Bryant told ESPN radio. "Tough as it is to come to that conclusion there's no other alternative, you know?"

Bryant, who helped the team win three consecutive NBA championships, has four years remaining on the seven-year, $136.4 million contract he signed July 15, 2004. That was a day after Shaquille O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat.

Bryant became infuriated Tuesday when a Los Angeles Times columnist quoted what he called a Lakers insider as saying it was Bryant's insistence on getting away from O'Neal that prompted the trade to Miami.

mostbeautifulgrlntheworld said:

naa u got it wrong its definitely like this

Trade his punk ass 2 the Bulls so I can dislike him up close.

eraclito said:

I was trying to be gentle this time...

You should see the stupid posts from my fellow Knick fans at other sites. Like any GM with half a brain would want the Knicks' garbage.

I am a die-hard Lakers fan who has been beside himself for 3 years. I swore I'd never forgive Kobe. Ever. For running off Shaq and Phil, being a prima donna, and not seeing that those moves would destroy a potential dynasty.

But today, when Kobe gave his account yesterday, and Shaq backed him today, I re-assessed. Shaq's alibi made a difference for me, because Shaq could have indicted Kobe, he's got no dog in the hunt now except for embarrassing Buss, and Shaq's words and deeds indicated that Kobe was responsible. Kobe does have some blame. But I no longer believe he carries the majority of the blame.

He's a prima donna. He can't lead a team to a title. I believe that.

Shaq's trade destroyed the franchise. I believe that too.

But the blame for the destruction of my beloved Lakers must be re-allocated. Buss made the wrong move. And it's not right for to be lied to, even if the person being told the lie is Kobe.

We'll hear what else comes out.

Graycap23 said:

I have a better idea:

Trade Kobe to The Bobcats, so he can answer to his new boss, Bobcats' co-owner Michael Jordan!

Trade him to the Development League and maybe he can develop some class.

Lakers' Bryant Backs Off Trade Request
By JOHN NADEL, AP Sports Writer
1 hour ago


Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant, left, and head coach ...
LOS ANGELES - Believing he had been insulted and misled, Kobe Bryant asked the Los Angles Lakers for a trade Wednesday and insisted nothing could change his mind. Then something did. He spoke with coach Phil Jackson and backed off his request.

"I don't want to go anywhere, this is my team," Bryant told KLAC radio. "I love it here. I called Phil, man, he and I talked, it was an emotional conversation, but he just said, `You know what, Kobe? Let us try to figure this thing out.'

"Phil is a guy I lean on a lot."

Some three hours earlier, in an interview with ESPN radio, Bryant said: "I would like to be traded, yeah. Tough as it is to come to that conclusion, there's no other alternative. It's rough, man, but I don't see how you can rebuild that trust. I just don't know how you can move forward in that type of situation."

Bryant also told KLAC, the Lakers' flagship station, that he hadn't heard from owner Jerry Buss, indicating a conversation could go a long way toward resolving the matter.

Buss issued a statement after Bryant's request, saying: "We are aware of the media reports. However, Kobe has not told us directly that he wants to be traded. We have made it very clear that we are building our team around Kobe and that we intend for him to be a Laker his entire career. We will speak directly to Kobe and until we do that, we will not comment publicly about this."

Bryant told KLAC that his agent had contacted general manager Mitch Kupchak early Wednesday.

Bryant, who helped the Lakers win three consecutive NBA championships, has four years left on the seven-year, $136.4 million contract he signed July 15, 2004. That was a day after Shaquille O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat.

Bryant became infuriated Tuesday when a Los Angeles Times columnist quoted a Lakers "insider" as saying it was Bryant's insistence on getting away from O'Neal that prompted the trade to Miami.

Bryant told KLAC he knew who the so-called insider was, but wouldn't identify the person.

Bryant also said he feels Buss misled him three years ago _ right before he re-signed with the Lakers _ by telling him one thing and Jackson something else about the team's goals.

Bryant said he was told the Lakers would immediately try to rejoin the NBA's elite. But he said Jackson told him Tuesday that Buss was not bringing him back as coach following the 2003-04 season because the Lakers were committed to reducing payroll and rebuilding long term.

"They said nothing to me about a long-term plan. Absolutely nothing," Bryant told KLAC. "They told Phil one thing and they told me another. Actions speak louder than words."

Bryant's agent, Rob Pelinka, didn't respond to several messages left by The Associated Press.

The Lakers won championships from 2000-02 and reached the NBA finals again in 2004, losing to the Detroit Pistons in five games. The team was broken up at that time. O'Neal was traded, Jackson left and other stalwarts _ Karl Malone, Gary Payton, Derek Fisher, Robert Horry and Rick Fox _ went elsewhere or retired.

The Lakers failed to make the playoffs the following season. With Jackson returning before the 2005-06 campaign, they finished seventh in the Western Conference in each of the past two years, but were eliminated by Phoenix in the first round of the playoffs.

The Lakers appeared to be title contenders through the first half of this season, going 26-13 despite several injuries. But they lost 27 of their last 43 games to finish 42-40 before bowing to the Suns in five games.

Bryant urged the team at season's end to do what it takes to get back into contention. He essentially repeated those comments last weekend in an interview with the Times.

On Sunday, he suggested former Lakers general manager Jerry West should return. West left the team in the summer of 2000 and was succeeded by Kupchak.

West, an employee of the Lakers for about 40 years as a player, coach and executive, is under contract as the Memphis Grizzlies' president until July 1. He turned 69 this week and has remained a close friend of Kupchak's. West has said he has "no plans to seek employment with any other organization."

It was West who brought Bryant to the Lakers, trading center Vlade Divac to Charlotte in the summer of 1996 for the rights to Bryant _ the 13th pick in the NBA draft. Bryant was only 17 at the time.

Bryant has made the All-Star team in each of the past nine seasons, clearly establishing himself as an NBA great before age 30. Only one active NBA player, Kevin Garnett, has a longer tenure with one team than Bryant. Garnett has played 12 seasons for Minnesota.

Bryant's anger boiled over Tuesday, when he did a series of interviews bashing the Lakers.

"That place is a mess," Bryant said, referring to the team's front office. "If we're not making strides here to improve this team right now, to be aggressive in that nature, then what's the point of having me here?"

That same day, the 74-year-old Buss was arrested in Carlsbad for investigation of driving under the influence of alcohol. He was released on bail later in the day.

"The fact of the matter is that many people don't know what really went down when I was approaching free agency because I have stayed quiet about it this whole time," Bryant wrote Tuesday on his Web site. "The real facts are that Dr. Buss requested a meeting with me during the '04 season long before I opted out of my contract, and he told me he had already decided not to extend Shaq, as he was concerned about Shaq's age, fitness and contract demands.

"Dr. Buss made it clear that his decision was final, his mind was made up, and no matter what I decided to do with free agency, he was still going to move Shaq."

O'Neal said on the Philadelphia Inquirer's Web site he believed Bryant "100 percent."

"There is no doubt in my mind Kobe is telling the truth," O'Neal added.

Bryant said he was considering signing with the Clippers and Chicago Bulls three years ago before hearing from Buss.

"Dr. Buss promised me he would rebuild right away, and I believed him," Bryant wrote. "That is why I put my trust in the Lakers. But when stuff like this is coming from the 'inside,' all I can do is hope that someone from the 'inside' comes forward to support me and set straight the facts of what really happened. This is the TRUTH."

CAN SOMEBODY IN THE HOUSE SAY..."DRAMAQUEEN"...!!!!!

TonyVanDam said:

You know, if Jordan had any knack for evaluating talent, I'd want the Lakers to hire HIM as GM. Kobe wouldn't be able to give him any BS, because Jordan would literally take him outside and go Goodfellas on him.

namepeace said:

Hey, I ain't the biggest Kobe Bryant fan in the world, but when Shaq came out and backed Kobe's story, it definitely made me rethink the whole Laker drama. Basically, the Lakers management has allowed Kobe to be blamed for the entire Shaq fiasco when it wasn't entirely his fault. He took alot of shit for "running Shaq out of L.A." when he didn't deserve the lion's share of the blame and Buss just sat by, watched, and let him take it. That would cause anyone, I think, to become highly frustrated.

These stories are funny. I was in L.A. at the times and that is NOT how it went down. Buss did NOT want 2 pay Shaq, that was well KNOWN, but the rest of that story is SHADY.....

carmand said:

Agreed, which is why I said what I said.



I will say this, though. The LA media, Buss and Kupchak have maintained the line that Kobe had little to do with their decision. Kobe took heat, but it's not as if the LA media and the Lakers' FO COMPLETELY sold him. That is, until he started calling them out.
[Edited 5/31/07 13:11pm]

Graycap23 said:

That's all I'm saying. Now Heisler, Breshnahan, Plaschke, Simers, Adande et al are taking Kobe to the shed and taking the gloves off. I never doubted that Buss' desire not to pay Big was a factor, but I always felt Kobe's desire to not play with Shaq was a factor and that Shaq's outlook was a factor. I've changed the percentages on the blame, Kobe no longer gets 60-70% like I used to give him. I'd say it's Buss 45%, Shaq 20%, Kobe 35%.

carmand said:

I agree, plus even if Kobe was entirely to blame, management is still ultimately to blame for allowing Kobe that kind of power.

Kobe's job is to play ball, it's up to management to run people out of town.

namepeace said:

Know this. Kobe actually believed that he was the MAN and could win without Shaq. It's not coincidence that he signed 8 hours after Shaq was traded. At the time, he was employee #8.

Deal No. 2: Chicago trades Luol Deng, Ben Gordon, Victor Khryapa and the No. 9 pick for Kobe.


Additional notes: This deal works as long as the Bulls renounce P.J. Brown's rights; also, it means the Lakers would receive a mammoth (and appealing) trade exception in the deal.


Comments: This seems like the most natural home for Kobe -- it's a big city; they're a contender in the East; there's enough talent left after the deal to make a run, and even the MJ-Kobe symmetry works nicely -- as well as the best possible haul for the Lakers. The deal could work in a variety of ways: Instead of renouncing Brown's rights, the Bulls could include Andres Nocioni as a sign-and-trade (starting at around $5 million per) and renounce Mike Sweetney's rights instead of Brown's. If they wanted to get even more creative, they could make it Deng, Gordon, P.J. Brown (sign and trade -- one year, $10 million) and the No. 9 for Kobe. They could try to substitute Ty Thomas and a future No. 1 for Deng. Etc., etc., etc.


Two big obstacles here:


(A) Would the Bulls ever give up Deng? The Lakers would have to get him back in a Kobe deal, right? I feel like he's become slightly overrated over the past season -- he's definitely a potential All-Star; he definitely could become the second-best player on a championship-caliber team, but I don't see him getting much better than he is right now. Do you ever see him scoring 27-28 a game? Do you ever see him being the crunch-time scorer on a great team? If you could land Kobe and keep Kirk Hinrich, Ben Wallace, Ty Thomas, Chris Duhon and Thabo Sefolosha, then sign one more veteran to help them out, that's a potential 2008 title team. Isn't the whole point to win a title?


(B) Would John Paxson ever roll the dice with a mega-deal for someone like Kobe? He seems to be happier stockpiling young assets and waiting for one of these other teams to offer him the likes of KG or Jermaine O'Neal for 30 cents on the dollar. By making a Kobe deal, Paxson would be shoving his chips to the middle of the table ... something he's been completely unwilling to do. We will see.


Deal No. 1: Phoenix trades Shawn Marion, Leandro Barbosa, Marcus Banks and the rights to Atlanta's 2008 first-rounder to the Lakers for Kobe and Radmanovic.


Now we're talking! Some of my favorite things about this trade include …


(A) The Lakers ending up with a nucleus of Marion, Odom, Barbosa and Bynum, along with Farmar, Walton, Turiaf and the No. 19 pick, as well as the inevitable Kwame Brown trade to a moronic team that convinces itself that Kwame's career could be salvaged. That's a pretty good foundation.


(B) Phoenix trotting out a starting lineup of Nash, Kobe, Raja Bell, Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw. Good golly. Sweet Jesus.


(C) Radmanovic realizing his manifest destiny of playing in Phoenix. It was meant to be from the moment Mike D'Antoni and Nash teamed up three years ago.


(D) Kobe and Raja as teammates. High comedy. The most improbable pairing since Rodman and Pippen 12 years ago.


(E) The most selfish player in the league (Kobe) playing with the most unselfish player in the league (Nash). What a fascinating sociological experiment. If Nash can turn Kobe into a team player, I'm voting him for our 2008 president even though he's Canadian.


Two potential problems: First, it's unlikely that the Lakers would be dumb enough to trade Kobe within their own division, although with Kupchak involved, anything's possible. And second, assuming that Nash has a say in front-office decisions at this point, would he really want to green-light a scenario that has him managing two enormous egos in Stoudemire and Kobe?


Well, lemme throw this at you: What if the Suns then swapped Stoudemire to Minnesota for KG, as I proposed in a May 14 column? That would give them the following crunch-time lineup: Nash, Kobe, Bell, Diaw and KG. Ladies and gentlemen, your 2008 World Champions! Just send them the trophy right now.


So that's my vote: Black Mamba, you're going to Phoenix to play with KG and Nash. And if it happens, I can guarantee that the 2008 playoffs will be more entertaining than the 2007 playoffs.

Graycap23 said:

I agree wholeheartedly. I argued with Kobe Apologists about this all the time and they called ME crazy.

Michael Ventre has been writing about this for years, and his column a few days ago hit it on the head.

He basically compared it to selling a house. When you put your house on the market with no timetable to sell, you can get maximum value for it. But when you put it on the market and advertise to buyers that you have to sell in FIVE DAYS, then you're gonna get cut-rate offers.

That's exactly what happened with Big. And I blamed Kobe for that most of all. Maybe Kobe still deserves blame for the timing of the trade.

NDRU said:

Kobe deserves some blame. And I will say that, for the first time since his trial, I really felt badly for Kobe when he talked on Wednesday about the Lakers trading his best friend, Caron Butler, to the Wiz for a stiff. The franchise never consulted him. Do you think that happens with Magic? Hells no.

namepeace said:

It wouldn't have happened with Jordan, no f-n way. You think the Bulls would have added Dennis Rodman if Michael said no? Sh!t, remember when Patrick Ewing was upset over Nellie's coaching style? Who went? Case closed. Love him or hate him, Kobe deserves the same respect, and he has some valid points. They BETTER get Jerry West back.

uPtoWnNY said:

I agree.

The Lakers should have NEVER traded Butler for Kwame, and they darn well should have consulted Kobe beforehand. That was wrong. Hell, when you hand the keys to the team over to the guy, he should at least know what's going on.

The root problem is that the Shaq trade pretty much killed their chances to a) contend or b) get better. They traded away their most important player, got little in return, and ate a lot of cap-killing contracts in the process. In the NBA, you can't do that, it haunts you for years. This is why the Knicks might not contend until the next decade. Same for the Lakers. It don't matter who's responsible for the trade, it still affects the Lakers' title chances 3 seasons later and it will likely continue to do so for the next few years.

BTW, West told the LA Daily News he ain't comin' back.

namepeace said:

That boy makes Eddy Curry look like Charles Oakley. He's softer than soft.

uPtoWnNY said:

Kobe does not deserve the same respect because he hasn't proven himself to be a winner on his own terms. His teammates all get worse because of him.

Kobe is hot.