A Looong Early Look at the USA Dream Team 2007

July 13th, 2007

Warning: if you didn’t catch the drift from the title, please stop reading if you have no interest in the USA Dream Team, thanks. Now for those of you who try to catch as much of the drama around the Dream Team as possible, well hopefully this will give you some things to dwell upon before the days leading to the FIBA Americas Championship (August 22). Last year, several losses at the World Championships and Gilbert’s antics were enough to keep me refreshing that ESPN website more than a sane person should be allowed to. This year, while things can’t possibly top what we saw last year(or can it?), there are still ample of things to look forward to. Without further adieu, let’s take a sneak peak at this years Dream Team and the things that will put either a smile or frown on your face.

The Contestants

Starting off, seven players from last year have been deemed ‘unavailable’: Gilbert Arenas (Washington Wizards); Joe Johnson (Atlanta Hawks); Brad Miller (Sacramento Kings); Lamar Odom (Los Angeles Lakers); Chris Paul (Oklahoma Hornets); Paul Pierce (Boston Celtics) and Dwyane Wade (Miami Heat). The biggest loss here is no doubt Arenas. He spent a whole season getting revenge from the coaches that basicly cut him from last years squad. Would have been interesting to see how things played out. Wade is another person that will be missed as a “Kobe, Wade, LeBron, Carmelo” battle royal would have made good pay-per-view.

To replace these players, the following 8 have been added: Carlos Boozer (Utah Jazz); Tyson Chandler (New Orleans Hornets); Kevin Durant (Seattle SuperSonics); Jason Kidd (New Jersey Nets); Mike Miller (Memphis Grizzlies); Greg Oden (Portland TrailBlazers); Tayshaun Prince (Detroit Pistons); and Deron Williams (Utah Jazz).
When I look at these 8 players, first thing that comes to mind is “this would make a good group of Big Brother contestants”. But lets look at each of these players and how they can impact the team.

For Durant and Oden, this will be like an internship – just go in there and learn as much as you can, but know that nobody gives a sh!t about you, just yet. Boozer is very similar to Brand, but he’s shown how dominant he can be when left unchecked, definitely an asset. Chandler was thrown in there because USA lacks a true center besides Howard and is one of those players that can fit in well in a team full of superstars. Kidd is the mystery man, he could be everything the Dream Team has been missing, or everything that has brought them down. Mike Miller will be that player capable of doing everything the team needs, will play as hard as he can, and wont complain about minutes(((he will also fill out that white-player quota))). Tayshaun Prince is just a freak of nature, I cant and dont even want to try to envision him in anything other than a Pistons jersey.Deron Williams is a great addition, and even if its not this year, he will be running the Dream Team in years to come.

The players who were already on the roster are: Carmelo Anthony (Denver Nuggets); Shane Battier (Houston Rockets); Chauncey Billups (Detroit Pistons); Chris Bosh (Toronto Raptors); Bruce Bowen (San Antonio Spurs); Elton Brand (Los Angeles Clippers); Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers); Kirk Hinrich (Chicago Bulls); Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic); LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers); Antawn Jamison (Washington Wizards); Shawn Marion (Phoenix Suns); Adam Morrison (Charlotte Bobcats) Michael Redd (Milwaukee Bucks); J.J. Redick (Orlando Magic); Luke Ridnour (Seattle SuperSonics); and Amaré Stoudemire (Phoenix Suns).

Only 12 of these players can make the cut. While some of the recent injuries have helped to make the decision a bit easier, its still a daunting task.

Picking the Team

These players have no chance to be on the final roster, so we can go ahead and just take them out: Adam Morrison, JJ Redick, Greg Oden, Kevin Durant. Can we send them all back to college while we’re at it? Damn.The starting 5 will probably look something like this: Chauncey Billups, Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, Amare Stoudamire, Dwight Howard. Thats a beast of a team! Carmelo will be hard to leave out of the starting 5, as he was the best player for the team in the 2006 World Championships, but Kobe and Carmello are both pure scorers so LeBron is a better fit. Elton Brand and Carlos Boozer off the bench is just great anyway you look at it – thats if they dont accidently kill each other in practice. Michael Redd should see some good minutes as he’s easily the best shooter on the team. Bruce Bowen should edge out his eternal wannabe, Shane Battier, and make the cut this year if Coach K can put his Duke years behind him. Chris Bosh/Shawn Marion will battle out the 11th spot and I see Marion a must in there since there are plenty of low post scorers already and Marion has that unique skill of being productive without the ball. The last spot will go to a backup PG and the choice will be hard to make with the following options: Kirk Hinrich, Luke Ridnour, Jason Kidd, and Deron Williams. I think Deron Williams should get this spot as he’s proved he can hit big shots, and can be surprisingly effective from the FIBA 3 point line area.

Of course, with the disappointing results of the past few years, the coaching staff could shock us all. They could decide its time to focus on shooting (something they have neglected the past couple of years) and go all out and have a starting 5 of Kirk Hinrich, JJ Redick,Adam Morrison, Mike Miller and Antawn Jamison. Well, maybe if Don Nelson was the coach. One thing is for sure, you wont see them cutting the likes of Kobe, LBJ, Melo for any reason whatsoever even if it does seem like the right decision.

How it will play out

Kobe the ..*gulp*.. leader
The inclusion of Kobe Bryant in this years team might seem like a major change for the team, but I am near confident that he will not be the same killer Kobe we are use to seeing. He will take this opportunity to pass the ball, show his unselfishness and try to be that inspirational leader. It will be entertaining to watch Kobe’s awkward attempts at being that perfect veteran player on the team – since that clearly isnt what he is. Kobe might also ask for a trade to the Mexican team to feel cLose Weight Exercise/”>Lose Weight Exerciser to his wife Vanessa (sorry that was too easy).

Chauncey trying to do too much
Chauncey Billups will be much more of a factor if he can come out of the comma he has been in since the Cavs series. Of course, he can end up ruining the team by jacking up shots, and trying to be more than a point guard should ever be for team USA. Bring up the ball, make the right pass, and hit open shots. That should be the job description of a Dream Team PG.

Carmelo “Ballhog” Anthony
Reason why he has played really well for Team USA in the past is because he’s got this inferiority complex. He’s not up there with LeBronze, Mamba, Flash – and you can bet he’s gona try again this year to prove the public wrong.

Redd Hot!
Nothing to add here

Howard and Amare battle it out for…
While the sound level meter has been a nice touch in the playoffs, I think its time to implement that idea in other parts of the game. One idea would be a ‘rim impact meter’. Watching Amare and Dwight compete for the record would be a nice side-game in of itself.

End Result
The Dream Team hasn’t really struggled in the past in the FIBA Americas Cup. Argentina, Brazil, and Puerto Rico are the only teams that can legitimately trouble them. A year of chemistry and the addition of some solid players should seal the deal. Their preliminary round group consists of the following teams: Canada, Brazil, Virgin Islands, and Venezuela – nothing to really be worried about. However, Argentina and Brazil are as strong as ever so there will be some entertaining matches along the way.

I can’t end this without asking – where is KG, Duncan, Shaq, or Ray Allen? How many more failures can the US team handle before everyone and anyone is held accountable? Oh well, why try and think so far ahead when we can just watch and enjoy the drama as it happens. If there is a basketball god out there, everything I’ve said will not happen, and then the real fun can start.

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10 Predictions for the 2007-2008 NBA Season

July 11th, 2007

After all the hype and talk about what a crazy offseason this was gonna be, Rashard Lewis has been the biggest move of the summer, not so crazy in my book. This kind of makes me think perhaps all those crazy rumors were delicately planned by the League Office to make us forget about the abysmal Finals. Well done. Assuming Kobe wont get traded in a 13 team deal, and KG doesn’t end up in Atlanta for second round picks and some cash – here are my 10 predictions for the 2008 season.1. The Suns will be crowned 2008 Champs

Yawwwwn….Oh wait, I thought that read Spurs. With the addition of Grant Hill, the Suns get exactly what they need – a veteran to fill up that lack of mental strength, and a solid scorer who can create for himself once Amare is in foul trouble and Nash sleeps on the sidelines (aka rests his back). Remember they were only a couple footsteps away from being the Champs last year. The extra hunger for a championship, addition of a key piece, and the picture of Robert Horry looming over their locker room should be enough to carry them past the aging Spurs.2. LeBron will become the Nowitzki of 2008 – getting the MVP but crashing out in the 1st Round.
With stats like 27 9 8, three quarters of voters will instinctively give him their vote to King James – despite being unable to sit through a Cavs game without having “Baywatch” on splitscreen. The other quarter will have the mail that they sent in June of 2007 voting for Duncan finally arrive at NBA HQ. The Cavs will Lose Weight Exercise/”>Lose Weight Exercise to the Knicks in the first round and LeBron will have a public meltdown of Kobe proportions.

3. The Golden State Warriors will start off with 13-0 record but the law of injuries will hold them down

With hopefully some rebounding drills under their belt, the GSW will continue where they left off last season, red hot. Baron Davis will be a serious MVP candidate until he has a jaw injury due to his oversized beard. Nelson will get the extra pay he asked for and will give most of it back through fines related to drinking.4. KG will cry in John Thompson’s arms and will consider retirement

The Garbagewolves will struggle to get any wins and Garnett will reach his boiling point. He will cry on national TV and proclaim that all he ever wanted to do was win (oh wait, he’s done that already?). He will walk out of the press conference when a reporter asks him why he chose to stay in Minnesota.

5. Kobe Bryant will sit out many games, Lose Weight Exercise/”>Lose Weight Exercise that ‘edge’ and finally be traded
Minor injuries will be the reason why Kobe sits out of many games. The fire he had will disappear much like in Game 7 of the First Round of the 2006 Playoffs, and he will regain the title of public enemy number 1.

6. Oden, Durant, Portland, Seattle will all realize they won’t be as good as they thought
Oden will be in many posters with his Nike friends – although sadly for him, not on a Nike poster. Durant will have a field goal percentage in the 30s, but people will say to give him time – perhaps because he is the only thing Sonics fans will see for a loooong time.

7. Gilbert Arenas will finally cross the line
You thought Arenas did some crazy stuff in the past, wait until the 2008 season. Gilbert will decide to do something so crazy that even his blog fans, Halo Team, and the Adidas execs will be screaming – IMPOSSIBLE!.

8. Yao Ming and T-Mac will reenact the Kobe-Shaq feud for our viewing pleasure
If you’re one of those people who watched the LA-Miami Christmas games just to see if Kobe and Shaq would shake hands, well rejoice! Yao Ming will be surprisingly vocal next year and T-Mac will not have it go down easily. Shane Battier will take one for the team and announce it was his fault. T-Mac will be the second most hated person in China after Jack Bauer. Van Gundy will be hooked on popcorn.

9. There will be a massive brawl between Phoenix and San Antonio

Amare will knockout Bowen, Duncan will turn crazy like the robots in iRobot, D’Antoni will bite someones ear off, meanwhile Parker and Diaw will be on the sidelines chatting about Thierry Henry’s latest goal for Barcelona.10. Weaker teams in the East will have the dilemma of fighting for that 8th Playoff spot or getting a top 3 draft pick

Only a handful of games will separate the East’s bottom 8 team and GM’s will go by that long age instinct that rebuilding to get in the Playoffs in the future, is better than getting in the Playoffs now.

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What Could End Up Killing the Sport of Basketball

July 9th, 2007

In 1891, a man by the name of James Naismith invented a sport, inspired by a Canadian children’s game called ‘Duck on a Rock’. Today this game by the name of Basketball is the world’s second most popular sport and enjoyed by millions across the globe and growing everyday. Much progress has been made since the days of Mr. Naismith, so much so that the way we look at the game today, some rules, and expectations are all different than previous times and changing at a rapid pace.Three point lines that were introduced originally have been put further away, even NCAA lines will increase by a foot next season. Today, it is not uncommon for any big men to become precise shooters from areas where their ancient counterparts would never have event dreamt of shooting from. Days when Sam Perkins was regarded with awe are gone, and today some of the best three point shooters are approaching 7 feet tall. Average heights are up significantly, athleticsim is definitely improving as the NBA slam dunk contest shows every year, and athletes are no doubt better conditioned. 18 year old kids are coming out of high school looking like they are at their peak. All of this change has happened in about a 100 years, not much considering that it has only received major attention in the last couple of decades. So using this ‘trend’ if you will, lets have a look at the very distant future and determine whether the fate of the sport we love so dearly is in danger. What future developments could end up destroying the game of basketball you ask? Two things mainly: evolution and technology

Evolution

Some might not believe in the biological sense of the word evolution, but like it or not the human race is progressing, constantly. In basketball terms, I already highlighted major changes that have occured in the past. While you may argue that basketball has become more important now and that is the reason why improvements are made – I would ask you to check the 100m race and the history of the world record in that field. Running has been a ‘sport’ since the beginning of time and we can see that we are able to constantly best ourselves. Now, how can a little evolution kill the sport of basketball you say. Well imagine if you will: if it becomes too easy to make a shot, imagine if people can jump so high that they can jump over players and safely place the ball in the rim, imagine if someone is so tall that he can just stand outside the paint and dunk the ball in everytime without jumping. While these things may sound like science fiction to you there is already players today who – make almost every open shot from far distances (Kapono), who can jump over other players (Carter), very tall (Ming). 100 years from now, who says there wont be someone taller than the current record holder for tallest man at 8’11, or who wont be so athleticly gifted that they become unstoppable. It’s like in hockey, imagine there was a man fat enough to cover the whole goal – wouldnt the sport at that point just die?

Technology

Technology can be a double edged sword for Basketball. On one hand technology has the opportunity to fix any human fallbacks that might ruin the sport. For example, recently replay checking has been introduced at the end of quarters to support making the right call. However, what if technology is used to for ‘evil’ purposes. Gene alterations to become the perfect basketball player, surgery to increase arm length, unseen devices that give players an edge, and other possibilities that I cant possibly envision right now. Nothing is impossible or can be discarded in a multi-billion dollar industry. In sports such as pool/snooker there are already cues that guide you into making the perfect shot everytime, in bowling machines can be used to bowl the perfect game. Nike’s Shox lines are already blurring the lines of what technological products can be used to give you an edge. What if the Shox technology gets improved to increase your jumping by 5 inches instead of 0.5? Techonology is advancing at such a staggering pace that nothing in this world is safe, let alone a multi-billion dollar ‘game’ that is so open to exploitation.

Who/What will save Basketball?

As long as we have David Stern as the NBA’s commisioner, there is not much cause for concern. He will be there at every dangerous juncture and make sure his empire is not left in crumbles. Technology that is deemed to give an unfair advantage will be quickly banned much in the way that stereoids has been banned in many sports. Rule changes will be made once a player or some players ‘break’ the sport. Shaq did this back in the day, and different rules have been adjusted throughout history to make the game play better. So if that 10’6 giant comes one day and decides to score everytime down the floor, the commish will make sure to widen the paint so he can no longer reach it without fear of the 3 second rule. Yes, the Sternbot is here to save us all from that day where basketball no longer exists – until of course aliens/mutants/live robots appear…but dont worry, thats too far fetched even by my standards!

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Rights of an NBA Franchise Player

July 9th, 2007

Among the 3 biggest stories in this quite hectic off season besides the NBA draft has been the trade demands of 3 notable Franchise players. It first came with Kobe’s public meltdown as the boiling point had been reached with a handful of appalling moves, or should I say non-moves by the LA organization. While the media generally agreed that Kobe had reason to be upset, few supported his public outcry trashing an organization that had stuck by him for so many years. Soon after it was KG making headlines as the loyal Timberwolf, while not announcing it publicly like Kobe, decided it was time to move on. The general public and media couldn’t hold anything against Garnett – even if he set fire to the Target Center, few could blame him as he literally spent his whole career single-handedly trying to carry his Wolves past their inevitable mediocre fate. Much below the radar as a result of all the drama of this summer, Paul Pierce joined in on the fun and gave the ultimatum “Get help or trade me”.

Franchise Players

This latest fad by NBA franchise players has sparked an interesting debate, well I believe it should anyways, on what actual rights do these NBA franchise players have? Can they ask for anything? How many years do they have to serve before being a sellout?

I’m not going to draw this out and assume there is a long winded out answer. The answer is simple. Franchise player or not, you have no right to ask for a trade. Let me rephrase that as this is a free country after all – you CAN ask for a trade, but unless your contract states so, the GM can tell you to shut the F up and go to practice like every other player on the roster. You think Carlos Boozer cared enough about the Cavs after getting drafting to not stab them in the back for a resign? You think Grant Hill cared to give his last years helping out an Orlando team in need of a veteran after he spent the last numerous years eating away all the salary cap space. No, this industry is not about compassion, its not about ethics, its about hard cold cash and business. NBA teams are businesses and NBA players are businessman. Each try to squeeze as much out of the other as possible. Of course you have exceptions: aged stars joining teams at mid level exceptions for that final shot a ring, teams hiring old players into the organization – but these are the exceptions and not the rule.

Looking at Today’s Real World Through Our 3 Current Cases

Kobe Bryant has been cleverly tricked by Buss and the LA organization to sign a multiple year contract under false pretenses. While Kobe wants to win, Buss is more concerned about selling tickets, keeping Showtime in LA, and slowly rebuilding in the process. For him it’s a perfect situation. For Kobe, a public outcry of legendary magnitude was perhaps the only way to get any heads turning – a quiet request through his agents would have undoubtedly been ‘lost in the mail’. So in the end you have Buss’s trap versus Kobe’s ambitions. In the end I really can’t blame Kobe, although the way he went about it is definitely questionable. Buss’s conniving trap is now wide in the open, and Kobe really forced his hand to the point where keeping Kobe might not be in LA’s best long term interest!

For KG I think it is a no-brainer. The guy is the most loyal franchise player in recent memory and despite all his efforts and struggles, it is evident that the team still needs to start from scratch and rebuild. There is no point keeping KG around for that so I see his trade as benefiting both sides.

Paul Pierce falls into a weird position in this situation because he 1) didn’t get cheated over like Kobe 2) didn’t serve as long as KG 3) isn’t as good as these two players and hence does he really belong in a championship team? I know this is a hard pill to swallow for Pierce fans but there are only a handful of Championship Franchise Players around: (Kobe, KG, Duncan, LeBron, Wade). These are players that when they are on any team, they immediately give the team championship hope. Paul Pierce is sadly not on the list, so his request seems a little unwarranted in my eyes. While this is an extreme example, imagine if Josh Smith asked for help on the Hawks or he wants to be traded – just isn’t right is it?

Business is Business, but can PR help?

In the end, the NBA like any other high profile business environment, is a cutthroat industry where everyone will try to maximize their own personal goals. The one recent development in today’s world is the concept of PR. This has proved to be important enough that these cutthroat environments are forced to tone down in the light of the public eye. So at the end of the day, hopefully the NBA fans’ presence will be sufficient in helping organizations be less ruthless, and NBA players being more ethical – if not, then TRADE ME!

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Understanding Kobe Bryant

July 9th, 2007

kobee

Much has been said and written about Kobe Bryant, but underneath all the press, underneath all the drama – there lies a story yet to be told. You and I, the average NBA fan, and the hordes of media and league representatives with their opinions on Kobe Bryant, never truly analyze his situation with enough compassion, with enough insight. We don’t try to understand what goes on his mind, or even give him the benefit of the doubt. What we think of when we think of Kobe are the following words: Feud with O’Neal, criticized in Phil Jackson’s Book, bad teammate, the rape charge, 81 points, #24, ballhog, 40 PPG months, early playoff exits, and now… ‘crybaby asking for trades’. Let me tell you how I went from being Kobe’s biggest hater, to his biggest supporter. Perhaps, this approach can shed a light on Kobe that will at least lead you to question those predispositioned negative thoughts on the man few have attempted to understand.

Kobe the Unproven
Kobe came into the 1996 draft, arguably the best NBA draft in history, with a handful of highschool records and a large pair of sunglasses. I didn’t actually watch the Draft, but as a young kid addicted to basketball cards, one look at his rookie card with the huge grin and sunglasses immediately caught my attention. This entrance to the league came across as cocky to me, and throughout his rookie year I began to hate him more and more and the airballs he threw up against Utah in the playoffs satisfied the basketball purist in me: “Who does he think he is…” was my opinion at that time. Years passed and Kobe still wasn’t impressing me too much. Sure he had insane talent, but with MJ around there wasn’t any easily earned respect to throw around, especially for someone that hadn’t proved anything significant.

Kobe the Proven
The new millennium made it hard to be a Kobe hater. However, it was still doable and largely done. Kobe did win 3 championships, he did have some unbelievable performances, he did get called the best player ever by Shaquille O’Neal. However, The Diesel was the fuel feeding all the haters. They criticized him for arguing with Shaq, despite the fact that Kobe was the one working hard and Shaq was the one sitting out due to toe injuries and such and still getting all the praise at the end of the day. Getting a championship ring is the biggest goal in the NBA – that is unquestionable. So when a player gets 3, let alone one, you would expect people to respect the player in question – no ifs or buts. This wasn’t the case for Kobe, the haters were still loaming around and still not giving him his due. The rape charge came, haters grew even more. Then Shaq got traded and Kobe was held responsible for breaking the dynasty, which now we know isn’t even true. Then, following his disappointments in the Shaq-Less Lakers, Kobe got ridiculed by anyone and everyone in the league. Even Ray Allen, a soft overpaid superstar with no major achievements, took shots at him. The future MJ- had become – a complete JOKE.

This was the point for me. This is when I realized that – yea he’s arrogant, yea he’s not the best leader, ok perhaps he’s a bit selfish for wanting to establish a legacy – but GOD DAMN stop with all the hate! I don’t really know what really transpired, I guess its like when a couple of kids are picking on this guy at school, and at first you don’t mind joining in because you don’t really like the kid, but then the bullying turns into beatings and then you back off and go “Wow, what the hell is going on here…”. I guess you can say, I felt for the dude. So began my transformation – the 7 steps to accepting Kobe Bryant..

The 7 Steps of Accepting Kobe Bryant

Step 1: Accepting that Kobe is skillfully, the best ever

In my book, purely skill based, Kobe is ahead of Jordan. I know a lot of people will try to bury the bad memories of MJ – but he was a poor 3pt shooter, and even a worse dribbler – both areas that Kobe excels in. Kobe is more athletic, stronger, and has more stamina. Kobe and MJ are both multiple All-Defensive guys, but Kobe can actually withstand the banging of some power forwards. You look at the arsenal of moves, and you will realize that MJ relied the majority of the time on fadeaway jumpers, while Kobe gives you something new everytime down the floor. In other areas such as clutch, basketball IQ, desire to win – I think they are relatively equal.

Step 2: Accepting that the most skillful player ever, feeds off of achievements and respect

When you’re arguably the best person ever to do what you do, motivation must be hard to come by. Imagine that you’re a in a tag team wrestling team. Also imagine that all the other current wrestlers are the size of 12 year old kids except for your teammate (bear with me). You win the trophy with your partner, but he gets all the praise. At this time, you could keep staying with your current teammate who you know isn’t as good as you, or you could join another team and establish to everyone you are the best ever. What motivation would you have staying on the same team when winning a championship – the one thing that is suppose to grant you all the respect and hence give you the motivation, does not in fact give you that. People who are the best do not wish to stay good, they want to be great. Kobe won three championships but no one gave him enough respect, the rings always came with the “Because of Shaq” asterisk.

Step 3: Accepting that Kobe doesn’t have the type of players that you need to be successful

Lets be frank here, the LA Lakers, even if they had someone like Michael Jordan in Kobe’s role would not be a championship team. You got a streetball type PG who cant hit open shots, you got Kwame Brown who is good for nothing except turnovers and laziness on D, you got Lamar Odom who doesn’t fit at all into the sidekick role with his unique skillset, and you got a bench who don’t even belong in the NBDL. You add the power of the West to the equation, and you have got to wonder how anyone would expect the Lakers to be good at all.

Step 4: Accepting that Kobe, ultimately, wants to win

Recently on his website, Kobe had the following line “Winning is not something I can sacrifice when it comes to Basketball”. You can see he plays his heart out, he probably works harder than anyone in the offseason, you can see the pain written on his face when they are losing. You can see all this, or you can just choose to hate and say he is a ballhog and doesn’t care for his teammates. Kobe has done it all, scored ridiculous amounts, hit all the big shots, made all the big plays. It is obvious now, and we perhaps saw this the most last year in the playoffs, that Kobe doesn’t mind passing to his teammates, he would love to if they could just hit the shots. But then you look at the reality, you look at the percentages, and its just not smart for him not to be a ballhog. He can’t be Lebron on his team, people somehow don’t realize this. In fact, most recently in the NBA Finals we saw that an average team still does need its superstar to behave like a superstar. Nash didn’t change from when he was in Dallas, he just got a much better team. Kobe realized he wasn’t going to get championships in his current team so has asked for a trade (or LA organization to make some key changes). Selfish? Perhaps Logical? Most Definitely.

Step 5: Accepting that all the negatives we see in him, we have ignored with the other greats

Jordan and Magic commited adultery. Jordan yelled at teammates constantly. Bird was antisocial. Countless greats asked for trades or specific requirements. Kobe is a victim of his poor PR tendencies. He is not good dealing with the press, his heart and mouth get the better of his brain, and he says things he shouldn’t – the media consequently eats him alive.

Step 6: Accepting that the National Basketball Association is deteriorating into entertainment

Many people will find no problem with this. Most, hopefully, will rather it stays a sport. What does Kobe have to do with this? Everything. Kobe, the warrior who has put his heart, soul, and blood into the sport gets turned into a nationwide joke for some cheap soap opera ratings for the League, while LeBron is being turned into a God for having one good playoff game.

Step 7: Accepting that we are ruining the best thing in basketball right now

Last but definitely not least, is what we as spectators are doing to damage the game of basketball. Kobe has two types of followers outside Los Angeles: the clueless NBA newbies who have just heard of Kobe scoring 81 points, seen all his fancy dunks, and go out and buy his jersey. Then you got the deep basketball lovers; the people who view basketball players like artists and appreciate what they can do, the people who believe that being a total player and playing both sides of the floor is crucial, the people that have nothing but respect when someone breaks down crying after losing a playoff series, and the people like me who want to give respect only when a player has earned it. Kobe Bryant is one of those players today, not getting his due. He is being wasted. The media is turning him into a monumental Lose Weight Exercise/”>Lose Weight Exerciser, when he should be made into a legend.

Do the Right Thing

If I came up to you and told you there was this guy, and that he was the most talented player in basketball, the hardest working, and the most hungry to win….you would first think of Michael Jordan. If then I told you it had to be a current player, who would you think of? If you’re a basketball fan first, and you think it’s Kobe Bryant, then perhaps like me, you can accept his offcourt shortcomings, and appreciate what is really important. Basketball is basketball…leave the rest to those who cant appreciate the game of basketball for what it is.

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