Can Kobe be better? Without doubt. He can improve his leadership skills. But then, maybe being the best scorer in basketball means that a certain selfishness is required.

I just keep looking at KG who has afforded Minnesota opportunity after opportunity to assemble a roster around him (even taking a pay cut) and the front office incompetence is too much to overcome.

There is definitely two sides to this story. Is it about Kobe being a petulant prima donna or a player who refuses to endorse his General Manager, who has basically presided over taking the team apart, not building it up or maintaining it. You almost have to wonder where Phil Jackson falls on this debate. Is Kobe speaking the words he wish he could say?

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Momma was queen of the mambo, Poppa was king of the congo, deep down in the jungle, I start banging my first bongo
Every monkey like to be, in my place instead of me, cause I'm the king of bongo baby, I'm the king of bongo bong
-Manu Chao

I think Jackson signed for the dough. There are low expectations, and he is LOVED by the Lakers. His legacy is all set. Kobe is more concerned about his legacy. That's why the wine fest..........

Well, I feel pretty comfortable saying that if Kobe is traded, it will hurt the Lakers more than it hurts him. And I assume that is the leverage he is trying to apply to affect change.

__________________
Momma was queen of the mambo, Poppa was king of the congo, deep down in the jungle, I start banging my first bongo
Every monkey like to be, in my place instead of me, cause I'm the king of bongo baby, I'm the king of bongo bong
-Manu Chao

I see the Lakers improving once Kobe is gone. Same way the 76ers began to shape up once their albatross left.

I don't like Kobe at all as a person, but he might be one of the 3 best basketball players I have ever watched. Iverson had physical limitations (size) which hurt his ability to play the 2 (his natural position) and defend larger guards.

Kobe has none of those problems. He's a true 2 and one of the best man defenders in the league.

__________________
Momma was queen of the mambo, Poppa was king of the congo, deep down in the jungle, I start banging my first bongo
Every monkey like to be, in my place instead of me, cause I'm the king of bongo baby, I'm the king of bongo bong
-Manu Chao

I'm thinking that when Kobe gave the Lakers that ultimatum two years ago, "This team ain't big enough for the both of us. Either Shaq goes or I go," the Lakers made a very, very bad choice.

I can't stand Kobe. I'm wondering whether I could bring myself to root for him if he were on the Pistons. I don't think I could. I go all out to win fantasy sports, but I've never attempted to get him on my team. I hated rooting for him the one day I picked him in Ozarks contest.

He's a despicable selfish bastard, albeit a gifted one. He only wants better players on the team to make him look better. He wants great players on the team to stand around and be there on his off nights. I can't see anyone with great talent putting up with him.

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"Quite simply captain, I examined the problem from all angles, and it was plainly hopeless. Logic informed me that under the circumstances, the only logical action would have to be one of desperation. Logical decision, logically arrived at." -- Spock

Link courtesy of TrueHoop

Kobe speaks out on his blog.

KB24.com | Kobe Bryant | The Official Site Of Kobe Bryant

OK, so two days after Kobe said this on his blog:

He says this to Stephen A. Smith on the radio:

Nice. Credibility all the way for the Mamba.

Of course the Lakers have been idiots in this thing as well, and now Jerry Buss has been arrested on suspicion of DUI (though I doubt that has anything to do with what Kobe's been saying). They're all a bunch of tools.

Kobe Bryant asked to be traded from the Lakers on Wednesday, a day after calling the team's front office "a mess." He said there was nothing the Lakers could do to change his mind.


Bryant asks for trade from Lakers - NBA - Yahoo! Sports