What does Kobe know?

by znimrod on Jun 18, 2008 2:45 PM CDT Comment 14 comments

After his post game press conference, we can pronounce that Kobe knows nothing. I think half of his answers were "I don't know." Here is a sample:

Reporter: "When did you feel like tonight you weren't going to be able to make it out of the hole?"

Kobe: "I'm not sure. I don't know."

Reporter: "Can you tell me how you see the Lakers prospects from here?"

Kobe: "I don't know, I don't know."

Reporter: "You said earlier that Bynum addresses the needs of rebounding and shot-blocking. Is there anything else that you feel needs to be addressed in the future?"

Kobe: "I don't know. I have no idea."

Reporter: "Kobe, you embraced with Doc Rivers after the game. What did he tell you."

Kobe: "(Laughing) Honestly, I don't know. My mind was someplace else."

For the record, he did actually answer some questions with full sentences, but I like to think that he does actually know nothing. I fully enjoyed seeing him wallow last night, almost as much as he and Fisher crying when we took them out a few years back. Good stuff.

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You mean Kobe “I can go off anytime I want to”? That Kobe?

by 4Him on Jun 18, 2008 4:07 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

gotta say...

I’m not buying into the Andrew Bynum hooplah… you know you’re in a bad way when you pine for the return of an oversized role player… bottom line, he wouldn’t have helped in the finals, and may have even been a liability in the early rounds. He’s young, inexperienced, and probably gets worked up easily.

Seeing Lamar Odom once again fail to live up to his immense potential was funny, yet sad at the same time. Between him and Darius Miles’ 70 million dollars, I don’t think there could be two more unbelievably underachieving wastes of space in the NBA…

As far as Kobe goes, the only thing I have to say is that when you get defended by every single one of the opposing players at the same time, and your ‘mates aren’t hitting open jumpers and OPEN LAYUPS, I guess your team isn’t all that great anyhow…

by scrappy-doo on Jun 18, 2008 4:31 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Not to rain on the WWL's parade, but...

I gotta say again, I so value our team for it’s dependence on winning by maturation and not be acquisition. Anyone can win stockpiling major talents and assembling an all-star team for the good of the present and regardless of planning/the future/the cap. I read Simmon’s rant about the clinching game (though it was difficult to read through the constant orgasms he kept having) and was reminded about how good it actually feels to win with a team that you’ve grown, developed, matured and earned.

Each of our rings is so special to me because of the committment to the system that we’ve held to. This point last year, it would have been easy to sacrifice the system, go after a big name and guarantee another Finals this year; but we stood firm and trusted our guys. It didn’t work out, but I am content with winning and losing on our own. Wins aren’t as rewarding or organic when they’re so scripted and planned. When you can’t win on your own and have to go out and assemble players (or coaches, in the case of Thibodeau, who along with McHale should have been the Playoffs MVP) that are simply desperate for a ring after so much personal failure; what’s it really worth?

Having a team full of bandwagon virtual has-beens all vying for a goal previously unachieveable contrasted with having a team full of well-placed talent slowly and methodically built up and designed to win. The emotion I feel now is similar to seeing Van Excrement “join” us or seeing Malone and Payton latch onto LA’s wagon in ‘04. Any fantasy team can win, but is it truly respectable sport? It seems that it’s so much more selfish on behalf of the players and so much more individual-driven as opposed to team-driven. If you’re a player, and you can’t win on your own with years and years of different attempts; to suddenly forsake a franchise built around you to chase a ring with others of the same mindset…... I would think it wouldn’t feel as complete. I’m more old-school and spoiled by the loyalty and committment really great players show to the teams that developed them.

So congrats KG and Nancy – you got your rings. And everyone in Minnesota is really proud of you. And it only took a perfectly set up, loaded with talent, disregarding of ‘working to get where you are’ franchise to carry your pathetic dreams. Enjoy this now, cause when you’re representing Boston in NY at the 2011 lottery selection, you’ll always have the memories of this magical season.

And regardless of what anyone claims, we never deliberately tanked a season. We never mailed it in in the hopes of returning more dominant as Boston did shamefully last year. Though it’s hard to see now, that shit WILL come back around.

by SgtinManusArmy on Jun 18, 2008 5:10 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

And I’m not a hater of Boston, specifically. Just a hater of mindless media spooge and a hater of anything that reeks of not being “true sport.”

Anyone can win a championship (see: Antoine Walker), but it takes character and committment to be a dynasty. And that’s something that KG and Nancy and the current crop of media darlings will never have. One and out is only worth it right now; at this point next season we’ll begin to see the consequences.

Yes I’m a little bitter. Having to see another team holding our trophy will do that. But keep the faith friends, it’ll soon be right back in San Antonio. And it’ll mean more because of all that we’ve endured to earn it.

by SgtinManusArmy on Jun 18, 2008 5:16 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

The Spurs tanked in 1996-97

Then they lucked into Duncan. They could have brought The Admiral back earlier from injury; he was healthy enough. It just wouldn’t make a lot of sense (it would be like Miami not shutting down D-Wade before this season ended). The SA beat writers even said Spurs officials were laughing about the tank job that season.

by Gino20 on Jun 20, 2008 10:00 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Tank or not risk an injury to a franchise player?

Yes, they knew about Duncan, but as I recall the Spurs did not even have a great chance at winning the lottery that season. Had they really tanked, wouldn’t they have lost every single game after D-Rob went down? I am sure Duncan was on Pop’s mind, but protecting the Admiral was equally important.

by VWolf on Jun 21, 2008 12:00 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

So getting insanely lucky by grabbing Duncan....that was somehow shrewd?

Boston got lucky by getting KG in a fairly lopsided deal, the Spurs got lucky getting Duncan over Boston, the Bulls got lucky when Portland drafted Bowie and Seattle traded Pippen for Olden Polynice. Is it Ainge’s fault that McHale is one of the worst GM’s ever? He still had to make the panic trade for Ray Allen to even have KG consider coming there.

And staying firm with your guys? That’s not necessarily the greatest trait. It may be for a championship team like the Spurs, but most teams in the NBA have several flaws that requires a big move to contend. The way the league is now, it’s not easy building a championship contender through the draft. Look at the Pistons. They won a title with 4 castoffs and 1 player they drafted in the starting lineup. So, did it feel less sweet for their fans to win that title?

by Ozzie Montana on Jun 22, 2008 11:52 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

No doubt we were lucky getting Duncan. The odds were against us and the argument that we tanked the previous season to grab Timmy is comical considering, ironicly, Boston had the best chance of getting him. David was the franchise and the SPURS recognized that continuing to play him put his career in jeopardy and with no guarantees in the draft, it wasn’t worth taking the chance. On the other hand, pretty much everyone following basketball recognized that last year Doc tanked in the hopes of landing either Oden or Durant. Totally different situation.

I see what you’re saying, but I have tremendous respect for ‘staying with your guys.’ It shows the depth of quality and talent a player has to win with role players (check out our ‘99. That team was not exactly an All-star squad, same with ‘03.) A ring is still a ring, but I have so much more respect for and feel that winning a championship means more when you do it by gutting out wins with a complete team. KG couldn’t lead a team past the 2nd round his entire career, WITH good pieces around him at times. To get so desperate for winning that he chose to leave Minnesota for the Boston fantasy team makes the win somewhat hollow.

Let’s look at the Pistons. A team of role players who all worked towards a common goal, and eventually got there. They didn’t go after a desperate star to get them closer to a ring; they stuck with what they believed in and through hard work and dedication won a ring. Had they immediately made a desperation trade for a big name it wouldn’t have been as rewarding. What if, for example, we’d have made a trade for Kobe work this time last year? We trade Manu and other pieces and cash, and it could have happened. Everyone can recognize that a TP/TD/Kobe front line would have been a lock. And would I have enjoyed a ring this month, yes. But would it have felt as complete and earned as it would have had we not made a desperation trade? No way. I love our team so much BECAUSE of the devotion and the system, not in spite of. It’s so much more impressive to win (OR be a dynasty!) by relying on a system that works and not getting desperate. I’m not saying to stay firm with guys just for the sake of doing it; I’m just saying that there’s more honor and it’s more of an impressive feat to win because of a system and not because your GM assembled an All-star team full of desperate stars.

The fact is, Ainge HAD to get desperate or lose his job; and that’s fine. All I’m saying is that a win under those conditions is not as sweet because it’s not really your team. It’s not a team that has gone through the trenches and fought together and consistantly earned to achieve a win. It’s a win by acquisition only, and not by maturation. Part of the reason we’re such a threat EVERY year (and the Pistons fall into this category as well) is because we’ve relied on maturation and not acquisition. We’ll be a threat for a long while because of this mantra, while Boston will soon begin to struggle. And anytime a star basically says “I can’t do it” and leaves for a more sure bet, he loses credibility in my eyes. It weakens the game in that ANY star can get a ring, if there’s no adherence to loyalty or committment. Thus, championships are not as special on the stat sheet of history. See: Malone, Karl and Payton, Gary. And it especially pisses me off, because it then somewhat diminishes all the rings that other players have fought their whole careers for.

by SgtinManusArmy on Jun 23, 2008 3:26 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I hate to point this out, but the Pistons pulled off a ridiculous swindle to bring in Rasheed Wallace in the middle of the season the year they won their championship.

Catch the Spurs Spirit! It's a Fast-breakin' Fiesta!

by tomasito on Jun 23, 2008 4:33 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Right, but Sheed wasn’t a ‘star’ along the likes of KG or Allen or Gasol. He was an effective player, and clearly wasn’t simply chasing a ring at that point in his career. He was (and still is) walking the line between a very good player and a strong role player on a “team.” The Sheed deal wasn’t an epic attempt by a player to go anywhere just to get a championship so much as it was a flailing attempt by a franchise to shed felons from its roster.

by SgtinManusArmy on Jun 23, 2008 5:40 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Also, that Sheed deal was a gamble. It wasn’t as if Wallace was the most consistent (or sane) player with the Jailblazers, so the Pistons were hoping that it would work out, but, like SiMA said, it wasn’t a sure deal.

I'm comfortable winning -- Emmanuel Ginobili

by pollackj on Jun 24, 2008 1:20 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think we're pretty much in agreement

No doubt that the 2004 Lakers were an abomination that I was gladly rooting for to fail. When Miami got Shaq and won the title, I knew they would regret it. Maybe they don’t so much because they have the 2nd pick, but will there be any Miami fans in 40 years saying “Son let me tell you the year we won the title with Wade and uh…..I don’t remember the rest of the roster.”

And I do think it’s admirable to win a title with pretty much the same group of guys. I could probably list off every Bulls role player who were on the 6 title teams. Guys like Paxson and Kerr and Longley were players I as a fan grew attached to as a kid. I just think if your team doesn’t have that kind of transcendant superstar like Duncan or Jordan who brings out the best in a team, then you have to make drastic moves to improve the roster. For instance, I’m sure Houston fans would love to see McGrady advance in the playoffs just once, but if a trade for a better player presented itself, don’t you think they would be all for it, despite the sentimental desire to see a tortured player win just once?

by Ozzie Montana on Jun 24, 2008 12:56 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Totally. But if TMac (a player that I really like) instead bolted on his own from Houston and started playing for say, the Lakers…... I’d immediately have less respect for him. If he couldn’t get it done in Houston, when the franchise was clearly willing to put pieces around him that would assist him in getting there; then maybe he’s just not a champion. Sad to say, but not everyone is. No star is ‘owed’ a championship. TMac hypothetically bolting for a ring would demonstrate his selfishness and overrated status (in that he couldn’t lead one on his own and required a fantasy team) and further cheapen the LOB trophy. And I think it would disgust and enrage Houston fans who would rightly feel manipulated and screwed over by a self-absorbed athlete, regardless of how well he played it to the press that he was deserving of a ring and ‘just wanted to be a champion.’

Identically to what KG actually did.

by SgtinManusArmy on Jun 24, 2008 10:47 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs