Is Kobe Bean Bryant Selfish?
On November, 26, 2013 the Los Angeles Lakers announced they had signed Kobe Bryant to a two-year, $48.5 million contract extension. 'Is he?' or 'isn't he?' immediately became the focus of NBA basketball fans because of the rigidity of the NBA salary cap. I was directly asked if I thought Kobe was selfish.
Kobe is who he is. Having worked in a NBA front office, I've learned
that inside parties have a better grasp on matters than outsiders. I'm
assuming you're referring to Kobe's contract. A contract is arrived at
by two parties; hopefully being mutually beneficial to both. I will
never blame an athlete for getting as much as he can from a NBA team.
The Lakers have a plan and it involves Kobe. While I wouldn't have initiated
talks so early, Lakers' executives must feel that Kobe has the goods to
play at a high level for the next 2+ years. We'll see - father time
waits for nobody. You can't ignore age in the NBA - Basketball at its
essence is a young man's game - A team has to have the right blend of
veterans & youth. If you have too many old dogs, you're playing
Russian roulette. The NBA season is just so brutal on the body. The
Steve Nash signing was ridiculous - You don't commit those types of
dollars to a guard with that much mileage on the tires. Everybody thinks
Kobe is a superman - Kobe says he will "run through a wall" to prove
the Lakers made the right call. Nobody questions Kobe's desire, but at some point that wall is going to show you why it's a wall. I'm looking
forward to seeing if Kobe can dip into the fountain of youth. I have my
doubts, especially coming off such a tough injury. Once one part of the
body breaks down, something else is more likely to fail. The body is a
kinetic chain. I don't blame Kobe. I blame the Lakers for not having the
patience to see how things would play out once Kobe stepped back on the
floor. Why the rush? Kobe wasn't going anywhere. But, I'm an outsider;
hopefully the Lakers have more knowledge about Kobe's future prospects
& their potential for signing key pieces in the future. Nate Jones, known by twitter fans as @JonesOnTheNBA, has been a leader in creating a forum to discuss this issue. One of his tweeps, J. Doug Hatings had a classic tweet:
J. Doug Hatings
Kobe's campaign to justify his contract is the most defense he's played in 3 years #2014defensiveplayeroftheyear
Kobe even hit twitter to educate the masses (play all-star defense) about the ways of the NBA:
Kobe Bryant
The cap rules players have to
be "selfless" on To "help" BILLIONAIRE owners R the same cap rules the
owners LOCKED US out to put in #think
Don't just learn ur sport .. Learn the sports industry #futureathletes
Btw lakers have max cap space and then some #mitchissharp #bussfamsharp #lakers
Two Lakers' beat writers penned insightful and must read pieces on Kobe's contract with the Lakers:
Ramona Shelburne - "Bryant tweets speak to fellow stars - The Lakers knew Kobe Bryant's new deal would tweak the rest of the NBA. That was kind of the point."
Kevin Ding - "The Polarizing Kobe Bryant Has Done It Again with New Contract Extension."
"The fans, God bless them," Bryant said Wednesday in a meeting with reporters in Washington D.C. "They're fans and they have good intentions and kind of a good spirit about it, but I don't think they understand the cap or what strategically they're trying to do better than the Lakers do." Kobe Bryant
Two Lakers' beat writers penned insightful and must read pieces on Kobe's contract with the Lakers:
Ramona Shelburne - "Bryant tweets speak to fellow stars - The Lakers knew Kobe Bryant's new deal would tweak the rest of the NBA. That was kind of the point."
Kevin Ding - "The Polarizing Kobe Bryant Has Done It Again with New Contract Extension."
"The fans, God bless them," Bryant said Wednesday in a meeting with reporters in Washington D.C. "They're fans and they have good intentions and kind of a good spirit about it, but I don't think they understand the cap or what strategically they're trying to do better than the Lakers do." Kobe Bryant
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