Oct
18
Bulls Would Be Committing Team Suicide Getting Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant is the most talented player in the game of basketball. He is also the most spoiled and fickle player in the game. So as some ignorant members of the Chicago media (Jay Marrioti once again being included) lament for the Bulls to get Bryant at any costs when there appears to be no talks on the frontline to begin with, Hoops 4 the Soul explains why it would be the worst thing possible.
Kobe is allegedly upset that Lakers owner Jerry Buss, a fool in his own mind, said last week that he’s open to listening to trade offers for Bryant. This is after Bryant demanded a trade this summer, only to backpedal hours later and follow that with a call for another trade before finally shutting his mouth after putting his foot into it. The whole scenario was typical Kobe.
At one moment, Kobe’s charming, calculated and playing the role of the good soldier. At the next, he’s a pouting, woe-be-gone schemer, crying foul and how no one is as good as Kobe. He’s a two-faced ego maniac, very similar to Isiah Thomas.
Bryant was brought up a spoiled brat, and the Lakers pampered him for years, further creating the monster that Kobe is now. They bent over backwards for Bryant when he was involved in his sexual assault case in Vail, Colorado and then chose the Kobester ahead of Shaquille O’Neal the following off-season. His ego is so large that he honestly thought the Lakers could get rid of O’Neal and that the team would still be a contender because of him.
Kobe always wanted to be the man in Los Angeles. Don’t confuse that want with Bryant’s alleged desire to win championships. Bryant is all about Bryant, always has been, always will be. Even when the team was winning three-straight championships, Bryant always had something to complain about. He wasn’t happy that he had to play second fiddle to Shaquille O’Neal and wanted all the responsibility on him.
And when Kobe was made the man and surrounded with talent that was obviously going to be nowhere close to what the Lakers once had, what has he done? Sure, he’s put up big-time numbers, but he hasn’t elevated the play of his teammates. Rather, he’s complained about the talent around him in the most amateurish ways, getting caught outside of a shopping mall ripping third-year center Andrew Bynum.
In simple terms, Kobe’s baggage is not worth the Chicago Bulls getting into. John Paxson has spent the last four and a half years cleaning up Jerry Krause’s mess by bringing in winners and quality people. Kobe Bryant is neither. And while Kobe is the most skilled player in the game, he doesn’t fit in with what the Bulls are doing.
The Bulls are predicated on playing team basketball. Kobe Bryant is about playing Kobe ball, shooting as much as he wants and playing defense only when his manhood has been perceivably challenged. He also doesn’t care if his drama affects his teammates; as long as Kobe thinks he is making a point, he will continue to act like a kid.
Chicago would be better off letting its young core of Kirk Hinrich, Ben Gordon, Luol Deng and Andres Nocioni get a chance to finish what they started. Paxson deserves to give this team one more shot to make the NBA Finals before any drastic measures are taken. At least, he knows he’ll get an honest effort from his current roster? Can you say that about Kobe?
Why would Chicago want a player who sabotaged a Game Seven against the Phoenix Suns two years ago? Regardless of what some will tell you, that’s what Kobe exactly did with this team trailing by double-digits heading into the second half of the due-or-die game against Phoenix. Kobe put up three shots in the second half of the game, one of the most aggressive offensive players in league history playing as passive as he’s ever been. It was Kobe making a statement, sabotaging a game because of his own agenda. If you can’t get what Kobe wants, this time better players around him, then Kobe won’t be happy and will do what’s best for number one, that is number eight and now number 24.
To be honest, the Bulls would be better off losing with class with this current team than winning with a jackass like Kobe Bryant. Regardless of his talent, Kobe is a chemistry killer, the very thing that has made these Bulls teams so enjoyable to watch.
By Chris Maynard, chris@hoops4thesoul.com
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