so lakers fans, what do u think about this mess? war of words liek some mohallay ki aunty..
I think this would nto have blown up like this had Kobe not been under other stress because Shaq is known to make idiotic remarks every so often, he is just nto used to someone throwing it back in his face, which Kobe did this time and started this duel.
what’s your call?
I think it's another one of Phil Jackson's Classics. He is fuelling this feud in order to get the best out of KOBE.
This is Phil's last year as Lakers' Coach and he want to go on a winning note.
could be true because Kobe was thinking of leaving lakers anyways..and depending on the court case outcome, he may have no choice..so this could be mind games by jackson to get these two to work hard in showing each other up..but then the team dynamics suffer big time.
I don't know how Phil Jackson is related to the feud between Kobe and Shaq, but Kobe is paranoid.
Shaq just tried to give him some healthy advice about not playing excessive basketball after coming back from his injury.=
well if you read Kobe's latest he claims that in the past Phil had managed Shaq and this time he just said deal with it and did nto interfere.
The point is quite simple, Shaq started it.. Kobe responded.. Shaq kept at it. and no his words were nto just constructive but he basically told Kobe to get out if he cant contribute etc etc.
I am not a Kobe fan, but I think this time he is right, Shaq seems to be hjealous and its coming out in his words. e.g. when he said to the reporters that ..you gives can give this team to kobe like you have given him everything on a platter, but this is my team..to paraphrase..that just reeks of jealousy.
I agree with Pir Saheb. Shaq is arrogant, Rude, Jealous and Immature. Shaq has carefully chosen the right time to attack KOBE. He has done it in the past too when Kobe was new to NBA. Lakers' are not Shaq's team, It's Jerry Buss' Team.
What does he mean when he says 'Karl, Gary are here coz of one man, not two' ? How many titles did he win in Orlando, If he considers himself that good ? Yes, Karl & Gary are there either because of one man (and that man is Phil Jacko, not Shaq) or because of 3 men which will count Kobe,Shaq & Jacko.
glad i m not a lakers fan
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by The Rainmaker: *
glad i m not a lakers fan
[/QUOTE]
Same here, Lakers are done for good.
Potentially, what would have been the greatest basketball team of alltime is slowly but effectively shattering into pieces.
Fraudia, here is my input on this soap opera, as you prolly know, im a long standing Lakers fan :D
First of all, you do agree that these newspapers, reporters and ESPN folx need a story to report on. It may or may not be a coincidence that this story dropped right after the yankees debacle, after the baseball season ended. It maybe possible that someone somewhere "misquoted" either of them or twisted their words to make a story.
I do agree that this "Return of Star Wars" (as LA Times put it) is serious this time for several reason. This time it does matter and consequences will be serious come next summer for the Lakers. Before, when Kobe and Shaq had war or words, it cooled off soon because they both hadnt won any championship. Now its a different story, they both have rings and Kobe can move on after his contract is over.
The tension between Kobe and Shaq, in my opinion, has been simmering since last season when Shaq showed up overwight and out of shape for the season and delayed his foot surgery. (Even tho they acted like "little brother and big brother" infront of media as a PR). On the other hand Kobe was in his peak conditioning last season at the start of the season. He is a hard worker and takes his conditioning very seriously. Kobe was upset that Shaq was not ready to play ball at his 100%. To make things worse Shaq even said last season "Basketball is my job and I will get surgery when I want, and will do it while on the job and not over the summer when im not working". These comments also got him a slap on the wrist from Phil and showed his selfish nature considering Kobe has been working on his conditioning dilligently all summer long. Mind you, even tho Lakers didnt win last year, Kobe had his best season offensively and defensively and it was evident that he was hurt by the loss in the playoffs.
Shaq is a bit immature with his comments off and on the record. He is the most dominating center in the game and considers Lakers as "my team". And expects everyone else to work their way thru him on the court. Kobe has matured his game over the years and wants to emerge as "go-to" guy as well, just like any other franchise player would. Kobe has felt that his game has been overshadowed by Shaq's dominant role and Shaq's desire to have the offense go thru him. It may be possible to have this kinda scheme with "supporting cast" players but Kobe doesnt consider himself as a supporting cast, he is a star. He has proved his mettle already. Kobe has now expressed his feelings publically that he wants to "explore the free-agency" next year when hsi contract expires. Its not the money, cos under the collective bargaining agreement, Lakers are already paying him the maximum that any team can ever offer him. So, if he leaves, and in all probability he will, it will because he wants to be who is Kobe and play his game and be the #1 player on the team. Kobe has often shown his displeasure with the "triangle offense" that Phil brought to LA. Anyway ...
The update now is that both sides have apparently mended things and Kobe was seen sitting alongside Shaq at todays season opener and talking. Shaq and Kobe said to media that they are "cool" and will work together on the basketball court. Phil fined Kobe too for his comments to ESPN about Shaq.
..
dang I havent typed this much here before. More in next posts..
Going out into the media and lashing out at Shaq, Kobe has done the stupid thing ever. What does he mean to say that he ain't need any advice from anyone, huh? No advice from the man he has played his entire NBA career with?
Anyway, the situation seems to be settled. Both had a talk on the bench which was pleasant to see.
5Abi, any comment on last night game? ;)
5Abi
thanks for the detailed response. I think you and I are on the same page..
it would be great to see Kobe in philly :) iverson and bryant..
I knew it from the start. Shaq Daddy was right. Kobe was wrong. Kobe even admitted himself that he talked trash.
Kobe says it’s back to business as usual
**Kobe Bryant says his latest feud with Shaquille O’Neal is history. **
O’Neal isn’t talking about it, or anything else.
Bryant met with reporters and patiently answered any and all questions after practice Wednesday, while O’Neal left without saying a word.
That’s been the norm for the Los Angeles Lakers’ stars over the years when things get dicey – Bryant talks while O’Neal avoids the media, sometimes for weeks.
**It's fine. I was talking trash to him on the court today,'' Bryant said. It was business as usual. It’s over. We have a good spirit about us as a ballclub – we always have.
``We said what we have to say. Now, it’s time to move on. I know I can put it behind me in a heartbeat and go out and play. Shaquille and I have been through our differences before. We know how to win. You’ve got to understand – we’ve pretty much grown up together.‘’ **
O’Neal signed with the Lakers as a free agent in 1996 and Bryant joined the Lakers that same year as an 18-year-old high school graduate.
**They’ve had their differences before, but never quite like this. **
The Lakers opened the season Tuesday night with a 109-93 victory over Dallas. Almost all of the attention was on Bryant, who missed the game as he continues to recover from arthroscopic knee surgery, and O’Neal, who had 16 points in his first game with new teammates Karl Malone and Gary Payton.
There had also been tension for the team during the preseason with the publicity brought by a sexual assault charge against Bryant.
On Monday, Bryant ripped into O’Neal during a telephone interview with ESPN, calling him childlike,'' unprofessional,‘’ selfish,'' fat’’ and ``jealous.‘’
A day earlier, O’Neal said the Lakers were ``my team,‘’ adding that Bryant needed to be more of a team player – an observation based on two exhibition games last week.
This was the first overt sign of hostility between them since midway through the 2000-01 season.
But that spring, when the Lakers went 15-1 in the playoffs en route to winning the second of three straight championships, O’Neal and Bryant got along famously. **At one point, O’Neal called his younger teammate the best player in the world. **
Lakers coach Phil Jackson said Wednesday he hopes that if there is a reoccurrence, it’s kept behind closed doors.
When asked if he had done all he could to mend the rift, Jackson replied: ``I don’t know the answer to that question. It just takes a watchfulness.‘’
Derek Fisher, in the starting lineup due to Bryant’s absence Tuesday night, said he’d seen it all during his eight years with the Lakers.
Hopefully the public part's over in terms of us doing our laundry for everyone else to see,'' he said. We’re all adults. Life goes on.‘’
The LAKERS are back in Business!