for SPIRITUAL PORN and XFACTOR

[cranrab]

remember the PM i sent you?

read this quote from lamar odom after last night's game:

On the fourth quarter of the contest and possible reasons for the defeat...

“We can’t make threes. We can’t keep a lead. There’s not a team that we can’t lose to right now. We’re not tight enough as a group…I mean that’s the problem - I have no idea. No lead is big enough. I always tell ‘em, every time we get a big lead, we get a little lazy - stop doing the small things that it takes to win basketball games. Then when you get in tight games, you have to be tight - all the way around - one to 12.”

 

[cranrab]

more food for thought.

coach tomjanovich has lead the post-shaquille o'neal fakers to their best regular season record.

in 2005 (the 1st year of the fakers post-shaquille o'neal era), the fakers hired consecutive NBA champion head coach tomjanovich. coach tomjanovich took his job seriously, and prepared well by watching hours of video. coach tomjanovich went out of his way and created an O especially designed for tobe.

but tobe bristled. why? because tobe was too monumentally STUPID to grasp a new O, even though it had been custom made for him. without the safety blanket comfort of the triangle, tobe felt uncomfortable.

primadonna tobe had envisioned that once finally free of the restraints of coach jackson, and out of the shadow of shaquille o'neal, that he would be free to run amok. but tobe's childish dreams of irresponsibile performance quickly turned into nightmares of professional responsibility.

so what did tobe do? tobe staged a sick-out in the middle of a winning season. an ankle sprain on january 13 was supposed to keep tobe out for 2 weeks. it took EXACTLY 30 days for tobe to return. and what a surprise. during the time that tobe was staging his silent protest, coach tomjanovich was FIRED.

that's right, FIRED. don't believe that bullshit about resigning due to health concerns. how many people you know resign from a position, and get SEVERANCE *? coach tomjanovich collected $3M in salary and $6M in severance.

and take a look at chucky atkins quote at the time:

Atkins came back and said that under Tomjanovich (who had a much easier schedule), "We’d be a playoff team, without question. . . . We played a lot more together. The game was a lot easier. Right now, we’re in the triangle offense and people are not really familiar with it."

Later, a reporter asked Atkins what the team needs in the future, and Atkins replied, "I ain’t the GM of this team. Kobe’s the GM of this team. Ask Kobe."

what about the PROOF?

OK. coach tomjanovich with tobe? 19-15 (.559). the best coach jackson has managed is 45-37 (.549).

OK. coach tomjanovich overall, before being fired? 24-19 (.558). still better.

OK. tobe's average FGAs in GAMES WON under coach tomjanovich? 19.16
tobe's average FGAs in GAMES LOST under coach tomjanovich? 22.53

NO surprise there.

this is CLEAR CUT PROOF that tobe prefers shooting and scoring OVER winning. coach tomjanovich had the fakers winning at a higher pecentage than they have in 3 seasons, but tobe couldn't stand it because he knew he had to take FEWER THAN 20 FGAs per game.



or should i say

* EDIT: some youngsters may not have been in the job market long enough to know/understand what severance pay is, so here is the definition.

severance pay
–noun money, exclusive of wages, back pay, etc., paid to an employee who has tenure and who is dismissed because of lack of work or other reasons beyond the employee's control.

 

[Spectrum]

Later, a reporter asked Atkins what the team needs in the future, and Atkins replied, "I ain’t the GM of this team. Kobe’s the GM of this team. Ask Kobe." [/I]

 

[cranrab]

what proof do i have to say that tobe was struggling with the O that was custom built for him by coach tomjanovich?

tobe averaged a disgusting CAREER WORST TOs in the new O. 4.4 TOs per game under coach tomjanovich. by season end, after retreating into the safety blanket of the triangle, tobe managed to bring the season average for TOs down to 4.09.

tobe averaged a disgusting CAREER WORST FG% in the new O. 40.6% FG% under coach tomjanovich. by season end, after retreating into the safety blanket of the triangle, tobe managed to bring the season average for FG% up to 43.3%

tobe knew that he had been exposed as a fraud and a basketball dunce. unable to hide his weaknesses within the triangle, tobe's TOs rose and his FG% dropped. the TRUTH was that the other fakers had this team winning.

tobe had to put an end to it, even if it meant LOSING. the 30 day sick-out extorted jerry buss into ousting coach tomjanovich. AT LAST, tobe could restore his STATS.

tobe proved that he isn't just allergic to winning. tobe also proved that he is allergic to passing.

tobe averaged CAREER HIGH ASSISTS in the new O. 6.59 ASSISTS per game under coach tomjanovich. by season end, tobe managed to lower his season average for ASSISTS down to only 6.0

 

[SpiritualPorn]

what proof do i have to say that tobe was struggling with the O that was custom built for him by coach tomjanovich?

tobe averaged a disgusting CAREER WORST TOs in the new O. 4.4 TOs per game under coach tomjanovich. by season end, after retreating into the safety blanket of the triangle, tobe managed to bring the season average for TOs down to 4.09.

tobe averaged a disgusting CAREER WORST FG% in the new O. 40.6% FG% under coach tomjanovich. by season end, after retreating into the safety blanket of the triangle, tobe managed to bring the season average for FG% up to 43.3%

tobe knew that he had been exposed as a fraud and a basketball dunce. unable to hide his weaknesses within the triangle, tobe's TOs rose and his FG% dropped. the TRUTH was that the other fakers had this team winning.

tobe had to put an end to it, even if it meant LOSING. the 30 day sick-out extorted jerry buss into ousting coach tomjanovich. AT LAST, tobe could restore his STATS.

tobe proved that he isn't just allergic to winning. tobe also proved that he is allergic to passing.

tobe averaged CAREER HIGH ASSISTS in the new O. 6.59 ASSISTS per game under coach tomjanovich. by season end, tobe managed to lower his season average for ASSISTS down to only 6.0

Damn....he's more of an asshole than I thought.

How the fuck can someone not get along with Rudy T.?

The press is running out of excuses. The excuse last night was that Kobe was tired. Then how come Brand of the LAWhippers was crashing the boards last night helping his team to an easy win?

It was telling to me how he answered to the question of how will his team respond to the previous nights loss. He replied something to the effect of "I would love to see how we respond". A leader SETS THE TONE FOR HIS TEAM. He was already setting up for the finger pointing.

The Lakers seem to automatically play better with him on the bench.

I sure took notes on the PM I got. It was obvious. Kwame said fuck this already.




The bad thing about that is when they turn on him......it's gonna fuck his head up...

 

[RunawaySlave]

I got a laundry list of players who fit into the same mold as Kobe Bryant.
We need to take them all and put them on one team. Unfortunately, this
player with his lack of basketball IQ and incomplete skill set is pervasive
in today's game.

As much as I disdain auctioneer Stern and his rules, I think the one
prohibiting high school-to-professional will help a little. They need to
further it and stop this "one and done" shit in the college ranks as well.

Otherwise, soon we will have a bunch of Steve Nash, Nitwitskis running
around claiming to be the best of the best



lol @ the dancing man. I hate that mufukka

 

[Rollie_Fingaz]

The press is running out of excuses. The excuse last night was that Kobe was tired. Then how come Brand of the LAWhippers was crashing the boards last night helping his team to an easy win?

The next two games will set the stage for Kobe to look good in the eyes of the media. The Lakers have to win the next two games (against inferior opponents) to make the playoffs. So when Kobe goes and gets 50 points in the next two games, the papers in L.A. will read, "Kobe's heriocs gets Lakers into the playoffs."

If he gets 50 and loses..the papers will say he went down in a valiant effort.

 

[cranrab]

The next two games will set the stage for Kobe to look good in the eyes of the media. The Lakers have to win the next two games (against inferior opponents) to make the playoffs.

and my explanation of the "magic number" was incomplete.

the fakers "magic number" is still 2, but it doesn't have to mean that the fakers must win 2 games.

ANY combination of the fakers winning 2 games OR EITHER the los angeles clippers OR the golden state warriors losing 2 games means the fakers get a playoff spot.

so, as a punishment to myself for an incomplete answer, here are the ways the fakers can make the playoffs:

1) fakers win last 2 games.

2) fakers defeat seattle or sacramento and clippers lose once.

3) fakers defeat seattle or sacramento and warriors lose once.

4) fakers lose last 2 games and clippers lose 2 games.

5) fakers lose last 2 games and warriors lose 2 games.

in all seriousness, if the fakers lose their next game (seattle), they absolutely don't deserve a playoff spot, even in the worstern conference. seattle is without leading scorer ray allen, AND starting PG luke ridenour (sp?) and backup PG earl watson.

the sonics just signed randy livingston from the D league to give them some depth to finish the season.

 

[SpiritualPorn]

and my explanation of the "magic number" was incomplete.

the fakers "magic number" is still 2, but it doesn't have to mean that the fakers must win 2 games.

ANY combination of the fakers winning 2 games OR EITHER the los angeles clippers OR the golden state warriors losing 2 games means the fakers get a playoff spot.

so, as a punishment to myself for an incomplete answer, here are the ways the fakers can make the playoffs:

1) fakers win last 2 games.

2) fakers defeat seattle or sacramento and clippers lose once.

3) fakers defeat seattle or sacramento and warriors lose once.

4) fakers lose last 2 games and clippers lose 2 games.

5) fakers lose last 2 games and warriors lose 2 games.

in all seriousness, if the fakers lose their next game (seattle), they absolutely don't deserve a playoff spot, even in the worstern conference. seattle is without leading scorer ray allen, AND starting PG luke ridenour (sp?) and backup PG earl watson.

the sonics just signed randy livingston from the D league to give them some depth to finish the season.

If Luke and Kwame have their way .........we can rack up the L now.

Smush can't give a fuck right now.. He has been made the scapegoat.
I'm not sure about this one...I think they "need" NoD (aka Kobe) in the playoffs for the ratings?

 

[xfactor]

The next two games will set the stage for Kobe to look good in the eyes of the media. The Lakers have to win the next two games (against inferior opponents) to make the playoffs. So when Kobe goes and gets 50 points in the next two games, the papers in L.A. will read, "Kobe's heriocs gets Lakers into the playoffs."

If he gets 50 and loses..the papers will say he went down in a valiant effort.

Yeah, you already know that Wobe is going to put up the FGAs tonight and in the next game against SAC... But will his teammates be there to bail him out as usual when he stinks up the joint?

Looks like Kwame Brown is shutting it down for the rest of the year and Smush Parker seems to not give a fuck anymore.

On another note, how is that garbage euro Sasha Vujacic able to log 30+ minutes playing for the fakers when he wouldnt log that much playing for the Florida Gators?

 

[cranrab]

remember the PM i sent you?

read this quote from lamar odom after last night's game:

On the fourth quarter of the contest and possible reasons for the defeat...

“We can’t make threes. We can’t keep a lead. There’s not a team that we can’t lose to right now. We’re not tight enough as a group…I mean that’s the problem - I have no idea. No lead is big enough. I always tell ‘em, every time we get a big lead, we get a little lazy - stop doing the small things that it takes to win basketball games. Then when you get in tight games, you have to be tight - all the way around - one to 12.”

lamar odom's full quote from post game 2:

“We got our butts kicked pretty badly and it was really embarrassing to come in here and lose such an important game the way we lost it. There’s no answer for that. It doesn’t make sense so obviously we need to do something. We need to think about some things as a team. It’s kind of sad but I don’t know that we’re as close as a team right now as far as camaraderie and things like that. That’s the only way you lose games like this—when you’re not that close.”



if either of you still have it, after the season is over, feel free to post my PM and the date i sent it to you.

 

[SpiritualPorn]

lamar odom's full quote from post game 2:

“We got our butts kicked pretty badly and it was really embarrassing to come in here and lose such an important game the way we lost it. There’s no answer for that. It doesn’t make sense so obviously we need to do something. We need to think about some things as a team. It’s kind of sad but I don’t know that we’re as close as a team right now as far as camaraderie and things like that. That’s the only way you lose games like this—when you’re not that close.”



if either of you still have it, after the season is over, feel free to post my PM and the date i sent it to you.

With fuckin pleasure

Odom had a mouthful to say last night.....


Do these guys even know that you are an NBA player?

 

[cranrab]

more odom from today after practice:

Odom opened many eyes with his post-Game 2 beliefs that the Lakers weren't "as close as a team as we need to be in terms of camaraderie." The subject was brought up again a day later.

"It was evident when you lost like that, right?" he said. "We've had it at times this year and played with it, but obviously in a loss like that, it's obvious guys are separated."

i wonder if he was talking about fakers pre-lamar-odom-injury v. fakers post-lamar-odom-injury?

 

[SpiritualPorn]

more odom from today after practice:

Odom opened many eyes with his post-Game 2 beliefs that the Lakers weren't "as close as a team as we need to be in terms of camaraderie." The subject was brought up again a day later.

"It was evident when you lost like that, right?" he said. "We've had it at times this year and played with it, but obviously in a loss like that, it's obvious guys are separated."

i wonder if he was talking about fakers pre-lamar-odom-injury v. fakers post-lamar-odom-injury?

He looked really pissed after Tuesday Nights game

Hope he comes back to Miami


We might lose this series if we don't get Friday's game

And you're right

Wade came back way too soon

The Heat had much better flow when he wasn't there

BTW

Was Who Me doing his spoiled brat thing again?...Complain about his shooting and he quits shooting?

Looked like it to me.......

What a bitch to play with..

How would guys back when you played have handled a person that hijacks his team this way?

 

[xfactor]

Odom had a mouthful to say last night.....

I'm just waiting on him to call Wobe out. Is there some type of cover-up treatment in Los Angeles that prevents players from taking blatant shots in the media at Wobe? Is Buss going to fine players for telling the TRUTH?

The chemistry on the team is already bad and I definitely dont condone calling out teammates in the media but all this covert, code word shit is pissing me off.

 

[Spectrum]

Was Who Me doing his spoiled brat thing again?...Complain about his shooting and he quits shooting?

Looked like it to me.......

What a bitch to play with..

How would guys back when you played have handled a person that hijacks his team this way?

Yeah man..this mofo takes 1 shot the entire second half..almost as if to either prove a point or just to be a fucking baby about it.

I hope someone posts that PM Cran sent.. I feel left out..or at least say what the point of the PM was..

 

[cranrab]

I hope someone posts that PM Cran sent.. I feel left out..or at least say what the point of the PM was..

SP is welcome to send a copy to you via PM.

or you can wait until the season is over, and then SP has agreed to post it.

 

[Spectrum]

SP is welcome to send a copy to you via PM.

or you can wait until the season is over, and then SP has agreed to post it.

Thanks cran... SP...if you think it would be more interesting for me to wait until the season is over..I will wait until your post...

 

[xfactor]

Thanks cran... SP...if you think it would be more interesting for me to wait until the season is over..I will wait until your post...

I'll send you the PM but I gotta look for it in my inbox.

 

[Spectrum]

I'll send you the PM but I gotta look for it in my inbox.

thanks

Xfactor, just read the PMs

That has completely summarized the fallout in LA.. completely.

 

[cranrab]

Is there some type of cover-up treatment in Los Angeles that prevents players from taking blatant shots in the media at Wobe?

actually, yes.

and it has been in place since coach harris got fired for not wanting to insert tobe into the starting lineup in his 3rd season.

but what the owner wants, the owner gets, so coach harris had to go. and to make sure it stayed that way, out went eddie jones (and elden campbell) shortly thereafter.

shaquille o'neal didn't have to hold his tongue, because he was the franchise. but if you read coach jackson's book, it details how frequently the fakers tried to keep tobe bashing out of the media spotlight.

remember the chucky atkins quote? the next day he was asked to address it and said he was "quoted out of context". how long did chucky atkins stay in L.A.?

remember the ray allen quote that came from a telephone conversation he had with caron butler? how long did caron butler stay in L.A.?

coach jackson wasn't fond of tobe either. he published a whole journal about tobe. how long did coach jackson stay in L.A.?

the only reason coach jackson was begged back was because everybody realized that tobe was too stupid to learn a new O. even one that was custom built for him by coach tomjonavich.

 

[cranrab]

ray allen circa october 14, 2004:

"He's going to be very selfish," Allen said of Bryant, who scored 15 of his team's first 20 points and had 35 points in Tuesday's loss. "And he feels like he needs to show this league and the people in this country that he is better without Shaq. He can win championships without Shaq. So offensively, he's going to jump out and say, 'I can average 30 points. I can still carry the load on this team.'

"I think the point production is not going to be so much what people are going to look at because (Tracy) McGrady did it in Orlando, Allen (Iverson) did it in Philly. Can you win a championship? I think that's the question. Carrying guys on your back and making everybody better."

Can Bryant do that?

"He has the talent, he can do it," Allen said. "But is his attitude going to allow him to take a back seat and let Lamar Odom shine and let Caron Butler have his nights and bring those big guys along with him?"

Allen said Bryant's ability and willingness to incorporate others will be the gauge for the Lakers' success. Bryant was re-signed for seven years at more than $130 million this summer.

"If Kobe doesn't see he needs two and a half good players to be a legitimate playoff contender or win a championship in about a year or two he'll be calling out to Jerry Buss that 'We need some help in here,' or 'Trade me,' " Allen said. "And we'll all be saying, 'I told you so,' when he says that."



Butler, who like Allen attended UConn, is in his third year in the league.

"His successes now is going to be based on if Kobe allows him to eat," Allen said of Butler. "If Kobe allows him to sit at the dinner table with him."

Allen was asked about the personal part of his game against Bryant. At different times, Bryant bumped into Allen and talked trash. After blocking a fast-break layin attempt by Allen, Bryant stared down at Allen, who had fallen to the floor, allowing Luke Ridnour to grab the loose ball and pass to Rashard Lewis for a dunk.

"I think he talks because he feels like he has to talk," Allen said. "He's out there playing, and if he does something good I feel like he needs to pat himself on the back because to me, it seems like he's isolated out there. As much as it's five-on-five, I don't see much camaraderie going on out there with his teammates."

DAMN! was lamar odom channelling the spirit of ray allen's past?

 

[cranrab]

chucky atkins retraction april 3, 2005:

A day later Atkins vehemently accused two reporters who used the same quote of taking his comments out of context. "The beat writers around here . . . want to use myself and Caron Butler and Lamar Odom to be a scapegoat for what they want to say about Kobe Bryant," Atkins said. "Guys have been taking shots at Kobe Bryant all year. He hasn't broken, and he ain't going to be broken."

Asked if former Heat teammates Lamar Odom and Caron Butler, now with the Lakers, have ever mentioned in phone calls that they're frustrated playing with the ball-hogging Bryant, Dwyane Wade laughed and said, "It may have come up."

 

[Rollie_Fingaz]

SP is welcome to send a copy to you via PM.

or you can wait until the season is over, and then SP has agreed to post it.

Can you give me a copy as well? I'd like to read that.

 

[xfactor]

ray allen circa october 14, 2004:

"He's going to be very selfish," Allen said of Bryant, who scored 15 of his team's first 20 points and had 35 points in Tuesday's loss. "And he feels like he needs to show this league and the people in this country that he is better without Shaq. He can win championships without Shaq. So offensively, he's going to jump out and say, 'I can average 30 points. I can still carry the load on this team.'

"I think the point production is not going to be so much what people are going to look at because (Tracy) McGrady did it in Orlando, Allen (Iverson) did it in Philly. Can you win a championship? I think that's the question. Carrying guys on your back and making everybody better."

Can Bryant do that?

"He has the talent, he can do it," Allen said. "But is his attitude going to allow him to take a back seat and let Lamar Odom shine and let Caron Butler have his nights and bring those big guys along with him?"

Allen said Bryant's ability and willingness to incorporate others will be the gauge for the Lakers' success. Bryant was re-signed for seven years at more than $130 million this summer.

"If Kobe doesn't see he needs two and a half good players to be a legitimate playoff contender or win a championship in about a year or two he'll be calling out to Jerry Buss that 'We need some help in here,' or 'Trade me,' " Allen said. "And we'll all be saying, 'I told you so,' when he says that."



Butler, who like Allen attended UConn, is in his third year in the league.

"His successes now is going to be based on if Kobe allows him to eat," Allen said of Butler. "If Kobe allows him to sit at the dinner table with him."

Allen was asked about the personal part of his game against Bryant. At different times, Bryant bumped into Allen and talked trash. After blocking a fast-break layin attempt by Allen, Bryant stared down at Allen, who had fallen to the floor, allowing Luke Ridnour to grab the loose ball and pass to Rashard Lewis for a dunk.

"I think he talks because he feels like he has to talk," Allen said. "He's out there playing, and if he does something good I feel like he needs to pat himself on the back because to me, it seems like he's isolated out there. As much as it's five-on-five, I don't see much camaraderie going on out there with his teammates."

DAMN! was lamar odom channelling the spirit of ray allen's past?

Excellent post. Does Ray Allen have a career as a prognosticator after retirement?

The sad part about it all is that Wobe is the only player I can think of that has played this long and has yet to improve his game or mature as a better teammate and better leader.

@ the part when Wobe trying to flex on Allen allowed for Rashard Lewis to get an easy dunk. Wobe must've thought he was playing for AND-1

 

[cranrab]

look what happened before game 3 (as reported by the L.A. TIMES):

WHEN ASKED about the fragile psyche of his basketball team and what he was doing about it before Game 3, Jackson said, "We basically had an AA crying and whining" session to clear the air.

One reporter wanted to know if Jackson was trying to say he "had a bunch of drunks on the team?" It's as good an explanation as any the way they played the other night.

Lamar Odom said the meeting, which was called by Jackson, was "a cleansing, an enema," while adding with great relief, he "couldn't discuss the details."

 

[cranrab]

somebody's not willing to tow the company line.

listen to the generic responses (lack of intensity), and then listen to what lamar odom has to say. this clever m.f. even snuck in a bookmark so people could take a look at what he was referencing.

listen for the score he gives when he indicates the fakers have to play better basketball:

http://*******************/wmedia/nba/teams/lakers/lakers_post-game_4-29-07.asx

then review the game film yourself (or refer to the official play-by-play) and see how the score got that way. link to play-by-play here: http://www.nba.com/games/20070429/PHXLAL/playbyplay.html



EDIT: ain't that about a bitch? got that website banned? OK. type in this URL for the video of lamar odom's post game interview.

http://boss[dot]streamos[dot]com/wmedia/nba/teams/lakers/lakers_post-game_4-29-07.asx

 

[cranrab]

what's wrong with this picture?

fakers fans to lamar odom: "you're a bum"

opponent's head coach about lamar odom:

"It is a must-win because we've got to knock them out," Suns Coach Mike D'Antoni told reporters in Phoenix. "We don't give them any hope. Anytime you have somebody like KB or LO, you can't just say, 'Oh, normally you would beat them.' So anytime you have a chance to put them away, you've got to do that."

D'Antoni, on the injuries that have piled up for Odom: "If he's hurt, thank goodness. He's one of the most talented players in the league. He's really good. He can present a lot of problems to a lot of people. He's long and athletic and knows how to play."

 

[SpiritualPorn]

remember the PM i sent you?

read this quote from lamar odom after last night's game:

On the fourth quarter of the contest and possible reasons for the defeat...

“We can’t make threes. We can’t keep a lead. There’s not a team that we can’t lose to right now. We’re not tight enough as a group…I mean that’s the problem - I have no idea. No lead is big enough. I always tell ‘em, every time we get a big lead, we get a little lazy - stop doing the small things that it takes to win basketball games. Then when you get in tight games, you have to be tight - all the way around - one to 12.”

Here it is:

SP, these comments DO NOT reflect the feelings of maurice evans or william parker.

tobe may have inserted the dagger too deep this time... into the backs of his own squad...

the fakers losing ways aren't a reflection of on-court talent, it's a morale problem created by tobe...

you see, when this season began, and tobe was on his image rehabilitation campaign, he was saying all the right things in practice and in the media. praise for his teammates, optimistic outlook, etc. early season tobe talked about "going to war with my teammates" and "these are my soldiers" motivational cliche bullshit that he didn't actually mean.

but a zebra can't change it's stripes... so as the season wore on you started hearing the "i/me" instead of the "we" stuff. "i picked up the slack" or "they kept us close until i could take over".

this didn't sit well with the youngsters and newbies who were unfamiliar with tobe. but they got counseled by the older cats who explained that's just how tobe gets down. beef squashed.

UNTIL JANUARY when trade talks started heating up, and people might start having to pack their bags and look for new homes. instead of keeping his fool mouth shut, or better yet, being a professional and directing those questions to the GM, tobe's dumb ass says how it would be exciting and fun to play with dudes from different teams.

all of a sudden, fakers teammates are looking at each other saying, what happened to that "soldiers going to war" shit? what happened to that "we're going into battle together" shit?

SO FEBRUARY COMES, and the jason kidd rumors start to fly in the media. did tobe shut his trap? no. so dudes start to take offense. how is tobe gonna sit and giggle like a kid with the media during all star weekend, when it means some of his teammates would have to pick up their lives and move in the middle of a season?

well payback is a bitch.

luke walton's mild ankle sprain on jan. 28 became moderate, and he's still out even though there's NO swelling. he's gonna miss at least 6 weeks after initial reports that he would only miss 2.

vladimir radmanovic said WTF and went snowboarding FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME even though it is a conctractually prohibited recreation.

lamar odom came back and tried to play, but when he saw tobe was going to play lone ranger, he lost his enthusiasm. the torn labrum couldn't have come at a better time.

kwame brown has always been a sensitive young man, and the trade talk didn't help his confidence, especially because he was one of the prime pieces of trade bait. he missed 27 games, took his rehab lightly, and was ready to sit out more games. he'd still be sitting now if coach jackson hadn't intimidated him back onto the floor.

shaquille o'neal always said that IF tobe had nothing to do with him being traded to miami, THEN WHY DIDN'T TOBE SPEAK UP AND TELL THE FAKERS NOT TO TRADE HIM?

and tobe's teammates now are asking a similar question:

IF tobe was sincere about going to war, standing side by side 12 deep, THEN WHY DIDN'T TOBE SPEAK UP AND TELL THE FAKERS TO KILL THE TRADE TALKS?

they all know the answer now. and it shows.

 

[cranrab]

"I'll do whatever it takes to win," Bryant said. "I've had to do a lot just to get us into the playoffs. I don't want to do that. I want to win championships. I don't want to be a one-man show, a team that goes onto the road, the opposition crowd wants to see me score 50 and lose.

"I'm not with that. I'm about winning. I want to win championships and win them now. So, they have some decisions to make."

 

[Diamels]

what's wrong with this picture?

fakers fans to lamar odom: "you're a bum"

opponent's head coach about lamar odom:

"It is a must-win because we've got to knock them out," Suns Coach Mike D'Antoni told reporters in Phoenix. "We don't give them any hope. Anytime you have somebody like KB or LO, you can't just say, 'Oh, normally you would beat them.' So anytime you have a chance to put them away, you've got to do that."

D'Antoni, on the injuries that have piled up for Odom: "If he's hurt, thank goodness. He's one of the most talented players in the league. He's really good. He can present a lot of problems to a lot of people. He's long and athletic and knows how to play."

Not surprising if he could have any player on the Lakers to go down injured it would be Lamar. He gives the Suns the most trouble

 

[cranrab]

jerry west on tobe (1999)

"There's nights I would go home and say to myself MY GOD, IS HE EVER GOING TO LEARN HOW TO USE HIS TEAMMATES BETTER? IS HE EVER GOING TO LEARN SITUATIONS IN GAMES? IS HE EVER GOING TO LEARN HOW IMPORTANT TIME IS IN A BALLGAME? IS HE EVER GOING TO LEARN TO VALUE THE BASKETBALL?"

"Obviously there was a player in that locker room that a lot of our players had a difficult time playing with. They had a hard time playing with [t]obe, I don't thnk there's any question about that. You sit there and think, HOW IN THE WORLD CAN THIS KID [PLAY SO STUPIDLY]?"

has anything really changed?

 

[cranrab]

derek fisher on why he couldn't speak on tobe's poor play (1999):

"That's how EVERYBODY felt. Nobody wanted to talk about it, though. Guys felt like it was somebody else's job, whether it was coach [jackson] or jerry west."

"Now, if you want to say something, you can BUT YOUR JOB IS NOT AS SECURE AS SHAQUILLE'S. So if you start beefing and talking about what's going on with [t]obe, I mean, YOU'RE TAKING YOUR CHANCES, basically. BUT IT WAS SOMETHING THAT I THINK THE ENTIRE GROUP FELT, THAT EVEN THOUGH HE HAD BEEN WITH US A COUPLE OF YEARS, HE STILL WAS SEPARATING HIMSELF FROM THE GROUP."

"There were a few times that year when, AS A GROUP, we still felt JUST LIKE WE FELT IN THE PAST, THAT [T]OBE WASN'T COMING ON BOARD WITH EVERYBODY SO THAT WE ALL COULD LEARN THE SYSTEM AND WE ALL COULD GET USED TO WORKING WITH ONE ANOTHER SO THAT WE COULD REACH THE POTENTIAL THAT WE'VE ALWAYS HAD."

 

[cranrab]

shaquille o'neal on tobe's counterproductive role on the fakers (2004):

"Just ask Karl [Malone] and Gary [Payton] why they came here. One person. Not two. One. Period."

"So, he's right, I'm not telling him how to play his position. I'M TELLING [TOBE] HOW TO PLAY TEAM BALL. He doesn't need advice on how to play his position, BUT HE NEEDS ADVICE ON HOW TO PLAY TEAM BALL. As we start this new season, SHIT'S GOT TO BE DONE RIGHT."

 

[SpiritualPorn]

shaquille o'neal on tobe's counterproductive role on the fakers (2004):

"Just ask Karl [Malone] and Gary [Payton] why they came here. One person. Not two. One. Period."

"So, he's right, I'm not telling him how to play his position. I'M TELLING [TOBE] HOW TO PLAY TEAM BALL. He doesn't need advice on how to play his position, BUT HE NEEDS ADVICE ON HOW TO PLAY TEAM BALL. As we start this new season, SHIT'S GOT TO BE DONE RIGHT."

I remember this clearly.

Right after this is when Kobe had his infamous Jim Grey interview.

It's really funny to see these Kobe fans now.

They were comparing him to Jordan......Kobe isn't even Lebron.

This public meltdown was predicted on BGOL waaaaay back in March 2007.

It's not over yet. His wife should be dropping the Cali sushi "Give me half" bombs anytime now.

There is also a book out by one of Kobe's ex bodyguards. The former bodyguard claims Kobe hired him to do a hit on the girl in Colorado. He also claims to have had numerous affairs.