Kobe could care less what people think about him, but as one of his biggest fans… Well, I DO CARE. So I felt compelled to write this piece, not to defend him, but to at least try to clear things up. If you are a hater of Kobe Bryant, I do not intend to change your mind; you may like him a little more after this piece, you may hate him more. That’s fine. What I do hope is that you will respect him. So, here goes nothing.
2007 Trade Demand
In the summer of 2007 Kobe Bryant made headlines when he reported on ESPN radio that he would welcome a trade. Some people criticized his demand as showing disloyalty to the Lakers while also adding another chapter to his “I’m Kobe Bryant, the Most Selfish Player on the Planet” melodrama. Well, let’s break down the few seasons leading to this event to get a better vantage point of the whole scenario.
2004: The Lakers sign Kobe to a 7-year deal worth $136 million dollars. They trade Shaq for Lamar Odom, Caron Butler, Brian Grant (expiring contract), and a future first round pick.
Kobe: Sweet! I’m finally going to be THE guy. Lamar and Caron are pretty good. We need a couple of more pieces and we’ll really start going in the right direction.
The Lakers then trade Gary Payton for Chris Mihm, Chucky Atkins, and Marcus Banks.
(We received Mihm and Atkins for a washed up Payton, and they each ended up having a relatively productive year for a pointless Laker season. Both had little to no impact in the NBA for the rest of their careers)
Then the 2004-2005 season took place, perhaps the most forgettable NBA season ever. Seriously, I can’t remember one good thing happening to the Lakers that year. We only won 37 games, Rudy Tomjanovich left us mid-season, and we traded a solid player in Caron for Kwame Brown…
KWAME BROWN!!!!
And don’t even get me started with the 2005 Spurs-Pistons finals. According to Wikipedia (the world’s most reliable source) the 2005 finals had an average viewership of 11.5 million per game, while the 2004 finals had an average of 17.9 million.
Kobe: It’s worse enough that I’m not in the finals, but now I have to watch this shit?!
The only silver lining is that we lost enough to land our ticket to Dwight Howard Andrew Bynum. We then begin our 2005-2006 NBA season with an eyesore of a lineup.
PG: Smush Parker
SG: Kobe Bryant
SF: Luke Walton
PF: Lamar Odom
C: KWAME BROWN!!!!!!
(Anecdote: When we first received Kwame I tried to be optimistic about it. He’s only 23. Plus, now he has Kobe and Phil Jackson. He can still come around to be a solid player. My friend quickly reminded me, “When Kobe was 23 he was a 5-time all-star and 3-time world champion.”
Damn.)
Smush, Luke, and Kwame should never be starting on any team outside of a YMCA gym. But, somehow they were fortunate enough to start on one of the most storied franchises alongside one of the best players to play the game. Thankfully, Kobe gave us one of the most impressive individual performances for an entire season (highlights include 81 points against the Raptors, 62 points in 3 quarters against the Mavericks, 35 points per game average, and a highly dramatic playoff series against the Suns – I still hate you Tim Thomas…). Unfortunately, the Lakers did little to change their line up during the offseason, and the 2006-2007 season ended in similar fashion: a first round playoff loss to the Suns.
Kobe: Enough is enough.
Throughout the year, Kobe lobbied for the Lakers to trade for Jason Kidd and Carlos Boozer, but no major moves were ever made. Lakers management never got in touch with Kobe about their plans or intentions, but it appeared they were heading in the direction of rebuilding; the Lakers had a mediocre roster and desperately clung on to a 19-year-old center who looked to be a long term project. Kobe wanted no part of wasting his prime years with the likes of Smush, Kwame, and first round playoff defeats. The trade demand was finally made.
Kobe: I would like to be traded. And as tough as it is to say that, as tough as it is to come to that conclusion, there’s no other alternative.
(That one’s actually a real quote)
Fortunately, the trade talks died down when the 2007-2008 season began to look promising; Derek Fisher made his return to the Lakers, Andrew Bynum’s game greatly improved, and the Lakers started a hot 25-11 before Bynum went down. We all know what happened after that (YEYUH!!!).
The fact is, Kobe wanted to remain a Laker, but he wanted to win more. This contrasts with Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard’s situation, who both adamantly wanted out of their respective teams and caused months of drama for their organization, fans, and teammates. In addition, the Nuggets (who brought in Billups and Iverson) and Magic (giving a parade of desperate trades for Gilbert Arenas, Vince Carter, and the return of a more expensive Hedo Turkoglu) both tried to surround their franchise players with help to keep them satisfied. The Lakers did no such thing, and although it all worked out for the best, it sent misleading signals as to which direction the franchise was heading.
As a Fan of the Game
Look, I understand all of the trash talking, the never-ending Jordan vs. Kobe debates, and the animosity directed towards -=The Black Mamba=-, that’s what being a fan of the game is all about. We’re so emotionally invested in the sport, a team, or a player that we easily take things personally (and write 3,000 word blog posts to vent it all out). But, as a fan of the game, we should also embrace whenever a talent like Kobe comes along. Guys like Magic, Jordan, Kobe, and LeBron are all once-in-a-generation type of players. So, although you might hate him, take in all the buzzer beaters, slam dunks, and fade-away jumpers while you can. I hope this post changed at least one Kobe-hater’s perspective or else I just wasted a whooooole lot of time someone will be missing out on some of the greatness Kobe has to offer.
I literally just teared up going through those pictures.
One last note: Adam Morrison has been on a tough path since becoming an NBA player and failing to meet expectations. He joined the Lakers and was part of the team that won the 2009 and 2010 championships. Jimmy Kimmel makes a hilarious video (albeit, kind of sad) after the 2010 NBA Finals consiting of Adam Morrison “highlights”, but Kobe only has great things to say about him. Who says he’s always an asshole?
