angrykobefan

Kobe's looking better!

2012-04-06T16:04:00.000-05:00

After looking like absolute shit for most of the game against the Hornets, Kobe has been on beast mode. His shooting percentage is waaaaay up, and he's made every clutch shot he's taken lately! It's good to see him coming around, I'm actually kinda glad all of this drama with Kobe's shooting percentage and Bynum's attitude happened when it did! I like seeing some of the lakers a little bit (or a lot) pissed off! It seems to give them a chip on their shoulders and it seems like both Bynum and Kobe have responded! Bynum came off of an injury and almost didn't play, then went on to drop 36 points, I definitely like that. All of the drama I think might help Ramon Sessions as well, we have high expectations for him, but all of the drama has allowed him to ease his way in a bit. With that said, I have been extremely impressed with his play. His ability to get to the basket and score quickly still makes me surprises me, we just haven't seen that from a lakers PG in a few years and it's great!!! I'm still very confident going into the playoffs, the only team that really scares me out west is the Thunder. Yeah, they are very scary, but they definitely can be beat!!! It's gonna be exciting to watch the last stretch of games! Buckle up!

Fisher signs with Thunder

2012-03-21T18:52:00.000-05:00

Well it's official, Derek Fisher is once again with a team other that the lakers! Fisher signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder today, and may even play tonight as they face the Clippers. I'm definitely not excited to see him play for the Thunder, but I am happy that he didn't join the heat or the spurs! I'm not sure what it is but I haven't yet developed the HATRED for the thunder that i already have for the spurs and the heat. I have a lot of respect for Kevin Durant, so I'm glad to see him get the opportunity to gain from Fisher's leadership and experience rather than Lebron. As for the idea of Fisher being a Spur, it just wouldn't seem right considering they are the team he victimized with the most memorable shot of his career. With all that said, good luck Fisher, I hope we don't have to cross paths in the playoffs!

And ya never know, maybe you could even sign a minimum contract with the lakers in july to finish your career as a laker!

Sessions in Fisher out

2012-03-15T16:38:00.000-05:00

Sessions Joins Lakers

The NBA trade deadline has come and gone and the lakers ended up making two deals on this final day. The first deal brought the lakers Ramon Sessions in exchange for Luke Walton, Jason Kapono, and a draft pick. This deal made a lot of sense, Sessions seams to be a very good upgrade at the point guard position, which was by far the lakers most obvious weakness. The second deal landed the lakers Jordan Hill from Houston in exchange for Derek Fisher. The lakers clearly had too many PGs, but I would have rather started Sessions and had Fisher coming off of the bench for his clutch factor. It's sad to see Fisher go, but I guess this was an issue of money. The lakers worked pretty hard to try and land Michael Beasley from Minnesota in a 3-team deal that also included the Blazers, but that ultimately fell through. I was really hoping that that deal would happen. I think Beasley would have fit a lot better with LA than he does with the timberwolves. All in all, I think the Lakers did make a good move in getting Sessions, but I'm very conflicted with the fact that they traded Fisher, and I wish they could have landed Beasley as well. It will be interesting to see if the lakers consider adding Gilbert Arenas and/or Rasheed Wallace now that the deadline has passed. The lakers play the wolves tomorrow, so we won't have to wait too long to see how these changes effect the team.

Trade Kobe?????

2012-03-07T17:23:00.000-06:00

Let me just say that I've really never had a huge problem with Ric Bucher. That changed yesterday when he proposed that the Lakers consider trading Kobe Bryant. Yeah, you read that right, Bucher suggested that the lakers consider trading KOBE BRYANT!!! This had to be one of the most bone headed ideas that I have ever heard. His logic was basically that the team isn't gonna win as they are constructed now, and that Kobe's value is only going to decline from here on out. He went on to say that the lakers should trade him now for young pieces rather than lose him in a few years to retirement with nothing in return for him. If you're an unintelligent person, or maybe if you are just a laker/kobe hater than I can see why you would like to see this happen. If you know anything at all about sports, then you know why this is just an idiotic suggestion.

The mistake that Bucher is making is that he is looking at the situation in the way that the Cleveland Cavaliers should have approached the Lebron situation. The thing is, the Los Angeles Lakers are NOT the Cleveland Cavaliers!!! The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the most, if not THE MOST storied franchise in the NBA. They've won 17 championships spread out fairly evenly throughout the entire history of the NBA (unlike the Celtics that won most of there games when there was like 10 teams in the league). Not to mention they play in sunny California, where Lakers games are as much a Hollywood spectacle as they are basketball games. What I'm getting to is that no matter who is on the team, they will have no problem attracting big name players to come there. They have the history, the money, the weather, and provide the opportunity to play on one of the biggest stages in sports. When Kobe leaves, that will be 25 million extra dollars they have to play with, and they will no doubt find stars that want to play there.

I just can't believe that Bucher would be so stupid to act like this would not be the case? Who did they have when Shaq left Orlando to play there? Nick Van Exel? Eddie Jones? They had the money and everything else that a big star could want. Kobe Bryant continues to play at a high level and it would be a shame to ever see him in another uniform. He's said himself that he never wants to play for another team, how about rewarding his loyalty by surrounding him with some pieces to fit around him. The way I've read him lately, is that he feels like they can win pretty much with what they have. Whether he's right or wrong remains to be seen, but I think he's patient enough to know that the moves they may need to make may not happen before the trade deadline. The Lakers have shown him that they are willing to deal to improve the team, shit, they had Chris Paul but the commissioner threw a wrench in it. Their involvement in Howard talks are obvious as well, Kobe can see that they are trying and I think he's ok with the effort they have put forth. He's not gonna demand a trade anytime soon, no need to push the panic button and trade one of the greatest players of all-time, especially with him playing at such a high level. I just wanna say SHUT UP BUCHER!!!! I think he's just trying to make a splash so he can get some more twitter followers, or maybe he has a book coming out soon, I don't know!!!!! Trading Kobe would be a Huuuuuuuuuuge mistake, and one that the rest of the league should hope that the lakers make.

Kobe Zoom VII as seen in the ALL-STAR GAME

2012-03-02T16:14:00.000-06:00

Kobe's All-Star shoes were pretty over the top, but I was digging the glow in the dark sole

The Kobe System

2012-03-02T16:01:00.002-06:00

This has been out a while, still funny though

Lakers Trade Talk

2012-02-29T18:06:00.000-06:00

Feeling Like Waldo

Let me start off by saying that ONLY the lakers would get robbed of a perfectly legit trade by the NBA. The trade that the lakers tried to make for chris paul was just as fair and maybe even better than the trade that was allowed with the clippers. The commissioner was just afraid that he would look as though he had a laker bias but whatever. What's done is done, but that mishap has led to the loss of a disgruntled Lamar Odom, and started the ball rolling on Gasol's ever descending confidence. Now that's all done, it is what it is, but David Stern single handedly put the lakers in a hole this year!!!! Now, on to Dwight Howard. I still feel like the lakers have a shot at him but I honestly don't think he is worth giving up both Gasol and Bynum for unless we get Jameer Nelson in the Deal. The size of Gasol and Bynum is still a huge advantage, I'd rather see them move some other pieces to at least get a decent point guard. One of the more recent rumors is that the lakers are looking at bringing in Michael Beasley from the wolves. I live in Minnesota so I watch almost every game that beasley is a part of. I will not argue his talent for one second, but he is inconsistant and often seems to wreck the wolves chemistry all by himself. If the lakers can get him for a pick or a couple of out bench players fine, but if they end up getting gasol out of LA, the lakers are in deep shit!!!! My basic philosophy around trades for the lakers is that they don't move gasol unless they can make a significant upgrade at point guard. The trade idea that I like the most is Carl Landry and Luis Scola for Gasol, I think that would be a decent trade for both teams!!!! I guess we still have a few weeks to see what happens, I'm just praying that the lakers do SOMETHING!!!!!

Chris Paul or Dwight Howard?????

2011-12-07T19:12:00.001-06:00

I'm drooling at the possibility of the Lakers landing Chris Paul and or Dwight Howard. I think if they landed them both, they'd almost certainly be back in the finals. I do feel like it's more likely that they only get one of them at best, so it's leading me to think about which one I would prefer. I think what most people seem to be forgetting is that the Center position is definitely not the Lakers weakness. Sure Bynum and Gasol have both had their ups and downs, but as a duo I still think they are probably the best starting front line in the NBA. Howard is definitely better than either of them, there is no question about that. I think that he would do best if we were able to deal Bynum, but manage to keep Gasol. I think D12 would definitely make up for just about any weakness that Gasol has, and the fact that Pau can hit the 15 foot jumper would provide a lot more space for Howard down in the Post. If Pau is gone and Bynum is there instead it would be better defensively, but Bynum and Howard pretty much have the same offensive game. Either way, I suppose it wouldn't be a problem to have Dwight paired up with either of those guys. Now when it comes to Chris Paul, it's pretty simple. Paul is head and shoulders above what the Lakers have at the point guard position. The absolute only reason to not get Paul would be because you wouldn't want to hurt your chances of being able to get Dwight Howard. Now, everyone seems to be saying that Dwight wants nothing more than to go play with Kobe and the Lakers. Chris Paul on the other hand seems to be more open to a lot of other places including the Knicks. So when I think about it, I think the Lakers should go after a trade to get CP3 now, and take a leap of faith that Howard will enter free agency this summer. I think that idea isn't far fetched at all, all Dwight has to do is suffer through one more season in O-Town, and then he can bounce to L.A. this summer!!!! I hope L.A. gets both of them immediately, but I stand by my logic that it might be easier to get Paul now, and get Howard this summer!

Bill Plaschke and T.J. Simers argue whether or not Kobe should play overseas!

2011-09-23T19:12:00.000-05:00

Should Kobe take his Talents overseas?

2011-09-17T15:37:00.000-05:00

As everyone I'm sure has noticed, there is a lot of talk about different players, including Kobe, possibly playing overseas if there is a shortened season due to a lockout. I understand the thinking for many of the players, but is it really something that one of the NBA's greatest players of all time should do? I'm not so sure.....

There are definitely many pros and cons about playing in a foreign land. The first positive is obvious, practice! What better way to stay sharp than to keep playing "competitive" basketball. While this is very important for many of the young players in the league, I'm not convinced that Kobe really needs to do this to stay in a groove. With all of his injuries the last few years, I think the time would prove most valuable if he can get his body as close to 100% as possible for when the season does begin. Another positive, would be from a purely marketing stand point. Playing overseas in front of different markets, especially in China (where there are 1 billion people) could be great for the careers of many of the up and comers in the League. Once again though, does Kobe really need that? I'm sure it would turn him into even more of an international superstar, but how much could it possibly do for a guy that already sells the most jerseys in China. The risks could be huge! Kobe would be less likely to be at 100% when the NBA season begins, and the risk for further injuries really might not be worth the risk! I've pretty much made up my mind on the idea and my opinion is that he should stay home in the USA, unless

Several of the NBAs top stars sign on in teams that are in the league so that the competition is high
Kobe would definitely need a clause in his contract, allowing him to join the lakers whenever the season returns.
He get's offered a mountain of $$$$, not 1 million, I'm talking $10 million plus
He promises that the lakers will win the 2012 NBA title
If I can review all of the information presented in his offer, and allow Mr. Bryant to proceed.

That's It, so Kobe, let's make a decision here soon!

#KOBEINTHECLUTCH

2011-09-16T19:50:00.001-05:00

King James? Let's not get ahead of ourselves!

2011-09-07T22:01:00.000-05:00

Back in 2001 I was reading an issue of Slam Magazine and I was looking through the names on their annual Slam High School All-Americans list. I noticed there was a sophomore on the second team, and I was like DAMN that's kinda crazy. The name was Lebron James from St. Vincent-St. Mary in Akron, Ohio. There was a nice article on him an issue or two later and soon after that the hype surrounding him spread to the main stream. His high school played games in a college arena and a few of his games were shown on ESPN. As soon as I saw him play I knew he was the real deal! He already had an NBA body at age 17 and his athleticism was out of this world. He could fly! and his passing skills blew me away for someone of his size. I was a big Lebron fan back then, even had a poster of him up there next to Kobe and MJ.

I was all about Lebron until maybe his second year in the league. It's really kinda funny to me the way that I started to dislike him, because at the beginning it really wasn't his fault. In my opinion, Kobe was the best player in the NBA starting somewhere around 2001. You have no idea how many times I had to hear that players like Tracy McGrady and Allen Iverson were better. It was such a joke! Bryant had to be the best there was for literally 7 years before people would actually acknowledge that it was true! Now Lebron on the other hand was seemingly anointed "King" almost the second that he stepped on to the floor! For whatever reason Kobe had to do so much to get credit, and then Lebron marches in and overnight he's the best? Really? I've never ever ever denied that Lebron could one day go down as the greatest player of all time, but I'm not gonna give him the crown based on his potential! I'm sorry! So it was really seeing him get all of the credit and glorification before he's actually put in the work that kinda started my Lebron hatred up to begin with. It started more as a hatred of the people that put him up on the pedestal before he deserved it, more than anything! Luckily for me, he has gone on to do more than enough to justify my disliking of him.

The funny thing is I really don't blame him for getting swept by the Spurs the first time he made it to the finals. The East was sooooo pitiful that year I truly believe that if the Lakers, who were the 7th seed in the west, had made it to the finals they would have even beat the Cavs. The West was loaded with teams, while the East was just a joke! In most years that Cavs team would have maybe only made the second round, so I don't blame him. That team really had no business being in the finals to begin with.

Now fast forward to Lebron's last couple of years in Cleveland. The Cavs went out and had the best record in the NBA two years in a row. I couldn't believe the people that thought that those Cavs teams would stand a chance in the playoffs! They won a lot of games in the East during the regular season, but that doesn't mean that they get the rings automatically! I'll never forget when Lebron and company were pretending to hold the championship trophy during a mock photo shoot during the pregame of an early round playoff series. Really? You haven't even won a single championship and you're gonna act like you have it in the bag? How great was it to see them get bounced by the Magic!!!! They beat up on subpar teams? Why anyone expected that to really mean something is beyond me. Then, the following season they lose to the Celtics. Lebron gave up on that series even before I thought they were out of it. It was unbelievable! I swear he had already decided to leave the Cavs and just gave up, so as to justify his decision. After the Cavs got eliminated I was just dying to see what Lebron says in the post game press conference, oh but of course he just skipped it. I just didn't understand it at all, I couldn't have written a better script.

Then comes "The Decision," in which Lebron makes a television event out of his decision to go to the Miami Heat. He didn't even say he was heading to play for Miami, he said he was taking his talents to South Beach, I think there's definitely something to be said about that. Just like Shaq, I think Lebron is more about the celebrity and the fame than he is about the basketball. He just plays bball for the $$$ and the fame, everything else is just an added bonus. Going to Miami just seemed to be such a cop out. It's like he just wanted to create this big news story and has no problem with the fact that he may not be the man on the team. Just look at the picture I posted of Magic, MJ, and Bird all wearing Heat uniforms. How wrong would that have been? Lebron should want to beat those guys, not play with them! Then the Heat storm to the finals, and what does Lebron do? He disappears! It's not even that he played bad, there were a couple of games that almost seemed like he wasn't even there. How can Lebron score 8 points in a finals game? It makes no sense! He could just take the ball straight to the rim every time down court. Watching him play actually frustrates me! I wish I had all of that god-given ability! I'm convinced that it's reached a point where he doesn't want people to see him give 100% and fail. He'd rather give 75% (and still be one of the best in the NBA) and just see what happens. That way if he fails, he can just act like he really didn't give it his all! I just feel like Lebron was blessed with freakish body and ridiculous abilities, and that if he didn't have those things he would be working at McDonalds. Kobe on the other hand, I think would be in the NBA if he was 6'1”, that's how hard he works and how determined he is to succeed! That's about all for now, I could rant about Lebron forever! At the end of the day I do think that Lebron has the talent to go down as the greatest NBA player of all time, but he's not there yet, and I doubt more and more whether he even cares to chase MJ, and honestly, I think that's sad.......

2011-09-06T01:13:00.000-05:00

Imagine if they pulled some shit like this!

#FRESH

2011-09-05T00:17:00.001-05:00

MJ KNOWS WHAT'S UP!

2011-09-04T22:54:00.000-05:00

My reasons for being a Kobe Bryant fan

2011-08-26T12:35:00.000-05:00

I feel like it might be a good idea to take a look back at how and why I became a fan of Kobe Bryant. I really began paying attention to the NBA in the 90s. Living in Minnesota, we didn't have a team until 1989 and it was many years before Kevin Garnett showed up and made them relevant. I admit that I did what the rest of the country did, and hopped on the Bulls bandwagon. I was born in 1984 so I'm saying I was a child when I started liking MJ and the Bulls, I didn't even know what the term bandwagon meant. Watching Jordan play was a blast and I was at the time as much of a Jordan fan as I am a Kobe fan today. But I knew that Jordan's career was coming to a close and I wanted to find the next Jordan as many others did. I knew of Kobe, but I started really paying attention when he won the dunk contest in his rookie year. He had many similarities to MJ and overall he was just an exciting young player. I can in fact remember telling a friend that I was looking forward to Jordan's retirement so that I could see Kobe and Shaq win some rings. I've always view Kobe a little bit differently than I view a lot of NBA stars. He's well spoken, he speaks Italian, and actually did well enough on his SAT to actually get into college (unlike KG). So many NBA frustrate the hell out of me because they can barely even speak ENGLISH as their first language. I've always just thought he was more intelligent and well rounded person than most of the stars in the league. Now, on to the more present day. It's no secret that Kobe's drive is second to none. He is on a mission to be the greatest nba player of all time. Whether he's already there, or he's on his way, or if he has no shot whatsoever, none of those statements will effect the effort that he will continue to put in on his quest. He famously only takes a couple weeks off after the season before he starts his training again which usually has him up working before 5 o'clock in the morning. In contrast you have guys like Shaq that make shitty movies, video games, rap albums, and visit Disney World during there down time. Love him or Hate him, Kobe works hard! I don't see how people can hate the fact that someone wants to be the best at what they do? Kobe has 5 rings, been to the finals 7 times, but I have no doubt in my mind that he wants to win more championships more than any other player in the league. There's been times when Kobe's tried to take the game into his hands and failed, I'll admit that, but you're never gonna see him shy away from the moment like Lebron did against Dallas. Kobe won't go down without a fight period! That pretty much sums it up for now, I'm sure I'll probably come back to this later and add more.

What's Beef?

2011-08-24T22:19:00.001-05:00

I decided to start off writing about something that has been making me ANGRY for a few years now. People constantly attack Kobe for running Shaq out of Los Angeles, because he wanted to be the man. First of all, I think it’s bullshit, second of all even if it was true, I could perfectly understand why he might want to. When Shaq came into the league, he was instantly one of my favorite players. He was breaking backboards left and right and his personality was just as big as his game. He was fun to watch and clearly he was enjoying life. He owned Orlando, and then he owned LA. The thing with Shaq is, he’s a complete freak of nature. Over 300 pounds, and extremely athletic, like nothing the NBA had ever seen before. The problem is, the fame was more important to him than the game itself. With his amazing God-given abilities, he was gonna win championships without having to put his whole heart into it and he did. He was content to be a great player, but I really think that if he had the work ethic of Kobe, he would have shattered records, and stacked the championship trophies to the ceiling. Shaq liked to spend his off seasons hanging out at Disney world, and filming shitty movies about genies. He loves having fun, and he loves the attention that comes with the fame. I completely understand the way he is, but when you compare him to Kobe it’s obvious why they had issues.

Shaq was happy, until some “kid,” named Kobe came into the NBA with a mission to be the greatest player of all time. As soon as Kobe started to steal the spotlight from “SUPER MAN,” the trouble began. In his first year with the Lakers Shaq started calling Kobe “showboat,” like he was some punk kid at the playground. Kobe of course, kept his mouth closed and continued putting in work. One of the big incidents that apparently set Shaq off was when he saw a five-story Lakers billboard that featured Kobe. It apparently was at that point that he realized he was on the wrong side of a popularity contest with KB. It just seems silly to me, the origins of the feud seem to have everything to do with the media and the fans, but nothing to do with anything Kobe himself had to say.

Now, to the Kobe/Laker haters, the other issue that I think seems to get overlooked. Kobe Bean Bryant wants to go down as the greatest basketball player of all time. Love him or hate him, I can’t wrap my head around why anyone would hate on someone for making that their mission. I thought Kobe was the next Jordan very early on in his career. Apparently, a lot of people resented his mission, and were very quick to start figuring out ways to dispel the thought of that ever happening. Kobe got his first three rings earlier than MJ did, so the haters had to kick it into high gear pretty quickly. So what did they do? They figured out what Kobe had that MJ didn’t. And that, my friends, is Shaquille O’Neal. I understand, if I was a Kobe hater I would have felt pretty good. I would have been thinking man, this Kobe guys is probably gonna get 8 rings, but……haha…all I have to is say that Kobe had Shaq and MJ didn’t. KOBE BRYANT CAN NEVER BE MICHAEL JORDAN BECAUSE KOBE GOT TO PLAY WITH SHAQUILLE O’NEAL!

I understand that logic to a degree, Shaq is better than Pippen, and Shaq won the 3 finals MVPs, so yeah, it wouldn’t be as hard for Kobe to win a lot of rings. My personal opinion was that Shaq and Kobe coming together was like divine intervention, somehow two of the top 5 players of all time were able to find their way on to the same team. I too figured they’d win 8 championships and people would be able to ignore the individual stats and appreciate them for what they did together. I thought it was still possible for Kobe to become the G.O.A.T. if people could sit back and analyze it the right way.

Unfortunately I think at some point Kobe did realize that the general consensus was that he could never reach Jordan status if he didn’t win without Shaq. The 2004 loss to the Detroit Pistons in the finals was the last straw. Just before the previous season Shaq decided to delay his toe surgery. Rather than having it done in the offseason so that he could be ready to go at the start of the season, he waited. Shaq said, “I got hurt on company time, so I'll heal on company time." Now again, if you know anything about Kobe, you know how he would feel about this. Kobe is known to take 2 weeks off after the season before he begins his training again. His workouts start before 5am. How would you feel if your best teammate had that kind of attitude? Shaq gained a bunch of weight and missed several games over the next couple of seasons, never really getting it together. They made it to the finals against the Pistons, but Shaq was slowed down and got killed on the pick and rolls, which led Chauncey Billups to a finals MVP. It’s painful for me to say this, but I think after that turn of events Kobe was done with Shaq. Kobe busts his ass 24/7, and Shaq didn’t even seem to give a shit.

With that said however, I think Kobe was gonna leave the Lakers. I don’t believe he was gonna push Shaq out, he was gonna go to the Clips or the Suns and start a new dynasty. Then Jerry Buss decided to get rid of Shaq, and yes Kobe probably didn’t argue, but that’s different than running him out of town. I think the Lakers knew they had to chose, but I think Kobe was prepared to go elsewhere. Maybe if Shaq had been 5 or 6 years younger at the time it might have played out differently. I think it’s obvious that Buss chose correctly, Shaq won a title in Miami, but Kobe’s led the Lake Show to 2 rings and he still has a shot at bringing home a couple more before all is said and done. At the end of the day I think it all came down to egos and work ethic. Shaq couldn’t stand not being the center of attention, and Kobe hated being told that he’d never be Jordan. Kobe worked hard in the offseason and showed up ready to play, while Shaq took the first month of the season off, or used it as a warm-up to get in shape. While I have no doubt that Kobe had issues with Shaq, I think it’s Shaq that had to make sure he opened his mouth and stirred all of the shit up. I think if anything it’s sad, I feel deprived of what could have been. Shaq should have put in some work, and retired a Laker. Kobe should have ignored the media and the haters. At this point, what’s done is done, I just wanted to share my take on the whole thing. To blame it all on Kobe is ridiculous, and that is that!

for the record, this is not me!

2011-08-20T08:19:00.000-05:00

INTRODUCTION

2011-08-19T23:23:00.000-05:00

I decided to start this blog for a couple of reasons. Number 1, I love basketball, I can watch any NBA game and find something that makes it worth watching. Whether I’m watching my Lakers(which needs no justification), or I’m watching the Wolves to see K Love get another double double, I’m gonna watch it and enjoy. So, my plan is to write about all kinds of basketball/nba related stuff. Number 2, I’m a huge Lakers/Kobe Bryant fan. I feel I might as well let it be known right away that I’m probably gonna be a little biased, I’d rather get that out of the way right now! I plan to do a lot of comparing Kobe to all the other great players, and shedding light on how I feel about many of the Kobe/Lakers developments both new and old. I know I’m not always right, and I’m more than happy to make some people mad! That’s all for now, check back, there should be some content soon!