Announcement

Collapse

The Rules of Pacers Digest

Hello everyone,

Whether your are a long standing forum member or whether you have just registered today, it's a good idea to read and review the rules below so that you have a very good idea of what to expect when you come to Pacers Digest.

A quick note to new members: Your posts will not immediately show up when you make them. An administrator has to approve at least your first post before the forum software will later upgrade your account to the status of a fully-registered member. This usually happens within a couple of hours or so after your post(s) is/are approved, so you may need to be a little patient at first.

Why do we do this? So that it's more difficult for spammers (be they human or robot) to post, and so users who are banned cannot immediately re-register and start dousing people with verbal flames.

Below are the rules of Pacers Digest. After you have read them, you will have a very good sense of where we are coming from, what we expect, what we don't want to see, and how we react to things.

Rule #1

Pacers Digest is intended to be a place to discuss basketball without having to deal with the kinds of behaviors or attitudes that distract people from sticking with the discussion of the topics at hand. These unwanted distractions can come in many forms, and admittedly it can sometimes be tricky to pin down each and every kind that can rear its ugly head, but we feel that the following examples and explanations cover at least a good portion of that ground and should at least give people a pretty good idea of the kinds of things we actively discourage:

"Anyone who __________ is a liar / a fool / an idiot / a blind homer / has their head buried in the sand / a blind hater / doesn't know basketball / doesn't watch the games"

"People with intelligence will agree with me when I say that __________"

"Only stupid people think / believe / do ___________"

"I can't wait to hear something from PosterX when he/she sees that **insert a given incident or current event that will have probably upset or disappointed PosterX here**"

"He/she is just delusional"

"This thread is stupid / worthless / embarrassing"

"I'm going to take a moment to point and / laugh at PosterX / GroupOfPeopleY who thought / believed *insert though/belief here*"

"Remember when PosterX said OldCommentY that no longer looks good? "

In general, if a comment goes from purely on topic to something 'ad hominem' (personal jabs, personal shots, attacks, flames, however you want to call it, towards a person, or a group of people, or a given city/state/country of people), those are most likely going to be found intolerable.

We also dissuade passive aggressive behavior. This can be various things, but common examples include statements that are basically meant to imply someone is either stupid or otherwise incapable of holding a rational conversation. This can include (but is not limited to) laughing at someone's conclusions rather than offering an honest rebuttal, asking people what game they were watching, or another common problem is Poster X will say "that player isn't that bad" and then Poster Y will say something akin to "LOL you think that player is good". We're not going to tolerate those kinds of comments out of respect for the community at large and for the sake of trying to just have an honest conversation.

Now, does the above cover absolutely every single kind of distraction that is unwanted? Probably not, but you should by now have a good idea of the general types of things we will be discouraging. The above examples are meant to give you a good feel for / idea of what we're looking for. If something new or different than the above happens to come along and results in the same problem (that being, any other attitude or behavior that ultimately distracts from actually just discussing the topic at hand, or that is otherwise disrespectful to other posters), we can and we will take action to curb this as well, so please don't take this to mean that if you managed to technically avoid saying something exactly like one of the above examples that you are then somehow off the hook.

That all having been said, our goal is to do so in a generally kind and respectful way, and that doesn't mean the moment we see something we don't like that somebody is going to be suspended or banned, either. It just means that at the very least we will probably say something about it, quite possibly snipping out the distracting parts of the post in question while leaving alone the parts that are actually just discussing the topics, and in the event of a repeating or excessive problem, then we will start issuing infractions to try to further discourage further repeat problems, and if it just never seems to improve, then finally suspensions or bans will come into play. We would prefer it never went that far, and most of the time for most of our posters, it won't ever have to.

A slip up every once and a while is pretty normal, but, again, when it becomes repetitive or excessive, something will be done. Something occasional is probably going to be let go (within reason), but when it starts to become habitual or otherwise a pattern, odds are very good that we will step in.

There's always a small minority that like to push people's buttons and/or test their own boundaries with regards to the administrators, and in the case of someone acting like that, please be aware that this is not a court of law, but a private website run by people who are simply trying to do the right thing as they see it. If we feel that you are a special case that needs to be dealt with in an exceptional way because your behavior isn't explicitly mirroring one of our above examples of what we generally discourage, we can and we will take atypical action to prevent this from continuing if you are not cooperative with us.

Also please be aware that you will not be given a pass simply by claiming that you were 'only joking,' because quite honestly, when someone really is just joking, for one thing most people tend to pick up on the joke, including the person or group that is the target of the joke, and for another thing, in the event where an honest joke gets taken seriously and it upsets or angers someone, the person who is truly 'only joking' will quite commonly go out of his / her way to apologize and will try to mend fences. People who are dishonest about their statements being 'jokes' do not do so, and in turn that becomes a clear sign of what is really going on. It's nothing new.

In any case, quite frankly, the overall quality and health of the entire forum's community is more important than any one troublesome user will ever be, regardless of exactly how a problem is exhibiting itself, and if it comes down to us having to make a choice between you versus the greater health and happiness of the entire community, the community of this forum will win every time.

Lastly, there are also some posters, who are generally great contributors and do not otherwise cause any problems, who sometimes feel it's their place to provoke or to otherwise 'mess with' that small minority of people described in the last paragraph, and while we possibly might understand why you might feel you WANT to do something like that, the truth is we can't actually tolerate that kind of behavior from you any more than we can tolerate the behavior from them. So if we feel that you are trying to provoke those other posters into doing or saying something that will get themselves into trouble, then we will start to view you as a problem as well, because of the same reason as before: The overall health of the forum comes first, and trying to stir the pot with someone like that doesn't help, it just makes it worse. Some will simply disagree with this philosophy, but if so, then so be it because ultimately we have to do what we think is best so long as it's up to us.

If you see a problem that we haven't addressed, the best and most appropriate course for a forum member to take here is to look over to the left of the post in question. See underneath that poster's name, avatar, and other info, down where there's a little triangle with an exclamation point (!) in it? Click that. That allows you to report the post to the admins so we can definitely notice it and give it a look to see what we feel we should do about it. Beyond that, obviously it's human nature sometimes to want to speak up to the poster in question who has bothered you, but we would ask that you try to refrain from doing so because quite often what happens is two or more posters all start going back and forth about the original offending post, and suddenly the entire thread is off topic or otherwise derailed. So while the urge to police it yourself is understandable, it's best to just report it to us and let us handle it. Thank you!

All of the above is going to be subject to a case by case basis, but generally and broadly speaking, this should give everyone a pretty good idea of how things will typically / most often be handled.

Rule #2

If the actions of an administrator inspire you to make a comment, criticism, or express a concern about it, there is a wrong place and a couple of right places to do so.

The wrong place is to do so in the original thread in which the administrator took action. For example, if a post gets an infraction, or a post gets deleted, or a comment within a larger post gets clipped out, in a thread discussing Paul George, the wrong thing to do is to distract from the discussion of Paul George by adding your off topic thoughts on what the administrator did.

The right places to do so are:

A) Start a thread about the specific incident you want to talk about on the Feedback board. This way you are able to express yourself in an area that doesn't throw another thread off topic, and this way others can add their two cents as well if they wish, and additionally if there's something that needs to be said by the administrators, that is where they will respond to it.

B) Send a private message to the administrators, and they can respond to you that way.

If this is done the wrong way, those comments will be deleted, and if it's a repeating problem then it may also receive an infraction as well.

Rule #3

If a poster is bothering you, and an administrator has not or will not deal with that poster to the extent that you would prefer, you have a powerful tool at your disposal, one that has recently been upgraded and is now better than ever: The ability to ignore a user.

When you ignore a user, you will unfortunately still see some hints of their existence (nothing we can do about that), however, it does the following key things:

A) Any post they make will be completely invisible as you scroll through a thread.

B) The new addition to this feature: If someone QUOTES a user you are ignoring, you do not have to read who it was, or what that poster said, unless you go out of your way to click on a link to find out who it is and what they said.

To utilize this feature, from any page on Pacers Digest, scroll to the top of the page, look to the top right where it says 'Settings' and click that. From the settings page, look to the left side of the page where it says 'My Settings', and look down from there until you see 'Edit Ignore List' and click that. From here, it will say 'Add a Member to Your List...' Beneath that, click in the text box to the right of 'User Name', type in or copy & paste the username of the poster you are ignoring, and once their name is in the box, look over to the far right and click the 'Okay' button. All done!

Rule #4

Regarding infractions, currently they carry a value of one point each, and that point will expire in 31 days. If at any point a poster is carrying three points at the same time, that poster will be suspended until the oldest of the three points expires.

Rule #5

When you share or paste content or articles from another website, you must include the URL/link back to where you found it, who wrote it, and what website it's from. Said content will be removed if this doesn't happen.

An example:

If I copy and paste an article from the Indianapolis Star website, I would post something like this:

http://www.linktothearticlegoeshere.com/article
Title of the Article
Author's Name
Indianapolis Star

Rule #6

We cannot tolerate illegal videos on Pacers Digest. This means do not share any links to them, do not mention any websites that host them or link to them, do not describe how to find them in any way, and do not ask about them. Posts doing anything of the sort will be removed, the offenders will be contacted privately, and if the problem becomes habitual, you will be suspended, and if it still persists, you will probably be banned.

The legal means of watching or listening to NBA games are NBA League Pass Broadband (for US, or for International; both cost money) and NBA Audio League Pass (which is free). Look for them on NBA.com.

Rule #7

Provocative statements in a signature, or as an avatar, or as the 'tagline' beneath a poster's username (where it says 'Member' or 'Administrator' by default, if it is not altered) are an unwanted distraction that will more than likely be removed on sight. There can be shades of gray to this, but in general this could be something political or religious that is likely going to provoke or upset people, or otherwise something that is mean-spirited at the expense of a poster, a group of people, or a population.

It may or may not go without saying, but this goes for threads and posts as well, particularly when it's not made on the off-topic board (Market Square).

We do make exceptions if we feel the content is both innocuous and unlikely to cause social problems on the forum (such as wishing someone a Merry Christmas or a Happy Easter), and we also also make exceptions if such topics come up with regards to a sports figure (such as the Lance Stephenson situation bringing up discussions of domestic abuse and the law, or when Jason Collins came out as gay and how that lead to some discussion about gay rights).

However, once the discussion seems to be more/mostly about the political issues instead of the sports figure or his specific situation, the thread is usually closed.

Rule #8

We prefer self-restraint and/or modesty when making jokes or off topic comments in a sports discussion thread. They can be fun, but sometimes they derail or distract from a topic, and we don't want to see that happen. If we feel it is a problem, we will either delete or move those posts from the thread.

Rule #9

Generally speaking, we try to be a "PG-13" rated board, and we don't want to see sexual content or similarly suggestive content. Vulgarity is a more muddled issue, though again we prefer things to lean more towards "PG-13" than "R". If we feel things have gone too far, we will step in.

Rule #10

We like small signatures, not big signatures. The bigger the signature, the more likely it is an annoying or distracting signature.

Rule #11

Do not advertise anything without talking about it with the administrators first. This includes advertising with your signature, with your avatar, through private messaging, and/or by making a thread or post.
See more
See less

ESPN The Magazine: Is Kobe Bryant the Reason for the Lakers Downfall?

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • ESPN The Magazine: Is Kobe Bryant the Reason for the Lakers Downfall?

    http://espn.go.com/espn/feature/stor...akers-downfall

    Damn.

    And of Pacer interest....

    While the Lakers were going after Anthony in vain, they quietly pursued Chris Bosh as well, but he preferred the carcass of the Heat. Paul George, Angelino through and through, had once been the team's safest choice. But sources say one reason the two-way star had re-signed with the Pacers in the fall of 2013 instead was that he was turned off by the thought that Bryant would police his efforts.

    And so it is today that the Lakers' faithful strain to envision titles with a rejuvenated Bryant supported by Jeremy Lin, rookie Julius Randle and journeyman bigs Jordan Hill and Ed Davis. The view in the Lakers' front office is that any real rebuild will have to wait until after Bryant's retirement. "This has finally come home," says a Lakers insider. "Major players don't want to play with Kobe, and Jimmy is waiting for him to leave.
    "Nobody wants to play against Tyler Hansbrough NO BODY!" ~ Frank Vogel

    "And David put his hand in the bag and took out a stone and slung it. And it struck the Philistine on the head and he fell to the ground. Amen. "

  • #2
    Re: ESPN The Magazine: Is Kobe Bryant the Reason for the Lakers Downfall?

    Aren't Elite Level Players that are viewed as Leaders on a Team usually always very hard on his supporting cast?

    I'm not suggesting that ALL are and should be....but I thought that Lebron was hard on his teammates in Miami as well....same with Kobe on his Non-Shaq Laker Teammates and even Players like Jordan when he was on the Bulls.
    Ash from Army of Darkness: Good...Bad...I'm the guy with the gun.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: ESPN The Magazine: Is Kobe Bryant the Reason for the Lakers Downfall?

      The Lakers downfall is due to 4 major things:

      1. League owning the Hornets and shooting down the CP3 trade.

      2. Choosing Mike D'Antoni over Phil

      3. Scapegoating Dwight Howard for that terrible year and making him leave, then getting nothing in return.

      4. The Nash trade. It's actually one of the worst trades in recent history. Traded 2 first rounders for a 38 year old guy who is basically done. The money they're paying Nash also prevented them from making further moves in free agency. Good news for them is that they might be bad enough to keep that pick this year (top 5 protected).

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: ESPN The Magazine: Is Kobe Bryant the Reason for the Lakers Downfall?

        I think all elite leaders are hard on their teammates. The biggest difference seems to be the laying of the blame and the public way it is done. I don't remember Bird or Magic or Kareem or ever MJ running to the press to blame a teammate for loses. But my memory is not all that great and I didn't have the pleasure of the Digest in those days.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: ESPN The Magazine: Is Kobe Bryant the Reason for the Lakers Downfall?

          God forbid that championship level players are hard/tough on their teammates. The players in this leagur have become soft if they cant even take harsh criticism from an all time great player

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: ESPN The Magazine: Is Kobe Bryant the Reason for the Lakers Downfall?

            Personally, I have always admired Kobe's no nonsense approach to the game and his team. Kobe would just be one of those stars who would have to retire before anyone else can become the Superstar of the Lakers. However, I have never believed that Kobe was "in your face" type of Leader like Jordan. Kobe's attitude has always been, to me anyways, "This is my house. Get with the program.", but he always seemed to be a loyal and supportive teammate...minus a couple of miscues here and there.


            Remember when we could have gotten 1-2 solid players and a possible Top 3 draft pick in the 2017 NBA Draft by trading away Paul George?

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: ESPN The Magazine: Is Kobe Bryant the Reason for the Lakers Downfall?

              LOL.

              Paul George loves Kobe. Maybe, just maybe, PG thought he had a great situation in Indiana..with a developing team, and teammates and a coach he loved.

              And yea, Kobe was down right soft with Gasol. I think even Lebron would have told Pau to stop acting like a child.

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: ESPN The Magazine: Is Kobe Bryant the Reason for the Lakers Downfall?

                I read this article earlier today. I wasn't expecting anything good, but I was pleasantly surprised. It was well worth reading it, very insightful. The author had quotes to back up most of his suggestions.

                Nobody wants to play with Kobe, that's evident. He's kind of the anti-star now. Before players put up with his persona because the franchise was still winning titles, but now that playing with him no longer guarantees an improved chance to win, nobody wants to put up with it, and I can't blame them at all.

                I love the guy's work ethic and self motivation, and nobody can ever knock him for those things. He's probably the greatest of all time when it comes to those two aspects. But he was a little monster personality wise, and it grew and grew and grew, and now that his best seasons are behind him, the ego is bigger than the talent.

                Great player, one of the greatest to ever play the game. But reality is tough sometimes. Anyway, I really enjoyed the article.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: ESPN The Magazine: Is Kobe Bryant the Reason for the Lakers Downfall?

                  Paul George loves Kobe. Maybe, just maybe, PG thought he had a great situation in Indiana..with a developing team, and teammates and a coach he loved.
                  He can idolize Kobe, but that don't mean you want to play with him....
                  "Nobody wants to play against Tyler Hansbrough NO BODY!" ~ Frank Vogel

                  "And David put his hand in the bag and took out a stone and slung it. And it struck the Philistine on the head and he fell to the ground. Amen. "

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: ESPN The Magazine: Is Kobe Bryant the Reason for the Lakers Downfall?

                    Originally posted by Sandman21 View Post
                    Paul George, Angelino through and through, had once been the team's safest choice. But sources say one reason the two-way star had re-signed with the Pacers in the fall of 2013 instead was that he was turned off by the thought that Bryant would police his efforts.
                    This tells me more about Paul than Kobe, especially when you factor in all of Paul's off-court..."stuff." You've got basically a two year internship under an all-time great at your position. Even when Kobe retires, you're still in the prime of your career playing in Los Angeles for one of the most storied franchises in the league. You have a chance to hang your jersey next to your childhood idol. And you turn it down because you don't want to be "policed" for two years? The right mentality would have been to use every day of those two years to pick everything inside Kobe's brain, instead Paul's worried Kobe would be too tough on him for knocking up a stripper and sending his dick pics over the internet to strangers.

                    But anyway, I figured this article would be from Henry Abbott. I'm glad we got his annual Kobe article out of the way quite early this year.
                    2015, 2016, 2019 IKL Fantasy Basketball Champions - DC Dreamers

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: ESPN The Magazine: Is Kobe Bryant the Reason for the Lakers Downfall?

                      Originally posted by 3rdStrike View Post
                      I read this article earlier today. I wasn't expecting anything good, but I was pleasantly surprised. It was well worth reading it, very insightful. The author had quotes to back up most of his suggestions.

                      Nobody wants to play with Kobe, that's evident. He's kind of the anti-star now. Before players put up with his persona because the franchise was still winning titles, but now that playing with him no longer guarantees an improved chance to win, nobody wants to put up with it, and I can't blame them at all.

                      I love the guy's work ethic and self motivation, and nobody can ever knock him for those things. He's probably the greatest of all time when it comes to those two aspects. But he was a little monster personality wise, and it grew and grew and grew, and now that his best seasons are behind him, the ego is bigger than the talent.

                      Great player, one of the greatest to ever play the game. But reality is tough sometimes. Anyway, I really enjoyed the article.

                      Kobe is also 36 years old how many people want to play with someone with as much mileage as him? That is a factor too.

                      Kobe is a throwback player he'd thrive in the 80's/early 90s moreso than most of today's players who are all about being friends.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: ESPN The Magazine: Is Kobe Bryant the Reason for the Lakers Downfall?

                        Originally posted by Basketball Fan View Post
                        Kobe is also 36 years old how many people want to play with someone with as much mileage as him? That is a factor too.

                        Kobe is a throwback player he'd thrive in the 80's/early 90s moreso than most of today's players who are all about being friends.
                        Agreed on both counts. To the poster before you, uhh, isn't it conceivable that PG valued loyalty & the opportunity to forge his own destiny with his own team over the opportunity to follow in Kobe's footsteps? I interpreted that information as a positive. Whether he wanted to play w/ Kobe or not, LA > Indiana by as many miles separate the cities. That he chose to stay with the Pacers is a sign of loyalty. He could've got a max deal from a large market team with awesome weather, something any of us would find difficult to pass up.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: ESPN The Magazine: Is Kobe Bryant the Reason for the Lakers Downfall?

                          Originally posted by Kuq_e_Zi91 View Post
                          This tells me more about Paul than Kobe, especially when you factor in all of Paul's off-court..."stuff." You've got basically a two year internship under an all-time great at your position. Even when Kobe retires, you're still in the prime of your career playing in Los Angeles for one of the most storied franchises in the league. You have a chance to hang your jersey next to your childhood idol. And you turn it down because you don't want to be "policed" for two years? The right mentality would have been to use every day of those two years to pick everything inside Kobe's brain, instead Paul's worried Kobe would be too tough on him for knocking up a stripper and sending his dick pics over the internet to strangers.

                          But anyway, I figured this article would be from Henry Abbott. I'm glad we got his annual Kobe article out of the way quite early this year.
                          ORRRR it's a bunch of ********

                          edit: also, of all the stuff to pretend PG'd be magically afraid of Kobe getting on him about sidepieces is the LAST one
                          Last edited by Heisenberg; 10-21-2014, 12:16 AM.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: ESPN The Magazine: Is Kobe Bryant the Reason for the Lakers Downfall?

                            If Michael Jordan played in this soft era and tried to hang on for as long as Kobe has, then this exact article would have been written about him. Mamba and 45 didn't care about making friends and having pillow fights with their teammates. They just wanted to win rings and their jewelry speaks for itself. If they had to be tough on their teammates, then so be it. Too much was at stake to be worry about being nice.

                            The main reason people aren't going to LA is because of Bryant's age and the fact that he hasn't played in 18 months aside from his short comeback attempt last year. Perennial all-star Pau Gasol seemed to love staying there when they were winning championships. He knew damn well that playing with Kobe increased his stature and legacy exponentially. Him going to a Chicago team with a much better future doesn't mean that he's anti-Kobe.

                            Mentioning Lebron in that article was pure silliness. Lebron only considered two teams - Miami and Cleveland. Why in the hell would Lebron have even considered going to LA to play with 36 year old Kobe when he could go to that nice young core in Cleveland or stay in Miami? Lebron understanding that Cleveland and Miami were superior situations doesn't mean that he's anti-Kobe.

                            Melo? He just wants to make as much cash as possible and be the biggest star in the Apple.

                            Howard? Guy is a massive primma donna.

                            Kobe's stature has declined for two simple reasons: He is old and recovering from one of the worst injuries in sports. Younger players don't want their future to be tied to a guy entering his 19th season in the league. Kobe's biggest mistake as far as winning is concerned was that he didn't take a pay cut like a Dirk or Duncan. Considering that he's made an absolute fortune, I would have thought that he would have given the Lakers a bit of a break so that they could put together the best possible team. But he will always have that ego that he is the best, and that's why he has five rings. Father time is unfortunately undefeated though.

                            Kobe is all about winning and his results speak for themselves. If his aggressive style rubs some people the wrong way, then so be it. He played to win, not make friends. All of those guys on those late 2000's teams didn't seem to mind him when they were winning titles. The only serious fault that Kobe has at this point is that he's 36 years old. He's a throwback to a Michael Jordan or Larry Bird. It's not in his DNA to go massage some other star's ego at some staged meeting to persuade the player to go to LA. This Lebron/Melo/Wade/Howard class of stars are just some of the most pampered athletes ever. They've set an awful precedent for how players now expected to be courted like royalty during free agency. That sort of silly shenanigans is beneath an old school winner like the Mamba.
                            Last edited by Sollozzo; 10-21-2014, 01:23 PM.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: ESPN The Magazine: Is Kobe Bryant the Reason for the Lakers Downfall?

                              Originally posted by Sollozzo View Post
                              If Michael Jordan played in this soft era and tried to hang on for as long as Kobe has, then this exact article would have been written about him. Mamba and 45 didn't care about making friends and having pillow fights with their teammates. They just wanted to win rings and their jewelry speaks for itself. If they had to be tough on their teammates, then so be it. Too much was at stake to be worry about being nice.

                              The main reason people aren't going to LA is because of Bryant's age and the fact that he hasn't played in 18 months aside from his short comeback attempt last year. Perennial all-star Paul Gasol seemed to love staying there when they were winning championships. He knew damn well that playing with Kobe increased his stature and legacy exponentially. Him going to a Chicago team with a much better future doesn't mean that he's anti-Kobe.

                              Mentioning Lebron in that article was pure silliness. Lebron only considered two teams - Miami and Cleveland. Why in the hell would Lebron have even considered going to LA to play with 36 year old Kobe when he could go to that nice young core in Cleveland or stay in Miami? Lebron understanding that Cleveland and Miami were superior situations doesn't mean that he's anti-Kobe.

                              Melo? He just wants to make as much cash as possible and be the biggest star in the Apple.

                              Howard? Guy is a massive primma donna.

                              Kobe's stature has declined for two simple reasons: He is old and recovering from one of the worst injuries in sports. Younger players don't want their future to be tied to a guy entering his 19th season in the league. Kobe's biggest mistake as far as winning is concerned was that he didn't take a pay cut like a Dirk or Duncan. Considering that he's made an absolute fortune, I would have thought that he would have given the Lakers a bit of a break so that they could put together the best possible team. But he will always have that ego that he is the best, and that's why he has five rings. Father time is unfortunately undefeated though.

                              Kobe is all about winning and his results speak for themselves. If his aggressive style rubs some people the wrong way, then so be it. He played to win, not make friends. All of those guys on those late 2000's teams didn't seem to mind him when they were winning titles. The only serious fault that Kobe has at this point is that he's 36 years old. He's a throwback to a Michael Jordan or Larry Bird. It's not in his DNA to go massage some other star's ego at some staged meeting to persuade the player to go to LA. This Lebron/Melo/Wade/Howard class of stars are just some of the most pampered athletes ever. They've set an awful precedent for how players now expected to be courted like royalty during free agency. That sort of silly shenanigans is beneath an old school winner like the Mamba.
                              Well put. Really enjoyed your points.
                              "I'd rather man up and beat your so called "great" *** than join up with you."

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X