Not Knocking Kobe For This One
by Steve Weinman on Jun 25, 2008 1:09 AM EDT
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There has been plenty of negative press for Kobe Bryant as of late.
He doesn't have a history of being the world's greatest teammate. He definitively isn't Michael Jordan. He led his team to first in the Western Conference but could do no better than second against the allegedly inferior Boston Celtics in the 2008 NBA Finals. He did plenty of scowling and yelling at his 'mates during that last series.
There's no desire here to contest any of that at this point, though it bears noting that Kobe certainly wasn't the sole cause of the demise of this year's Lakers team.
But the latest Kobe tidbit doesn't leave much room for frowning on him.
The OC Register's Art Thompson III reports that Bryant will forgo a necessary surgery on his hand in order to play for Team USA this summer. Bryant has a torn ligament in his right pinky, which he played with throughout this past regular season.
Doctors have made it clear that surgery absolutely has to happen for Bryant. But he wouldn't let it happen during the season -- when he played in each of the Lakers' 82 games -- and it won't happen early this summer, so long as their are games to be played.
If nothing else, the dedication is refreshing.
All of Steve's daily posts can be found in the CelticsBlog: NBA blog. Check him out!
In recent years, the importance of international basketball in this country has certainly appeared on the decline. It's a long enough NBA season as is, and players cherish the summer as a time to rest. Over the last few years alone, several high-profile American players have bowed out of international competition due to either injury or simply the desire to take the time to rest.
Bryant comes off a season in which he played 103 games all told, including four playoff series. He won the MVP and led his team to 57 wins and a Finals berth. He's got plenty of endorsement money coming in and a lucrative contract to begin with. He has a wife and kids at home. Also, he is injured. He's got every reason to take the summer off for himself.
But instead, Bryant will be working with Coach Mike Krzyzewski and his teammates to ensure that America is that much better off in its search for a return to international basketball glory.
We can say plenty about this guy, but we can't say that he isn't a competitor or doesn't love the game. This is a guy who actively wants to play this summer, so much so that he'll risk his regular season health for it.
This is a guy who takes pride in the opportunity to be there to stand up on behalf of his country.
Bryant has always shown himself to be someone who would play almost no matter the score and circumstance. He wll put his master work ethic into business again this summer. While his decision to play wouldn't thrill me from the Lakers' standpoint, he is one of the only players in the league who can put concerned fans at ease from worring about this stuff in today's NBA. He has played less than 77 games exactly twice since 2001. While he could do without risking training camp for the team that pays him the bills, Bryant's penchant is for playing in as many games as he possibly can, the expectation here is that the LA star will do everything in his power to make sure he's as ready to go as possible as quickly as he can, and he'll miss a miniscule number of contests in doing so. If anyone can make sure the team's losses due to his injury are as minimally impacting as possible, Kobe Bryant is the one.
More than 100 games played over the last calendar year. A torn ligament. Time needed to rest after a tough defeat in the Finals.
All that somehow adds up to Kobe Bryant opting to come right on back out for Team USA.
The man really does love to compete.
While he's representing our country in the red, white and blue to do that competing, I've got no shame in saying I'll be just one more rooting him on.
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Too bad he’s loyal to Kobe and Kobe’s image and not his Lakers team. He should have surgery now in the off season so he can play for a championship in the NBA.
by liam on Jun 25, 2008 2:08 AM EDT reply actions
Mr. Bryant does whatever pleases him, not his team. He is a franchise player/MVP and, frankly, his responsibility is to the organization that signs his checks. The fact that he is opting to play shows more about his ego than his passion for the game. The man is pathologically competitive and has shown on occasion a super-human ability to compartmentalize. His flying back and forth from LA to Denver during his sexual assault trial and playing in games is the prime example. Jerry Buss would have given him the time off but Kobe would have none of it. During these past Finals, I was most disappointed in Bryant’s inability to give the Cs their due. It seemed that after each loss, Bryant would just smugly sit at the press conference, sucking his lips, and never give a nod to what the Celtics had done. It was always about what he had done wrong vs. what the Celtics had done right. Even Larry Bird, another insanely competitive ball player, gave Magic huge props in the 1987 Finals. After the junior hook game, Bird just sat at the post-game press conference, shook his head, and said, “What can you say? Magic is just an unbelievable basketball player.” As a Cs fan, that was pretty hard to swallow but it was the truth and it showed that Larry had matured as person and was extremely gracious in defeat.
by The Real Large James on Jun 25, 2008 4:53 AM EDT reply actions
We’ll see. I think the Team USA thing is as much about PR as anything else, but maybe I’m overly cynical.
Assuming Team USA makes it to the August 24 game, is that going to give him time to fully recover from his surgery before the Lakers’ season begins? It looks like he’ll at least be missing a chunk of training camp.
That brings us back to the question of, who do professional athletes owe a duty to, their team or their country? I think, depending upon how you view Kobe Bryant, you can paint this as the selfless act of a guy wanting to represent his country, or instead the selfish act of a guy who wants to be the center of attention and who wants to boost his own image, at the expense of his team.
(Of course, Kobe could probably sit out all of the pre-season and the Lakers would be fine, but I think LA would still prefer to have him there.)
The US team would be in trouble without Kobe Bryant. He’s the vital cog to their Gold Medal aspirations.
Kobe has wanted to play for his country throughout his career but there’s always been some problem standing in his way. This is his chance and he should look to grab it.
Playing through your injury to represent your country in the Olympics …. Great stuff Kobe.
Kobe has done more than anyone to damage his own image. We also saw what Kobe can do when he is well-defended. This hasn’t been a problem for him until he met up with Tom Thibodeau’s guys. He might be overrated. Ray Allen couldn’t block his outside shots because of height, but he did keep Kobe away from the basket. Pierce bullied him and stopped him from doing very much. And Posey had trouble keeping him from going by him early on, but once Pose figured him out he was helpless. Kobe has done nothing to make me give him any respect.
I will say I found the Shaq attack on Kobe distasteful. I have had quite enough of Mr. “Can you dig it”. I’m so glad Phoenix has him now, they deserve each other. The Shaq-Kobe squabble is as tiring as any of the Hollywood tabloid couple spats that never seem to end.
by halfman/halfoyster on Jun 25, 2008 6:41 AM EDT reply actions
kobe is a great player. he is not a great man. he is as much a product of nba marketing as anything else. the nba doesn’t want people to see the lakers play, they want them to see kobe play.kobe and his team were not up to the team level that boston put on the floor. our olympic team better be focused on team unity, self sacrifice and not on kobe. with players like anthony and being thin at the big man spot, that team has some handicaps. kobe didn’t lose to the c’s, the lakers did, from buss on down.
I personally don’t claim to know what Kobe’s motivations are for playing for Team USA … I suspect it’s not just selflessness and pride in his country, but who am I to presume? That’s for Kobe alone to know for sure, and while I don’t care for the guy on a human level, I’m still glad he’s on this team, and will be rooting for Team USA and all it’s players to do their best and bring home a gold. Priorities, people … and I think that’s what Steve’s saying here. Kudos, SW … once again going out there where most fear to tread, for the sake of honesty and integrity, and you’ve got a die-hard fan here, Bud.
- Bahku
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