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Originally Posted by Petey
If you aren't joking, I don't think it's far off to say that.
-Petey
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Oh yeah? Last year several b-ball writers reported that members of his own team despised him. I'm pretty sure Chuckie Atkins was among those named, though Odom was rumored to be another not too fond of him. Just recently there was supposedly a scuffle between the two after a Lakers loss where Bryant was supposedly blaming Odom for not properly running a play, a play that ended with Bryant misfiring a distance jumper IIRC.
Those who want to defend Bryant's obscenely masturbatory scoring displays are quick to say, "He has no quality teammates, he SHOULD shoot every shot." I absoultely reject that notion. Odom has always been a highly versatile, talented player and is often very productive, certainly capable of supporting role status. Check out how often he sees the ball when black hole Bryant is in the lineup.
But more important than who his current teammates are is who his FORMER teammates are: Atkins, Payton, Malone, O'Neal, et. al. They range from quality role players to hall of famers to all-time greats at their positions. And besides having all played for the Lakers, they share something else: Bryant played a part, in some cases the only part, in alienating each and every one of them from the team and running them out of Los Angeles. He also ran a coach with 9 rings out of town once and will undoubtedly do so again.
So, to the extent that he "has no teammates", who the heck WANTED it that way? Who has pouted, preened, and manipulated himself, with the aid of a GM who clearly hangs on his jock strap, into being the "only" scoring option for the Lakers? And he did it because it's as plain as the pointed tiny head on his shoulders that he does not want success, recognition, or limelight if it at all has to be shared. He wants it all to himself all the time and truly wants to be considered a player that can single-handedly outscore another team. If the rules of the game could be changed, I honestly think he would prefer playing another team entirely by himself. He's arrogant enough to think he could win.
As for the Raptor game, it turned into a total farce from the Laker perspective even though it was still very much in contention until about 3 minutes to go. It was obvious, never moreso than in the 4th quarter, that Bryant had one goal only: to score as many points as he could. Period. He was oblvious to every other aspect or object of the game except his own scoring. He repeatedly took wild chances on defense trying to get turnovers to maximize his possessions (even though the Lakers were leading). He frequently leaked out before a defensive rebound could be even be secured in order to get easy fast break buckets. He drove, and drove into crowds of defenders and never once looked to kick out to an open teammate. The list goes on.
That does not breed comaraderie in teammates, it breeds contempt. And if you looked discerningly at Bryant's own demeanor and body language during the Raptor game, and that of his teammates, that's exactly what you'd see. There wasn't a shred of genuine affection, admiration, or congratulations being exchanged between him and any other person on his team. He seemed to barely even move his hand to touch the decidedly perfunctory "fives" offered after made free throws, held the same severe expression throughout, didn't make eye contact with any teammates except when he was calling for the ball every trip down, and never looked to pass in the 4th quarter until the last possession. How gracious.
He was probably thinking they would intentionally take a shot clock violation or foul so that he could be dismissed from the game to a standing ovation. How funny that his teammates never, ever moved to do that, even though someone had already checked in at the scorer's table for exactly that purpose. On any team where the players truly want to honor a teammate's extraordinary performance, they don't have to be reminded to foul. The low key pats and hugs and painted on, half smiles around the bench confirmed the emptiness of their public gestures.
In short, their team chemistry is non-existent because they are not a team. They are a bunch of paid bystanders to one man having an orgy with his ego every night.
Back to the question in the main post about VC taking 46 shots. No one is a bigger fan of VC than I am. But I will cease being a fan of his the day he perverts the game as Bryant does.
It seems to me that what the networks and hype machines of the NBA really want are marquee one-on-one matchups, so that's what they ought to do. Instead of slam dunk contests or 3 point shootouts, they should have a one-on-one tournament of all-stars every February. Or a one-on-one league. Or to appease Bryant, one-on-five.
Let's Let Carter take 46 Shots
