Kobe’s Not the Bad Guy

I understand.   I really do, but that doesn’t mean that I approve.  In fact I’m disgusted at the display the Lakers fans put on.  In my opinion Kobe Bryant has done nothing wrong.  All he’s ever wanted to do was win games as a Laker.  Nothing has changed; they have no reason to boo him, he’s on their side.  Jerry Buss is the bad guy here, not number 24.  All he’s trying to do is change a losing culture.        

That’s all he really wants.  Change.  He doesn’t want to have to go through the trouble of re-establishing himself with a new team in a new system.  His coach is there, his fans are there, and his whole life has been there.  It’s where he became a man.  He doesn’t want to leave, but it’s like being in an abusive relationship.  At some point love and loyalty go out the window.  You can only take so much before those bumps and bruises become your fault.  No one wants to have to make those tough decisions, and the thing is, you shouldn’t have too.  He’s asking for help the same way a battered women would ask her husband to see a therapist.  Then, if that fails, she leaves.  Should Kobe be forced to suck it up and continue to be taken advantage of?  He isn’t asking for an absurd amount of money, in fact I guarantee that he would take a pay cut to bring in another player, but it isn’t even necessary at this point because he’s the only one being paid. 

If anything the fans should be cheering louder than ever.  If you think about it, he’s doing them a favor by putting pressure on the front office.  All he wants to do is end the losing culture that they have bred since Shaquille O’Neal left town.  He knows that they won’t trade him.  What he really wants is for them to bring in some help so they can win games.  He’s going to threaten to sit out games here and there, but it’s never going to happen.  He’s far to competitive to watch from the sidelines, which was evidenced by his 45 point performance opening night.  Does that really make him the bad guy?  If you ask me the ones they should be booing are up in the skybox counting their money.

You’d think that the fans would know by now that this guy is a competitive junkie, they shouldn’t doubt him.  Isn’t he the guy that delivered three championships to the city?  Have a little faith and goodwill.  He’s on your side.  Yeah, he ran Shaq out of town, but he was a young stupid kid that didn’t feel like he was getting the respect he deserved, and to a degree he was right, but that doesn’t excuse his actions.  He was stuck playing Robin when it was clear that he was the most talented player on the roster, Shaq was just, well, big.  Which sometimes trumps talent, but if they would have shared the marquee maybe it would have been different.  That doesn’t matter anymore.  He’s learned from his mistakes and is ready to be a team player.  Now it’s time to get him his sidekick.

I just can’t believe the fans aren’t as outraged as he is.  Don’t they realize that the same thing they are booing him for is the same thing they cheer him for?  It’s that competitive drive, the need to win.  This isn’t him throwing a temper tantrum because he isn’t getting the ball; he’s  mad because he’s the only one that knows what to do with it.  Lamar Odom isn’t a bad player, but he’s no Scottie Pipen.  Andruw Bynum might develop into something great in three or four years, but they need Dwight Howard… now.  By the time Bynum is a difference maker Kobe will be on the downside of his career. 

Don’t they want him to stay in town?  Or would they rather he sulks through the season until he is traded for 20 cents on the dollar?  Then they have no superstar to marvel over every night.  With Kobe out there they are a playoff team, it wouldn’t take much to put them back in the Finals.  Right now he’s carrying the load by himself.  Anyone would be disgruntled if they were in a similar situation.  Even the guy pumping gas is going to demand change if his co-worker sits and talks on the phone while he’s running around in the snow.   It’s the same principal.      

Give the guy a break, he’s frustrated.  What do you think Michael Jordan would have done if he didn’t think he had the proper cast around him?  Oh yeah, he retired at the first sign of things coming apart.  Kobe has enough money to walk away from the game and never look back, go ahead, keep booing him.  Keep making him feel unappreciated.  Just remember when you look up and gawk at those banners that three of them wouldn’t be there if it weren’t for Kobe.