Kobe still bitter-

[biggs]

Apparently this was from the LAtimes, but you have to be a member to get the full read.  Basically it's a piece on how Kobe is back to his delightful self after a week at Disney World with "the girls".  It was on hoopshype today-


"I think winning a gold medal is more important because you're playing for your country," he said, repeating what has become a kind of mantra. "You're not playing for a region or a state or a brand. You are playing for the United States of America."


Hmmm....a team with a mantra....sound familiar?  Oh and BTW arent' like 99% of team USA branded by none other than Nike?


That is SO sad.  He has got to be the most immature athlete of all time.  Cant he just admit that he is not the best?  Didn't he realize that no one cared about him or his achievements after he got toasted by the Ceatles and that all his fluff half time "kiss my baby daughter" segments on ABC had little to no effect on the horrible image he has built for himself? 

It's like why didn't he just say "I think winning an M.V.P (or lifetime achievement award in his case) is more important because your playing for yourself".  Your not winning for your teammates or winning for a state or the fans.  You are playing for yourself".

We all know thats what he meant.

I'm sorry I used to be the biggest Kobe hater in the world, but after watching him play a bit I had to at least respect his game.  Now I just don't have any respect for him at all.  He's like a little kid that can't admit he's wrong.

[Birdbrain]

Kobe's fakeness >= Celtic Nation angst

[BigCouch]

I think I agree with the statement he made, I just don't buy it coming from Kobe.

[CelticsWhat35]

I think I agree with the statement he made, I just don't buy it coming from Kobe.

If winning a gold medal meant more to the players than an NBA ring, all of the top players would be on the team.  They wouldn't need Taysuan Prince to fill out the roster.

While it's definitely got to be a great honor and feel great to be considered an Olympic gold medalist, there's nother tougher than winning an NBA championship; and let's face it, kids don't grow up dreaming of the day they can play on an Olympic basketball team.  They dream of making it to the NBA; and there's no higher title than NBA Champion.

[crownsy]

refer to my earlier post in the other kobe topic. While i agree it isn't, Every other memeber of team usa is making similar statements. Right now, they are employees of USA basketball, and you can bet that they have marching orders to make thsi seem like the greatest thing of all time.

Look what the original dream team did for the NBA from a global prespective, you don't think stern has told them to sell the heck out of the whole "USA basketball is my lifelong dream!" angle?

i mean, we all hate kobe, but what do you want him to say?

"no, i don't care much about this, i just want to go win an NBA championship, this is nice, but it isn't on the same level"

im sure that would go over well with the NBA and team usa.

[bostonfan23]

Yeah, I don't know if Kobe's being sincere, but he's pretty much saying the right things.

[libermaniac]

I care about Olympic basketball about as much as I care about MLS ... not one bit.

[biggs]

refer to my earlier post in the other kobe topic. While i agree it isn't, Every other memeber of team usa is making similar statements. Right now, they are employees of USA basketball, and you can bet that they have marching orders to make thsi seem like the greatest thing of all time.

Look what the original dream team did for the NBA from a global prespective, you don't think stern has told them to sell the heck out of the whole "USA basketball is my lifelong dream!" angle?

i mean, we all hate kobe, but what do you want him to say?

"no, i don't care about this, i just want to go win an NBA championship, this is nice, but it isn't on the same level"

im sure that would go over well with the NBA and team usa.

It's not that what he's saying is dishonorable, he's saying all the right things.  It's just the way HE says these comments.  Like the emphasis on how its MORE important to win this than the ring that he couldn't get on his own.  Can't he just say what an honor it is to play for our country or something?

I mean don't get me wrong I love the original Dream Team.  That was a complete fantasy come true for me a as a child and as a Barkley fan it was nice to see him get the glory(as he has no ring).  However when Kobe makes comments like this it just sounds like he's trying to discredit the C's and make it sound like there's another plateau that only he can reach.

Bitter



I do feel bad for him though, he must have pretty low self esteem if he needs constantly need to one up everyone.

[crownsy]

refer to my earlier post in the other kobe topic. While i agree it isn't, Every other memeber of team usa is making similar statements. Right now, they are employees of USA basketball, and you can bet that they have marching orders to make thsi seem like the greatest thing of all time.

Look what the original dream team did for the NBA from a global prespective, you don't think stern has told them to sell the heck out of the whole "USA basketball is my lifelong dream!" angle?

i mean, we all hate kobe, but what do you want him to say?

"no, i don't care about this, i just want to go win an NBA championship, this is nice, but it isn't on the same level"

im sure that would go over well with the NBA and team usa.

It's not that what he's saying is dishonorable, he's saying all the right things.  It's just the way HE says these comments.  Like the emphasis on how its MORE important to win this than the ring that he couldn't get on his own.  Can't he just say what an honor it is to play for our country or something?

I mean don't get me wrong I love the original Dream Team.  That was a complete fantasy come true for me a as a child and as a Barkley fan it was nice to see him get the glory(as he has no ring).  However when Kobe makes comments like this it just sounds like he's trying to discredit the C's and make it sound like there's another plateau that only he can reach.

Bitter



I do feel bad for him though, he must have pretty low self esteem if he needs constantly need to one up everyone.

but again, thats all just a justification to yourself on why it's worse/ pathetic for him to say these thigns than say, melo, because you don't like him personaly.

Which again, is fine, but don't lie to yourself, your interpratation of this article is vastly influenced by the fact that its kobe, not because of how he said it. Every player on that team is going to say this type of thing to the press when asked, it's thier job as employees of the NBA and represntitves of USA basketball to be ambassadors of the game. There not goign to say "yea, this is a good warm up for the season" thier goign to act as if its the greatest goal of all time, regardless of personal feelings.

[Soy Reek]

Representing your country is a great honor...but an NBA Championship and a gold medal is like comparing filet mignon and lobster.  The International games utilizes a different set of rules; it's just a different style of play all together.  I'm sure there are 5 street ballers that could beat 5 NBA players in a pick up game at Rucker.  No disrespect to NBA players, they're the greatest ballers in the world, but street ball isn't the same as organized basketball.  The Olympics has lost a little of its luster due to the fact you have players competing for countries they are not from (i.e. Chris Kaman); it has lost a little of the Nationalism we all came to love with the original Dream Team.  Kobe wants to be like Mike, right down to his post game interviews, but he doesn't have the moxy or sincerity Jordan had...and a MJ team would never have reliquished a 24 pt lead at home; Mike would never have allowed it.  

[fairweatherfan]

Same thing I said in the last one of these threads: of course Kobe's going to be asked which is better, and of course he's going to say the gold medal, because that's what the focus is right now.  He might even mean it a bit since he doesn't have one, and has 3 titles.  To read more into that is just silly - all he did is what the situation demanded.  As someone else said, what else was he supposed to say?  That he just didn't care that much?  If so, I guarantee we'd all be posting in a "Kobe hates America - why is he even going to the Olympics?" thread right now, and people would be demanding he get kicked off the team.  It's literally a no-win situation with people who already dislike him as much as most of us do.

Secondly, I'm not an over-the-top patriotic guy, but I want to see the US get back to the top of the medal stand.  I hate Kobe's guts in the NBA, but I'll be putting that aside and rooting for him to use his considerable ability to help the team achieve that goal.  Once the NBA season starts, I'll go back to hoping he falls flat on his face every game.

[nickagneta]

As much as I hate Kobe I think it sets a better image for him than other things he could say. After all you might be reading an awful lot into what he is saying. He does, after all, not have to play in the Olympics. He volunteered his time.

Here you are giving him crap for saying the right things because you feel he is disingenuous, imagine what you would be saying about him if he came out and said something like this:

"Actually, I would have much preferred to win the NBA Championship, that is a much more prestigious title and would have earned me a ton more money in endorsement contracts. I hate Paul Pierce and the Celtics for actually not rolling over and playing dead like David Stern told me he would make them do. As it is, Nike is saying they will not renew my deal anywhere near what it is now if I don't play in the Olympics and go around everywhere like a walking billboard with the swoosh all over my body. They reminded me that they didn't drop me like Michael Vick after I raped that girl so I had better cart my sorry ass over to China and play some ball."

[biggs]

Same thing I said in the last one of these threads: of course Kobe's going to be asked which is better, and of course he's going to say the gold medal, because that's what the focus is right now.  He might even mean it a bit since he doesn't have one, and has 3 titles.  To read more into that is just silly - all he did is what the situation demanded.  As someone else said, what else was he supposed to say?  That he just didn't care that much?  If so, I guarantee we'd all be posting in a "Kobe hates America - why is he even going to the Olympics?" thread right now, and people would be demanding he get kicked off the team.  It's literally a no-win situation with people who already dislike him as much as most of us do.

Secondly, I'm not an over-the-top patriotic guy, but I want to see the US get back to the top of the medal stand.  I hate Kobe's guts in the NBA, but I'll be putting that aside and rooting for him to use his considerable ability to help the team achieve that goal.  Once the NBA season starts, I'll go back to hoping he falls flat on his face every game.

I hear what your saying about the "what else would he say"? comment, but IMO in this situation-

"After finishing Monday's practice at Valley High, the first of four daily sessions, Bryant was asked again how he would equate winning the Olympic tournament with an NBA title"

Ray Allen (or another classy player) would probably say something like "you can't compare those two things because there both so important in different ways" or something.  Similar to the Filet Mignon/Lobster comment

It's cool though, I don't really need to hate on Kobe that much, I just figured he would stay in the hole he crawled under a bit longer and was surprised to hear from him so soon.

[biggs]

"Actually, I would have much preferred to win the NBA Championship, that is a much more prestigious title and would have earned me a ton more money in endorsement contracts. I hate Paul Pierce and the Celtics for actually not rolling over and playing dead like David Stern told me he would make them do. As it is, Nike is saying they will not renew my deal anywhere near what it is now if I don't play in the Olympics and go around everywhere like a walking billboard with the swoosh all over my body. They reminded me that they didn't drop me like Michael Vick after I raped that girl so I had better cart my sorry ass over to China and play some ball."
[/quote]

That was overkill, but hilarious TP

We should turn this thread into a "What should have Kobe said" theme.  More fun.

[spelz]

Sorry, but I had to read this thread after seeing the title.  I wanted to know if Kobe was bitter from losing in the finals or from tasting Shaq's a**.