Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Kobe's Haters.. Where did they come from? AND, MSNBC Sports Writers Dont Read

Ever hear of the website MSNBC.COM? Well, that site, has for years, .... Wait let me gather myself.
OK

MSNBC.COM as well as many sports commentators and other writers, have for years blamed Kobe Bryant for Shaq leaving the Lakers.



For the record, the summer before Shaq was essentially fired, he spent the summer running up and down the b-ball court in Hawaii during practices YELLING at the Laker's owner, Jerry Buss to "PAY HIM HIS MONEY". Shaq, at the time was trying to get a HUGE paycheck to add to what is already the largest salary in the NBA. His health was in decline, he was a fat slob, most people did not really like him AND he was already the highest paid player in the NBA, yet he screamed at HIS BOSS for more money. (Just for the hell of it, take the next two weeks off from work, come in slightly hung over, and while sitting at your desk working dial up your boss on speaker phone and SCREAM AT HIM TO PAY YOU MORE MONEY and then, after you do get fired, and you file suit for wrongful termination, tell everyone that you deserve more money because of all of the work you'd done in the past. Remember, you are already the highest paid player on the team, and lately you have visibly been giving less than 90%)

Now picture this.... You are an already incredibly wealthy man, you are supposedly attempting to win as many NBA titles as you can, and instead of putting your head down, collecting the 10s of millions that you earn playing a child's game, you spend time screaming at your boss in front of enough media outlets, that for almost two weeks, the only news in sports was that Shaq was screaming at Buss to get paid more money.

Sure, Kobe and Shaq weren't necessarily buddies. I mean, in Kobe's rookie season they were rumored to have actually come to blows during a practice. But get this, they managed to play/work on the floor as basketball players to win 3 titles and to go to at least 5 if not 6 Western Conference finals. The fact that Kobe Bryant even threw hands with Shaq as an 18 - 19 year old has always made me respect him. The fact that a grown man could literally start fighting with a child just out of high school has always made me consider Shaq to be essentially exactly what he is, a super-large child with bully-tendencies. (Now remember, all of this is in the news. Everything I am writing can be found, researched and read.)

Now I'm not really saying the guys over at MSNBC are stupid, but I read a lot of sports columns and am shocked at how often this crabby "Shaq-trade" rumor is made about Kobe. I've always wondered how Kobe "pre-rape accusation" couldn't do anything wrong, and was considered by the media to be the kid who was being bullied by Shaq, ("pre-rape accusation" Kobe was the Prince of the NBA) could turn into Kobe the selfish punk loner whiner almost immediately after he was accused of raping someone. I've always wondered if it is some strange and continued white-racist fallout (over 90% of the sports writers who jump on Kobe are white guys and the black guys are bona fide sellouts and shadows) regarding the simple idea that Kobe A) is a mega-wealthy man of color, B) essentially walked out of the courtroom as a mega-wealthy man of color who boned a blessed and sacred blond, C) let them (the writers/reporters) down by getting accused of something many of us are seconds away from being accused of if/when ANY woman decides to cry-wolf and/or D) just plain hating and crappy writers.

Fact is Shaq screamed and yelled at his Boss Mr. Buss to get paid more money. Fact is Jerry Buss isn't a punk. Fact is, the Lakers were in the process of making sure to re-work Kobe's much more impending contract renewal (his youth and talent vs. Shaq's girth and greed), and planned on working with Shaq at seasons end. Final fact, Shaq asked to have his contract essentially maxed out, which if you know anything about Shaq's contract you have to understand he is one of the last guys playing who was grandfathered into the old NBA contract/salary rules that didn't have certain yearly "caps". Shaq literally gets paid over 20, and maybe even over 30 million dollars a year to play ball (Shaq still receives money from the Lakers plus just over 20 million from Miami. He actually took a paycut to play with the Heat because he could see Dwayne serving as a comparable Kobe -smart move from a ring stance but pig-headed in the long run. Why pig headed? He didn't take the Lakers offers because that would have meant he "lost" to the corporation, and Shaq would rather leave than appear to be weak.). He was making over 20 million a year (in salary alone) when he continued to scream about getting "his money".

I would have fired Shaq's ass too. If anyone can point to the day when Kobe fell from grace and Shaq became the George Foreman of the NBA please let me know, please. (and Oh YEAH, Jerry Buss is on record for saying Shaq was a business decision, and not an easy one)

I'm forced to think of what Roger "Rocket" Clemmons recently stated at a press conference "everything is so negative now" (a comment I'm sort of paraphrasing that The Rocket made to a media-dude who, for some reason, only wanted to talk about Clemmons having bad pitching days). To think I'm quoting a guy who was at one time asshole number one to the media, and now they lick his crack as if he is the third coming (Bird was the second coming).

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