January 22nd, Tuesday... I just read a funny basketball article on Yahoo Sports about Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers lost to the Chicago Bulls last night and Kobe (The Black Momba!) was sitting in the lockerroom after the team had left. Oh there were all these words about Kobe playing under the 6 (count 'em) championship banners Michael Jordan won (Yeah, he did it all by himself!) and how Kobe was chasing Jordan's mark. The article talked about how the Lakers are losing, uncharacteristic to them and are out of the playoff picture right now. It also talked about how D'Antoni's (the coach) system wasn't working and the player's are having a hard time adjusting to it. Waa...waa...waa...
It is funny to me that Kobe is putting all of this on HIS shoulders like he is playing one on five. The problem with that is he, like other "superstars," has taken it upon himself to believe that the Lakers are his team! Truth be told, the Lakers are now Jimmy Buss' team! Jerry Buss passed the torch to his son to run the squad and he has done a F'ed up job! So far, he has hired two wrong coaches and snubbed Phil Jackson, the Moses of pro basketball, who is also engaged to his sister. (How does that work?) What Kobe and any other "superstar" needs to come to terms with is that the Lakers is NOT his team! The only decision that matters to the powers that be is that Kobe is healthy enough to play 82 games and beyond during a season. That whole business about running business matters through "The Man" is bullshit! Business is business and everyone needs to learn how to mind their own business! It's Buss' team to screw up and he has done his job. Kobe and all the other players need to do their job. It about adjusting to the situation and let the scene play out.
Hey, I get it! Kobe makes a crap load of money but the money is incidental in pro basketball. You get paid what they (the powerbase) thinks you are worth; Not what you think you're worth! After you play your 48 minutes a night, you are invisible!
So, boohoo to the Lakers. They are in a real funk and no one seems to have the answer. (Actually, someone does have the answer but he is comunicata-non-grata right now!) Teams function in a cycle and the Lakers are beginning a new one. They probably wouldn't believe this but they are now in the "Season of the Witch!" Ain't that a bitch?
No comments:
Post a Comment