In Land of Egos, Malone's is the Latest to Be Bruised.

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

You can now add Karl Malone's name to the list of big babies. What a ridiculous story. I'm so tired of the whining and crying of millionares who feel disrespected. Now we have Malone, throwing a tantrum because he heard Kobe Bryant had said something unsettling about him, the great Karl Malone, and so now Malone is going to take his old, run-down body somewhere else, anywhere else besides the Lakers, and so take that. In fact, now we're hearing from Malone's agent, Dwight Manley, that Malone is 100% healthy, digging the knife deeper so everyone can feel the pain of losing Malone now that Bryant has disrespected him. Malone is going to take his sneakers elsewhere, as we're being told, because Karl "is furious," his agent also telling Fred Roggin on KMPC radio that for Kobe "to say Karl is a distraction is not appropriate." I read Bryant's comments from his radio interview on XTRA in the newspaper, and Bryant never used the word "distraction," which would have been accurate, though, in describing Malone's appearances this season at Staples Center. The Lakers are a work in progress, and Malone has attended several Laker games, sitting at courtside directly across from the Laker bench...the great savior waving to his former teammates. How distracting. Listen to any coach or player talk about a teammate who has been injured or lost for a time, and as the old sports cliche goes, "we can only play with the guys we have and do the best we can." In so many words, Bryant said the same thing, although he did give us another ego overdose when he said "The players are here giving me 110%."

Phil Jackson whined in a book. Shaquille O'Neal, the Big Pout, continues to carry on like a child sent to his (Miami) room without a pat on the back. Bryant remains immature and aloof in dealing with people. Gary Payton needed a binky, and with the nursery so full, I guess no one noticed Malone was no different. For the most part everyone paid Malone homage, the proud superstar taking the pay cut for the noble pursuit of a ring, the one who also became the locker room peace-maker. A little too much peace-making grandstanding for me. Now we learn that Malone is irate because the Lakers aren't counting the hours until he returns. Boo-hoo. And like a child who has been hurt and wants to strike back, his agent is making sure everyone knows it's Bryant's fault Malone won't be back. "This is a pretty emotional, traumatic thing," Manley said, and I can just picture that big power forward who took no prisoners on the court, dabbing at his eyes because Bryant said the team must play on without looking over its shoulder. Come on, the big baby is 41 years old, last seen hobbling on his last leg, and not much help, as far as I'm concerned, for a rebuilding Laker team. I wouldn't be surprised to learn later he  used Bryant's remarks as a way of getting out of LA, the proud warrior taking his game to San Antonio or Minnesota. So there. He sat at courtside in Staples, and had to know after watching a few games that there was no ring to be won in LA with the little time he has left. That aside, it's obvious now the piling on Bryant is going to continue. His considerable ego, of course, is a magnet for such criticism, and his aloof attitude certainly makes him a tough athlete to embrace. But the facts suggest that O'Neal requested a trade. He stays here, and maybe Bryant is gone, but O'Neal demanded to leave. Jackson priced himself out of the market, his way of leaving town, and then blamed his inability to take four future Hall of Famers and win another title on Bryant's immaturity. Payton self-destructed, and now we get Malone's bruised ego. Malone's final departure will be one more slap at Bryant, which will be welcomed by many, because Bryant is the last man standing on a team that is no longer a powerhouse. A lot of people are upset by that, and Bryant is the easy target. But you know what? They're all just a bunch of big babies...


From the LA Times written by TJ Simers

[Javier]

I really hate T.J Simers but "They're all just a bunch of big babies..." is very true

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

TJ Simers can piss me off too, but I agree with most of what he said...

[PLANT]

Kobe is a great player but fuck him...Stop trying to stick up for him and his actions all the time...Let me guess you think Kobe did no wrong when he told the world Shaq pays to keep his hoes quiet?

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

First of all, I didn't write this, so you really need to check yourself before you make yourself look even stupider than you are...Second of all, this isn't about the Shaq/police issue, but I covered that in a different thread (http://www.dubcnn.com/connect/index.php?topic=59306.25)...Third of all, Kobe just had an interview with Jack Haley stating that Malone must have really misinterpreted his comments, because he wasn't saying anything negative toward Malone...If you actually read what I posted, you would understand all of this...