West Coast Connection Forum
Lifestyle => Sports & Entertainment => Topic started by: GangstaBoogy on September 02, 2007, 05:43:44 PM
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Check it out...
LAS VEGAS – He’s been playing “What would’ve been?” for most of the month, and sometime Sunday night Kobe Bryant will have to return his Team USA toys on the Strip, including Jason Kidd, and rejoin the Bynum and Bailey Circus with the Lakers.
No more Pilates in his hotel room with the Nets point guard.
“I wore out his ass,” Kobe bragged.
No more clowning with Carmelo Anthony on the bench.
“He’s a fool,” Kobe kidded.
No more playing with a cast of teammates straight out of his wildest dreams, out of Mitch Kupchak’s reach.
“We’re all spoiled,” Kobe sighed.
If Bryant wasn’t the most dominant player in the United States' devastating 135-91 semifinal victory over Puerto Rico on Saturday, he sure has been it in these FIBA Americas Championships. Behind Bryant, the United States didn’t just use this tournament to qualify for the 2008 Olympics, but reaffirm itself as the gold standard in Beijing next summer.
As much as anyone, Bryant could live in this Vegas fantasy forever. Once the gold medal game against Argentina is over Sunday, Team USA’s players go home with NBA training camps starting within the month. Milwaukee’s Michael Redd, back to a lottery team of his own, confessed, “We’re going to have low tolerance for our teams when we get back to camp.”
No one will have less patience than Bryant, whose summer with the Americans has made him only more determined to chase championships again. He goes back to a Lakers team largely unchanged over a season ago, destined again for a low-Western Conference playoff seed, an early exit, and another Kobe combustion.
There’s a chance that no one will see Bryant smile again until the Opening Ceremonies in Beijing. “The athleticism, the basketball IQ – It’s really been an honor, a blessing, to be around this talent every single day,” Bryant said.
Privately, Bryant is still livid that the Lakers wouldn’t give up Andrew Bynum for Kidd at the trade deadline last season. It doesn’t make it easier that Kidd desperately wanted to play with the Lakers, and was deeply disappointed when the trade fell apart. In the time they’ve spent together in Vegas, Kobe said that Kidd has, “taught me a lot about reading the floor, about what he’s looking at on the court.”
What’s more, Kidd knows: Vince Carter is no Kobe.
“This is something that I will always remember,” Kidd told me Saturday. “This is something that could’ve been. We could be talking (with each other) about, ‘what are you going to do? Are you going to work out? I’ll see you back in LA.’
“But unfortunately it didn’t happen.”
As badly as Bryant, Kidd wanted it too. Still, he has peace of mind returning to a Nets team that could contend in the Eastern Conference. Bryant’s volatile early summer of trade demands and attacks on the Lakers organization has been tempered with this Team USA run. He’s had the time of his basketball life here. He’s been on his best behavior, trying to undo the damage he had done to his name.
Longtime league insiders were surprised to see Bryant and his wife at the opening of a club at the team’s hotel on Friday night, with one going so far to say to him, "You never go out in public. He's trying to be a part of this team, really trying, they're saying.
“He’s really befriended everybody,” Redd said. “We’ve got a chance to know him and he’s gotten a chance to know us.”
Even when he was winning championships with the Lakers, there was always some drama, always some conflict. Here, it’s so much easier. In a lot of ways, August has been the most liberating month of his life, one with which Bryant has re-established himself as the star among stars, reminded the world that no one plays the ends of the floor the way that he does. He has tortured offensive stars in the FIBA American Championship, chasing those with and without the ball like nothing anyone’s seen in years out of him on defense.
“He’s brought an intensity, an edge, to us that maybe people had only seen in Michael Jordan,” Managing Director Jerry Colangelo said.
If Bryant understands that he won’t be competing for his fourth championship in the spring with the Lakers, he knows he’ll be chasing his first gold medal in Beijing with Team USA. If nothing else, his debut with USA Basketball has been a chance to re-stamp himself as a winner. “Look at Kobe who has championships -– the one thing he is missing is the gold medal,” Kidd said. What’s more, the one thing he’s missing is showing that he can be a part of something bigger than his own ego and hubris.
No one is shrewder at recasting himself, reshaping his public image after an embarrassing episode, as Bryant. In Vegas, he’s been the most popular kid in class, charming and selfless. Slowly, surely, he’s positioning himself as the savior to bring back gold medal glory to basketball’s beleaguered red, white and blue.
The best American player goes home on Sunday night, and he does so without all his favorite, shiny new toys. The Lakers camp starts in a few weeks in Hawaii, and Kobe Bryant confessed that he’s leaving Las Vegas “spoiled” now. There will be no Jason Kidd to pass the ball and work out with him, no ‘Melo to share a scoring spree and a laugh. Just Kobe and his low tolerance, just Kobe and a lost Lakers cause that has pushed him to the brink.
Yeah that's definitely someone who's ego is too big to play with other elite players. And look at these videos....
http://www.youtube.com/v/r2oxbYgnrL8 - http://www.youtube.com/v/XRASCHy9yZw
^ no leadership whatsoever.
::)
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props good read the videos were fuckin tight also
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Kobe's not a leader. He's a selfish, piece of shit, stat-hungry ball hog... not to mention, all his teammates hate him.
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Real talk^ Lebron or D-Wade would have been much better leaders for Team USA
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The difference is, those players are terrific.
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well hopefully kobe learned something in las vegas then.
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well hopefully kobe learned something in las vegas then.
Lol learned what? He didn't learn to be a leader by spending 3 months in Vegas - he's always had these leadership qualities. The difference is on this team, he has a bunch of young talented players willing to listen and learn. On the Lakers he has a roster full of young Kobe fans who are lazy and have stubborn attitudes.
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lol, the lesson he hopefully learned is obvious if he wasnts to win again...
ppg
21.2- Carmelo Anthony
18.1- Lebron James
15.3- Kobe Bryant
rpg
5.2-Carmelo Anthony
3.6- Lebron James
2.0- Kobe Bryant
FG%
76.0%- Lebron James
61.3%- Carmelo Anthony
54.8%- Kobe Bryant
Apg
4.7- Lebron James
2.9- Kobe Braynt
1.4- Carmelo Anthony
spg
1.6- Kobe Bryant
1.5- Lebron James
.67-Carmelo Anthony
he's probably the best player in the world, however if you want to win with him on your team you need another player at the helm.
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Who do yall niggas drop and add for the Olympics? I'd say drop Chandler for Bosh and Prince for Wade. That's it. I wouldn't drop anyone for Oden or Durant unless they have great seasons.
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Look how happy he looks...
(http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/sp/getty/e7/fullj.getty-76402587ab041_usab.jpg)
(http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/sp/getty/bb/fullj.getty-76402587ab044_usab.jpg)
(http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/sp/getty/39/fullj.getty-76402587ab022_usab.jpg)
(http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/sp/getty/74/fullj.getty-76402587ng020_usab.jpg)
^ its obvious he just wants some real teammates so he can start winning again!
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Let's not pretend all of those 11 other niggas have great players and relevant teams to play with at home. In fact, most of them don't.
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Incredible game BTW.
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lol, the lesson he hopefully learned is obvious if he wasnts to win again...
ppg
21.2- Carmelo Anthony
18.1- Lebron James
15.3- Kobe Bryant
rpg
5.2-Carmelo Anthony
3.6- Lebron James
2.0- Kobe Bryant
FG%
76.0%- Lebron James
61.3%- Carmelo Anthony
54.8%- Kobe Bryant
Apg
4.7- Lebron James
2.9- Kobe Braynt
1.4- Carmelo Anthony
spg
1.6- Kobe Bryant
1.5- Lebron James
.67-Carmelo Anthony
he's probably the best player in the world, however if you want to win with him on your team you need another player at the helm.
What are you tryna prove with those stats? Kobe's been the floor leader, focused on running the sets for other players and expending his energies on defense. He's been clearly the best player on the court in this tournement, head-and-shoulders above the rest, so what's your point, hater?
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Let's not pretend all of those 11 other niggas have great players and relevant teams to play with at home. In fact, most of them don't.
The difference is, they aren't nearly as hungry as Kobe and don't have as much of a will to win, or a force that drives them as fierce competitors. That's one of the main things that seperates them.
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No more Pilates in his hotel room with the Nets point guard.
“I wore out his ass,” Kobe bragged.
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What. The. Fuck.
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Let's not pretend all of those 11 other niggas have great players and relevant teams to play with at home. In fact, most of them don't.
Lebron - made it to the finals
Billups & Prince - made it to the ECF
D. Williams - made it to the WCF
Kidd & Stoudemire- atleast made it to the semis in their conferences
^ I'd say those guys are fine with their teams. If not let's see how well they do on the Lakers without Kobe. Even Melo has a pretty nice team, they just had the hardest possible first round math up.
Now you have an argument for Redd, Howard, Chandler, and Miller. But NONE of those guys stand a chance of being on Kobe's level. Kobe is trying to add to his already impressive resume to leave behind a great legacy when he retires in 6-8 years.
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^^I think Kobe will play longer than another 6-8 years lol
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lol, the lesson he hopefully learned is obvious if he wasnts to win again...
ppg
21.2- Carmelo Anthony
18.1- Lebron James
15.3- Kobe Bryant
rpg
5.2-Carmelo Anthony
3.6- Lebron James
2.0- Kobe Bryant
FG%
76.0%- Lebron James
61.3%- Carmelo Anthony
54.8%- Kobe Bryant
Apg
4.7- Lebron James
2.9- Kobe Braynt
1.4- Carmelo Anthony
spg
1.6- Kobe Bryant
1.5- Lebron James
.67-Carmelo Anthony
he's probably the best player in the world, however if you want to win with him on your team you need another player at the helm.
What are you tryna prove with those stats? Kobe's been the floor leader, focused on running the sets for other players and expending his energies on defense. He's been clearly the best player on the court in this tournement, head-and-shoulders above the rest, so what's your point, hater?
how has he been the best? yeah he's been a vital addition to the team, and with him on it i believe it's the boost it'll take to get a gold medal in the olympics, but do you watch the games ,lol.
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lol, the lesson he hopefully learned is obvious if he wasnts to win again...
ppg
21.2- Carmelo Anthony
18.1- Lebron James
15.3- Kobe Bryant
rpg
5.2-Carmelo Anthony
3.6- Lebron James
2.0- Kobe Bryant
FG%
76.0%- Lebron James
61.3%- Carmelo Anthony
54.8%- Kobe Bryant
Apg
4.7- Lebron James
2.9- Kobe Braynt
1.4- Carmelo Anthony
spg
1.6- Kobe Bryant
1.5- Lebron James
.67-Carmelo Anthony
he's probably the best player in the world, however if you want to win with him on your team you need another player at the helm.
What are you tryna prove with those stats? Kobe's been the floor leader, focused on running the sets for other players and expending his energies on defense. He's been clearly the best player on the court in this tournement, head-and-shoulders above the rest, so what's your point, hater?
how has he been the best? yeah he's been a vital addition to the team, and with him on it i believe it's the boost it'll take to get a gold medal in the olympics, but do you watch the games ,lol.
Well those stats are remarkably similar to how Jordan was with the 1992 team, where Barkley was the scoring leader over Jordan and Bird.
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i think homie has matured and he's not getting the credit for it...I have never been a Kobe fan,To be honest i hated this cat since day one for the way i felt he disrespected the game/league when he was drafted. I feel you shouldnt be able to pick and choose who you play for on draft day. I also watched an interview with him early in his career where he came off like an asshole. Claiming he didnt want to associate with his team mates cause it wasnt a requirement and this and that. However,with that shit said I feel like Kobe has matured and grown since then. Im only judging by what i see/read but its what i see.
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lol, the lesson he hopefully learned is obvious if he wasnts to win again...
ppg
21.2- Carmelo Anthony
18.1- Lebron James
15.3- Kobe Bryant
rpg
5.2-Carmelo Anthony
3.6- Lebron James
2.0- Kobe Bryant
FG%
76.0%- Lebron James
61.3%- Carmelo Anthony
54.8%- Kobe Bryant
Apg
4.7- Lebron James
2.9- Kobe Braynt
1.4- Carmelo Anthony
spg
1.6- Kobe Bryant
1.5- Lebron James
.67-Carmelo Anthony
he's probably the best player in the world, however if you want to win with him on your team you need another player at the helm.
What are you tryna prove with those stats? Kobe's been the floor leader, focused on running the sets for other players and expending his energies on defense. He's been clearly the best player on the court in this tournement, head-and-shoulders above the rest, so what's your point, hater?
how has he been the best? yeah he's been a vital addition to the team, and with him on it i believe it's the boost it'll take to get a gold medal in the olympics, but do you watch the games ,lol.
Well those stats are remarkably similar to how Jordan was with the 1992 team, where Barkley was the scoring leader over Jordan and Bird.
BING-O, that's what i'm saying, i'm hoping kobe learned that he doesn't need to be #1 (ala jordan barcelona) to be apart of a successful team.
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also that was barkley in his absolute prime . true story.
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Kobe is still the man and hands down the best overall player in the league
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No more Pilates in his hotel room with the Nets point guard.
“I wore out his ass,” Kobe bragged.
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What. The. Fuck.
Don't get too excited. He didn't mean it in the way you'd like him to, bro.
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^^I think Kobe will play longer than another 6-8 years lol
I agree...No way Kobe retires when he's 35 with that work-ethic/drive....PeACe
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but do you watch the games ,lol.
LMAO...You asked how he's been the best, then you asked someone if they've watched the games? AHAHAH. It's pretty obvious here who's been watching and who's been reading the stats. Kobe's been HEAD-AND-SHOULDERS above everyone else in the FIBA tourny...PeACe
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i think homie has matured and he's not getting the credit for it...I have never been a Kobe fan,To be honest i hated this cat since day one for the way i felt he disrespected the game/league when he was drafted. I feel you shouldnt be able to pick and choose who you play for on draft day. see/read but its what i see.
Huh? Kobe made it clear to Jerry West that he would only skip Duke if he could play for the Lakers. Charlotte drafted him knowing that so that they could trade him for Divac. It's not like he deceived anyone...And I'd like to see that interview you're talking about as well...Sounds fishy...PeACe
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And I'd like to see that interview you're talking about as well...Sounds fishy...PeACe
Im pretty sure it was right before or just as Shaq became a Laker...He was asked why he didnt socialize with the team outside of the game and shit. He said something to the effect that it wasnt necessary to be loved by his team mates just as long as they win. Anyway he came off as a douchebag and thats one of the reasons i didnt like dude. Also i still think its bullshit for anyone to dictate to the league where and when he's going to play,whatever the reason. Like I said though, I believe Kobe has grown alot and even though he is a laker i am becoming a fan of his... even if he hasnt grown or matured i would still have respect for the guy as a player and believe he's getting some undeserved hate.
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but do you watch the games ,lol.
LMAO...You asked how he's been the best, then you asked someone if they've watched the games? AHAHAH. It's pretty obvious here who's been watching and who's been reading the stats. Kobe's been HEAD-AND-SHOULDERS above everyone else in the FIBA tourny...PeACe
lol
in the FIBA tourny
Carmelo>Kobe
Lebron> Kobe
true story.
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but do you watch the games ,lol.
LMAO...You asked how he's been the best, then you asked someone if they've watched the games? AHAHAH. It's pretty obvious here who's been watching and who's been reading the stats. Kobe's been HEAD-AND-SHOULDERS above everyone else in the FIBA tourny...PeACe
lol
in the FIBA tourny
Carmelo>Kobe
Lebron> Kobe
true story.
AHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHA
You realize that even the nutriding MEDIA hasn't been down to make these claims, correct? Kobe owns both ends of the court, you Godamn non-basketball head.
AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAAHA
Good thing I was there in person to experience Kobe control tempo on both ends and LeBron's mostly-good-for-fast-break-dunks ass fucking plays up.
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And I'd like to see that interview you're talking about as well...Sounds fishy...PeACe
Im pretty sure it was right before or just as Shaq became a Laker...He was asked why he didnt socialize with the team outside of the game and shit. He said something to the effect that it wasnt necessary to be loved by his team mates just as long as they win. Anyway he came off as a douchebag and thats one of the reasons i didnt like dude. Also i still think its bullshit for anyone to dictate to the league where and when he's going to play,whatever the reason. Like I said though, I believe Kobe has grown alot and even though he is a laker i am becoming a fan of his... even if he hasnt grown or matured i would still have respect for the guy as a player and believe he's getting some undeserved hate.
Sounds like the Jordan mind-state to me...Kobe has always seemed less social, but it looks like he's been workin on it. He didn't really dictate anything when he came in the league though, he said what he said, and the NBA chose to comply. If Charlotte wouldn't have drafted him, he just woulda went to college...It's not like he pulled a Steve Francis or anything like that LOL.
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everything i've seeen in the media has been "kobe bryant is such a crucial addition to team usa" and various comments about his defense. however , and if you look in yesturdays newspaper it says "lebron lead team usa to the gold" and if you look at other newspaper headlines you see " Carmelo and company crushes the competition"
so in the end YES kobe bryant is being talked about positively (for once) in the media. however on the same level (and more) so are lebron and melo.
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everything i've seeen in the media has been "kobe bryant is such a crucial addition to team usa" and various comments about his defense. however , and if you look in yesturdays newspaper it says "lebron lead team usa to the gold" and if you look at other newspaper headlines you see " Carmelo and company crushes the competition"
so in the end YES kobe bryant is being talked about positively (for once) in the media. however on the same level (and more) so are lebron and melo.
I want to see ONE claim, for ANY media outlet that says Carmelo or LeBron have been the best out there or the main leader...PLEASE show me, PLEASE...ONE.
Seriously, the act is becoming lame, Jake...Everyone knows Kobe controls tempo on BOTH ends. EVERYONE. It's not even up for debate.
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Please stop Jake. Its obvious to anyone that watches basketball that Kobe is by far the best w/out a close second.
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everything i've seeen in the media has been "kobe bryant is such a crucial addition to team usa" and various comments about his defense. however , and if you look in yesturdays newspaper it says "lebron lead team usa to the gold" and if you look at other newspaper headlines you see " Carmelo and company crushes the competition"
so in the end YES kobe bryant is being talked about positively (for once) in the media. however on the same level (and more) so are lebron and melo.
Yes but even when the media says something positive about Kobe, they still have to grind their teeth and throw a grain of salt in it. Had Kobe gone out there and scored 40 or 50 points a night and led Team USA to the Gold Medal they would've said he played selfishly. But he went out there brought a winners attitude, a killer instinct, a swagger, leadership, and intensity and led the team so now they want to give the credit to the big scorers. Once again placing Kobe in a lose-lose situation.
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STILL, every media report is either claiming various captains AND/OR that Kobe is the main man...Nowhere has someone said Melo or LeBron is running the show for the team. Jake just pulls this shit out his ass for argument sake, cuz he doesn't like Kobe...PeACe
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http://team-usa-news.newslib.com/2006083123/ (http://team-usa-news.newslib.com/2006083123/)
http://english.pravda.ru/sports/championships/03-09-2007/96630-LeBron_james-0 (http://english.pravda.ru/sports/championships/03-09-2007/96630-LeBron_james-0)
http://www.hoopsvibe.com/nba-blog/fiba-carmelo-anthony-leads-team-usa-to-win-over-surprising-mexicans-ar45477.html (http://www.hoopsvibe.com/nba-blog/fiba-carmelo-anthony-leads-team-usa-to-win-over-surprising-mexicans-ar45477.html)
http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,695206807,00.html (http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,695206807,00.html)
http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/olybb/news/story?id=2997198 (http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/olybb/news/story?id=2997198)
http://www.rotoworld.com/content/Headlines.aspx?sport=NBA&hl=84006 (http://www.rotoworld.com/content/Headlines.aspx?sport=NBA&hl=84006)
http://universalsports.nbcsports.com/articles/show/15586 (http://universalsports.nbcsports.com/articles/show/15586)
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^^Not one of those articles claimed LeBron or Carmelo to be the leader of the squad, but rather that they led the team to a victory with most points. Every article that talks about captains/leaders mentions either Kobe as the top dog, or Kobe, Melo, Kidd etc. as all co-captains. NOBODY out there is debating this...Help yourself...PeACe
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that's the point! there is no SOLE CAPTAIN....god.
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When they gave Team USA the trophy they presented it to "team captain Jason Kidd". I thought they were co-captains but if it is just Kidd - no complaints from me. As long as theres a real leader (not Lebron or Melo or Wade).
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You guys are embarassing. C'mon. Who gives a flying fuck who was the team captain of Team USA?
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that's the point! there is no SOLE CAPTAIN....god.
There is no sole captain, but Kobe is the floor leader, genius...Come on, now. Take it from somebody who was at the games, there is no way you can say Kobe wasn't the top dog running the sets out there.
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kidd or billips were the ones usually pushing the ball, and if their was a third person it was lebron. lol. melo and redd for the first half of the tourny were the go to guys on the scoring end, and lebron and kobe were usually finding their own shots.
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Kobe
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The rest.
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http://www.youtube.com/v/v5ASgllxrws&autoplay=0
kobe is a great player. no one said he wasn't .
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Don I see what this is. You obviously feel threatened!
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huh?
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Don't play dumb. You're threatened by NIK's burning love for me. Just admit it!
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Wow...BabyG is gayer than I could've imagined.
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Don't play dumb. You're threatened by NIK's burning love for me. Just admit it!
lol yes that is it.
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Wow...BabyG is gayer than I could've imagined.
I don't even wanna imagine what you've imagined.
Who the fuck posted that music?!
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Blah blah blah...when will people stop the crying and bitching when it comes to Kobe? whether he plays team ball or plays as a leader, people will hate him regardless...especially the media...and Kobe don't like most of his teammates cuz they don't got what it takes to win...which is why the Lakers will never win a championship anytime soon...unless that dumbfuck mitch actually makes a good trade to get some better talent...