Bank Robber said:
i believe you
but i still think kobes a scumbag, k?
fine..but going back to topic of thread...read this:
"December 30, 2005 -- FAR be it from me to suggest that Kobe Bryant is playing by his own set of laws, but Sam Smith is writing a sequel to "The Jordan Rules."
Kobe's doing it all these days, including wearing leotards as part of the civil settlement with his Colorado consensual partner, or so column contributor John Milich would have us believe.
There are the malevolent elbows of late to the heads, necks and chests of Dirk Nowitzki, Dwyane Wade, Caron Butler and Mike Miller, a message he's sending to anyone "who thinks they can come down the lane and look pretty and shoot jump shots, and dunk the ball, and finger-roll, and do all sort of that cute stuff."
There are the two air punches directed at Josh Howard, an automatic suspension the league has neglected to levy.
There is the foul mouthing of referees during and after games (Wednesday's loss to Memphis, for instance, when Kobe felt Dontae Jones fouled him on LA's next to last shot and could easily have been whistled for a charge, too).
There is the verbal abuse he heaps of teammates for not giving him the ball, making open shots off his feeds and generally being mere mortals. People sitting near L.A.'s bench for the Rockets and Wizards games were flabbergasted at the things he screamed at inferiors. Hopefully his ceaseless disrespectful commotion doesn't disturb Phil Jackson's meditation.
There is the smashing of lights and damaging of a TV monitor belonging to the Lakers' flagship station in front of the visitors locker room after Monday's setback in D.C. — and a near brawl with Lamar Odom that sent the above equipment flying.
A source revealed (and another confirmed) things got mighty testy between Kobe and Odom moments after Bryant committed a critical turnover with about five seconds remaining on the game clock. Immediately, Kobe pinned the blame on Lamar for supposedly botching a pick-and-roll designed to stalemate the game with a 3-pointer.
As the pair got closer to the Lakers' dressing room, Kobe became more uncouth and Odom, who squared off with the Heat's Gary Payton after Miami's Christmas Day win, answered in kind. That's when Kobe went after Odom. In doing so, he kicked over the lights and a chair holding the TV monitor. Kobe's security force of two quickly intervened and separated the pair.
In the locker room they again exchanged heated words and challenges. The tension was so intense one of the security guys accompanied Odom to the back of the charter bus and sat nearby on the trip to the airport while the other sat in the front with Kobe, the last member of the Lakers to board.
It's not as if security was unaware of what could happen. Several years ago, Bryant didn't like something Samaki Walker said after a game while they were on the bus and sucker-punched him from behind.
What's next for Kobe? Boosting a Sharpie from Terrell Owens and writing Ron Artest's number on his footwear?
Peter Vecsey"