Kobe wants Jerry West to return as Lakers GM or he wants out of L.A.

[zagoshe]

Does Kobe, like Michael Jordan with Ahmad Rashad, have a few "trusted" media guys that serve basically as his PR people? Jim Gray seems to be one. Screamin' A. seems to be one and Bucher seems to be one. Am I off base with this?

 

[SoCalDude]

Dr. Jerry Buss has a Phd in Chemistry, nothing dental according to a bio I found.

Buss earned his Ph.D in chemistry at USC. He never did anything with his degree. He and guy named Frank Mariani bought an apartment building in West Los Angeles and started making money that way. They just kept expanding their real estate holdings until they both wound up in the chips. Most of the rich dudes (pre-dot.com) did it real estates. Clippers owner Donald Sterling owns half of Beverly Hills.
A close colleague of mine, regarded as a Lakers expert, told me a year or so ago that Buss has gone from the best owner in the NBA to the worst. That was the fallout from dumping Shaq. It was basically a money decision. In terms of NBA cash, Buss now is a pauper compared with most of the other owners. And if son Jim Buss starts calling the shots, the Lakers are doomed. He's just a spoiled rich kid who has never succeeded in anything.

 

[Claws for Concern]

Kobe to the Clippers. See how the fans treat him -- or how many Lakers fans become Clipper fans overnight.

 

[Oz]

Kobe to the Clippers. See how the fans treat him -- or how many Lakers fans become Clipper fans overnight.

Like the Lakers would ever trade him to the other team in town.

 

[Chuck~Taylor]

Apparently Kobe wants out because Buss lied to him. He called up Phil yesterday and asked him what Buss told him in 2004 and he said that Buss wanted to rebuild. Kobe got pissed because Buss told him he wanted to win immediately. Kobe would've never stayed if he knew that.
In other news, Shaq came out and agreed with Kobe 100% on the fact that Buss was the one who kicked him out of town.

 

[Oz]

Apparently Kobe wants out because Buss lied to him. He called up Phil yesterday and asked him what Buss told him in 2004 and he said that Buss wanted to rebuild. Kobe got pissed because Buss told him he wanted to win immediately. Kobe would've never stayed if he knew that.

In other news, Shaq came out and agreed with Kobe 100% on the fact that Buss was the one who kicked him out of town.

Kobe should have seen through the lie/been pissed the moment they traded Shaq away.

 

[HejiraHenry]

I am confused:

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kobe Bryant asked to be traded from the Lakers on Wednesday, a day after calling the team's front office “a mess.” He said there was nothing the Lakers could do to change his mind.
“I would like to be traded, yeah,” Bryant told ESPN radio. “Tough as it is to come to that conclusion there's no other alternative. It's rough man, but I don't see how you can rebuild that trust. I just don't know how you can move forward in that type of situation.”
Bryant, who helped the Lakers win three consecutive NBA championships, has four years left on the seven-year, $136.4 million contract he signed July 15, 2004. That was a day after Shaquille O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat.
Bryant became infuriated Tuesday when a Los Angeles Times columnist quoted what he called a Lakers insider as saying it was Bryant's insistence on getting away from O'Neal that prompted the trade to Miami.
Bryant, the NBA's leading scorer the past two seasons, said he spoke with Phil Jackson on Tuesday, and the coach told him he was being let go because the Lakers were committed to reducing payroll and rebuilding long term.

Who is the he in that sentence? Bryant? Jackson? WTF?

 

[zagoshe]

I find it amazing that in the midst of the conference finals, the front page of ESPN.com is centered around Kobe Bryant. That's disgusting

 

[IU90]

In other news, Shaq came out and agreed with Kobe 100% on the fact that Buss was the one who kicked him out of town.

You have a link that substantiates this?

 

[Left_Coast]

I am confused:

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kobe Bryant asked to be traded from the Lakers on Wednesday, a day after calling the team's front office “a mess.” He said there was nothing the Lakers could do to change his mind.
“I would like to be traded, yeah,” Bryant told ESPN radio. “Tough as it is to come to that conclusion there's no other alternative. It's rough man, but I don't see how you can rebuild that trust. I just don't know how you can move forward in that type of situation.”
Bryant, who helped the Lakers win three consecutive NBA championships, has four years left on the seven-year, $136.4 million contract he signed July 15, 2004. That was a day after Shaquille O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat.
Bryant became infuriated Tuesday when a Los Angeles Times columnist quoted what he called a Lakers insider as saying it was Bryant's insistence on getting away from O'Neal that prompted the trade to Miami.
Bryant, the NBA's leading scorer the past two seasons, said he spoke with Phil Jackson on Tuesday, and the coach told him he was being let go because the Lakers were committed to reducing payroll and rebuilding long term.

Who is the he in that sentence? Bryant? Jackson? WTF?

The he is Phil.

 

[Oz]

In other news, Shaq came out and agreed with Kobe 100% on the fact that Buss was the one who kicked him out of town.

You have a link that substantiates this?

ESPN News had a blurb about this during its Kobe coverage today, with Shaq's comments.

 

[Left_Coast]

This is a complete clusterfork.

The Dr. made the decision not to extend Shaq because he knew at the time there was no way he was going to be able to keep both Shaq and Kobe. At the time, they HATED each other. Especially after Kobe dropped Shaq's name while being questioned in Colorado. The Dr. saw the relationship was not going to be repaired, and it all came crumbling down in the 2004 Finals embarrassment. So he kept Kobe because he was younger and not as worn down as Shaq.

Still, it's taken three years for Kobe to see this has been a rebuilding process? And it has been since Riley came out and had dinner with the Dr. and left with Shaq?