Those who have been following this blog know that I am an unabashed Kobe fan and was rooting for his aquittal. Well, I got my wish. The case didn’t even go to trial. My blogads better increase because Laker tickets just got harder and more expensive to get than they already were — and that was bad enough!
Of course, the accuser did succeed in one thing. She probably cost the US the gold in basketball at the Olympics. Our best player wasn’t there.
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And here I was about to write you to let you know.
I guess you’re not completely insulated out there.
I don’t think it was the lack of Kobe that led the US Olympic Basketball team to fall apart. I think they just didn’t really care if they won until after they lost a game, and by then it was too late.
Roger come on Roger.
Ok, so Kobe’s case was dropped, you’re happy and you think the Lakers may still be good without Phil and Shaq…. ok fair enough…..
but then you throw in -
You sound like the over the top lunatics at the DU….
We lost the gold medal because we deserved to.
They didn’t play hard, they don’t know how to play team basketball, we lack for the most part all team fundamentals, and wey’re cocky and arrogant.
The Europeans have been on our ass for years now.
When John Thompson says that there’s going to be a wave of Europeans in the NBA over the next 10 years and that they’re hungry for basketball the way we were 30 years ago… then you know something’s up!
He also said top European teams don’t want American players unless they’re the creme of the creme.. if they were ok NBA players and think they’re gonna go to Europe and nail down a huge contract, those days are over…
Thompson told a story where a highly touted American tried out for the #1 team in Europe and the coach asked him to demonstrate how he gets open away from the ball. So he simply took his left arm pushed the defensive player in the chest and popped out for the ball….
Any ball player I’ve told that story to laughs out loud.
http://www.hbo.com/realsports/
Mike
There are radio reports that the two sides are very near (if not already at) the same sort of settlement as the one that finally brought the Clinton-Jones fiasco to an end (i.e., she will receive financial compensation and an apology for any misunderstanding there may have been with regard to what happened in the room.) The lawyers in private practice will have done well. Everyone else will have had their reputation damaged to one degree or another. Maybe a couple of public officials will lose their jobs.
…and so it goes.
Goof, they’re reporting it as being a done deal out here.
Roger:
Kobe’s inability to keep it in his pants was not the only reason we lost the gold. The guys would rather make money here than earn gold there.
The women are the real dream team.
Give the Olympics back to the college kids. I’m not interested in watching thug-life-livin’ playaz slum through the tournament. They’d obviously rather be home hitting the clubs, with their bitches, blow, and benjamins. So let ‘em, is what I say. Save the Olympics for athletes with some Olympic spirit.
Charlie
They might be doing the same here by now, but I’ve been watching movies for the past 3 or 4 hours.
Roger
I see a lot of positives in what happened to the Olympic team. The team showed character in the Bronze Medal game; the team found a champion in as unlikely a player as it is possible to imagine; and, in four years, I’m betting the powers-that-be will put together the national team to compete in the international version of the game and Allen Iverson, at least, will have a Gold to go along with his Bronze.
This case has always been about money. Not guilt or innocence, money and how much the accused stands to gain.
The biggest looser of the case is the State of Colorado, who spend $2.5 million in assisting a shakedown. Kobe’s reputation is forever sullied, and he’s out a good chunk of change (Pamela Mackey is one of the best legal representation money can afford, and you can bet that this case enhances her legal reputation a great deal). And then there is still the next order of business, the settlement to skip the civil trial (Kobe doesn’t need to go through another 2 years of legal hell).
With all due respect to Kobe’s abilities, if the US really wanted to win the gold, the thing to do was send the Pistons and not just Larry Brown (speaking here from Ypsilanti, MI).
Goof®
How do you get your name to show up like that?
Is there a way to enlarge or minimize type as well? I only know the bold, italic and blockquote?
I see a lot of positives in what happened to the Olympic team. The team showed character in the Bronze Medal game;
That is true, I thought they’d cash it in for that game. I missed it but people tell me its the only game they actually played well together and with some heart.
the team found a champion in as unlikely a player as it is possible to imagine;
Who is that?
and, in four years, I’m betting the powers-that-be will put together the national team to compete in the international version of the game and Allen Iverson, at least, will have a Gold to go along with his Bronze.
the ‘unlikely champion’ is Ivserson?
4 years from now Allen Iverson will be about 33 years old. If he’s still healthy enough to play he’ll likely have lost a little hop and a little explosiveness.
And the idea of winning the gold in 4 years in order to get ‘Allen a gold’ doesn’t make me fuzzy inside…. (watching Rudy does)
As commenters said above…. the NBA is about a highlight reel, Reebok and Nike, Dunks, individualness…..
The 80′s NCAA basketball and early 90′s in 20 years will go down as the Golden Era of College Basketball and basketball altogether.
If you want to watch exciting team ball you may have to get a satellite and watch the Euros soon…. or just February and March in the NCAA..
Mike
Just one or two quick comments:
Kobe cheated on his wife, at the very least. Doesn’t that mean anything anymore? Roger, you are an unabashed fan of someone who routinely violates his most solemn oath. Congrats. Yay, Laker basketball.
Mike_Nargizian
The name is a TypeKey bastardization. You can see what it should look like if you preview in a thread in which I’m commenting. Not that it matters. I don’t try to do anything except italics and boldface so I have no idea what would and would not work here. A good place to find out what might be possible…
http://www.transaction.net/web/tutor/cmdtable.html
As to Allen Iverson there is this…
http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/summer04/basketball/columns/story?id=1870490
Yes to college hoops and no to the NBA (unless the Lakers win.)
Hey, c’mon, if an Episcopalian bishop can abandon his wife and daughters for his gay lover (not to mention a NJ governor), what’s so bad about cheating on your wife?
Besides, the beeatch cost us the gold medal and started the California wildfires and brought on the Florida hurricanes and the latest el niÒo cycle…
Lakers v Rape Shield Laws… Yeah, Lakers win, but I don’t like what that says about us.
Jeez, Richard, if adultery were as serious as what Kobe was accussed of, half the US would be in prison and the rest of us would be wearing gray uniforms.
Goof®
Try typing it like this:Goof®
Charlie (Colorado) ó Your service with the Confederacy has nothing to do with this.*g* Let’s face it, Bryant put himself in a position where he was vulnerable here through his own self-indulgent actions, and he was lucky to get out of it. If Kobe gave a rodent’s about the Olympics, his team or his own wife, all he had to do was keep it zipped.
BTW, science has proven his accuser is causing the Greenland ice cap to melt, increasing global warming…
“Of course, the accuser did succeed in one thing. She probably cost the US the gold in basketball at the Olympics.”
Given the number of NBA stars who refused to be part of the time, why are you so sure that Kobe would have agreed?
Hopefully, as part of the settlement, the accuser will NOT be allowed to profit from selling her story for book publication, movies, etc.
Roger: like many other guests, I don’t agree with your statement that she cost us the Gold Medal. Until the NBA starts playing basketball the way it should be played, not like some damn street brawl, then we shouldn’t bitch, whine and moan when we don’t win at the Olympics.
Ocean Guy thanks for putting some context into Roger’s comment.
It is true many NBA players didn’t go to the Olympics due to terrorist concerns, Jason Kidd. Though I suspect many were just apathetic about them regardless and wanted to spend time with their family and relax….
However, I’m GLAD we lost.
We DESERVED to lose.
And if a mixed ensemble of the best 20 players in the NBA can’t win at the Olympics, NO EXCUSES.
Sure if Shaq, Duncan, Garnett, Tracy McGrady, Jason Kidd and Kobe Bryant were the starting 5 its likely we wouldn’t lose. But if that’s the status of American basketball, that only are 5 best players insure us of gold medals? than that’s pretty pathetic.
Mike