Citing health concerns, Rudy Tomjanovich, one of the nice guys as the cliché goes, bowed out today as the Lakers’ coach in an emotional press conference. He didn’t need the stress. Few of us do.
PJ Media appreciates your comments that abide by the following guidelines:
1. Avoid profanities or foul language unless it is contained in a necessary quote or is relevant to the comment.
2. Stay on topic.
3. Disagree, but avoid ad hominem attacks.
4. Threats are treated seriously and reported to law enforcement.
5. Spam and advertising are not permitted in the comments area.
These guidelines are very general and cannot cover every possible situation. Please don't assume that PJ Media management agrees with or otherwise endorses any particular comment. We reserve the right to filter or delete comments or to deny posting privileges entirely at our discretion. Please note that comments are reviewed by the editorial staff and may not be posted immediately. If you feel your comment was filtered inappropriately, please email us at story@pjmedia.com.
5, 10 years down the road expect something with a title much like, “Brat Attack: How Kobe Bryant Destroyed the LA Lakers”.
Kobe Bryant has turned into a monster. I donít believe for a minute that Rudy Tomjanovich is leaving because of health reasons. A NBA coach today is at the mercy of their superstars. They receive virtually no support from the teamís owners. Kobe probably turned Rudyís life into a living nightmare.
Kobe Bryant is an egotistical jerk. He feels threatened by anyone who might upstage him on the basketball court. Thus, other quality players will refuse to sign with the Lakers. Who needs the grief? Just ask Karl Malone. No coach dares lay down the law to Kobe. This guarantees that the Lakers will be nothing more than a team able to stay a few games above the .500 mark. They may very well earn a spot in the playoffs—but will be eliminated in the first round. Such a team has the odds against it on draft day. The better prospects usually go to organizations with worse records. The Los Angeles Lakers are doomed to be a so-so mediocre team.
At his press conference, which I watched on KCAL, Tomnjanovich went on and on praising Kobe, saying he had been more devoted than any player he had ever couched. Believe what you want, but Rudy sounded sincere to me.
Roger:
I was always a big Shaq fan but I do not think this one can be laid at Kobe’s feet. The stress of coaching the Lakers would strain the nerves of a healthy man, let alone someone who has recently recovered from a serious health crisis. Rudy is a class act and I hope he enjoys his retirement. As far as the team goes we diehards will just have to suffer thru the rebuilding process. It can’t be as bad as what the Knick fans have gone through. I hope!
On a personal, somewhat selfish note, at least this solves a problem for me.
I’ve been a Rudy Tomjanovich fan since he was playing in Houston in the early 80′s.
And i’ve always considered Kobe Bryant a spoiled brat.
The dissonance was frying my brain.;)
Kobe responded to speculation about Phil Jackson’s return by saying, “That would be great. Those guys need a good coach.” He then declined to answer further questions, saying he was late for his flight to go clubbing in Colorado with TO and Randy Moss…
Phil Jackson has mentioned the awkward situation he had concerning keeping Kobe Bryant in line. His superstar may not have openly defied him—but Kobe took liberties which compelled Jackson to ever so gently bring the young superstar down to earth. Kobe is apparently the type of player who is subtle when testing a coachís limits. He gently slips the knife into his bossís back.
I live in Houston and well remember the two back to back championships. Rudy Tomjanovich was indeed the team leader. The great Hakeem Olajuwon never gave his coach any grief. Moreover, he was the teamís captain and kept the other players under control. This set of circumstances was not going to be the case in Los Angeles.
Kobe Bryant requires the following:
*HE alone must run the team; note how Bryant was included in a meeting with Kupchack and Buss about the team’s future post-Rudy.
*Kobe MUST have close to 40 points a game.
*Kobe MUST be the sole superstar on the team, this includes players and coaches.
Bryant would be happy putting up 40-50 points a game, and not winning, versus passing the ball sometimes and winning.
Richard McEnroe -
Did Kobe really say that or your just ‘jesting’?
David Thomson
Rudy T and Hakeem were a perfect match. Hakeem is a team guy all the way and an ameliorable (is that a word?) personality. That was an overall workmanlike team as well. However, the championship against the Knicks may have been the ugliest series going, and I’m a huge Knick fan. Though the Houston team the following year may have been a better team with Clide.
Jordan never won and was forced to change. However, I don’t know if Jordan was hated the way Kobe was initially or after the fact and the #1 thing with Mike was winning. Kobe wants to win but he’s already won a) and b) he’s more of a punk than Mike was. Remember Mike went to UNC and played FOR UNC was Tar Heel through and through and in college especially UNC its team and school before anyone, no names on the jerseys… many people think Jordan’s game was held down in fact by Dean…. either way Kobe was making millions at age 18/19 and he’s a whole different situation.
Roger and Samuel Jackson will support him but I don’t know if there’s a real player or any real fans outside of the LA fanatics who worship him, that like or respect him or his arrogant “I’m a good guy” bullshit act.
I think he’s the kind of guy the more you know the more you dislike him.
Mike
My sister and I actually started yelling at one another when Kobe came up during the holidays. It was the first family argument in at least a decade during which voices were raised.
Her point was that everything can’t be Kobe’s fault. Mine was that everyone who comes into contact with the man and his wife seems to end up on the outs with them. That says something about them. A credibility contest between the Bryants and the Malones is, in my view, no contest at all.
All that having been said, Rudy looked really, really bad during the last game he coached and I’m confident, based on his past, that he made his decision for the reasons stated. In other words, this isn’t Kobe’s fault.
Kobe wants to be Michael. I remember a New Yorker article after the Bulls won title number six. My recollection is that the article concluded on the playground with the kids pretending to be NBA players. No one was pretending to be Michael.
Except for the huge check, coaching in the NBA is a really sucky job. In order to win consistantly you need the superstars, and that’s the problem. Detroit won with a team, God bless’em.