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Kobe Bryant gets really mean with his Lakers ‘teammates’
The 2006-07 Los Angeles Lakers drove Kobe Bryant absolutely mad. He’s called Smush Parker “the worst” and bemoaned the attitude of Kwame Brown, two teammates on that squad who started for at least portions of the season. The maniacally competitive Kobe just didn’t take to having bad teammates.
And that team had a winning record!
Obviously, this year’s 22-24 outfit doesn’t suit him any better.
Nick Young on the trash talk he hears from Kobe: "I don't talk to players on teams that are 20 games under .500"—
Dave McMenamin (@mcten) March 17, 2014
This strikes me as a kidding-but-definitely-not-kidding situation, Kobe’s way of expressing his sincere dissatisfaction in a way that comes across as playful.
But ask Parker and Brown whether Kobe is ever truly kidding. They weren’t long for the Lakers once it became clear Kobe wanted them gone.
Nick Young and the Lakers actually contributing this season might meet similar fates. Kobe has already reportedly stated his preference for Los Angeles to fire Mike D’Antoni. There’s no reason to believe he’ll be any more forgiving of these infuriating players, either. Kobe has played just six games this season, and considering how many new acquisitions the Lakers added since last year, he’s really had no chance to build loyalty to many of them.
The Lakers are 22 games under .500. They probably won’t beat the Spurs on Wednesday, but their following four games – vs. Wizards, vs. Magic, vs. Knicks, at Bucks – are all winnable. Sweep those four, and the Lakers would be 19 games under .500. That’s still a longshot, but it’s possible.
Just in case, Young better prepare what conversations he wants to have with Kobe at that point. The schedule toughens again, and the Lakers could easily slip further below that 20-game mark. Waiting for next season might be a luxury Young doesn’t have.
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