Smush's Post Game Interview Comments...TRouble Brewing?

Muggle wrote:

furious wrote:All pro players have big egos. Smush probably saw Lindsey Soto approaching and assumed she wanted to talk to him about the role he played in the win. He knew it couldn't have anything to do with offense so he stressed the great "team defense", which was actually sparked by Devean George. It must grate on any player's nerve to be asked for an interview and have them only ask about your teammate.

Yeah, I picked up on this too. I thought the interview was a little strange, but I think it was all about the way Lindsey Soto set up the entire interview. Not saying she needs to coddle anyone, or that Smush should feel hurt that it wasn't about him, but I got the very distinct impression that Lindsey was just looking for any Lakers player to interview about Kobe after the game, and happened to pull Smush.

She even made a little joke about Smush being the second highest scoring Laker that night with "Only 13...a bit less than Kobe", and I just got the impression that Smush didnt warm up to the way Soto set the table for the impromptu interview. And she rattled off some pretty obvious questions like "What was it like watching him out there", and "Do you think this is the greatest achievement ever?" etc. etc etc. that seemed to me would deem some boarderline sarcastic comments. I mean, what do you think it was like watching Kobe out there?

That, and I also agree that for these Lakers players to be around Kobe, after the 62 point game, what outsiders perceive as an incredible athlete simply blowing up, couldn't be a great surprise to them.

I highly HIGHLY doubt any animosity, jealousy, or ill-feelings are brewing from Smush or any other member of this team.

This was my interpretation. She asked the obvious question, he didn't want to give the obvious answer(he was unbelievable, blah, blah), and went for the next politically correct answer.

GuRu wrote:IMO, Smush shouldnt even be giving interviews.

He should go straight from the court to the practice facility, then right to the film room, then right to the gym.

He made Mike James look like James Worthy tonight. This pattern is getting troubling. I cant beleive he had the balls to even mention the word defense in his post game interview. Im surprised he didnt sponataneously combust right there on the spot, stricken down by the basketball Gods.

He doesn't need to try anymore, he's got a contract.

I think you guys are looking way too deep into this. The Lakers did play excellent defense in the second half and that had as much to do with the win as Kobe scoring 81.

It's not just this interview.

I've noticed during the games when Kobe gives Smush advice and tries to pump him up, Smush has that 'whatever' look on his face. Doesn't even look back at Kobe. Very unlike Odom/Mihm/rest of the lakers.

8kobe8 wrote:I dont think there was anything to be happy about in yesterday's game.
I hope Phil talks to Kobe this cannot happen everytime.
In the long run, this is not going to help the lakers, because i dont know which free agent will want to come hear, seeing kobe taking shots in the 40's.

are ya serious?

dont look too far into those comments...he was sarcastic from the beginning...this could become a problem if Kobe is scoring 50 and we're losing

I don't think he meant anything bad by it. They did play better defense so Smush was right. I really don't think he meant to bash Kobe or anything. He said he was an amazing talent or whatever after he sat on the Bench.

jsm0331 wrote:

8kobe8 wrote:I dont think there was anything to be happy about in yesterday's game.
I hope Phil talks to Kobe this cannot happen everytime.
In the long run, this is not going to help the lakers, because i dont know which free agent will want to come hear, seeing kobe taking shots in the 40's.

are ya serious?

That's like me saying that the Kwame/Butler trade was a good one. I couldn't because my clublakers name is 1 x Butler x 1. You can't make a statement like that when your name is 8kobe8

TalkieWalkie wrote:I mean..seeing as how the whole media trashes all the Lakers outside of Kobe...its a miracle that there hasn't been any drama outta these guys...most people now believe that Kobe is playing on a WEAK squad...and hes "carrying a team of CBA players on his back".....and I don't think guys like SMush and Odom feel to happy about that statement...
But I don't any of the guys are angry at Kobe...its just the media...fans...and everyone else selling them short and thats whats irking guys like Smush......

I just hope these guys can respond and show that Kobe DOES have the support of a solid team......

The players around him earned that title. They have no one to blame but themselves for their piss-poor play this year.

I think this is way overblown.

Anyone notice how Smush is laid bakc on the court and seems to shun teammates. That's just who he is. Hes' not going to go out there and high five and pump up teamamtes after every timeout that they spark a rally on like Devean George, he's not going to be seen on the bench pointing out plays and leading the team like Bryant. He is who he is, a laid back cat who goes out there and just focuses on getting the job done.

I can not speak for outside the court but on it, he seems more independent but when he plays despite his sometimes mediocre defences he does provide us with spark. He can shoot the ball well, he can finish inside and gets steals. He's not a social person or a motivating teammate on the court but it shoudln't matter. If you want that then ask for a trade, but since day 1 all Smush has been about is no jokes all play.

People always focus on the negatives but u always take what you have for granted. Look at what Smush has accomplished in 1 year.

- NBDL to making it to laker squad
- Shocked a lot of people by being named starter
- Double figures in scoring.

He is young, athletic and has a shot and finish inside. Phil is good with developing young talent and a tall pg who can finish and shoot decently should be key for us.

Kobe was (very) angry at his teammates for botching the game, and for not performing up to his standards. It is easy to see why he felt that way because they sucked last night. But to fully understand the situation, you need to understand that it gave him the pretense to do EXACTLY what he loves to do. Kobe loves to be the spectacular individual talent who is at the center of attention, scores all the points, and gets the glory. If his teammates are sub-par, then it is better for Kobe because it highlights Kobe’s superhuman value. And some nights, like this one, he dominates, wins the game, and captures the love of his fans. There’s nothing new here, except the high number of points that Kobe scored. This game had Kobe’s world view stamped all over it.

But the key point is that last night’s game was a big victory for Kobe Bryant, center of the universe. It was Kobe imposing his will on the opposite team, but more importantly, on his own team.

If you are playing on a team with someone like Kobe, you are acutely aware of how much a player like Kobe undermines your own game. You are aware that Kobe:

--decided, unilaterally, not to trust his inexperienced teammates, who are struggling to gel as a team.
--decided, unilaterally, to dump the triangle offense, which his teammates are struggling to learn.
--decided, unilaterally, to scrap the team concept, which his coach sees as a top priority.
--decided, unilaterally that he, and only he, should score the points—a decision which his coach has publicly criticized frequently in the past.

The Lakers, as a team, need to learn to deal with adversity, as a cohesive team. This is a fundamental premise of Phil Jackson’s philosophy, and it doesn’t fit into Kobe’s gut level view. For Kobe, the team is just a necessary appendage.

I read the thread up to this point. I think Smush’s comments are ominous, but not a surprise, for the reasons stated above. Last night was a victory for Kobe. But I would say that Kobe Bryant won the battle but is losing the war. Or more specifically, Kobe the individual talent won the game, but Kobe the narcissist is losing the war.

If Kobe really is as narcissistic as I think he is, he’ll lose the heart and soul of his teammates eventually. This will happen despite—and because of—his individual “heroics.”

Anyway, here are some quotes by people who seem to get this, at one level or another.

8kobe8 wrote:I dont think there was anything to be happy about in yesterday's game.
I hope Phil talks to Kobe this cannot happen everytime.
In the long run, this is not going to help the lakers, because i dont know which free agent will want to come hear, seeing kobe taking shots in the 40's.

flexxdzl wrote:I found it as ..saying Hey ...I am tired o Kobe this and kobe that...or mabe they are not having fun playing with kobe cuz it is all about him!

msb212 wrote:You have to consider the fact that it can't be much fun to be Smush playing alongside kobe. Fact is, Defense from everyone allowed Kobe to get that many points - and get the win. Lakers d in the 3rd quarter especially was pretty tight, and I guess SMush didn't want that to get lost in the hoopla.

Remember SMush used to be THE MAN, as he said not long ago in an interview. On the streets of ny and at Fordham, he had the adoration of the fans, etc. Now he is just the guy they turn to to give his impressions of Kobe. Add to that the obvious fact that kobe decided that no one else could do anything last night - and took over. SMush was actually having a decent game, and then it became the kobe show.

Kobe's Empire wrote:the down side to all of this is that the team is going to get sick of talking about Kobe and his greatness and feel like they are just duds.

x--oops. double post.

I wasnt impressed...I mean lisa leslie scored 102 in the first half of a high school basketball game. Kobes 81 was actually pathetic...i mean he took 40+ shots. How are you supposes to get better when a guy shoots that many times. I was at the game. and kobe was a ballhog. not passing. it was pathetic. Im not impressed at all. How is odom supposed to score when kobe shoots so many times.

(after that smush comment ...i have to change my avy....

Lakerfan36 wrote:I wasnt impressed...I mean lisa leslie scored 102 in the first half of a high school basketball game. Kobes 81 was actually pathetic...i mean he took 40+ shots. How are you supposes to get better when a guy shoots that many times. I was at the game. and kobe was a ballhog. not passing. it was pathetic. Im not impressed at all. How is odom supposed to score when kobe shoots so many times.

(after that smush comment ...i have to change my avy....

!!! LOL

dogster wrote:Kobe was (very) angry at his teammates for botching the game, and for not performing up to his standards. It is easy to see why he felt that way because they sucked last night. But to fully understand the situation, you need to understand that it gave him the pretense to do EXACTLY what he loves to do. Kobe loves to be the spectacular individual talent who is at the center of attention, scores all the points, and gets the glory. If his teammates are sub-par, then it is better for Kobe because it highlights Kobe’s superhuman value. And some nights, like this one, he dominates, wins the game, and captures the love of his fans. There’s nothing new here, except the high number of points that Kobe scored. This game had Kobe’s world view stamped all over it.

But the key point is that last night’s game was a big victory for Kobe Bryant, center of the universe. It was Kobe imposing his will on the opposite team, but more importantly, on his own team.

If you are playing on a team with someone like Kobe, you are acutely aware of how much a player like Kobe undermines your own game. You are aware that Kobe:

--decided, unilaterally, not to trust his inexperienced teammates, who are struggling to gel as a team.
--decided, unilaterally, to dump the triangle offense, which his teammates are struggling to learn.
--decided, unilaterally, to scrap the team concept, which his coach sees as a top priority.
--decided, unilaterally that he, and only he, should score the points—a decision which his coach has publicly criticized frequently in the past.

The Lakers, as a team, need to learn to deal with adversity, as a cohesive team. This is a fundamental premise of Phil Jackson’s philosophy, and it doesn’t fit into Kobe’s gut level view. For Kobe, the team is just a necessary appendage.

I read the thread up to this point. I think Smush’s comments are ominous, but not a surprise, for the reasons stated above. Last night was a victory for Kobe. But I would say that Kobe Bryant won the battle but is losing the war. Or more specifically, Kobe the individual talent won the game, but Kobe the narcissist is losing the war.

If Kobe really is as narcissistic as I think he is, he’ll lose the heart and soul of his teammates eventually. This will happen despite—and because of—his individual “heroics.”

Anyway, here are some quotes by people who seem to get this, at one level or another.

8kobe8 wrote:I dont think there was anything to be happy about in yesterday's game.
I hope Phil talks to Kobe this cannot happen everytime.
In the long run, this is not going to help the lakers, because i dont know which free agent will want to come hear, seeing kobe taking shots in the 40's.

flexxdzl wrote:I found it as ..saying Hey ...I am tired o Kobe this and kobe that...or mabe they are not having fun playing with kobe cuz it is all about him!

msb212 wrote:You have to consider the fact that it can't be much fun to be Smush playing alongside kobe. Fact is, Defense from everyone allowed Kobe to get that many points - and get the win. Lakers d in the 3rd quarter especially was pretty tight, and I guess SMush didn't want that to get lost in the hoopla.

Remember SMush used to be THE MAN, as he said not long ago in an interview. On the streets of ny and at Fordham, he had the adoration of the fans, etc. Now he is just the guy they turn to to give his impressions of Kobe. Add to that the obvious fact that kobe decided that no one else could do anything last night - and took over. SMush was actually having a decent game, and then it became the kobe show.

Kobe's Empire wrote:the down side to all of this is that the team is going to get sick of talking about Kobe and his greatness and feel like they are just duds.

I agree with your post. Kobe's performance was spectacular but at what cost? The team needs to develop. If the team does not develop, you can kiss any chance of success in the playoffs goodbye. If Odom doesn't find his niche on offense, if Kwame and Mihm don't solidify their inside games, you can forget about this team being successful. That's what's being overlooked in the hoopla.

Even Stu touched on this during the postgame analysis. The other guys need to get a chance to develop so that the Lakers can gel as a team. No one man team has ever won a championship.

For what it's worth, Michael Eaves spoke of Smush's comments the same way y'all have... but he could just be another LA media guy trying to start drama.

Juronimo wrote:I agree with your post. Kobe's performance was spectacular but at what cost? The team needs to develop. If the team does not develop, you can kiss any chance of success in the playoffs goodbye. If Odom doesn't find his niche on offense, if Kwame and Mihm don't solidify their inside games, you can forget about this team being successful. That's what's being overlooked in the hoopla.

Even Stu touched on this during the postgame analysis. The other guys need to get a chance to develop so that the Lakers can gel as a team. No one man team has ever won a championship.

Right, Juronimo. It seems so obvious. This the age-old issue with Kobe. The fact that he's scored 81 makes the problem worse, not better.

And for the rest of you: To see that this is true does not make us Laker "haters." It makes us perceptive.

Lakerfan36 wrote:I wasnt impressed...I mean lisa leslie scored 102 in the first half of a high school basketball game. Kobes 81 was actually pathetic...i mean he took 40+ shots. How are you supposes to get better when a guy shoots that many times. I was at the game. and kobe was a ballhog. not passing. it was pathetic. Im not impressed at all. How is odom supposed to score when kobe shoots so many times.

(after that smush comment ...i have to change my avy....

WTF.....you call yourself a Lakerfan? Give credit when credit is due.

kb8lak wrote:

Lakerfan36 wrote:I wasnt impressed...I mean lisa leslie scored 102 in the first half of a high school basketball game. Kobes 81 was actually pathetic...i mean he took 40+ shots. How are you supposes to get better when a guy shoots that many times. I was at the game. and kobe was a ballhog. not passing. it was pathetic. Im not impressed at all. How is odom supposed to score when kobe shoots so many times.

(after that smush comment ...i have to change my avy....

WTF.....you call yourself a Lakerfan? Give credit when credit is due.

He was being sarcastic.

dogster wrote:Kobe was (very) angry at his teammates for botching the game, and for not performing up to his standards. It is easy to see why he felt that way because they sucked last night. But to fully understand the situation, you need to understand that it gave him the pretense to do EXACTLY what he loves to do. Kobe loves to be the spectacular individual talent who is at the center of attention, scores all the points, and gets the glory. If his teammates are sub-par, then it is better for Kobe because it highlights Kobe’s superhuman value. And some nights, like this one, he dominates, wins the game, and captures the love of his fans. There’s nothing new here, except the high number of points that Kobe scored. This game had Kobe’s world view stamped all over it.

But the key point is that last night’s game was a big victory for Kobe Bryant, center of the universe. It was Kobe imposing his will on the opposite team, but more importantly, on his own team.

If you are playing on a team with someone like Kobe, you are acutely aware of how much a player like Kobe undermines your own game. You are aware that Kobe:

--decided, unilaterally, not to trust his inexperienced teammates, who are struggling to gel as a team.
--decided, unilaterally, to dump the triangle offense, which his teammates are struggling to learn.
--decided, unilaterally, to scrap the team concept, which his coach sees as a top priority.
--decided, unilaterally that he, and only he, should score the points—a decision which his coach has publicly criticized frequently in the past.

The Lakers, as a team, need to learn to deal with adversity, as a cohesive team. This is a fundamental premise of Phil Jackson’s philosophy, and it doesn’t fit into Kobe’s gut level view. For Kobe, the team is just a necessary appendage.

I read the thread up to this point. I think Smush’s comments are ominous, but not a surprise, for the reasons stated above. Last night was a victory for Kobe. But I would say that Kobe Bryant won the battle but is losing the war. Or more specifically, Kobe the individual talent won the game, but Kobe the narcissist is losing the war.

If Kobe really is as narcissistic as I think he is, he’ll lose the heart and soul of his teammates eventually. This will happen despite—and because of—his individual “heroics.”

Anyway, here are some quotes by people who seem to get this, at one level or another.

8kobe8 wrote:I dont think there was anything to be happy about in yesterday's game.
I hope Phil talks to Kobe this cannot happen everytime.
In the long run, this is not going to help the lakers, because i dont know which free agent will want to come hear, seeing kobe taking shots in the 40's.

flexxdzl wrote:I found it as ..saying Hey ...I am tired o Kobe this and kobe that...or mabe they are not having fun playing with kobe cuz it is all about him!

msb212 wrote:You have to consider the fact that it can't be much fun to be Smush playing alongside kobe. Fact is, Defense from everyone allowed Kobe to get that many points - and get the win. Lakers d in the 3rd quarter especially was pretty tight, and I guess SMush didn't want that to get lost in the hoopla.

Remember SMush used to be THE MAN, as he said not long ago in an interview. On the streets of ny and at Fordham, he had the adoration of the fans, etc. Now he is just the guy they turn to to give his impressions of Kobe. Add to that the obvious fact that kobe decided that no one else could do anything last night - and took over. SMush was actually having a decent game, and then it became the kobe show.

Kobe's Empire wrote:the down side to all of this is that the team is going to get sick of talking about Kobe and his greatness and feel like they are just duds.

The problem with people like you is that you aren't nearly as smart as you think you are. Im not sure if anyone on this site takes you seriously.

Wow. Just wow. I guess some people always wanna see the negativity in everything. People can't just say, great game. They always have to add the big ol' "but." It was 81 points. 81 freaking points, in 42 minutes while shooting above 50%. Wow. And people have the audacity to be critical?

I'll agree if you say, "playing like this wont win a ring." But for people to condemn Kobe for putting up 81, that's just retarded. They were down by 18 freaking points to the raptors. Were you upset when Kobe hit back-to-back 3's and the pump fake 2 with an and-one? Damnit, he brought the team back.

And for those who say he didnt pass and that he was a ballhog, did you watch the game? Kobe passed out of the double teams. He just got the ball back after a swing through. Compared to previous seasons, he's taking less shots against double and triple teams.

In the end, when the game was secure, did you actually want him to stop shooting? Wow. Of all the games to be critical of Kobe about. Wow.

As someone else mentioned, Smush was also a bit upset because Soto mistakenly referred to him as a bench player. She didnt even know he was the starting PG...

No wonder Smush was pissed from the get go.

We should keep playing defense like 2nd half. I don't want a tired kobe in playoff.

Does anyone have the vid for this interview?