Kobe Discussion: Clash of the Titus! (671)

Kamenetzky Brothers
Antawn Jamison: Kobe encourages us to yell at him.
Antawn Jamison appeared Wednesday on ESPNLA 710's "Max and Marcellus" to discuss the Lakers' playoff push. Among other details, he shared how Kobe Bryant, considered among the more intimidating teammates in the NBA, tells his supporting cast to get in his face.

Per Dave McMenamin, ESPNLA.com:

"Kobe will tell you," Jamison said. "He's like, 'Look, you guys as my teammates, yell at me. Let me know that you're open because I'm so programmed,' and this guy has told me this, 'I see nothing but that basket. You could be open, there could be three guys on me, but the only thing I see is that basket so you have to tell me, Look, I was open. Or yell at me mid-play. That doesn't affect me at all and I respect that.' "

Jamison said the veteran-laden roster has adapted to Bryant's style and the players have no problem with confronting the five-time champion.

"I think the thing we've seen in the past was most teammates might have been afraid to come to him or express, 'Kob' I was open,' or, 'That's not what we drew up,' " Jamison said. "The thing I like about this team, Steve Nash -- who is a Hall of Famer -- and Dwight [Howard] as well, Dwight and Kobe have gotten into shouting matches on the bench because Dwight will be like, 'Kob', that's your rotation. Get there.' And after the game he'll be like, 'Appreciate it, big fella. I needed that.' "

http://espn.go.com/blo...

While it certainly would raise eyebrows to see Kobe [Swearing is not permitted at Clublakers. You must edit this post prior to submitting.] out by a role player, Jamison's assessment is actually consistent with what we've seen in recent years regarding Bryant and teammates. Generally speaking, the ones he respects most are those he's played with longest, who in turn are more inclined to deny him the ball.

Derek Fisher. Pau Gasol. Lamar Odom. Metta World Peace. Believe it or not, Luke Walton.

After enough time, they realize it's okay to ignore Bryant's furious claps for the rock, and whatever earful endured won't kill them. Kobe backs down to nobody, so it stands to reason he wants teammates who won't back down to him. Fall in line behind him or take his cues? Sure. But that's not the same thing as being cowering in Bryant's presence, which is the last thing a player on a championship quest wants from those sharing a foxhole.

puffyusaf#2 wrote:

Weezy wrote:And to go against that sarcastic argument that some will actually use, Kobe barely played in the playoffs his first 2 seasons, LeBron came in as his teams franchise player and got more points earlier on because of it. Also, it makes sense that Kobe has those numbers, having gone to the Finals 4 times by 28, the WCF multiple times, regularly putting up 30 point games, and dropping 40 on certain teams multiple times, and only missing the playoffs one time by that age I believe.

In all fairness and truth Kobe is so underrated it isn't funny. The dude has been amazing, period.

JSM wrote:

Kamenetzky Brothers
Antawn Jamison: Kobe encourages us to yell at him.
Antawn Jamison appeared Wednesday on ESPNLA 710's "Max and Marcellus" to discuss the Lakers' playoff push. Among other details, he shared how Kobe Bryant, considered among the more intimidating teammates in the NBA, tells his supporting cast to get in his face.

Per Dave McMenamin, ESPNLA.com:

"Kobe will tell you," Jamison said. "He's like, 'Look, you guys as my teammates, yell at me. Let me know that you're open because I'm so programmed,' and this guy has told me this, 'I see nothing but that basket. You could be open, there could be three guys on me, but the only thing I see is that basket so you have to tell me, Look, I was open. Or yell at me mid-play. That doesn't affect me at all and I respect that.' "

Jamison said the veteran-laden roster has adapted to Bryant's style and the players have no problem with confronting the five-time champion.

"I think the thing we've seen in the past was most teammates might have been afraid to come to him or express, 'Kob' I was open,' or, 'That's not what we drew up,' " Jamison said. "The thing I like about this team, Steve Nash -- who is a Hall of Famer -- and Dwight [Howard] as well, Dwight and Kobe have gotten into shouting matches on the bench because Dwight will be like, 'Kob', that's your rotation. Get there.' And after the game he'll be like, 'Appreciate it, big fella. I needed that.' "

http://espn.go.com/blo...

While it certainly would raise eyebrows to see Kobe [Swearing is not permitted at Clublakers. You must edit this post prior to submitting.] out by a role player, Jamison's assessment is actually consistent with what we've seen in recent years regarding Bryant and teammates. Generally speaking, the ones he respects most are those he's played with longest, who in turn are more inclined to deny him the ball.

Derek Fisher. Pau Gasol. Lamar Odom. Metta World Peace. Believe it or not, Luke Walton.

After enough time, they realize it's okay to ignore Bryant's furious claps for the rock, and whatever earful endured won't kill them. Kobe backs down to nobody, so it stands to reason he wants teammates who won't back down to him. Fall in line behind him or take his cues? Sure. But that's not the same thing as being cowering in Bryant's presence, which is the last thing a player on a championship quest wants from those sharing a foxhole.

Thenextgreat wrote:

puffyusaf#2 wrote:

Weezy wrote:And to go against that sarcastic argument that some will actually use, Kobe barely played in the playoffs his first 2 seasons, LeBron came in as his teams franchise player and got more points earlier on because of it. Also, it makes sense that Kobe has those numbers, having gone to the Finals 4 times by 28, the WCF multiple times, regularly putting up 30 point games, and dropping 40 on certain teams multiple times, and only missing the playoffs one time by that age I believe.

In all fairness and truth Kobe is so underrated it isn't funny. The dude has been amazing, period.

Savory Griddles wrote:

Thenextgreat wrote:

puffyusaf#2 wrote:

Weezy wrote:And to go against that sarcastic argument that some will actually use, Kobe barely played in the playoffs his first 2 seasons, LeBron came in as his teams franchise player and got more points earlier on because of it. Also, it makes sense that Kobe has those numbers, having gone to the Finals 4 times by 28, the WCF multiple times, regularly putting up 30 point games, and dropping 40 on certain teams multiple times, and only missing the playoffs one time by that age I believe.

In all fairness and truth Kobe is so underrated it isn't funny. The dude has been amazing, period.

Not trying to troll, but Lebron is better at this moment than Kobe was at any point in Kobe's career. I'm 34, so I have seen Kobe's entire career as an adult. Kobe is top 6-7 all time, but if LBJ has another 4-5 years at this lvl, he may go down as the GOAT. His efficiency and versatility are amazing. His weaknesses from a couple years ago have now become strengths. He is clutch and ruthless. He is the best defensive player every year outside of Dwight if he's healthy. Is Kobe more "talented?" Maybe, from a pure scorer standpoint.

The Lakers are my team and Kobe has brought me great joy, but Lebron is ridiculous.

Savory Griddles wrote:

Thenextgreat wrote:

puffyusaf#2 wrote:

Weezy wrote:And to go against that sarcastic argument that some will actually use, Kobe barely played in the playoffs his first 2 seasons, LeBron came in as his teams franchise player and got more points earlier on because of it. Also, it makes sense that Kobe has those numbers, having gone to the Finals 4 times by 28, the WCF multiple times, regularly putting up 30 point games, and dropping 40 on certain teams multiple times, and only missing the playoffs one time by that age I believe.

In all fairness and truth Kobe is so underrated it isn't funny. The dude has been amazing, period.

Not trying to troll, but Lebron is better at this moment than Kobe was at any point in Kobe's career. I'm 34, so I have seen Kobe's entire career as an adult. Kobe is top 6-7 all time, but if LBJ has another 4-5 years at this lvl, he may go down as the GOAT. His efficiency and versatility are amazing. His weaknesses from a couple years ago have now become strengths. He is clutch and ruthless. He is the best defensive player every year outside of Dwight if he's healthy. Is Kobe more "talented?" Maybe, from a pure scorer standpoint.

The Lakers are my team and Kobe has brought me great joy, but Lebron is ridiculous.

JoelMyersScrotalSack wrote:To me LeBron is better than any form of Kobe and it isn't even close.

LeBron leads his teams in scoring, rebounding, facilitating, defense, clutch play. There's nothing this guy doesn't do well.

Kobe at his peak was a scoring machine but he didn't do it hyper efficiently (although he was efficient) and his defense wasn't the best in the years he was scoring a lot. I just don't see any argument for peak Kobe over LeBron anymore.

TIME wrote:

Savory Griddles wrote:

Thenextgreat wrote:

puffyusaf#2 wrote:

Weezy wrote:And to go against that sarcastic argument that some will actually use, Kobe barely played in the playoffs his first 2 seasons, LeBron came in as his teams franchise player and got more points earlier on because of it. Also, it makes sense that Kobe has those numbers, having gone to the Finals 4 times by 28, the WCF multiple times, regularly putting up 30 point games, and dropping 40 on certain teams multiple times, and only missing the playoffs one time by that age I believe.

In all fairness and truth Kobe is so underrated it isn't funny. The dude has been amazing, period.

Not trying to troll, but Lebron is better at this moment than Kobe was at any point in Kobe's career. I'm 34, so I have seen Kobe's entire career as an adult. Kobe is top 6-7 all time, but if LBJ has another 4-5 years at this lvl, he may go down as the GOAT. His efficiency and versatility are amazing. His weaknesses from a couple years ago have now become strengths. He is clutch and ruthless. He is the best defensive player every year outside of Dwight if he's healthy. Is Kobe more "talented?" Maybe, from a pure scorer standpoint.

The Lakers are my team and Kobe has brought me great joy, but Lebron is ridiculous.

The Rock wrote:

Savory Griddles wrote:

Thenextgreat wrote:

puffyusaf#2 wrote:

Weezy wrote:And to go against that sarcastic argument that some will actually use, Kobe barely played in the playoffs his first 2 seasons, LeBron came in as his teams franchise player and got more points earlier on because of it. Also, it makes sense that Kobe has those numbers, having gone to the Finals 4 times by 28, the WCF multiple times, regularly putting up 30 point games, and dropping 40 on certain teams multiple times, and only missing the playoffs one time by that age I believe.

In all fairness and truth Kobe is so underrated it isn't funny. The dude has been amazing, period.

Not trying to troll, but Lebron is better at this moment than Kobe was at any point in Kobe's career. I'm 34, so I have seen Kobe's entire career as an adult. Kobe is top 6-7 all time, but if LBJ has another 4-5 years at this lvl, he may go down as the GOAT. His efficiency and versatility are amazing. His weaknesses from a couple years ago have now become strengths. He is clutch and ruthless. He is the best defensive player every year outside of Dwight if he's healthy. Is Kobe more "talented?" Maybe, from a pure scorer standpoint.

The Lakers are my team and Kobe has brought me great joy, but Lebron is ridiculous.

If Lebron puts up these stats and wins rings your post would be 100% right...but we've seen this dance before, he kills it in regular season, did it in Miami and Cleveland and came up empty in playoffs.

The Rock wrote:How can he be considered a great defender when dude goes 4-5 games without a foul being called on him? Things like that makes me wonder if he truly is great at defense

JoelMyersScrotalSack wrote:
You know that's non sense. He had a mediocre playoff run in 2011 and choked in the Finals but that was about it. He has had some of the most amazing playoff performances ever, especially in 09 and last season.

pound4pound1 wrote:i yell at Kobe all the time

gcclaker wrote:

pound4pound1 wrote:i yell at Kobe all the time

Me too...mostly on the defensive side of the ball. Stuff like:

"Dude, don't drop off your man and leave him open for the three!"
"Dude, box out and not let your man crash the boards!"
"Dude, slap Chris Paul upside the head!"
"Dude, find someone else other than Metta!"

pound4pound1 wrote:

gcclaker wrote:

pound4pound1 wrote:i yell at Kobe all the time

Me too...mostly on the defensive side of the ball. Stuff like:

"Dude, don't drop off your man and leave him open for the three!"
"Dude, box out and not let your man crash the boards!"
"Dude, slap Chris Paul upside the head!"
"Dude, find someone else other than Metta!"

for me:


"dude, effing get back..stop arguing...dont get another T"
"dude, there's 3 on the clock..shoot that ish!!"