Kobe: "Dwight talk is all manufactured. Get a life people"

friendship is different from "being close" or having chemistry. I also don't care if Kobe and Dwight are best friends or hang out together or party together. But on the floor...they have to go to battle together, they have to read each others mind and they have to feel the mutual respect and companionship. They need to have trust in each others games and actions and intentions.

And most importantly both have to feel that the other is doing his utmost for the sake of the team. Both have to feel that what they do is the right thing to do.

NONE of this is the case with Dwight and Kobe. Dwight thinks Kobe is a selfish ego-centric player who thinks about himself first and doesn't bother to connect with teammates, so he uses the media to send messages and comments on things he has no business commenting.
Kobe thinks Dwight is a crybaby who doesn't care about the team and doesn't sacrifice his game to embrace his role with the Lakers. Kobe also thinks Dwight is soft for sitting out games with a shoulder injury.

At the end of the day both views have some truth to it and some trippin'. Thats not the right platform for success and the Lakers record screams failure, so I will rest my case regarding this.

BTW I also believe winning cures some of this issues. Unfortunetly, its the chicken egg problem. No chemistry no wins and no wins, no chemistry.

I'm blaming Kobe because he is constantly saying "there is nothing, thats stupid, move on".. bla bla bla. These comments certainly aren't reassuring to the media or the fans especially when they constantly avoid each other on the court and comment on each other in interviews in an unfriendly and edgy way. He is the older guy, he is the wiser guy one would suppose. Without Fisher, its now his job to keep this locker room together as the captain of the team. The fact that the best player and captain of the team in his 17th season isn't able to make a first step to resolve the issue is amazing to me. Its YOUR time thats running out son. Being the stubborn hothead that he is...I'm worried. BTW I'm very well aware of Dwight being a crybaby and unprofessional etc...I get it. But it is what it is and its better to play nice with him rather than losing him entirely to apathy and lack of effort. Kobe is choosing the wrong method to get the best out of Dwight, thats frustrating. Even if it isn't fun, he has to do the politically correct thing and calling Dwight out in interviews isn't the right way.

BTW Dwight needs to take over Shaq's nickname in LA...."the big sensitive"...another similarity LOL.

Well....guess Nash should be slapped too for most recent comments. These guys know effort and the frustration is boiling over. Best teammate ever (according to Ding ) has reached his "enough" stage too. Even if he also says the media made too much out of it.

KB24 wrote:But on the floor...they have to go to battle together, they have to read each others mind and they have to feel the mutual respect and companionship. They need to have trust in each others games and actions and intentions.

And most importantly both have to feel that the other is doing his utmost for the sake of the team. Both have to feel that what they do is the right thing to do.

I hear that. They don't have that, for sure. But don't you feel like the rest of the team is on board, along with Kobe, and it is Dwight that is not joining ship? Evidenced by his lolly-gagging up and down the court? Weird comments about "trust", "chemistry" etc?

At least Kobe is talking about winning. Talking about urgency. Talking about what is needed from his teammates to win. Dwight is talking about how he isn't "loved". You can't deny that he is childish in that sense, and somewhat worrying about things that don't pertain to winning (though I agree, there needs to be chemistry to win it all). This is a time of urgency -- 20+ games left, not in the playoffs. "Loving" each other can wait....right now the mission is to win and make the playoffs.

I will agree that Kobe COULD do more in terms of stabilization. No Fisher and being the oldest guy does put the responsibility on him to help resolve the issues. But you can only beat a dead horse so much, and I believe that is how Kobe feels. We don't know what has gone on b/w them privately, and I'm sure Kobe has done his fare share of "reassuring". It really isn't his place (or anyone's in a league of PROFESSIONALS) to sit there and baby Dwight's sensitive ego. Could he be more accommodating? Possibly, but should he have to? I think not. I think if it were another player and not Dwight, what Kobe has done would be enough.

phoenixrisingla wrote:It might be partially manufactured, but if anyone thinks these guys are buddies, I have some ocean front property to sell you in Riveside.

KB24 wrote:

puffyusaf#2 wrote:

KB24 wrote:Kobe is lying, simple and plain.

They show no unity whatsoever on the court, they don't high 5 eachother, they don't enjoy eachother, they don't compliment eachother....

you have to be an idiot to believe Kobe and Dwight are as close as they need to be for them to lead this team to a championship. The media wouldn't start to "manufacture" if Kobe wouldn't come to public and say "we don't have time for his shoulder to heal and he is foreign to championship mentality" and there wouldn't be a Memphis meeting...

I disagree. A couple of things. First, the media would manufacture anything because Lakers/Kobe gets hits. Turmoil in LA gets hits. Its like Lindsey Lohan or Brittany going to court.... It makes news.

These guys aren't buddies but that doesn't need to be the case to win. Magic and Kareem weren't buddies. MJ hated everybody. Kobe, to his fault at times, only steps up for teammates who bring it. They don't have to be great but they have to bring it. He supports guys who give effort which is something D12 has rarely done so far this season. When he has you have seen Kobe support him.

The Showtime Lakers or the Bulls had supreme talent, great role players who embraced their roles.
Ya the 2 best players don't need to be BFFs in order to win but it certainly doesn't hurt.
Westbrick and Durant probably aren't best friends either but they get along fine, they don't diss eachother through the media....you can win a championship without great love between your alpha males but that is if you have an amazing coach, great role players that embrace their roles, 2 of the most dominant players ever and some luck. The Lakers have issues. Its not like Kobe and Dwight don't go to cinema together, its the fact that neither believes the other can help him. They don't connect on the court and they obviously haven't been able to get long just fine. It can work but its stupid, unlikely and very very rare unless as I said...you have so much talent that it doesn't matter. Can't say I feel that way when I see a lot of aging stars and a bunch of scrubs.

Looking at the results.....they kind of prove the point that their lack of chemistry and companionship has taken a toll on the team's performance. If they were winning, I could accept the lack of chemistry. But if there is one thing that is easy to fix its chemistry...it isn't running faster or jumping higher.

i understand where you are coming from I just see the chemistry issue having more to do with effort and energy. I agree and disagree with the fact that they don't think they can help one another. I believe Kobe knows Dwight can help him to win but Dwight has to put in the work which he hasn't done much of this year. I also believe that Dwight isn't sure Kobe can help him because Kobe is unsympathetic, unapologizing and unforgiving to teammates that don't show up. Dwight was coddled and it shows. That can be fixed but I, like you, am not sure it will be.

JGC wrote:

puffyusaf#2 wrote:Don't know how it sounds like BS. Kobe has always been straight up about his criticism about teammates. He has never held punches be it Shaq, Phil or even the Buss family. Dwight may be sensitive and the media needs to have a 3-ring circus around LA to make them feel better. Dwight needs to demand respect from guys like Kobe but the only way to do so is to bring it on the court.

You honestly think the statement that the "Dwight talk is all manufactured" is 100% true?

Kobe's lying. It's clear as day.

Not that I really blame him for it mind you but to say it is "all" (meaning 100%) manufactured is a lie and frankly, not really accepting either responsibility or reality.

Is it far-fetched to think it is "all" manufactured? Kobe goes at everyone who doesn't bring it. That doesn't mean he is holding a grudge. Yes, there have been some snips. Yes, there is some frustration. And, yes, I think it is blown way out because its the Lakers. If we are winning it would be a nothing but because we are losing and everyone wants to pile on the Lakers while they are down.

Let's get real... If Kobe and Dwight are playing for the Bobcats and this happened, no one would care...

agree with kb: as much as dwight's mentality has bothered me, kobe's at the point in his career where he should be a better leader. he should have known that treating dwight like he does pau wouldn't work. you have to adapt your leadership style to the people you're leading.

^ Or Dwight can man up.

I'm pretty sure the dude with 5 rings has managed different personalities. Even Pau for example. He's sensitive & soft. But he got the best out of Pau.

Dwight's a whole 'nother story.

KB24 going in...nice strong post(s) buddy!

Kobe the kompany man...hmmm. I love the Laker allegiance, but I'm not sure I truly like the look for such a killer like Kobe. I kinda miss the days where Kobe slayed the FO by calling Dr. Buss an idiot and even threatening to take his talents to Pluto. Why? Cause the FO owned up to the assault and went and did something about it. Tom Riddle me this...you think Mitch finds his wand without Kolbemort using his mamba tongue to ssssend them a message? I mean if Dr. Buss was called an idiot, I wonder what Kobe calls Jimmy?



Okay....don't want to get in trouble again for that, Kob....but seriously tell us how you really feel!

You let your emotions boil up a bit after they traded LO for nothing and sure it wasn't CP3, but you got one "best teammate ever" for another. Again, no words were said and with just a stare, you got Brown gone.

Yet when management brings in MDA, you all of a sudden don''t have anything to say about how they did your boy Phil dirty like that? Now, its the media that created this Dwightmare for you when it was your own actions on the court that scream something else.

I obviously got nothing but love for Kobe and seriously this dude is a Laker for Life Legend. But Kobe the kompany man...ehh, I'm not too keen with that look. Sssseriously, ssslay 'em Kob! You know you want to.

puffyusaf#2 wrote:

JGC wrote:

puffyusaf#2 wrote:Don't know how it sounds like BS. Kobe has always been straight up about his criticism about teammates. He has never held punches be it Shaq, Phil or even the Buss family. Dwight may be sensitive and the media needs to have a 3-ring circus around LA to make them feel better. Dwight needs to demand respect from guys like Kobe but the only way to do so is to bring it on the court.

You honestly think the statement that the "Dwight talk is all manufactured" is 100% true?

Kobe's lying. It's clear as day.

Not that I really blame him for it mind you but to say it is "all" (meaning 100%) manufactured is a lie and frankly, not really accepting either responsibility or reality.

Is it far-fetched to think it is "all" manufactured? Kobe goes at everyone who doesn't bring it. That doesn't mean he is holding a grudge. Yes, there have been some snips. Yes, there is some frustration. And, yes, I think it is blown way out because its the Lakers. If we are winning it would be a nothing but because we are losing and everyone wants to pile on the Lakers while they are down.

Yeah I don't disagree that Kobe goes at everyone who doesn't bring it. And he's adjusted his game for the sake of the team and everyone else needs to do that. And yeah, things are probably overblown. But entirely manufactured? As in, everything is hunky dory and anyone suggesting otherwise is manufacturing something? I don't buy it. There's definite friction between the two.

I'd say that friction is probably overexaggerated, not certainly not entirely manufactured.

JGC wrote:Yeah I don't disagree that Kobe goes at everyone who doesn't bring it. And he's adjusted his game for the sake of the team and everyone else needs to do that. And yeah, things are probably overblown. But entirely manufactured? As in, everything is hunky dory and anyone suggesting otherwise is manufacturing something? I don't buy it. There's definite friction between the two.

I'd say that friction is probably overexaggerated, not certainly not entirely manufactured.

Maybe the "all" is a big generic statement but I don't think its any "big deal." Every competitive team has flare-ups and head bumping but I wouldn't call it friction. Losing causes issues and magnifies everything. D12 isn't use to this level of attention and expectation on a team.

puffyusaf#2 wrote:

JGC wrote:Yeah I don't disagree that Kobe goes at everyone who doesn't bring it. And he's adjusted his game for the sake of the team and everyone else needs to do that. And yeah, things are probably overblown. But entirely manufactured? As in, everything is hunky dory and anyone suggesting otherwise is manufacturing something? I don't buy it. There's definite friction between the two.

I'd say that friction is probably overexaggerated, not certainly not entirely manufactured.

Maybe the "all" is a big generic statement but I don't think its any "big deal." Every competitive team has flare-ups and head bumping but I wouldn't call it friction. Losing causes issues and magnifies everything. D12 isn't use to this level of attention and expectation on a team.

Yeah, I mean whether the friction is justified or not is irrelevant. I'm just saying that it is not ALL manufactured. Where there's smoke, there's fire. And there's a whole lot of smoke around here.

^A match has fire that doesn't make it an inferno. Every one of these players are use to winning and being in the top 4 of their conferences. Right now they are losing and losing badly. So instead of it being a match it looks like a log cabin on fire. We win a few and get into that 8th spot most of this BS will stop IMO.

Here's why this should end. Throughout Kobe's career, when injured and playing hurt, has said NUMEROUS times during NUMEROUS seasons ABOUT HIMSELF -- that the team can't afford for him not to play. He subsequently goes into warrior mode and plays through it. He said the same thing about Dwigh; in reference to Howard's absolute, critical importance to this team's success. That's all there is to it. He expects everyone to try to suck it up and play through pain if possible for the good of the team. And there's nobody he's made reference to in that department more than himself. Period.

puffyusaf#2 wrote:^A match has fire that doesn't make it an inferno. Every one of these players are use to winning and being in the top 4 of their conferences. Right now they are losing and losing badly. So instead of it being a match it looks like a log cabin on fire. We win a few and get into that 8th spot most of this BS will stop IMO.

Was that an intentional Chris Dorner reference? If so, well played sir. If not, kind of eerie.

I am not a Dwight fan even in his Orlando days but give him a break. A herniated disk is serious injury which usually leads to related injuries like his shoulder. 18 & 12, + 2 blks a game is not killing this team.
I had a disk herniation and you cannot run and jump like you are used to doing. Source - doctors and me being a former college tennis player.