GAME 5

[Sedale Threatt]

That's the big thing to me -- he had a major hand in blowing two winnable games, and he never stepped up and accepted accountability. That Fs with chemistry way, way, way more than shot selection or anything like that.

I just don't think he has any people skills. He's been living in his own world since before he was a teenager. Jordan used to get on his teammates as well, but he at least had charisma. That inspires. Whereas Kobe looks like he just irritates and aggravates.

[Sedale Threatt]

So I guess it's going to be nothing but trade proposals for the next five months. Awesome.

[microfib4thewin]

I'm assuming you mean the summer of 2007?

It wasn't just about the summer tirade. He kept dodging questions about his future as a Laker even after the Gasol deal was made and he made it clear he wanted to stay only after the season was over. He could have simply answered that he will play it out with the Lakers before he decide if he will opt out in 09. instead he was ambiguous to the public and it only egged the media on throughout the whole season.

You have quite a twisted view of reality when it comes to Kobe. Do you even know why he said he wanted to be traded and the circumstances leading up to that? Remember that "insider" comment about Kobe being responsible for Shaq's departure that kicked it all off, coupled with inconsistencies from within the organization about the future direction of the team (Phil and Kobe being told different things)?

Stop and think about it for a moment. Kobe has probably heard numerous times on how he forced Shaq and Phil out of the team. Why would he only hear about a Laker associate talking about it behind his back 3 years after it happened? Let's just say that Kobe was honestly pissed about the whole thing, then his beef should be with this so called insider. Being talked behind the back is not a reason to demand a trade. Which one do you think makes more sense, that Kobe wanted to leave because he doesn't believe the Lakers will help him add his ring count, or that he wanted to leave because this one guy accused him of driving Shaq out of town?

As for him complaining about a lack of talent, that was the right thing to do and he echoed the sentiments of just about every Lakers fan. Did you really want a repeat of KG and the Wolves where he stayed quite and took it in the ass year after year? The Lakers wasted 06 and 07 and did very little to improve the roster, pinning the hopes of the franchise on the development of Bynum which never really panned out (to this day). Of course they did a great job of landing Gasol in 2008, but would that have happened had Bynum not gone down with injury or if Kobe hadn't been vocal about improving the roster?

The Lakers did not make any moves because their only assets are Odom and a high school prospect. When you don't have much to work with you should not put your eggs all in one basket. That's what Phoenix tried to do with the Shaq trade and what Cleveland has done during the Lebron era.

The Lakers management was questionable, but calling out the management in public would only make rival GMs think they can get the Lakers to overpaid because they will think the Lakers are desperate to keep Kobe happy. Also, if the management was as short sighted as Kobe the FO would have traded Bynum away for Kidd, or Bynum + Odom for KG, or Vlad + Kwame for Big Ben, moves that may look good in the present but terrible in the future. The Lakers got in great shape because Kupchak was patient, not because Kobe was pressuring him in public.

Kobe's flaws as a leader were not apparent because he was happy about the Pau trade and the Lakers were heavy favorites to win a title, but if you pay attention to the way he behaves on the court as well as his interviews you can already tell the situation will get ugly once the Lakers start their decline. I do not believe that Bynum's immaturity, Pau tuning out, or Artest's crazier than ever shot selections are mere coincidences. I do believe that Kobe's behavior on and off the court had something to do with the team implosion. You can agree to disagree on this part, but doesn't it seem strange that there is so much drama with this team even if they are in LA?

[Sedale Threatt]

Kobe has played his part, but at what point do we stop deflecting blame for said immaturity, tuning out and shot selection instead of putting it where it truly belongs -- at the feet of the players responsible for it?