Kuzma: I want to be as big as Kobe, Jordan, and Michael Jackson

[stan francisco]

I like how confidence and wanting to work to be as good as possible is seen as red flag.

Lol. Sarcasm is not always recognized around here. For what it’s worth, I’m sure some readers out there laughed out loud like I did. Tip: use the green font for sarcasm.

[Ball so hard]

I like how confidence and wanting to work to be as good as possible is seen as red flag.

This... Literally don't even understand that notion.

That's not what he said... He said he wants to be the next Kobe and Jordan... Which is great if you're Ben Simmons, or Jayson Tatum...
But it's a bit of a red flag if you're at best the 3rd best player on your team... Perspective...

You know who else has boundless confidence and want's to be the next Jordon or Kobe? Nick Young and JR Smith...

Point being... If Kuzma was a quiet kid who wasn't always talking to the media and joking around, and he put up the numbers he did last season, and came into this season saying he was trying to be the next MJ and Kobe... We all might take him a little more seriously and praise him for his dedication etc...
But as it is, it feels more like an extension of the clownishness he's been throwing out there...

22yo rookie... What was Kobe doing at 22?

I want Kuzma on the team long term... I like him, and I think he could be a great 3rd or 4th best player on a Championship team if he worked super hard... Klay Thompson, Boston Ray Allen, Rick Fox, Manu... That's his wheelhouse... He could get paid a ton of money for a lot of years if he embraced that... Or he could flame out and turn himself into a joke by talking about Kobe and MJ...

Where I agree
I'm also not a fan of his clownishness and wish he were more humble.

Disagree
Before I get into where we disagree, It's important note from whom Kuzma has been taking advice. I'm sure an 18 year old Kobe (13th pick) felt he would be better than Jordan. From your post, I gather, due to Kuzma's draft position and age, he has no shot of becoming the next Kobe or Jordan. Incidentally, I agree with you, albeit for different reasons. In private, Kuzma would probably even agree with us. We differ on why aspiring to be the next Kobe or Jordan is a red flag.

I'm sure you could've found better examples than JR and Nick Young to prove your point...both of these guys are at the tail end of their careers and it is quite obvious by now they are pretty far from being on the same level as Kobe or Jordan. If either of these two said something similar during their first year in the league, would you also have thought that was a red flag? It's preposterous to even think JR and Nick Young turned out to be the players they are due their preternatural self confidence or desire to be Kobe or Jordan.

If Kuzma begins to act on his unrealistic goals, resulting in selfish play, then of course it would be a problem. However, thus far he's shown he's an unselfish player.

[Revived]

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Lozno better be taking notes

He better be instead of making more terrible rap songs.