RealGM

He needs rest. Hes playing all season long with that broken finger in his shooting hand. Why he doesnt stop and he has surgery on his hand?? Its dangerous for him and for us, more with that new superb contract with 32 years old....

i think it's time for both him and pau to stop playing these international tournaments. please save yourselves for the lakers

it's kobe...he'll play

We need Kobe for the next 4 years. Not just now. Shut him down in the summer and get the fingers fixed and the legs rested and let him feel young again.

Boycott Kobe's contract

The only way I see Kobe not play after he's already said he will is if his knees get even worse then they already are...so I'm not sure what to root for.

KOBE_PAUER wrote:He needs rest. Hes playing all season long with that broken finger in his shooting hand. Why he doesnt stop and he has surgery on his hand?? Its dangerous for him and for us, more with that new superb contract with 32 years old....

dont trip I'll call him right now and tell him he should rest take the summer off... hope that made you feel better

See the "Love of the Game" clause.

If Kobe says he will play I think he should play. Unlike other players, I wont name any names but rhymes with Tron, Kobe has made commitment. He gave his word to play. Sure I am Laker fan but I would say I am a bigger Team USA fan. Kobe is one the captains of the team. So he is trying to lead by example. Sure he has an excuse and its a legit one, he will be on the mend this summer. However, I do hope he participates in some form to keep USA Basketball in the spotlight till London.

Same goes for Pau. How can Pau not play? Unless he is hurt. In some form Pau has to be there its for country not for fun or a salary. I have a close freind from the south of Spain and when I see her watching Laker games or Memphis Grizz games she swells with pride. During the Olympics I never seen the a girl get so excited about basketball. Just imagine how all of Spain must have cheered! On the the world stage us Americans dont take the Olympics seriously. Other countries see it as their way to show off to the rest of the world. I hope Pau and Kobe are both there participating in some way, its good for the NBA, the Lakers, Basketball, and all the countries involved.

H00PDREAMS wrote:If Kobe says he will play I think he should play. Unlike other players, I wont name any names but rhymes with Tron, Kobe has made commitment. He gave his word to play. Sure I am Laker fan but I would say I am a bigger Team USA fan. Kobe is one the captains of the team. So he is trying to lead by example. Sure he has an excuse and its a legit one, he will be on the mend this summer. However, I do hope he participates in some form to keep USA Basketball in the spotlight till London.

Same goes for Pau. How can Pau not play? Unless he is hurt. In some form Pau has to be there its for country not for fun or a salary. I have a close freind from the south of Spain and when I see her watching Laker games or Memphis Grizz games she swells with pride. During the Olympics I never seen the a girl get so excited about basketball. Just imagine how all of Spain must have cheered! On the the world stage us Americans dont take the Olympics seriously. Other countries see it as their way to show off to the rest of the world. I hope Pau and Kobe are both there participating in some way, its good for the NBA, the Lakers, Basketball, and all the countries involved.

i'm not sure of it being good for the lakers. they're already a high profile team so they can live without the publicity that comes with their players representing their countries. both pau and kobe would serve the lakers better by taking the time off and resting.

regardless of what i think, they have earned the right to play when and where they want

It'd be nice if they did take the summer off, especially Kobe, but I'm not getting my hopes up.

Did any of you wach that Olympic Final? That was Spains game until Kobe took over in the fourth and saved their azzez.

I'd prefer 1st to 3rd year players play, no need for our best players to play in that tourney, Euro Court Config., Euro Rules, Euro Refs? and well oiled national squads really puts us at a disadvantage.

The NBA is still the best league on the planet no need to take our best guys and prove it, the time commitment is too demanding on top of the 82 game schedule IMO.

He shouldn't but he will. I'm sure the Lakers will strongly try to impress upon him that he should rest this summer but Kobe will ignore it because he's stubborn and he's committed. It's that same kind of stubbornness and commitment that makes him one the best players in the world but it's also what makes him so incredibly frustrating. All that wear and tear on his body is eventually going to come back and haunt us.

Okay, you all have good points. Hey but what Kobe is doing for Team USA is already working! FLAKES like LeBron are backing out but Paul Pierce is stepping up. I think this may have something to do with Kobe being hurt and still saying hey I will be there. Pierce I am sure sees that as his moment to say "I am on the same level as these guys" and I am going to play. Kobe is leading the way as LeBron and a few others take leave, this will inspire players like Bynum, Mike Miller, and Amare to take over and maybe just maybe Kobe will have a more relaxed summer. Lets Hope Kobe is then able to take a lesser role on the court and a bigger role mentoring from the bench. Lets face it the truth is Kobe is under a lot of pressure to go out there and premote basketball as a top tier world sport. USA Baskeball needs Kobe and the NBA needs Kobe to come out. The TV companies need Kobe's face at these games to boost ratings. Basketball has become the top event people watch and relate to here in the states, just as snow boarding and hockey are the top events in the winter games. We know Yao will be there for China. Kobe is going to be like that for USA. So cheerup little Bucker-Roos!

Lets hope Pau's brother can take more of the load this summer as well.