Reader comments: Lakers' Bryant a changed man

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Dude | 5:34 a.m. May 8, 2008
"Game one of the Series he scored 38 points and dished out 7 assists"
If he was truly changed he would have 28 points and 14 assists (triple double would be nice).
He is still the same ballhog he has always been.
Pau Gasol should be the MVP he is the one who will bring the championship back to LA.
Jpunks | 7:11 a.m. May 8, 2008
I love how jealous the Jazz fans are of Kobe. Just get over it.
Got Everyone Fooled | 7:28 a.m. May 8, 2008
It's easy to be nice when things are going well. If LA weren't winning, Kobe would still be the selfish whiner he REALLY is.
Comments continue below
re: Dude and Baloney | 8:58 a.m. May 8, 2008
I'm going to speak slowly for you guys...Kobe is a SHOOTING Guard not a POINT/PASSING Guard. Why does Kobe have to get 14 APG to prove he shares the ball? The only players who have done that on a regular basis the top PG like Stockton/Kidd/Nash/CP3 etc.

-Kobe has a career average of 4.6 APG and has averaged 5.5APG since 2000/2001 season. How many people averaged that - most of the PG average the same number of APG or less. Kobe has been in the top 20-30 each year for APG...As a SG...ahead of many PG.

-DWill only averages 2 more APG than Kobe this series. If Kobe has to dish another 2 or 3 or 8 (according to Dude's post) then does that make DWill selfish since he only averages 8?

Take any SG and compare stats - Kobe is in the top 5 of that list. APG as a rule shrink as you move from the 1 position to the 5 position. Malone only averaged 3.6APG, Hornacek averaged 4.9APG, Duncan averages 3.1APG, Parker averages 5.5APG -are they selfish too?

So much Kobe hate just makes your points sound like you don't know basketball very well.
jazzfanscryalot | 9:58 a.m. May 8, 2008
sniff sniff jazz fans.. i'm pretty sure that dwill knows a little more about ball than all y'all haters.. i understand why people have not liked kobe in the past.. but predicting how he would act if the lakers lost is obsurd.. kobe told bynum to stay out so he can heal, if he were being selfish he would've given him a hard time for not coming back for the playoffs.. if you watch the games, press conferences, you would realize kobe is indeed a team player this year.. now deal with it! the series isn't over, you guys might still win a game.. all the lakers jealousy and kobe hate is hilarious..
Reality: sob | 10:02 a.m. May 8, 2008
If Kobe were playing for the Jazz, all sins would be forgiven. No one takes you serious when you try to bring up all Kobe's character issues and your team is down 0-2. If that's how your going to justify your team getting crushed, cool but you sound like a fool. The only sob here is you.
How's the chest? | 10:15 a.m. May 8, 2008
Because you got fouled and smacked by every jazz player that guarded you almost every time you had the ball.
Utah HATERS | 11:01 a.m. May 8, 2008
Stop crying like girls
Anonymous | 12:47 p.m. May 8, 2008
i am a jazz fan but it is funny how all the hate for Kobe comes out when he is almost single handedly beating the Jazz. Give credit when credit is due. He is the MVP of the league and that is it. Like him or not he still is a darn good ball player!!
JT | 2:48 p.m. May 8, 2008
Cager wrote " It's a shame and a disgrace the Jazz have played like total wimps so far in this series and have let Bryant and his motley crew of teammates run all over them. Excluding Bryant, the Lakers are not so great. Their roster is full of mediocre players."

Ok, so let me get this straight; Lamar Odom, Pau Gasol and Derek Fisher are just "mediocre players." If that is the case, in what class of player would you put Okur, Kirilenko and Brewer?

I'd also like to know what your honest (honest being the key word here) assessment is of your Jazz if the Lakers are just selfish/arrogant Kobe + bunch of mediocre players?

I'm assuming you'll tell us all how much greater they are as a whole. Why is it then that they have had a lead in this series for something like 10 total minutes (if that) out of 96? Win or lose in SL, the Lakers will easily hold a lead for much longer than Jazz in LA

Oh yeah, I forgot, they are just beating themselves. As soon as they decide to play Jazz ball they will roll over the Lakers. Sorry my bad
LakeShow | 3:13 p.m. May 8, 2008
Cager- "Excluding Bryant, the Lakers are not so great" - Now that's just a silly statement. C'mon now, you've got to admit that this team has solid role players at every position. I'd say maybe even moreso on this iteration of the Lakers than the Kobe/Shaq teams. This year was supposed to be a learning & improving season -the role players getting stronger. It says something about these "mediocre" players when they're able to step up so far ahead of time. I like the Jazz, I really do. It's the fans that make it so hard to like them -and that's just sad.
Jazzian | 4:17 p.m. May 8, 2008
Re: Jpunks

There is no comparison with any of the Jazz players. How could we be jealous over somebody who has been in the league for 12 seasons or more. It took for him that long to get an MVP…? Is that something to get jealous about? Give our guys half the season/experience your Kobe has and then let’s get back and compare. Get it?
Kobe | 4:23 p.m. May 8, 2008
Yeah he's a good player and all, but I still don't have to like him, yeah sure he's the best in the league, but I still hate him, have since he was a rookie and it's not going to change.
Anonymous | 6:03 p.m. May 8, 2008
How many assists did jordon average per game?

Answer around 4 or 5 assists per game for his career

with a couple a good years of around 6 assists per game.

NO one complained that the jordon didn't have enough assists.

There are many reason not to like kobe but the current way he plays now is not one of them.
re: Jazzian | 6:41 p.m. May 8, 2008
So you're saying that anyone with the same experience can be just as good? Well, that's just absurd. If that's the case why aren't we inducting John Sally or Greg Ostertag into the Hall of Fame?

As for the MVP... It took Malone 12 years to win MVP and then he won it again 2 years later. So 12 and 14 years. Not sure how Kobe's is any worse?

Oh and Stockton never won one.
warm and fuzzy | 9:01 p.m. May 8, 2008
Kobe, a changed man? Well anything is possible, but so far I'm having trouble feeling all warm and fuzzy.
correction | 11:09 p.m. May 8, 2008
Stockton and Malone were co-MVP's
Re: Correction | 12:14 a.m. May 9, 2008
They were co-MVP's at the All-star game. Not for the league. Stockton never won a League MVP. (Season)

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Kobe Bryant celebrates his MVP award with Los Angeles teammates prior to Wednesday's NBA playoff game. (Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News)
Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
Kobe Bryant celebrates his MVP award with Los Angeles teammates prior to Wednesday's NBA playoff game.