Quote:
Originally Posted by ResAlien
As far as real reasons to dislike him, unless he does it this year, he has never been able to win anything without Shaq. His ability to look and whine to the ref for a foul after every single shot he takes is infuriating. He's comes off as a selfish player, and assists or not doesn't really make the people around him better.
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If we're really going to talk about the whole, "Kobe can't win with Shaq" thing, then my reply has always been, Shaq or the Lakers, wouldn't have ever won anything without Kobe and Shaq definitely wouldn't have won if Dwyane Wade wasn't there. I don't discredit O'Neal for winning away from Los Angeles, but he did need Wade to play out of his mind (30-6-5 in the playoffs) to beat Dallas. I'll also say that at that point in his career, Shaq was on his last legs for dominance and he had learned how to be a leader with a great guard in order to win. I can't hate on that.
Whining to the refs - It's an art. Michael did it all the time. Charles would always talk about how Michael would manipulate the refs when they went against them in the Final and how he learned that you needed to do it just for an extra push. Larry was a master of complaining to the refs and getting calls to go his way later in the game and down the road in his career. Everyone's favorite player, Lebron is only learning now how to complain to refs in order to get calls. I don't condone it, but obviously it's something that NBA players are bred to do. I'll also say that some players will get the benefit of the call more times than other players. Steve Nash and Jason Kidd will
always get to the line with minimal contact on a lean-in jump shot. It's garbage, but they get those calls.
I honestly get all of the Kobe-hatred by people. He wasn't a likeable person early in his career and alot of what's said in the media drives the public's viewpoint and opinions about the guy. The thing is, he is easily the best player in the league and over time he has matured as a player and has done incredible things to lift his team and the Lakers' organization to the top of the league. I just don't get when people don't like an athlete, they can't give them any credit for their accomplishments or when they display greatness. I don't really like Lebron, but I understand and realize that he is awesome and a freak with incredible athleticism and grand skill. I'll always admit when someone I don't like does something good. I'm positive that if you were to ask him who he needs to be better than, he would still say, "Kobe". If you asked him, Carmelo, KG or anyone in the NBA what standard they've set themselves for greatness, I would guarantee they would've still said, "Kobe". The players know this. They understand how hard a guy works in the off-season and how much he does during the season to maintain the type of shape he is in.