Kobe rant

81 points huh? That's nothing. He only had 2 assists. What a selfish player. This is bad for those who watch the NBA, especially the kids trying to emulate him.

WHAT THE CRAP? All I have heard is people hating on Kobe. Not just some of the experts, but the general public who hate him so much. The man scored 81 points, hel-lo. Your boy MJ never did. Pistol Pete came close, as did David Thompson (greatest ACC player ever probly). Kobe is not Michael Jordan, get over it. I think Kobe messed up trying so hard to copy Jordan (and rightfully so), as now everyone compares him only to the greatest player ever. Ok, Kobe hogs the ball, he doesn't always make his sorry teammates better. So what?

Kobe obviously had some legal trouble, but was acquitted. In reality, he cheated on his wife, which is wrong any way you slice it. But he did nothing legally wrong. He did not rape that girl or force her to do anything she wasn't ready and willing to do. He messed up cause he had sex with a ho instead of a decent girl. That was his poor judgement. If you're gonna commit the sin, then do it right. He didn't. Regardless, that does not change the fact that he commited adultry. But we should not judge him for this, that is not our role as humans; instead, learn from it. No one is immune to running into problems, and celebrities should not be thought of in a higher light in any area other than what they are good at. Kobe is a great basketball player. He should be praised for this, just as Tom Hanks is a great actor, Phil Jackson is a great basketball coach, and Mariah Carey is a great singer. But, they are human. Therefore, praise their talents, but expect to see them do what the rest of us "normal" people do. Imagine what it would be like living in the spotlight, where everyone treats you like a fish in a bowl and holds you to an impossible standard. These people are perfectly average other than they have lots of money and are really, really good at one thing. That's called talent, not perfection.

Now, back to the basketball side. I cannot believe how much people resent Kobe. I love Michael Jordan, as almost any kid in my generation did. No, I do not think Kobe is quite as good as Michael, but he is the closest thing. Michael did not win a title until Scottie Pippen and Phil Jackson arrived. People miss the fact that these arrivals coincide with the dynasty starting. The Bulls tasted playoff success for most of MJ's early career, but were not great until number 33 and the Zen Master put it all together. In Kobe's case, Shaq was dominant and opened things up for him. But put Kobe alongside Garnett, Duncan, Lebron, or Carmelo and you'd have another dynasty. Scottie Pippen was one of the top ten players in his day, dominating both ends of the floor and causing other teams defensive fits with his versatility. Kobe would therefore be equally effective with another of the top ten players on his team right now. Further, if you took Scottie in his prime and put him with Kobe, you'd have almost the same amount of success as the Bulls did. Just admit it is at least possible.

I'm not taking anything away from MJ: he is "the greatest ever, period." But, if Kobe is given another chance to play with a talented team, especially one super-talented player along the lines of a Pippen, Michael Jordan may be "the greatest player ever, semi-colon...but Kobe Bryant was tough too...man that is hard to choose." Follow?

In the present day, get off Kobe's case. He hogs the ball and does take a lot of shots. But the guy wants to win so badly, and feels him shooting and scoring and taking over the mediocre lakers is the best way to do that. I agree. Take him of the team and allow Lamar Odom to create. Ha, 20 win team, at best. Put Kobe on board and they will make the playoffs. So my advice is enjoy what Kobe is doing. Acknowledge his team is awful and he is making them competitve. We may not see another player in a scoring zone like this for many, many more years. Props to you, Kobe, you've won me back. Way to ball up and take over.