Photo. MannionKobe Bryant doesn’t really want to play in tomorrow’s All-Star Game, but he’s going to anyway. Through no choice of his own. Here’s a part of the AP story:
Bryant said he’d “rather not play” Sunday night, but didn’t think he had a choice. NBA policy dictates that if a player is healthy enough to play in the final game before the break and the first one after, he won’t be excused from the All-Star Game. Bryant is hardly pleased with the rule.
“But what can you do?” he said. “I don’t want to be suspended, miss a game.”
“It doesn’t seem to me to make sense,” Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak said of the situation, according to the Los Angeles Times. “I understand it’s the biggest showcase of the year for the NBA and that’s all of us. But from a general manager’s point of view, looking out for the interests of our club, to me it doesn’t make sense.”
What’s the point of the NBA making someone play in a game that doesn’t count? I guess if they didn’t certain guys would skip it every year just because, but it seems a little overbearing in my opinion. And what happens if Kobe makes his pinky finger worse while playing in the ASG (a one-time event), and now the NBA doesn’t have one of its biggest stars for the playoffs (a months-long event). Just doesn’t make sense.
Byron Scott said he’d play Kobe as much as Kobe wants to play, so I’m full prepared for Kobe to be on the court at tip-off, leave on the first dead ball and never return. Then again, if Mamba cares about things like All-Star Game scoring average over his career, he might stay out there to maintain whatever number he’s currently at. (I just looked it up. Kobe has played in 9 All-Star Games and is averaging 20 points per. Last year and in ‘02, he dropped 31 points.)
At the All-Star practice media session earlier today, I asked Carlos Boozer who he thought would win MVP. Booz said that if Kobe plays enough minutes, Kobe will win it. Either him or LeBron. I asked Booz what about himself: “I won’t shoot it as much as those guys,” he said.
I tried to get some face time in with Kobe, but that would have required me to injure about 20 reporters/photographers just to get close enough, and even if I got there, a certain tries-too-hard-to-be-cool national TV reporter was hogging all the Mamba.
I suppose I shouldn’t really complain, though. If you’ve seen a copy of the newest issue of Dime (#39), having the world’s best player on the court Sunday in front of the entire planet is good for our business.
February 16th, 2008 at 3:19 pm
Nick Barnes says:
If I were D-Stern, I’d rather have Kobe on TV during the playoffs and possibly the Finals than risk it for one All-Star Game. Isn’t there enough star power to handle not having one dude?
February 16th, 2008 at 3:42 pm
GEE...let a pg throw an alley-oop from the stands for a dunk contest dunker! 50! says:
Kobe on the cover. That is straight. Better than the last. Still Kidd needs to be on the cover.
February 16th, 2008 at 3:46 pm
word says:
lol which tv reporter was that cuz I can think of like 5 who try too hard
February 16th, 2008 at 4:58 pm
mrcanadian says:
not surprised. the nba/david stern is pretty much run like a dictatorship. sure players make the money, but whatever stern says goes. from the dress code, to suspensions, to participating in the olympics and all star games.
imagine any other job where your boss tells you, you have to come in even though you are hurt/sick. not allowed. they can suggest that you come in, but you wouldn’t get fired for it if you have a valid reason. in the nba…nope, stern has that power. it’s pretty much unconstitutional.
February 16th, 2008 at 5:02 pm
Adrian Zapata says:
Im guessing Jim Gray?
February 16th, 2008 at 5:21 pm
MajaLeeg says:
What happened with Sean Williams and LaMarcus Aldridge after the Rookie-Soph game?
February 16th, 2008 at 5:28 pm
sans says:
Jim Gray? C’mon, Stuart Scott is the ultimate wannabe cool guy. He’s fairly annoying at it. Oh, and they did the same thing to Chuck back in the day.
February 16th, 2008 at 6:02 pm
kobeef says:
I king of see the NBA’s point.
If Kobe was going to get surgery to fix his twisted finger I am sure they would let him do that….but…the fact that he wants to take the ASG off even though he played last week and will play next week….
I’d take that as a suggestion from Kobe that he can play thorugh the pain when he wants to….it teling the fans you don’t want to play in the ASG (and being given the OK to skip it) would set an example that many other players would like to follow.
February 16th, 2008 at 6:05 pm
dagwaller says:
I don’t know how much I agree with it, but you can see how the stars of today have been treating the Olympics - they’re afraid of getting hurt, so they just don’t play. You don’t even get a gold medal for winning the All-star game - why WOULD anyone show up?
Mrcanadian, how many other jobs are there where you get paid millions to play a game, while wearing shorts and a tank top, on tv, all while having thousands if not millions people cheering you on? Plus endorsement money? If I had a thousand fans cheering for me at work, and they voted me as the best ____ worker, and wanted me to spend one extra day doing what I do, even if I didn’t do my best that day, I wouldn’t let a headache or busted pinky get in my way.
February 16th, 2008 at 6:07 pm
kobeef says:
Anyway - forget Kobe for now - the news of the day is that the Hawks just got Mike Bibby from the Kings for a bunch of expiring contracts and Sheldon–freakin–Williams.
Talk about robbery….the Kings got nothing for him.
LeBron ust be going out of his mind watching this shit happen around him…Also, it is pretty east to see that the rest of the GM’s are working to make sure the Cavs suck and they have a chance to get lebron when he leaves
February 19th, 2008 at 5:57 pm
kid juicey says:
is issue 39 on newstands yet ?