Three Ring Circus Lakers 3 peat dynasty book
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1995Lakers
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 24, 2020 1:22 pm    Post subject:

composite wrote:
I wish Kobe were still alive in general ... but I also wish he were still alive to defend/explain/comment on parts of this book


This is a great point. We really need Bryant's perspective on this because just reading the book itself and how it meshed with stuff from Phil's book about Kobe during this time period puts a very negative perception of who he was - which while Im sure a lot, if not all of this is true, we need Bryant's perspective to balance the negativity thought about him during this period. Maybe Vanessa or even Rob Pelinka/Arn Tellem, hell even Tracy McGrady to a certain extent can paint an honest detailed picture of Kobe as they were around for a lot of that time period and can offer perspectives no one else knows.
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 24, 2020 1:53 pm    Post subject:

Ordered it on Amazon today, sincer I liked Pearlman's Showtime. Reading the negative comments from you guys kind of has me second guessing. I really don't need to read negative (bleep) about Kobe right now.
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 24, 2020 2:00 pm    Post subject:

1995Lakers wrote:
Batguano wrote:
J.C. Smith wrote:
In The Show they talked about it quite a bit too, though in less detail since it had less time dedicated to it. The basic consensus by the time Phil took over was that Kobe was the teams problem. He rubbed all of his teammates the wrong way, and the only guy who had any type of friendship with his was Fisher.

Shaq probably didn't help. He hung out with everyone, and rubbed everything in Kobe's face (a teenager at the time). While Kobe kept to himself and tended to ruffle the feathers of his teammates. So it was easy to see why they sided with Shaq. But Kobe didn't help himself there, and the general consensus was that he was selfish.

Phil Jackson said that by the time he came to the Lakers he realized how bad it was. At one point after a game where the team was blaming everything on Kobe he had a film session and explicitly pointed out plays to try to justify why they weren't Kobe's fault because he had become the team's scapegoat. But then by the next season Phil gives the interview with Bob Costas where he wasn't exactly supportive of Kobe and insinuated it out that if it came between him and Shaq it would be Shaq. And of course a few years later Phil gave the ultimatum that it was him or Kobe.

He did seem to open up and mature as he got older. Mending his bridges with Phil. But I think in general Kobe was probably never the most loveable guy in the locker room. Even during the post-Shaq title years Odom and Fisher were the locker room leaders, where Kobe led by example.

That having been said, I think a lot of what made him rub his teammates the wrong way is also what made him great. Tex Winter was once asked to compare how Kobe treated his teammates to how Jordan treated his and he said that Jordan was harsher on his. In the end his results are what mattered most.


Yes. The biggest difference between Jordan's style of leadership and Kobe's style of leadership is that Jordan got glorified and excused for his while Kobe got demonized for his.


During the 96-04 time period there was no leadership from Kobe, mostly due to his age as he was surrounded by vets often much older than him. But even if he was older than his teammates, that Jordan comparison is wrong and coddles and excuses Bryant's behavior from that time period. Kobe was that super talented, universally hated guy at work that Im sure a lot of us have dealt with. Kobe WAS the problem. As one Laker perfectly put it, the guy lacked a social antenna that most of us were just born with in terms of knowing what to say and what not to say at certain times. MJ while he was often just as ruthless if not more than Kobe, was always self aware and self conscious. The stuff he did did not make people think he was being a prick for no reason and he knew when and how to make guys feel good about themselves. Guys like Eric Chenowith and Jimmy King have no reason to lie about Kobe but the stuff said about him is extremely unflattering and all paint a similar picture of who this guy was.


So it was Kobe's fault that he was bullied as a 17 year old rookie by an older (and presumably wiser and "more mature") Shaq who picked on him and dubbed him "Showboat" (in an unflattering manner)? It was Kobe's fault that Del Harris hung him out to dry during the Jazz series to take those crunch-time airballs (that would've psychologically stunted pretty much any other young prospect in the history of the game)? It was Kobe's fault that his teammates were resentful of the fact that he was obviously more talented than all of them and wanted it it more than them? It was Kobe's fault that the front-office sent a message that he was not to be hazed like other rookies causing resentment among his teammates? It was Kobe's fault that Phil Jackson immediately wanted to trade him for Jason Kidd and Shawn Marion the moment he stepped into the head coaching position? It was Kobe's fault that Shaq was fat, lazy out of shape and then embarrassed Dr. Buss by yelling at him, "PAY ME MF'ER"? It was Kobe's fault that Shaq decided to get his toe surgery "on company time" which in turn severely affected our chances at a 4-peat? It was Kobe's fault that Phil Jackson consistently betrayed the "locker room code" and hung out Kobe to dry by bashing him in the press and in his books in a way that NO COACH IN ANY SPORT has EVER done to one of his star players?

Even Phil himself came back with his tail tucked between his legs to coach Kobe after pushing to trade him TWICE and throwing down all sorts of "me or him" ultimatums to the front office. Because he knows deep down who butters his championship bread.

The whole "Kobe is a bad leader" rep dogged him his entire career. It didn't just magically stop in 04. I remember when we lost in 2008 the usual round of "Kobe is not a leader, Kobe doesn't make his teammates better" narratives surfaced (even coming from users on this very message board). And his career closed with constant narratives of, "Kobe singlehandedly destroyed the Lakers franchise and no one wants to play with him because he's a bad leader."

Only now in death did most of the haters in the media start giving him his flowers.
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 24, 2020 2:05 pm    Post subject:

Nobody wrote:
Ordered it on Amazon today, sincer I liked Pearlman's Showtime. Reading the negative comments from you guys kind of has me second guessing. I really don't need to read negative (bleep) about Kobe right now.


I don’t think there’s anything wrong with a reporter chronicling what Kobe was like at the time while acknowledging that he changed and grew over the course of his life. Is it better to pretend Kobe wasn’t a jerk to his teammates in the early years? That he was easy to get along with? That his play style wasn’t too focused on himself? The beauty of Kobe’s story is his evolution.
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 24, 2020 2:07 pm    Post subject:

ocho wrote:
Nobody wrote:
Ordered it on Amazon today, sincer I liked Pearlman's Showtime. Reading the negative comments from you guys kind of has me second guessing. I really don't need to read negative (bleep) about Kobe right now.


I don’t think there’s anything wrong with a reporter chronicling what Kobe was like at the time while acknowledging that he changed and grew over the course of his life. Is it better to pretend Kobe wasn’t a jerk to his teammates in the early years? That he was easy to get along with? That his play style wasn’t too focused on himself? The beauty of Kobe’s story is his evolution.


Nothing wrong with it as long as its fair and balanced, which it never has been with Kobe. Meanwhile guys like Phil and Shaq get their own indiscretions and questionable actions swept under the rug.

Remember, as frustrated as he would get with Kobe a lot of times, Tex Winter reportedly had way more disdain for Shaq.


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PostPosted: Thu Sep 24, 2020 2:08 pm    Post subject:

composite wrote:
I wish Kobe were still alive in general ... but I also wish he were still alive to defend/explain/comment on parts of this book


When there is a documentary on the 2000 Lakers it would have been interesting to hear what Kobe had to say in the same way we got a glimpse into Jordan's mind in the Last Dance.
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 24, 2020 2:19 pm    Post subject:

Batguano wrote:
ocho wrote:
Nobody wrote:
Ordered it on Amazon today, sincer I liked Pearlman's Showtime. Reading the negative comments from you guys kind of has me second guessing. I really don't need to read negative (bleep) about Kobe right now.


I don’t think there’s anything wrong with a reporter chronicling what Kobe was like at the time while acknowledging that he changed and grew over the course of his life. Is it better to pretend Kobe wasn’t a jerk to his teammates in the early years? That he was easy to get along with? That his play style wasn’t too focused on himself? The beauty of Kobe’s story is his evolution.


Nothing wrong with it as long as its fair and balanced, which it never has been with Kobe. Meanwhile guys like Phil and Shaq get their own indiscretions and questionable actions swept under the rug.

Remember, as frustrated as he would get with Kobe a lot of times, Tex Winter reportedly had way more disdain for Shaq.


I actually disagree with you about Kobe starting from the 2007-2008 season. Anyone who watched the Lakers closely could see that he had matured and thats why guys like Sasha, Pau, Lamar and Ron-Ron still swear by him to this day and never complained to the media about his leadership during that time period of the back to back. Hell we may even need to go further back as while Smush hated Kobe, Caron Butler loved him like an older brother. But if we go back from 1996-2004, who really loved and swore by Kobe? Objectively I feel he went from the solo "im going to be the best" to "I will treat you right if you work hard but disdain for those who do not" to what he became which is how can I get the best out of everyone I work with because everyone is different. I actually respect Kobe more for his effort and changes as his journey was truly special and required tremendous effort on his part.
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 24, 2020 2:27 pm    Post subject:

Batguano wrote:
1995Lakers wrote:
Batguano wrote:
J.C. Smith wrote:
In The Show they talked about it quite a bit too, though in less detail since it had less time dedicated to it. The basic consensus by the time Phil took over was that Kobe was the teams problem. He rubbed all of his teammates the wrong way, and the only guy who had any type of friendship with his was Fisher.

Shaq probably didn't help. He hung out with everyone, and rubbed everything in Kobe's face (a teenager at the time). While Kobe kept to himself and tended to ruffle the feathers of his teammates. So it was easy to see why they sided with Shaq. But Kobe didn't help himself there, and the general consensus was that he was selfish.

Phil Jackson said that by the time he came to the Lakers he realized how bad it was. At one point after a game where the team was blaming everything on Kobe he had a film session and explicitly pointed out plays to try to justify why they weren't Kobe's fault because he had become the team's scapegoat. But then by the next season Phil gives the interview with Bob Costas where he wasn't exactly supportive of Kobe and insinuated it out that if it came between him and Shaq it would be Shaq. And of course a few years later Phil gave the ultimatum that it was him or Kobe.

He did seem to open up and mature as he got older. Mending his bridges with Phil. But I think in general Kobe was probably never the most loveable guy in the locker room. Even during the post-Shaq title years Odom and Fisher were the locker room leaders, where Kobe led by example.

That having been said, I think a lot of what made him rub his teammates the wrong way is also what made him great. Tex Winter was once asked to compare how Kobe treated his teammates to how Jordan treated his and he said that Jordan was harsher on his. In the end his results are what mattered most.


Yes. The biggest difference between Jordan's style of leadership and Kobe's style of leadership is that Jordan got glorified and excused for his while Kobe got demonized for his.


During the 96-04 time period there was no leadership from Kobe, mostly due to his age as he was surrounded by vets often much older than him. But even if he was older than his teammates, that Jordan comparison is wrong and coddles and excuses Bryant's behavior from that time period. Kobe was that super talented, universally hated guy at work that Im sure a lot of us have dealt with. Kobe WAS the problem. As one Laker perfectly put it, the guy lacked a social antenna that most of us were just born with in terms of knowing what to say and what not to say at certain times. MJ while he was often just as ruthless if not more than Kobe, was always self aware and self conscious. The stuff he did did not make people think he was being a prick for no reason and he knew when and how to make guys feel good about themselves. Guys like Eric Chenowith and Jimmy King have no reason to lie about Kobe but the stuff said about him is extremely unflattering and all paint a similar picture of who this guy was.


So it was Kobe's fault that he was bullied as a 17 year old rookie by an older (and presumably wiser and "more mature") Shaq who picked on him and dubbed him "Showboat" (in an unflattering manner)? It was Kobe's fault that Del Harris hung him out to dry during the Jazz series to take those crunch-time airballs (that would've psychologically stunted pretty much any other young prospect in the history of the game)? It was Kobe's fault that his teammates were resentful of the fact that he was obviously more talented than all of them and wanted it it more than them? It was Kobe's fault that the front-office sent a message that he was not to be hazed like other rookies causing resentment among his teammates? It was Kobe's fault that Phil Jackson immediately wanted to trade him for Jason Kidd and Shawn Marion the moment he stepped into the head coaching position? It was Kobe's fault that Shaq was fat, lazy out of shape and then embarrassed Dr. Buss by yelling at him, "PAY ME MF'ER"? It was Kobe's fault that Shaq decided to get his toe surgery "on company time" which in turn severely affected our chances at a 4-peat? It was Kobe's fault that Phil Jackson consistently betrayed the "locker room code" and hung out Kobe to dry by bashing him in the press and in his books in a way that NO COACH IN ANY SPORT has EVER done to one of his star players?

Even Phil himself came back with his tail tucked between his legs to coach Kobe after pushing to trade him TWICE and throwing down all sorts of "me or him" ultimatums to the front office. Because he knows deep down who butters his championship bread.

The whole "Kobe is a bad leader" rep dogged him his entire career. It didn't just magically stop in 04. I remember when we lost in 2008 the usual round of "Kobe is not a leader, Kobe doesn't make his teammates better" narratives surfaced (even coming from users on this very message board). And his career closed with constant narratives of, "Kobe singlehandedly destroyed the Lakers franchise and no one wants to play with him because he's a bad leader."

Only now in death did most of the haters in the media start giving him his flowers.


If you want the truth, I think its because Shaq was more likeable and relatable in terms of personality. Big goofy guy who had a big heart but was otherwise a normal dude whose personality people could understand. Hell even his getting fat and "Company Time" while enraging and annoying to Laker fans is what 95% of us would have done in his shoes which is become fat and lazy off success.
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 24, 2020 3:07 pm    Post subject:

Shaq and Wade had issues too. And there's a theory that Shaq got jealous of Penny by the end at Magic because he became marketable due to Lil Penny ads. So you could say Shaq never grew into the mature senior teammate while Kobe did with 2009, 2010 championship teams and helped Pau toughen up after 2008 while maintaining a brotherly relationship.
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 24, 2020 3:42 pm    Post subject:

Batguano wrote:
ocho wrote:
Nobody wrote:
Ordered it on Amazon today, sincer I liked Pearlman's Showtime. Reading the negative comments from you guys kind of has me second guessing. I really don't need to read negative (bleep) about Kobe right now.


I don’t think there’s anything wrong with a reporter chronicling what Kobe was like at the time while acknowledging that he changed and grew over the course of his life. Is it better to pretend Kobe wasn’t a jerk to his teammates in the early years? That he was easy to get along with? That his play style wasn’t too focused on himself? The beauty of Kobe’s story is his evolution.


Nothing wrong with it as long as its fair and balanced, which it never has been with Kobe. Meanwhile guys like Phil and Shaq get their own indiscretions and questionable actions swept under the rug.

Remember, as frustrated as he would get with Kobe a lot of times, Tex Winter reportedly had way more disdain for Shaq.


I guess I’m unfamiliar with the world where Shaq and Phil have been exempt from criticism. I’ve seen, read, and heard plenty of critiques of both those guys.

FWIW, I’ve read the first long chapter about Kobe from the book, which chronicles his early life and path to being traded on draft day to the Lakers. It’s largely, at least thus far, about his unique upbringing and dogged determination that was uncharacteristic amongst his peers. There are some great classic Kobe anecdotes that were new to me.
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 25, 2020 5:31 am    Post subject:

saetarubia wrote:
Shaq and Wade had issues too. And there's a theory that Shaq got jealous of Penny by the end at Magic because he became marketable due to Lil Penny ads. So you could say Shaq never grew into the mature senior teammate while Kobe did with 2009, 2010 championship teams and helped Pau toughen up after 2008 while maintaining a brotherly relationship.


Don't forget he also had issues in Phoenix by stealing Steve Nash's idea for a reality TV series. Shaq has pretty much burned bridges every time he departed from a team and took mad petty shots at the players/coaches/front office on his way out. Only years later does he attempt to atone and act like it was just "part of his act" because he doesn't want to be viewed as being on the wrong side of history.
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 25, 2020 6:02 am    Post subject:

I think many of us long time Lakers fans have a good idea of what young Kobe was. But that's just part of his biography. His real legacy to me is the man Kobe became up until the point he died.

Magic was my basketball hero growing up. I was a bit too young in the 1980s to know what was going on off court with him and the Showtime Lakers. And when I grew older, reading the unflattering stuff about Magic was a bit painful, but then I started to see the fruit in his life and the man he became.

Whatever nuggets Pearlman has on young Kobe won't affect my final view on Kobe the father and husband who really changed his ways off court.
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 25, 2020 6:05 am    Post subject:

yinoma2001 wrote:
I think many of us long time Lakers fans have a good idea of what young Kobe was. But that's just part of his biography. His real legacy to me is the man Kobe became up until the point he died.

Magic was my basketball hero growing up. I was a bit too young in the 1980s to know what was going on off court with him and the Showtime Lakers. And when I grew older, reading the unflattering stuff about Magic was a bit painful, but then I started to see the fruit in his life and the man he became.

Whatever nuggets Pearlman has on young Kobe won't affect my final view on Kobe the father and husband who really changed his ways off court.


He had some nuggets on Magic on his comeback too, it’s a pretty good read so far
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 25, 2020 6:15 am    Post subject:

yinoma2001 wrote:
I think many of us long time Lakers fans have a good idea of what young Kobe was. But that's just part of his biography. His real legacy to me is the man Kobe became up until the point he died.

Magic was my basketball hero growing up. I was a bit too young in the 1980s to know what was going on off court with him and the Showtime Lakers. And when I grew older, reading the unflattering stuff about Magic was a bit painful, but then I started to see the fruit in his life and the man he became.

Whatever nuggets Pearlman has on young Kobe won't affect my final view on Kobe the father and husband who really changed his ways off court.

This. Kobe wasn’t perfect but nobody is. He is still a hero of mine and nothing will change that. It was amazing to see him grow into the person he became as you said. None of us are the same person we were when we were in our teens/early 20’s. If you grow and mature, that’s how it goes. If anything hearing stories of how Kobe was and grew to be makes it even more fascinating. Forever my Goat.
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 25, 2020 6:16 am    Post subject:

yinoma2001 wrote:
I think many of us long time Lakers fans have a good idea of what young Kobe was. But that's just part of his biography. His real legacy to me is the man Kobe became up until the point he died.

Magic was my basketball hero growing up. I was a bit too young in the 1980s to know what was going on off court with him and the Showtime Lakers. And when I grew older, reading the unflattering stuff about Magic was a bit painful, but then I started to see the fruit in his life and the man he became.

Whatever nuggets Pearlman has on young Kobe won't affect my final view on Kobe the father and husband who really changed his ways off court.


Word.
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 25, 2020 11:30 am    Post subject:

ocho wrote:
Nobody wrote:
Ordered it on Amazon today, sincer I liked Pearlman's Showtime. Reading the negative comments from you guys kind of has me second guessing. I really don't need to read negative (bleep) about Kobe right now.


I don’t think there’s anything wrong with a reporter chronicling what Kobe was like at the time while acknowledging that he changed and grew over the course of his life. Is it better to pretend Kobe wasn’t a jerk to his teammates in the early years? That he was easy to get along with? That his play style wasn’t too focused on himself? The beauty of Kobe’s story is his evolution.


No, of course not. I guess I feel the timing is off for me. Won't cancel my order, though.
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 25, 2020 12:07 pm    Post subject:

Nobody wrote:
ocho wrote:
Nobody wrote:
Ordered it on Amazon today, sincer I liked Pearlman's Showtime. Reading the negative comments from you guys kind of has me second guessing. I really don't need to read negative (bleep) about Kobe right now.


I don’t think there’s anything wrong with a reporter chronicling what Kobe was like at the time while acknowledging that he changed and grew over the course of his life. Is it better to pretend Kobe wasn’t a jerk to his teammates in the early years? That he was easy to get along with? That his play style wasn’t too focused on himself? The beauty of Kobe’s story is his evolution.


No, of course not. I guess I feel the timing is off for me. Won't cancel my order, though.


Fair enough. Those elements of his early story don’t make me think negatively of him because I know how the story evolved. The hardest part for me is reading about him and being reminded constantly that he’s gone.
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 25, 2020 12:26 pm    Post subject: Re: Three Ring Circus Lakers 3 peat dynasty book

dcastillo wrote:
Came out yesterday, bought it today. Wondering if anybody else here was going to get it. The same author is the guy who did the showtime Lakers dynasty book which was really good. Apparently it’s another good one that goes into 1996-2004 years.


The name was already pre-existing. Haha. Perfection.
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 25, 2020 1:31 pm    Post subject:

yinoma2001 wrote:
I think many of us long time Lakers fans have a good idea of what young Kobe was. But that's just part of his biography. His real legacy to me is the man Kobe became up until the point he died.

Magic was my basketball hero growing up. I was a bit too young in the 1980s to know what was going on off court with him and the Showtime Lakers. And when I grew older, reading the unflattering stuff about Magic was a bit painful, but then I started to see the fruit in his life and the man he became.

Whatever nuggets Pearlman has on young Kobe won't affect my final view on Kobe the father and husband who really changed his ways off court.


Lakers fans that have been following the team for decades, particularly on boards like this one, are aware of all of the criticisms of Magic, Kareem, Kobe, Shaq, PJ, and now LeBron. No player is immune from harsh criticism. The criticism of Kobe is, naturally, toned down greatly because of his tragic death. None of them are perfect players or perfect human beings. That's what makes team sports so interesting.

As great as Tiger Woods is as an individual performer, him messing up is what makes him relatable..
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 25, 2020 9:44 pm    Post subject:

ocho wrote:
Nobody wrote:
ocho wrote:
Nobody wrote:
Ordered it on Amazon today, sincer I liked Pearlman's Showtime. Reading the negative comments from you guys kind of has me second guessing. I really don't need to read negative (bleep) about Kobe right now.


I don’t think there’s anything wrong with a reporter chronicling what Kobe was like at the time while acknowledging that he changed and grew over the course of his life. Is it better to pretend Kobe wasn’t a jerk to his teammates in the early years? That he was easy to get along with? That his play style wasn’t too focused on himself? The beauty of Kobe’s story is his evolution.


No, of course not. I guess I feel the timing is off for me. Won't cancel my order, though.


Fair enough. Those elements of his early story don’t make me think negatively of him because I know how the story evolved. The hardest part for me is reading about him and being reminded constantly that he’s gone.


Well put and I believe the same goes for me. I, too, remember all the negativity that surrounded him pretty well, although the early years (1996-2000) weren't covered as extensively here as they were in the States. And while the story of him rising from the bottomless pit is definitely worth reading and remembering, I still haven't gotten over the fact that he has passed on. And every page turned will be a reminder of that sad fact. That's what I meant by "not needing to read negative (bleep) about him now". But your words kind of encouraged me to stick with the order and read through those stories. It might prove to be a healing/closure moment.
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 25, 2020 11:21 pm    Post subject:

Just bought the e-book version. I just finished the first chapter on Magic's comeback. Kinda OT, but I'm surprised to read that Magic was all about himself and not his teammates that year. It goes against everything I've ever read or heard about him (including in Pearlman's book about the Showtime teams).

Kobe is my favorite athlete ever and pretty much represents my childhood. I can handle reading bad stuff about him now because he overcame it all.

In the end, that's what makes these stories not only great, but also a self-help read in some ways. As the old saying goes, life is 10% what happens to you and 90% what you do about it.
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PostPosted: Sat Sep 26, 2020 12:03 am    Post subject:

yinoma2001 wrote:
I think many of us long time Lakers fans have a good idea of what young Kobe was. But that's just part of his biography. His real legacy to me is the man Kobe became up until the point he died.

Magic was my basketball hero growing up. I was a bit too young in the 1980s to know what was going on off court with him and the Showtime Lakers. And when I grew older, reading the unflattering stuff about Magic was a bit painful, but then I started to see the fruit in his life and the man he became.

Whatever nuggets Pearlman has on young Kobe won't affect my final view on Kobe the father and husband who really changed his ways off court


Great post. This is what matters in the end. Someone also mentioned KAJ and he got crucified as well because he was aloof and was smarter than most. I guess being a deep "thinker" was a crime. Eventually, when you are a good person, things turn around. I like/liked all 3 even more after their careers were over (which is a far more important time in life).
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Runway8
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PostPosted: Tue Sep 29, 2020 11:02 am    Post subject:

The Shaq segment... Orlando's bid to keep him, the 1st offer was 4 yrs $54 million. Insulted him about his rebounding and defense during negotiation to justify offer. OMG. The irony of being in Orlando and running a Mickey Mouse operation.
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ocho
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PostPosted: Tue Sep 29, 2020 11:11 am    Post subject:

Runway8 wrote:
The Shaq segment... Orlando's bid to keep him, the 1st offer was 4 yrs $54 million. Insulted him about his rebounding and defense during negotiation to justify offer. OMG. The irony of being in Orlando and running a Mickey Mouse operation.


Yeah I knew the broad strokes of the history but reading that section it’s just so hard to believe any team could act that way. This would never happen today. Just an unbelievable clown show.
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governator
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PostPosted: Tue Sep 29, 2020 11:16 am    Post subject:

ocho wrote:
Runway8 wrote:
The Shaq segment... Orlando's bid to keep him, the 1st offer was 4 yrs $54 million. Insulted him about his rebounding and defense during negotiation to justify offer. OMG. The irony of being in Orlando and running a Mickey Mouse operation.


Yeah I knew the broad strokes of the history but reading that section it’s just so hard to believe any team could act that way. This would never happen today. Just an unbelievable clown show.


West clearing that last $3mil and change to Vancouver was masterful
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