you're talking about the guys who were "alienated" by Kobe? It's a lot of BS, from what I've heard -- the reason no one wants to play with the Lakers is because they suck, but they wouldn't suck any more or any less than if they hadn't given Kobe a sweetheart deal. And had Stern not had a post-lockout moment of weakness and veto'd the Chris Paul trade, it'd be an entirely different story (and Kobe still would've been signed to a hefty deal).
IMO, YMMV, etc.
http://espn.go.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/11717596/is-kobe-bryant-reason-los-angeles-lakers-downfall
And when LA sent out feelers in the run-up to 2014 free agency, the feedback came in the form of crickets. LeBron, approached first, was unreachable. When the Lakers turned their attention to George -- a rising star who grew up in LA County idolizing Bryant -- he re-upped with the Pacers. So the Lakers kept spinning their lazy Susan of free agent superstar dreams. Kevin Love? Carmelo Anthony? Chris Bosh? Not one would take the Lakers' money -- or fight his way to LA. Kupchak, rather presciently, began preparing fans for the idea that the cap space of the upcoming years might not result in a big name, telling ESPN's Colin Cowherd in late 2013, "I don't know if we'll get a star player," while pointing out that there are "a lot of things you can do with cap room" besides sign a big name.
IN JULY 2013, after one tumultuous season in LA, Dwight Howard had reached free agency with a flood of carefully arranged meetings with the Rockets, Hawks, Mavericks, Warriors and Lakers. For the Lakers, it was a dry run for the 2014 recruiting game. Could they persuade a major star to stay with Bryant?
The Lakers meeting took place in Beverly Hills on July 2 in the modernist, windowless conference room at Relativity Media -- the offices of Howard's agent. Kupchak, Howard's closest ally on the team, prepped the Lakers' pitch. One big point: Listen carefully. Another: Dress appropriately. "Our approach," a Lakers source explained at the time, "is that we are interviewing for the job. We want to show that this is a place his dreams can come true."
As the Lakers' contingent settled into the conference room's ergonomic chairs, it was clear that two-time MVP point guard Steve Nash, in a nice crisp shirt, listening attentively, was running Kupchak's game plan. But Bryant showed up, according to a person in the room, in "hoops shorts, a T-shirt and a gold chain." He had also packed an attitude.
When Howard asked why his teammates let the injured center take all the flak when the Lakers' season went south, Nash said he didn't know that Howard had felt that way and that had he known, he would have acted differently. Bryant, on the other hand, offered a crash course in developing thick skin and a mini lecture on learning how to win. Sources told ESPN Insider Chris Broussard that Bryant's lecture was "a complete turnoff" for Howard.
When you can't even bribe players to play with Kobe Bryant, what's the point in bribe money? As one rival front office executive says: "I'm sure Mitch already investigated and found out he didn't need two max slots because the destination isn't all that attractive until Kobe has completely left the premises."
"Mitch did his homework," says another NBA exec. "He can't get a marquee player to play alongside Kobe, cap space be [dang]ed." As several agents around the league said, it's tough, after so many failed attempts, to convince any player that they'll love playing with Bryant.
But when James hit the free agent market, the Lakers' talks with James' agent, Rich Paul, failed to even materialize in a sit-down meeting with the star.
After James, Carmelo Anthony was high on the Lakers' list. And the particular way that recruitment was botched -- Bryant made news by flying home from Europe, but somehow wires got crossed and he missed the meeting anyway -- reminded Lakers insiders of the manner in which he nearly alienated Steve Nash in 2012. In the days before LA acquired Nash, sources say, the point guard wanted to hear from Bryant that the Lakers' star was amenable to having Nash control the ball much of the time -- a key tenet of the D'Antoni offense from the Suns days. When Lakers brass asked Bryant to call Nash, Bryant failed to do so, saying he preferred that Nash call him. The pettiness took days to resolve and nearly scuttled the deal.
While the Lakers were going after Anthony in vain, they quietly pursued Chris Bosh as well, but he preferred the carcass of the Heat. Paul George, Angelino through and through, had once been the team's safest choice. But sources say one reason the two-way star had re-signed with the Pacers in the fall of 2013 instead was that he was turned off by the thought that Bryant would police his efforts.
I am sure with all that smoke, there is no fire.
Rondo is sure to want to go there.
You could have just said 'yes, I am talking about the guys who were alienated by Kobe.'
One of the dangers of longform journalism is being tricked into thinking that length gives a piece weight -- we saw as much play out with that SI series on Oklahoma State. The narrative limitations of the story can dictate the tone and measure of the piece, and needless to say, I'm skeptical of anything involving Broussard's sources.
But my point has very little to do with Kobe as a jerk or as a teammate, and more to do with an illustration of a contract.
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