The Dallas Mavericks are not going to pursue Mr. Selfish/Team Destroyer Kobe Bryant.
Is it an issue of talent? Yes it is. The Mavs would have to give up way too much and it’s a catch 22. Why? It’s the perfect contract situation for Kobe – there is a no trade clause. In other words, Kobe can shoot down any deal, so if Lakers management has a deal in place where the Lakers actually get some talent back, Kobe’s going to shoot it down because he would be going to a team that just lost all their talent just to get him. So the Lakers are going to have to budge and take less talent or Kobe’s going to have to budge and basically accept the same situation he has now on a different team.
Fact is, most players that have played with Kobe imply that he was no good in the locker room and not a very good teammate. Probably similar to the rich kid who got everything and got away with everything in junior high.
Fact: Kobe is un-coachable according to one of the best player-friendly coaches, Phil Jackson.
Fact: Kobe can not coexist with another all-star player. Ask Shaq Daddy who was run out of town and formed a pretty good relationship with Dwayne Wade in Miami.
Fact: Kobe takes most of his team’s shots, is not a team player, and does not make any of his teammates better. He actually hinders their growth.
Fact: Kobe is not Michael Jordan. Why? Jordan made his teammates better. Jordan played with heart and passion! Which does not filter through Kobe’s game.
Kobe is a talented player. But as a Mavs fan, I have to ask myself why do this deal?
Unless the deal is Mo Ager , Jose Barea , and Nick Fazekas for Kobe, stay away from it! It is to risky and Kobe is high maintenance.
I did state before that I wouldn’t be to disappointed if the deal was Josh Howard and Jason Terry for Kobe, but if you really look at the deal that way, you’re getting the same if not more production by keeping Howard and Terry. They are good guys, good teammates and good for the community here in Dallas.
But the Lakers want Diop too, which would cause Dallas to sacrifice even more production ….. for what? To fill the seats? So Kobe can score 50 and the Mavs still lose …. So he can send Dirk packing to Phoenix to help them win a title…
The Mavs roster looks as good as it ever has. It’s deep with veterans and young talent. We have some new pieces to our coaching staff. This could be the year, but if it’s not the year, it’s not necessarily player personnel …. But we will see. I hope Kobe ends up in New York with Isaiah…they can relate.
But THANK YOU Mark Cuban for not bringing him here.



{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Say what you want, Kobe is still the most talented player in the NBA today.
Does he have a track record of being selfish, egotistical, and difficult to play with? Of course. But this is the city that gave Terrell Owens another chance after he burned bridges on TWO other NFL teams. We’re a city that has grown accustomed to results in football, and we’ve whetted our appetite for NBA success. It’s time to “git ‘er done.”
I still hold onto a shred of hope that Kobe will join the Mavs sometime next summer. Let’s face it, the Lakers have that much less negotiating power if Kobe has a year left on his contract and demands a trade. The price may be too high this year, but next year’s a whole new story.
I think if you were to make a comparison in other big names brought to the metroplex you would have say that Kobe is more like Arod- just from the financial aspect. TO is relitively cheaper than Kobe. TO was also picked up off of waivers when he was cut by Philadelphia and The Cowboys didnt have to give up a big part of there team.
That is why it was a must for Jerry Jones: a no brainer. Kobe and Arod – thats more like it. Another difference with TO: love him or hate him, he makes the team better. When he was in Philly, they went to the Super Bowl. In Dallas, they went to the playoffs, and it is almost certain the boys will go to the playoffs this year. Probably win the division
I don’t think we can credit Terrell Owens with the Eagles Super Bowl appearance. He was injured for at least a game or two prior to the Super Bowl, which means that the Eagles made it there without him.
I like Kobe because he’s worth talking about. He’s interesting. Just look at this blog. Kobe has been the focus of four posts within the past two weeks.
It’s the same around Dallas and in Chicago. He was the talk of the town for weeks. Everyone’s excited about Kobe, whether in a positive or negative light. But he generates conversation. Dirk and Josh don’t. Nobody cares about Dirk off the court.
Love it or hate it, part of the draw to some teams is the celebrity type gossip that comes along with certain players. Dallas has some fun with Owens because he’s a media focus. The Mavericks don’t have someone like that.
I’m just looking for a little more excitement from my basketball team, that’s all. I want someone with attitude, that says what they think sometimes, regardless of how politically correct it is. Kobe’s not as verbal as Terrell, but he’s definitely a spotlight player.
Without him, we get to focus on basketball play rather than attitude, which many of you may prefer. Me, I like a good combo of star power and star play.
Say what you want, Kobe is still the most talented player in the NBA today.
Does he have a track record of being selfish, egotistical, and difficult to play with? Of course. But this is the city that gave Terrell Owens another chance after he burned bridges on TWO other NFL teams. We're a city that has grown accustomed to results in football, and we've whetted our appetite for NBA success. It's time to “git 'er done.”
I still hold onto a shred of hope that Kobe will join the Mavs sometime next summer. Let's face it, the Lakers have that much less negotiating power if Kobe has a year left on his contract and demands a trade. The price may be too high this year, but next year's a whole new story.
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