Yuma
Suns are my Kryptonite!
From East Valley Tribune:
"Sports Update
Suns set for ‘All My Lakers’ cameo
By Mike Tulumello, Tribune
In the latest installment of "All My Lakers," the celebrity coach all but calls one of his Hall of Fame players out of control on the basketball floor.
This same player is rumored to be heading out of town so he can lead his own team, even if it means no more world titles.
But first, will the jury send him to prison?
Yes, the Los Angeles Lakers bring their traveling soap opera to town tonight for the final time this season.
Most of the recent news involves speculation that Kobe Bryant will opt out of his contract and leave the Lakers in the offseason; the Suns are rumored to be a possible destination, assuming Bryant isn’t convicted of sexual assault in Colorado.
Speculation about Bryant’s future flared up just before the All-Star game, and just after coach Phil Jackson played his own speculation game with the Los Angeles Daily News, ripping Bryant in the process and emphasizing that Bryant is less important to the Lakers than Shaquille O’Neal.
Said Jackson, "I think ultimately what’s going to be one of the understandings about Kobe coming back and being part of the Lakers is: To what extent does he want to be a coachable player in the structure we have as a team in the present day?
"Which would including Shaq being here. Shaq’s going to be the focal point."
Next came a story quoting sources around the team saying Bryant almost certainly will be departing the Lakers in the offseason.
Bryant tried to beat the story back, saying that while he likely will opt out of his contract to test the market, there’s a good chance he’ll resign with the Lakers.
"The people who are saying that (he’s leaving) haven’t done their homework and are not being fair to me," Bryant said.
And yet, Bryant could have committed himself to returning to the Lakers. But he didn’t do so.
That prompted general manager Mitch Kupchak to say, "I’m not comfortable. I’d prefer he sign the extension that’s been on the table now for over a year. That would make me most comfortable."
Bryant also made some odd comments about Jackson, telling the Los Angeles Times, "I don’t like Phil as a person, but I love him as a coach. Would I go to lunch with him? No, but I like playing for him. . . .
"Do we get along man to man? No. But it’s a good relationship from coach to player. I think it’s good to have some kind of push-pull relationship. I wouldn’t have learned the mental aspect of the game without his help."
At the same time, Bryant conceded that the idea of trying to lead a winning team without O’Neal alongside him intrigues him.
"Sure, I think about it," he said. "I love challenges. But that doesn’t mean I can’t play with him or I want to get away from him.
"Where do I have the best chance to win? We won three straight here, so this place is looking pretty darn good to me."
O’Neal, invited to weigh in on the subject, said he wants Bryant back, but won’t beg, saying, "If one wants to be here, then persuasion is not necessary.
"Like, I don’t need my wife to come home and bring me flowers and be nice to me to get me to stay, because I already want to stay."
As for the other part of the triangle, O’Neal has strongly endorsed the idea of extending Jackson’s contract; some think O’Neal likes Jackson more than ever because the coach appears to be at odds with Bryant (who has said, "I don’t care," when asked about Jackson’s future).
Said O’Neal, "When it comes to Phil being here or not being here . . . I’m not turning my back on Phil. He’s the guy who took me to the next level, and he’s the guy who’s going to continue to take me to the next level, and nobody else can do that for me. I don’t (care) if we lose 115 games in a row. Phil’s my guy. Period. . . . If he’s gone, I’m gone. . . .
"I’m just saying I want Phil around. So, if my worth, my value, is important to this organization, Shaquille O’Neal wants Phil around."
As for the Suns, they’ll have about $8 million to go after free agents this summer. That won’t be enough to land Bryant, unless they can unload a contract (such as the $5.9 million owed to center Jahidi White) or work a sign-and-trade deal with the Lakers, should Bryant decide to leave.
BONUS SHOTS: Today’s game is a sellout.
Note 5 p.m. start time.
White is set to start at center vs. O’Neal, Suns coach Mike D’Antoni said.
Lakers at Suns Radio: KTAR (620 AM)
Series history:
The Lakers have won 26 of the past 34, including two of three this season. All time, the teams have played 188 regular season games, most between Suns and any other franchise. Lakers lead, 113-75, but Suns are 55-38 in Arizona.
Scouting report: Suns — Losses keep mounting, but so do the lottery balls.
Lakers — They’ve just about blown their chance for a top-two playoff seed, But if they can ever get Karl Malone back in the lineup, they’ll still be the favorites to win the West, and — thus — the NBA title. They can be beaten on the boards, and they’re not a particularly good perimeter shooting team, so Suns would be best advised to sag in the paint. "
"Phil’s my guy. Period. . . . If he’s gone, I’m gone. . . .
"I’m just saying I want Phil around. So, if my worth, my value, is important to this organization, Shaquille O’Neal wants Phil around."
I told you guys I heard this!!
"Sports Update
Suns set for ‘All My Lakers’ cameo
By Mike Tulumello, Tribune
In the latest installment of "All My Lakers," the celebrity coach all but calls one of his Hall of Fame players out of control on the basketball floor.
This same player is rumored to be heading out of town so he can lead his own team, even if it means no more world titles.
But first, will the jury send him to prison?
Yes, the Los Angeles Lakers bring their traveling soap opera to town tonight for the final time this season.
Most of the recent news involves speculation that Kobe Bryant will opt out of his contract and leave the Lakers in the offseason; the Suns are rumored to be a possible destination, assuming Bryant isn’t convicted of sexual assault in Colorado.
Speculation about Bryant’s future flared up just before the All-Star game, and just after coach Phil Jackson played his own speculation game with the Los Angeles Daily News, ripping Bryant in the process and emphasizing that Bryant is less important to the Lakers than Shaquille O’Neal.
Said Jackson, "I think ultimately what’s going to be one of the understandings about Kobe coming back and being part of the Lakers is: To what extent does he want to be a coachable player in the structure we have as a team in the present day?
"Which would including Shaq being here. Shaq’s going to be the focal point."
Next came a story quoting sources around the team saying Bryant almost certainly will be departing the Lakers in the offseason.
Bryant tried to beat the story back, saying that while he likely will opt out of his contract to test the market, there’s a good chance he’ll resign with the Lakers.
"The people who are saying that (he’s leaving) haven’t done their homework and are not being fair to me," Bryant said.
And yet, Bryant could have committed himself to returning to the Lakers. But he didn’t do so.
That prompted general manager Mitch Kupchak to say, "I’m not comfortable. I’d prefer he sign the extension that’s been on the table now for over a year. That would make me most comfortable."
Bryant also made some odd comments about Jackson, telling the Los Angeles Times, "I don’t like Phil as a person, but I love him as a coach. Would I go to lunch with him? No, but I like playing for him. . . .
"Do we get along man to man? No. But it’s a good relationship from coach to player. I think it’s good to have some kind of push-pull relationship. I wouldn’t have learned the mental aspect of the game without his help."
At the same time, Bryant conceded that the idea of trying to lead a winning team without O’Neal alongside him intrigues him.
"Sure, I think about it," he said. "I love challenges. But that doesn’t mean I can’t play with him or I want to get away from him.
"Where do I have the best chance to win? We won three straight here, so this place is looking pretty darn good to me."
O’Neal, invited to weigh in on the subject, said he wants Bryant back, but won’t beg, saying, "If one wants to be here, then persuasion is not necessary.
"Like, I don’t need my wife to come home and bring me flowers and be nice to me to get me to stay, because I already want to stay."
As for the other part of the triangle, O’Neal has strongly endorsed the idea of extending Jackson’s contract; some think O’Neal likes Jackson more than ever because the coach appears to be at odds with Bryant (who has said, "I don’t care," when asked about Jackson’s future).
Said O’Neal, "When it comes to Phil being here or not being here . . . I’m not turning my back on Phil. He’s the guy who took me to the next level, and he’s the guy who’s going to continue to take me to the next level, and nobody else can do that for me. I don’t (care) if we lose 115 games in a row. Phil’s my guy. Period. . . . If he’s gone, I’m gone. . . .
"I’m just saying I want Phil around. So, if my worth, my value, is important to this organization, Shaquille O’Neal wants Phil around."
As for the Suns, they’ll have about $8 million to go after free agents this summer. That won’t be enough to land Bryant, unless they can unload a contract (such as the $5.9 million owed to center Jahidi White) or work a sign-and-trade deal with the Lakers, should Bryant decide to leave.
BONUS SHOTS: Today’s game is a sellout.
Note 5 p.m. start time.
White is set to start at center vs. O’Neal, Suns coach Mike D’Antoni said.
Lakers at Suns Radio: KTAR (620 AM)
Series history:
The Lakers have won 26 of the past 34, including two of three this season. All time, the teams have played 188 regular season games, most between Suns and any other franchise. Lakers lead, 113-75, but Suns are 55-38 in Arizona.
Scouting report: Suns — Losses keep mounting, but so do the lottery balls.
Lakers — They’ve just about blown their chance for a top-two playoff seed, But if they can ever get Karl Malone back in the lineup, they’ll still be the favorites to win the West, and — thus — the NBA title. They can be beaten on the boards, and they’re not a particularly good perimeter shooting team, so Suns would be best advised to sag in the paint. "
"Phil’s my guy. Period. . . . If he’s gone, I’m gone. . . .
"I’m just saying I want Phil around. So, if my worth, my value, is important to this organization, Shaquille O’Neal wants Phil around."
I told you guys I heard this!!
