Do star players want to play with Kobe?

[Fresno]

Very fair question to ask.

Obviously, nearly every player in the NBA would love to be on the Lakers and play in Los Angeles. But do you think its Kobe's presence that is scaring them away from not wanting to be there?

There are 3 things to expect being Kobe's teammate.

- He's always going to get the spotlight/focus no matter what, even when he doesn't have great games. Pau Gasol played a major role in both of their NBA Finals wins but both he & Bynum received barely any press for their contributions because Kobe is a "superstar".

- Kobe is a tough teammate to play with off the court. If you aren't focused on winning he is going to call you out for it in private and even in the media. A lot of the star guys in the league today are prima donnas who are more worried about the attention they're receiving than actually taking winning games seriously. Outside of Rondo, Rose, & Durant I dont see any other young "star" player who takes winning games seriously over anything else.

- Kobe is a tough teammate to play with on the court. Doesn't focus much on getting his teammates involved like a PG or even a player like LeBron. You have to find your production outside of Kobe, but most of the time the plays will be called for Kobe to get the ball. If he doesn't trust you to make shots he won't pass it to you.

[Avenged24]

I don't see why not. When you pair Kobe with a star, he wins championships.

[Hawkeye15]

I don't think a young star used to be option #1 would have much interest anymore, knowing that a declining Kobe will demand the most shots on the team for the next 2 years.

But, its the Lakers, that alone is such a draw.

[Fresno]

I don't see why not. When you pair Kobe with a star, he wins championships.

True.

But thats the thing about it.

"When you pair Kobe with a star, he(Kobe) wins championships". All of their success with Kobe as the superstar in LA goes to Kobe's legacy while whoever is the 2nd or 3rd option doesn't really get the same treatment.

Nobody talks about Pau or Bynum as having a "Championship pedigree" in any of these trade talks, mainly because people credit the Lakers championships entirely to Kobe & Phil. But thats fair to do as well as both Kobe & Phil each have historically great legacies.

[zB_#85]

LA fan here, but I'm about to drop some truth on the subject.

The short answer is, no.

I don't think stars do want to play with him because he is so damn competitive and stubborn and his decline is impending. Would you want to play with a guy who is having a hard time coming to terms with the fact that he's no longer as good as he used to be and still jacks up shots and demands the ball as though he's 28? The sad truth is that I think people see this and want to stay away from the Lakers. I wish it weren't so, but the very same drive, competitiveness, and stubborness that delivered us 5 titles with him is going to make for a few tough years in Lakerland as he declines. Pains me to say :cry:

[Hellcrooner]

No.
No one of interest has wanted to come since the payton and malone fiasco.
Both had problems with Kobe.
And the worst thing is no one will want to play with Bynum either.

Lakers fans forget how LUCKY we were to get by trade one of only FOUR star players ( alongised , Nash, kidd and Duncan) that could bear playing with him in Gasol and not butt heads against him hurting the team............and im not even sure if there hasnt been something of this thing the last two years.

[Fresno]

No.
No one of interest has wanted to come since the payton and malone fiasco.
Both had problems with Kobe.
And the worst thing is no one will want to play with Bynum either.

Lakers fans forget how LUCKY we were to get by trade one of only FOUR star players ( alongised , Nash, kidd and Duncan) that could bear playing with him in Gasol and not butt heads against him hurting the team............and im not even sure if there hasnt been something of this thing the last two years.

Gasol's personality fits perfectly with Kobe.

Gasol is a passive guy, and therefore he gives Kobe all of the space to be the #1 option and the platform to call him out whenever he's struggling.

The problem is Gasol has sacrificed so much to Kobe that it has gotten to the point where he's literally become an abused girlfriend in the relationship with Kobe. I can only imagine the stuff Kobe probably says to Gasol in practice. You can tell Gasol accepts it, feels bad for a moment, only to get told to get in the kitchen and make a sandwich.

[Hellcrooner]

^problem is instead of making the sandwich he decided to go to the casino and waste the money.
And rings stopped coming.

[Chronz]

How the hell would we know? Im pretty sure its the fact that they cant offer the money that would prevent people from going.

[Hellcrooner]

How the hell would we know? Im pretty sure its the fact that they cant offer the money that would prevent people from going.

We know that several vet stars that have signed MLE money somwhere else last few years didnt want to get anywhere near to kobe.

[BigBongTheory]

True.

But thats the thing about it.

"When you pair Kobe with a star, he(Kobe) wins championships". All of their success with Kobe as the superstar in LA goes to Kobe's legacy while whoever is the 2nd or 3rd option doesn't really get the same treatment.

Nobody talks about Pau or Bynum as having a "Championship pedigree" in any of these trade talks, mainly because people credit the Lakers championships entirely to Kobe & Phil. But thats fair to do as well as both Kobe & Phil each have historically great legacies.

These threads come out almost ever other week, gtfoh.

[Chronz]

We know that several vet stars that have signed MLE money somwhere else last few years didnt want to get anywhere near to kobe.

How do you know that?

[BigBongTheory]

From what I have heard alot of people love Kobe, admire him, and have literally said they would love playing beside him. Just because the Lakers can't trade for all of them doesn't mean they don't want to play next to Kobe.

[shep33]

You know what?

Considering that Howard has never mentioned Chicago or OKC as a possible destination, we can come to the argument that he doesn't want to play with Rose, Durant, Westbrook, or Harden.

[itson]

Kobe is really rough to play with, but even harder to play against, lol.