There is a chasm between knowledge and perspective in sports that sometimes seems alarmingly huge.Example: Grady Little failed to pull Pedro Martinez out of that Red Sox-Yankees ALCS Game 7 in 2003. Little’s knowledge was trumped by perspective. He went with his guy because they had been through hell and back that season, and he believed from past experiences that Pedro could prevail. But the overwhelming majority of fans and media saw that he was spent and wanted him yanked. Knowledge lost, and so did the Red Sox.
Another example: The crucial fourth-and-2 call by USC late in its national championship game against Texas almost two years ago. The Trojans’ coaching staff decided to give it to LenDale White, but keep Reggie Bush on the bench, even though most of the free world thought he should have been on the field for that play to serve as a decoy. White got stuffed. The overanalytical USC coaches later retreated to the film room to try to determine what just about everybody else already knew.
In the Cold War that continues to rage between the Los Angeles Lakers and Kobe Bryant, perspective is again a victim. Everybody involved is in lock-down mode, entrenched in their positions and refusing to acknowledge the obvious resolution to this whole matter:
Kobe Bryant should remain in a Lakers uniform, and probably for his entire career. And the sooner the parties involved come to that conclusion and hold a summit meeting to reach an agreement on that, the better it will be for mankind.
I know, I’ve called for his banishment in the past. I did so because his scorched earth tantrum last spring was so obnoxious and insulting to an organization that had been good to him — maybe not always competent, but good to him — that I believed there was no other way.
Add that Bryant is arguably the most bull-headed athlete who ever adopted an unreasonable stance, and that Lakers owner Jerry Buss himself seems resigned to offering his superstar elsewhere, and you have an inevitable conclusion — or so it appears.
But a funny thing happened on the way to divorce court. The Lakers and Bryant played a magnificent game in Phoenix on Friday night, stunning the Suns in their home opener, 119-98, a result that even left Phil Jackson a little flabbergasted.
Kobe Bryant should remain in a Lakers uniform, and probably for his entire career. And the sooner the parties involved come to that conclusion and hold a summit meeting to reach an agreement on that, the better it will be for mankind.
I know, I’ve called for his banishment in the past. I did so because his scorched earth tantrum last spring was so obnoxious and insulting to an organization that had been good to him — maybe not always competent, but good to him — that I believed there was no other way.
Add that Bryant is arguably the most bull-headed athlete who ever adopted an unreasonable stance, and that Lakers owner Jerry Buss himself seems resigned to offering his superstar elsewhere, and you have an inevitable conclusion — or so it appears.
But a funny thing happened on the way to divorce court. The Lakers and Bryant played a magnificent game in Phoenix on Friday night, stunning the Suns in their home opener, 119-98, a result that even left Phil Jackson a little flabbergasted.
I realize it’s just one game. The Suns might also have been weary from getting in late that morning after a contest in Seattle. The Lakers could go on a five-game losing streak and suddenly Kobe will again be his morose self.
Yet it was a revealing outing because it illustrated to Kobe what might be possible if he applied a little patience. Maligned players such as Vladimir Radmanovic, Andrew Bynum, Sasha Vujacic, Jordan Farmar and Kwame Brown all contributed, while Derek Fisher, Luke Walton and Bryant provided veteran leadership.
Yet it was a revealing outing because it illustrated to Kobe what might be possible if he applied a little patience. Maligned players such as Vladimir Radmanovic, Andrew Bynum, Sasha Vujacic, Jordan Farmar and Kwame Brown all contributed, while Derek Fisher, Luke Walton and Bryant provided veteran leadership.
More importantly, they played with all the intangibles on display — grit, determination, resiliency, overall team confidence — that had been missing in the past. And they did so without their second-best player, Lamar Odom, who is still recovering from a shoulder injury.
Again, it was only one game, but sometimes all you need is a glimpse of a better future to get on the path to making it happen.
Again, it was only one game, but sometimes all you need is a glimpse of a better future to get on the path to making it happen.
What is keeping the two sides apart is pride, along with a giant lack of perspective.
It would be a crime if Bryant were traded primarily because he and the Lakers dug in so firmly that neither wanted to budge for fear of losing face. They’re both going to have to live with whatever decision they make for years to come, and if it turns out Bryant is traded, it probably will haunt both parties.
It would be a crime if Bryant were traded primarily because he and the Lakers dug in so firmly that neither wanted to budge for fear of losing face. They’re both going to have to live with whatever decision they make for years to come, and if it turns out Bryant is traded, it probably will haunt both parties.
Bryant should understand that, unless the Lakers trade him to the San Antonio Spurs for Brent Barry, there are no guarantees that wherever he lands will be any better than his current situation. A team doesn’t even have to decimate its roster in a trade to slide downward, even with Kobe. It only has to alter its chemistry enough so that whatever magic it had built up to that point will have to be regenerated.
Kobe might be the best player in the game, but he’s also a high-maintenance presence. He won’t fit in seamlessly just anywhere. And because he has the only no-trade clause in the NBA, he won’t agree to go just anywhere.
It has often been pointed out that the Lakers will commit marketing suicide if they become disgusted and deal him for a couple of young but nondescript talents. That shouldn’t be the issue. That’s an example of misplaced priorities.
Kobe might be the best player in the game, but he’s also a high-maintenance presence. He won’t fit in seamlessly just anywhere. And because he has the only no-trade clause in the NBA, he won’t agree to go just anywhere.
It has often been pointed out that the Lakers will commit marketing suicide if they become disgusted and deal him for a couple of young but nondescript talents. That shouldn’t be the issue. That’s an example of misplaced priorities.
The Lakers should make the best basketball decision. Clearly, that means working something out with Kobe and convincing him that if he stays he won’t regret it, that the team will indeed improve enough so that he feels each year he has a chance at a championship.
Perspective is sorely lacking here. When you trade away Shaquille O’Neal, you have effectively committed to a rebuilding program, whether you call it that or not. When that occurs, everybody who has committed to that rebuilding effort — including Kobe — has to recognize that it takes patience and a little luck.
But where perspective comes in — and is glaringly absent here — is the inability of Kobe and the Lakers to grow up and make peace. Cool the trade talk, the Jackson jabs about Kobe not being fully committed, the residual rumblings from the front office, the leaks from Kobe’s agent about every little rumor. Listen to Magic Johnson and resolve this situation, preferably by having everybody join hands and sing, “Kobe-ba-ya” and commit to a future together.
It’s all how you look at it. It’s about time for Kobe and the Lakers to look at it in a whole new way.
Perspective is sorely lacking here. When you trade away Shaquille O’Neal, you have effectively committed to a rebuilding program, whether you call it that or not. When that occurs, everybody who has committed to that rebuilding effort — including Kobe — has to recognize that it takes patience and a little luck.
But where perspective comes in — and is glaringly absent here — is the inability of Kobe and the Lakers to grow up and make peace. Cool the trade talk, the Jackson jabs about Kobe not being fully committed, the residual rumblings from the front office, the leaks from Kobe’s agent about every little rumor. Listen to Magic Johnson and resolve this situation, preferably by having everybody join hands and sing, “Kobe-ba-ya” and commit to a future together.
It’s all how you look at it. It’s about time for Kobe and the Lakers to look at it in a whole new way.
by Michael Ventre
MSNBC
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