The Fall of the Lakers

I could count the fights I have ever gotten in, but one of them was when I was 13 and someone bad-mouthed the Lakers. I have always been a die-hard fan. I was convinced that the Lakers drafted Marquette's Tony Smith just for me, because I was at Marquette at the time and he was my favorite player.

Last week I watched Higglytown Heroes with my son instead of watching the Lakers. Why? Because I lack the ability to watch that team play. Kobe shooting 35 times with a collection of scrubs has no appeal to me.

I have to admit I never cared for Kobe. From the day they drafted him, I always thought he was selfish. He has never done anything to change my mind. Extracting revenge on an accidental elbow from Mike Miller was the latest example. One thing motivates Kobe. That is Kobe. I watched Jordan form the championship teams in Chicago and adapt his game to make them better. Kobe won championships and adapted his game to make his stats better. Kobe will never win a championship again, because one player teams can't win in the NBA.

I also laugh at anyone who says Kobe is the best player in the league. The best player in the league is Dwyane Wade. Unselfish team player with a complete game who puts team ahead of himself. If Kobe had done that, I would be teaching my son how to follow the Lakers.

Instead, he is teaching me how to watch Higglytown Heroes.