Talented Athletes That You Hate

[Rendclaw 0]

I'm talking about centers... West was ten times the player that Kobe is for the simple fact that while west could shoot the lights out and he earned every syllable of the gloss "Mr. Clutch", he still gave up the ball when he knew that he didn't have a good shot, and was much more fundamentally sound than Kobe could *ever* be. There is a reason why its Jerry West's profile on the NBA logo and along with George Gervin, why my custom-made Magic jersey has the number 44 on it.

 

But my point is that with Shaq behind him, winning three rings wasn't as hard for Kobe and the Lakers as it should have been. The supporting cast merely had to play their roles and not get torched by the opposition, and the Lakers because a Juggernaut for three years. You take Shaq away from the Lakers, and they would have perhaps made it to the finals, depending on the level of Kobe's (and the NBA's) obsession with being (or surpassing) Michael Jordan, but they would have fallen short. Kobe has immense talent, but he needs to check himself and his ego and play *with* Shaq and his teammates. He has done a better job of it this year, which is why I lay more of the blame of the Lakers' collapse on Shaq not getting the operation in the off season so he could be ready for training camp, and waiting until it was too late.

[Guest alkeiper]

I despise Kobe, but I hate the "he doesn't pass" argument. What good is passing the ball going to do when none of your teammakes can make a shot? Pasiing to Pargo has never led to a championship, and never will.

[Guest Smell the ratings!!!]

I always thought that passing to Shaq could occasionally result in points, but Kobe so rarely does it that I don't have enough evidence to make a decision one way or the other.

 

And here's an article form the Omnipotent All-Knowing Basketball Hive Mind that calls itself "Charlie Rosen"

 

here

[Guest godthedog]

when he's got his A-game, passing the ball to shaq invariably results in an easy 2. there was a time when i'd panic every time i saw the ball in shaq's hands, cause the man had conditioned me to automatically think "oh shit, they're gonna score now" whenever he had it. people keep talking about how he's getting older or getting soft, but the man's only what...31? this was an off-year for him, with some conditioning problems & his toe surgery. i have no doubt he'll be better next season, especially after that big loss.

 

anyway, back to the point: yeah, kobe should pass more, cause he has a teammate that's harder to stop than kobe is.

[Bored 0]

Well I wasn't going bother explaining why I didn't like Kobe Bryant because figured someone else would have the same reason as I do but no one has to this point and it has nothing to do with Kobe Bryant the player.

 

You see in 1995 Kevin Garnett, a poor kid, who isn't exactly the best student in school, decides to skip college and go directly to the pros. This was the end of the world in a lot of people's minds even though in the past high school players like Moses Malone had skipped college in the past but never did it cause a huge influx of high school players going pro. Garnett had every right to go directly to the pros because he did need to support his family and if he had gone to college he would have gone strictly for basketball to use it as a training ground to get him ready for the NBA rather than trying to get an education. Garnett is drafted by the hapless Minnesota Timberwolves but he lives with it even though its his dream to play for the Chicago Bulls.

 

Then we go to 1996 when Kobe Bryant, the son of a pro basketball player, who grew up in a upper-middle class family, and was a very good student decides to skip college and go to the pros. He doesn't get half the criticism Garnett gets even though Bryant isn't in huge need of money and would have been a true student-athlete had he go to school. He has a incredible p.r. machine behind him that gets everyone to hype as the next Michael Jordan rather than criticizing him for go straight to the pros and now making skipping college a trend for talented high school players. Bryant is everything wrong with a high school player skipping college to go to the pros IMO. But it doesn't end there for me. He is drafted by the Charlotte Hornets and Kobe DEMANDS he be traded. He will only play for the three biggest markets the New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, and Los Angeles Lakers. Rather than risk Bryant not signing the Hornets cave into his demands and Bryant gets himself traded to the Lakers and his promptly booked on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno soon after and shows up at his prom with Brandy.

 

I don't give a shit about Kobe Bryant the player as in '96 he showed that is a spoiled brat who will always get his way and I will always hate Kobe Bryant.

[Rendclaw 0]

And Rosen is absolutely right about his weight... I was in Orlando in 93, right when Shaq started his NBA career and even though he was strictly power back in those days, every dozen games or so you would see a wrinkle of something new he would do in the post. Up until he left to go to LA (something the Magic fan in me will never forgive because his motivations were transparent as hell), the only thing that didn't improve dramatically from season to season was his free-throw shooting... now the last couple of years he is getting bigger and bigger and the well-documented problems with his toe are just one of several telltale signs that he is carrying too much weight. Everything Rosen said about his offensive footwork, jumping and rebounding is absolutely true.

 

and I am sorry that you think I am on the "Kobe is too selfish and doesn't pass" bandwagon alkeiper, but the truth is the truth. For all his talent, he is too damned selfish on the court. Until he stops jacking it up 30 times a night and gets into an offensive flow with his teammates and *helps to give them confidence*, the Lakers are going to struggle to win anything more than what they have, Shaq's weight and health problems notwithstanding.

 

If Kobe had as much respect for the game as he *says* he does, he would go to Magic Johnson over the summer and ask him to teach him what he knows in making one's teammates better.

 

If Shaq wants to win more championships, he needs to get down around 300 lbs and *stay* there. He was much more of a monster when he was at that weight than when he was heavier because his quickness made his strength that much more of a weapon.

[Guest kane3212321]

My hate summed up in two words

 

Lleyton Hewitt

[Guest Spicy McHaggis]

He has done a better job of it this year, which is why I lay more of the blame of the Lakers' collapse on Shaq not getting the operation in the off season so he could be ready for training camp, and waiting until it was too late.

Kobe's doing a better job passing NOW? Even though the Lakers got their asses handed to them...

 

You say he's a terrible passer (which is wrong), the Lakers win 3 titles in a row, now they lose and you say he's getting better. Is this confusing to anyone else?

[Guest The Fett]

LeBron James – really hasn’t done anything yet, but I can tell already I’m not going to like this guy

[Guest treble charged]

fucking derek jeter, stupid cockknocker. I have a lot fo those gatorade loser posters still.

 

also cant' stand roger clemens, bernie williams, chuck knoublach, and kobe

Does anyone, outside of Yankees fans, actually like Clemens?

[Guest Smell the ratings!!!]

I don't think even Yankee fans like Roger Clemens. They just kind of have a truce with him.

[Guest Harry Hood]

It's funny. When Clemens was with the Blue Jay's he beat the Red Sox a lot, and I was ok with it. It's just that he's a Yankee thta does it for me. REalistically I can't stand the Yankees organization espec. but not limited to Steinbrenner. But me and my mom were talking yesterday while watching the game about how we really only dislike a select few players on the Yankees, i.e. Jeter and Soriano. The rest if they were on any other team would be fine wiht me.

 

And i'm glad they got Contrerras (sp)

[Rendclaw 0]

He has done a better job of it this year, which is why I lay more of the blame of the Lakers' collapse on Shaq not getting the operation in the off season so he could be ready for training camp, and waiting until it was too late.

Kobe's doing a better job passing NOW? Even though the Lakers got their asses handed to them...

 

You say he's a terrible passer (which is wrong), the Lakers win 3 titles in a row, now they lose and you say he's getting better. Is this confusing to anyone else?

What I am saying is that Kobe did a little bit better of a job of playing a team game this season.... at least to my eyes he did. He still has a way to go in containing himself, and still has a very itchy trigger finger, but one step along the path is better than no step at all. Once he becomes more of a team player, he will TRULY be dangerous. That point alone is why i think T-Mc is a better player than Kobe, but thats another debate for another day, and I have already spoken my piece on it.

 

I will say it again; The Lakers' success can be attributed to Phil Jackson and Shaquille O'Neal. Even though I cannot stand the man, Jackson is a good coach, even though a deaf, dumb and blind chimpanzee could figure out that the ball has to go through Shaq's hands on EVERY PLAY, whether he puts up a shot or passes out of a double team. I saw it when I was watching him getting doubled when he was in Orlando. 95% of the plays were drawn up with him in mind. He would get the ball into the post, then when the inevitable double-team came, he would find the wide-open player for a jump shot. Nick Anderson, Dennis Scott, Penny Hardaway and sundry others owe their careers to Shaq. That's the truth of it.

 

Kobe has his rings, as I have said before, but he would have NONE if it weren't for Shaq. He only passes when he really has no choice, and even then he might try for the ridiculous circus shot.

 

Aside from aging bench players and the other teams in the Western Conference losing their fear of the Lakers, the reason why they lost is because Shaq has been out of shape throughout the entire season, and did not get his toe operated on WHEN HE SHOULD HAVE. As much as I hate to admit it, if Shaq had kept himself in shape, i think the Lakers might have gotten past the Spurs. It would have still gone seven games, but they might have won.

[Rendclaw 0]

::just snickers at the bitter and broken yankee-haters and Red Sox fans::

[Guest undisputedjericho]

Ken Griffey Jr

Sammy Sosa

Barry Bonds

Mike Piazza

Kurt Warner

Pedro Martinez

Allen Iverson

Michael Jordan

Luis Gonzalez

Terrell Owens

[Guest undisputedjericho]

Ken Griffey Jr

Sammy Sosa

Barry Bonds

Mike Piazza

Kurt Warner

Pedro Martinez

Allen Iverson

Michael Jordan

Luis Gonzalez

Terrell Owens

Alex Rodriguez

Juan Gonzalez

[Guest BobbyWhioux]

Personally, I'm sick of the Ass-Kiss Fest that is any NFL broadcast of a Packer game.

 

You'd think Brett Favre was the messiah or something to listen to these idiots.

 

Every average play he makes is "a great play." Every good play he makes is hailed as if 'twere one of the 10 best in NFL history. Every great play he makes and it sounds like the broadcasters are having orgasms in the booth.

 

And when he fucks up [and he DOES fuck up] they praise him for it anyway. "His great guts and determination to make something happen." Dude made a dumb-ass throw that got intercepted. Any other quarterback in the league makes that throw and they'd be all over his "inexperience" or his "foolishly trying to do it all himself" and some such bullshit.

 

But then, that's not Favre per se who irks me, rather the coverage of him.

 

The only thing about the player that really irks me is that he's bitchslapped the 49ers for pretty much all his career. That gets really annoying. But oh well. Can't hate a guy just because he plays well against you. [Well you CAN, but it's not really fair to.]

 

Warren Sapp, on the other hand, is an animal in clothing, and has no place in the NFL, or in civilized society. His only competition in the category of "biggest blight on the landscape of American Sport" is Mike Tyson.

[Guest nl5xsk1]

My list would be painfully long, so to save time and space I'm just going to do one each for past and present:

 

MLB:

Past: Reggie Jackson

Present: Roger Clemens (I hated him on the Red Sox, I hated him on the Jays, I hate him on the Yankees. Looking forward to bumping him to the most hated from the PAST list by this time next year)

 

NBA:

Past: Michael Jordan (just way too much smoke blown up his ass)

Present: Kobe/Shaq

 

NFL:

Past: John Elway

Present: Shannon Sharpe/Brett Favre (Sharpe for being a loudmouth prick, Favre for blowjobs that Madden gave him for so many seasons.)

 

NHL:

Past: Ulf Samuelson (Anyone that ended Cam Neely's career has to be the most hated player in hockey history. Period)

Present: Eric Lindros (I'd say Primeau or Brashear, but neither of them are talented enough.)

 

Misc.

Past: Carl Lewis

Present: Tiger Woods

Edited May 22, 2003 by nl5xsk1

[Guest gthureson]

Ulf Samuelsson was an immensely talented defenceman. He got most of his flack because:

 

a) He was a Swede and played with a dirty edge. Claude Lemieux plays the same way, but he's Canadian so its 'He's the most hated player in the game' with a wink, a nod and a sly laugh. Then he's praised as a warrior and a guy you'd love to have on your team. Ulf was just referred to as a 'dirty Swede'. Despite the fact that he was as solid as they come in his own end, made the smart pass out of his zone, was a pretty good skater up until his last year or two in the league and chipped in some pretty timely goals.

 

b) He wore a visor. Tough guys don't wear visors, you know.

 

I would take Ulfie on my team any time.

[Guest nl5xsk1]

Ulf Samuelsson was an immensely talented defenceman. He got most of his flack because:

 

a) He was a Swede and played with a dirty edge. Claude Lemieux plays the same way, but he's Canadian so its 'He's the most hated player in the game' with a wink, a nod and a sly laugh. Then he's praised as a warrior and a guy you'd love to have on your team. Ulf was just referred to as a 'dirty Swede'. Despite the fact that he was as solid as they come in his own end, made the smart pass out of his zone, was a pretty good skater up until his last year or two in the league and chipped in some pretty timely goals.

 

b) He wore a visor. Tough guys don't wear visors, you know.

 

I would take Ulfie on my team any time.

I don't think that Claude is any more liked than Ulfie was. Both had the "he's a dick but if he was on my team I wouldn't hate him vibe".

 

The only reason I despise one and merely hate the other is the Neely hit.

 

And thank you for telling me that he's talented enough to make my "hated athelete list". I'm going to edit my text to remove my debate.

[Guest Polish_Rifle]

Anyone that plays for the Raiders.

[Guest Mindless_Aggression]

I'll never understand the dislike for Tim Duncan because he's "boring" Oh darn, he doesn't flex or dance after every big shot he makes and tends to be low key and humble in interviews. My God, he acts like a regular decent human being! And hell, ever see him in a one on one interview where he's comfortable? He's actually got a good sense of humor and doesn't just sit there trying to look "hard" the whole time or whatever half the league's deal is.

 

Kobe Bryant...I dislike him. He's obviously very talented but I once again make reference to him thinking he's shit after every made shot. Yes, you have muscles, theres still 3 minutes left in the game, do at least wait till you've won before starting that shit. Same thing with Antoine Walker, I love it when the Nets bitchsmack that idiot "I made 1 of my 12 three attempts, it's time to shake my fat ass *convulses* Ah shit, we lost by 12, ah well *convulses* "

 

Ahem.

 

Oh and one more Kobe note...the guy not always passing it doesn't bother me. Whos he gonna pass it to, Devean George? Rick Fox all of a sudden gonna stop being the most worthless 3 man in the game? I don't blame him much on that one.