Screw Kobe

As my friends know, in the Shaq vs. Kobe debate, I was always a Shaq guy. I looked at it pragmatically: if you've got a guy like Shaq on your team, keep the big guy happy. Indulge his ego if necessary. Because you need him to win, and you can't find anyone to replace him. But what does Kobe do? Drops his name to the Colorado police, apropos of nothing, (a MAJOR violation of the manly code of honor, then puts the franchise in the position of having to choose between them--thus ensuring that the Lakers won't get full value for him. Now, after being The Man for two years and realizing that in fact, he needs (a) a dominating inside presence, (b) solid, veteran role players (Horry, D. Fish, Rick Fox,), (c) some athletic long-armed defenders, what does he do? Complain about being "trapped" on a team with no future. He's like a spoiled teenager who nags her parents into getting her her own apartment, and then cries because nobody's there to cook dinner. I say ignore him, keep him under contract, because there's no way to get real value for him, and hope that we make the lottery next year. Pathetic.