I'm not nearly the NBA fan that Bill Simmons is, but I can't help but notice that no matter what Kobe Bryant does, he can't ever win:
Just three weeks ago, I wrote that Kobe was a fool for passing up an 80-point game against Dallas. I thought it was a once-in-a-lifetime chance. That sports were about the little challenges along the way. That you can't pass up a chance to go down in history, not when the Non-Wilt Scoring Record was at stake. That the game symbolized his entire career -- memorable, incredible, ultimately a little disappointing -- and he would regret the decision some day.Then he dropped 81 against Toronto on Sunday night.
And in the process, he indirectly proved my point.
Don't get me wrong, as I'm no fan of Kobe Bryant either. But what we really have here is a columnist that wants to have it both ways.
Why is it right now that I'm recalling that the press hated Ted Williams too?
POSTSCRIPT: Bill's newest nemesis is being sued for sexual harrasment.
OK, I’m a big Simmons fan, but I don’t see what your point is here. He was wrong when he said that Kobe wouldn’t have another chance to score 80-some points, but that’s a relatively minor point, I think. His argument was that scoring 80 would be a huge deal for Kobe, while sitting out the 4th quarter wasn’t going to change anyone’s mind about him. I don’t see how that logic is any less valid today.
I guess I was looking at things from Kobe’s perspective. One week he gets bashed for sitting out when he had a shot to score 80 points, and then the next he gets bashed anyway when he does what Simmons suggested the first time and stays in the game to score 81.
I mean, what exactly does he want — for Kobe to pass to LaMar Odom more often and have the Lakers lose more often too? Last time I looked, LaMar isn’t exactly Scottie Pippen.
Keep in mind I’m no Kobe fan either — over at Bleacher Guy Radio, Rob and I inducted him into the JAOTW Hall of Fame at the suggestion of one of our listeners.
Fair enough. I guess I just didn’t feel like Simmons was really bashing Kobe in the second column. I mean, he does say that Kobe was ball-hogging, but he also says that’s what the Lakers have to do to win. He calls him the most exciting player in professional sports.
I used to really enjoy reading Sports Guys columns but this is just pure hatred of Kobe. If Ricky “rebound” Davis or Paul Pierce had done it, Simmons would be fawning over them and wiping stuff from his chin. It’s not as if the column came out a year ago, it came out *2* weeks ago!
Did anyone see Reggie on ESPNews last night? He said anybody who doesn’t appreciate what Kobe did is just jealous.