Friday, December 10th, 2010 at 2:55 pm  |  85 responses

Kobe Bryant Isn’t Ready to Pass the Torch to Anyone

Apologies to DRose and the rest of the L’s young stars, but they’ll have to rip it from Kobe’s cold, dead hands. From the Chicago Tribune: “When the Lakers beat the Bulls in Los Angeles last month, Kobe Bryant had a private conversation with Derrick Rose afterward. Asked if that conversation might have any symbolic passing of the torch undertones to it, Bryant flashed his legendary competitiveness. ‘Oh, sure, but I ain’t passing (expletive),’ Bryant said. Asked if Rose has to come take the torch from Bryant, the Lakers’ superstar smiled. ‘He can certainly try,’ Bryant said. Otherwise, Bryant lauded Rose’s development and noted his developing killer instinct: “I just told him to stay healthy and continue the job he’s doing,’ Bryant said of their November postgame talk. ‘I don’t think you can develop (a killer instinct). You either have it or you don’t. He’s had it since he was in high school. That quality separates players I think. With players of equal ability, it’s about the engine you have inside. It certainly gives him an edge.’”

  • Add a Comment
  • Share
  • RSS

Tags: , , ,

Newer Comments →
  • http://www.slamonline.com Eboy

    The young cats just about got it from you, Bean…stop hating on the future! LOL!

  • http://www.bulls.com Enigmatic

    Weird. I just read that on chicagobreakingsports.com and click back to Slam and here it is again…anyways, what would you expect Bryant to say? “Damn, I love that kid Rose. You know what? I’ma just retire right now and let that young man take over. Matter of fact, here Pooh, you can have my rings and MVP trophy too.” Come on now, KB is a competitor. Of course he’s gonna say he’s not ready to pass the torch to anyone.

  • 85Live

    Gotta love the Mamba…but he’s saying what he’s supposed to say! He still the Man and if any player feels some type of way about it, they gotta dethrone the man.

  • http://www.slamonline.com/ niQ

    Yea, he might as well drop a bomb and say he’ll pass the torch to Kwame Brown and see how the media blow up headlines.

  • WangChung

    Translation: “Game recognize game. DRose is the future.”

  • http://google c_cantrell

    ha the torch has already been ripped outta his hands by lebron!

  • http://www.twitter.com/clearheatvision Raj

    LOL @ NiQ hahahaahahaha

  • http://Slamonline.com Hossy

    @ c cantrell.. The only torch lebron has is the one used to burn all his cavs jerseys

  • http://sdfklfds.com Jukai

    You know… Wade, Lebron, Durant, Griffin, Howard, Paul, Deron… yeah, seven guys that Kobe would be better off passing the torch too. I’ve been sticking up for DRose, but this is sort of over the top.

  • http://www.twitter.com/TheDiesel Anton

    When Rose asked LeBron for some words of wisdom, James’s response confused and disappointed him: “Don’t even try, have you seen my biceps? +24 efficiency rating, 27-7-7, 3.7 turnovers just cause I feel like it. See this headband? If I take it off, I run 96 miles an hour, look it up. LeBron. Talents. Wear shades during the game. My facial hair is tremendous.”

  • http://google c_cantrell

    ^too funny lol

  • Jer dawg

    Yeah KB ain’t passing ish lol nor should he

  • http://google c_cantrell

    ^hossy..
    too funny man lol

  • http://www.slamonline.com Wayno

    LMAO @ Anton

  • PlanetAsia14

    Kobe’s the man, that is all.

  • MUBWAR

    Thank you Anton, Lebron new nick name is Mister Efficiency, no more KingJames. We’ll let the losers he left behing keep that name.

  • http://stapledesign.com Spaceship Jay

    Anton for the win.

  • http://slamonline.com Allenp

    Is “torch” a euphemism for naked white girl?

  • Jer dawg

    It’s all about the fire within. LA has supremacy over the Chi. You get one life, one legacy. Vets hated on young guns from competitive standpoint. Nothing personal. Jordan wouldn’t give Bryant s***, either. Kobe trying to take “Goat” title. Go get it!

  • ClydeSays

    As much as I hate the Lakers, you’ve got to give Kobe credit. He is the best closer in the League. Who else can take a double-teamed, off-balance fall away and have a prayer of it going in? Only Kobe.

  • http://slamonline.com nbk

    The Human Torch was Denied a Bank Loan

  • http://bulls.com airs

    as much as i love D.rose’s game, he ain’t nowhere near kobe or lebron

  • Fat Lever

    “‘I ain’t passing (expletive),’ Bryant said.” Well what else is new?

  • Feez22

    Drose will never have the torch anyways… I’d rather pass the torch to Chris Paul or deron… rose scores a lot but on horrible efficiency and isnt showing me much defensively to say he should be passed the torch… IMO rose is a bit overrated. He’s a good player but… For a guy that has that kind of usage rate I’d expect them to be more efficient shooting wise. W/E I can feel the rose lovers unloading the chamber on their keyboard trying to tell me otherwise.

  • Shem

    Torch is still Kobe’s to give. KD is coming close and until LeBron wins a title it’s Kobe’s.

  • http://slamonline.com nbk

    that’s insinuating that the best players in the league must always have a ring. Meaning Tony Parker > every point guard in the league except Derek Fisher. That logic is broken

  • http://www.bulls.com Enigmatic

    Cannot believe people still wanna put “Rose” and “overrated” in the same sentence.

  • http://slamonline.com tealish

    ^It’s all relative. Dude has exploded this year, far more than I gave him credit for. I underrated him.
    But if people put him in the discussion among the league’s elite (read: ELITE), then yeah, he’s overrated.

  • http://www.bulls.com Enigmatic

    My take on it is this – he is playing at an elite level right now, and if he continues at this pace throughout the rest of the season, and ups his game in the postseason, then he truly is one of the NBA’s elite. But if not then at worst he is right below those guys (Kobe, Wade, James, Dwight, D. Will, Durant, CP3 etc.), not in terms of career accomplishments of course but in terms of how they’re playing.

  • Jackie Moon

    Anton is much more likeable this year, I can’t quite put my finger on why …

  • jay rose

    Wow can’t believe all this hate on my boy drose. Well for all you haters keep on hating its gonna be more funny when drose takes over the league as soon as Kobe is done

  • Shem

    @NBK: True but you gotta be the leader on a team. If your the best player in the league you have to have the best team in the league. If your teammates aren’t good enough then that’s your problem but I think Cleveland’s team was good enough last year.

  • The Philosopher

    I do not have any issues with Kobe Bryant. I take issue to people trying to argue that he is as good or better than Michael Jordan, which he is not, of course.
    Now, as far as him passing “the torch”, he definitely has “the torch”, which was passed down to him from Michael. That, I think, is not debatable.
    I am particularly enamored with this season’s play from Bryant. Prepared. Under more control than at any point in his career. Intense. He is truly playing against the careers of the greats in his mind. That is admirable in my opinion, and I take my hat off to him for that. Now, future careers are going to be measured against Kobe’s career.
    So, I hope he will not pass any “torch”. Hold onto it until you die.
    Period.

  • http://www.bulls.com Enigmatic

    Shoutout to The Philosopher.

  • The Philosopher

    ^^Shout out to the Mighty Enigmatic.
    How are you doing tonight my brother?

  • http://shinefluid@aol.com just bcuz

    its a reason kobe sought d.rose out. i mean everybody is bias and have emotional pulls, but as a basketball fan for a long time, d.rose is the truth. ppl may want to fight against it but eventually he will win a MVP and win a title

  • http://bulls.com Harry Twatter

    Feez22 you sound like John Hollinger…… very dumb!!!!

  • http://www.need4sheed.com Tarzan Cooper

    Yawn. Same thing as john wall the other day. Kobe tells him good stuff, keep working. Booooorrriiiiinngg

  • http://www.bulls.com Enigmatic

    Philo – I’m feeling damn good. It’s Friday! If we beat the Lakers tonight I’ll feel REALLY good.

  • http://google c_cantrell

    ^Freez22..
    idiot

  • http://google c_cantrell

    anyone watching the lakers game tonight?

  • The Philosopher

    Enignatic:
    I know that’s right!
    I’m about to go party out of control in a couple hours myself.
    Much action tonight.

  • The Philosopher

    *EnigMatic*

  • http://www.bulls.com Enigmatic

    I’ma watch it when I get home, which’ll be around 10 PM eastern time (6 PM local time). Thank goodness for DVR! Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah have never beaten the Lakers. Only one player remains from on the Bulls from the last time they beat the Lakers (Loul Deng). That’s crazy.

  • TrailBlazing&SportingLisbon

    hahhahaha…lmfao to what Fat Lever said

  • http://Slamonline.com Hossy

    We all know who Kobe really wants to pass the torch to… Smush parker

  • Pingback: How to Jump Higher in Basketball » Kobe Bryant Isn’t Ready to Pass the Torch to Anyone

  • http://dsajfklf.com Jukai

    Anton and Fat Lever for the friggin win!

  • Miamijoker

    D Wade deserves the torch more than rose does

  • http://slamonline.com nbk

    so your saying cleveland last season, largely the same team without LeBron this season, that will likely not even make the playoffs, was good enough to win a title? sure because so many teams in history have won the championship with only one great player.

Newer Comments →
Advertisement