Tuesday, January 4th, 2011 at 11:30 am  |  68 responses

Phil Jackson, Kobe Bryant Clear the Air

Sorry to disappoint you all, but it doesn’t seem as though we’ll have any more verbal fireworks between Phil (who claims he misspoke) and Kobe (who admits that he purposely ditched the Triangle Offense): “When a game starts getting out of hand — and rightly so — Kobe will crank it up, not screw it up,’ Jackson said. ‘I used that term ‘screw it up’ but not in terms of it being an error or a mistake, but ‘crank it up.’ He’ll go to another notch to try to get us back in the ballgame. That’s something we do in the fourth quarter, that’s our fourth quarter action, that’s how we win ballgames. To have to crank it up and do that in the third quarter, we didn’t have much left in the gas tank after that.’ Bryant admitted Jackson’s assessment was not off base, but said it is his role on the team to bear the brunt of the scoring load from time to time. ‘[Jackson] was right, I totally broke the offense, but I did it intentionally because I felt like we needed to get something started because what we were doing just wasn’t working,’ Bryant said. ‘So, I tried to kick start it and sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn’t but that’s my responsibility. When it works out? Great. When it doesn’t? I’ll take the criticism for it, but I have thick enough skin to be able to do that. … You just have to take the good with the bad. That’s part of my job in the seat that I sit. I was trying to win the damn game. We were playing like [expletive], we all were, so I was just trying to get something going, trying to pump a little energy to us and it just didn’t work out. But Phil doesn’t really care how many shots I take, he just wants me to take them inside of the offense. [Sunday] was one of those days where I was like, ‘[Expletive] the triangle, I need to get myself going and try to save this damn game,’ and it just didn’t work out.’”

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  • Pugz

    There you go haters…..

  • http://www.slamonline.com Eboy

    This is new information?

  • http://slamonline.com Bryan Crawford

    That’s why Kobe is that dude.

  • http://www.slamonline.com Eboy

    LMAO @ Bron Crawford.

  • http://slamonline.com Bryan Crawford

    When Bron and the Cavs stunk it up in the Playoffs, everybody praised him for taking over and blasted his supporting cast for not showing up. Meanwhile Kobe got blasted and his supporting cast was praised when LA won the title.
    Now, Kobe is getting killed for LA’s struggles even though he’s showing up every night, playing hard and trying to win these games while his supporting cast has been invisible, yet that goes unmentioned.
    But it is what it is.
    Keep doing your thing, Bean… Haters gon’ hate.

  • MUBWAR

    oooooook…whatever you say Mr Jelly bean Bryant. Just say that you are not the same savior you once was. Your explosiveness is declining but you still have the same mindset like 25 years old Kobe.

  • 1982

    Lebron could learn a thing or two about being an unapologetic ball hog from Kobe Bryant. Hey KOBE! You’re one of the best players in the world, if not the best. But you’re also not as good as you were 2 years ago…try to keep that in mind the next time you start shooting outside of the triangle.

  • Jackie Moon

    I hate being right.
     
    This was for jeffog, who said on Jan.3 at 3:49 pm:
     
    “Until Phil Jackson himself “clarifies” his remark, no one else’s explanation is valid.”
     
    Well, now he has. I guess my explanation is valid now, that this was not Phil beefing with Kobe.

  • http://www.twitter.com/AllBall247 AllBall247

    I agree with Eboys first comment, & both of Bryan’s. MUBWAR why don’t you let your love for Bron subside and look at Kobe impartially. 15 years in Kobe is still one of the top two players in the game.

  • 6marjons

    his mother should wash his mouth out with soap

  • Riggs

    screw and crank? eff outta here back peddler

  • http://www.slamonline.com Eboy

    “Haters gon’ hate”. Hard to believe Bron actually posted these three words. Wow.

  • http://slamonline.com Allenp

    Did y’all notice that Kobe said as “the man” it’s his job to carry the load and handle the praise or criticism that comes along with it?
    That’s what a franchise guy is supposed to say. I wish more cats would recognize this part of the job.
    It also relates back to our discussion yesterday about Scottie Pippen.

  • dsleepy

    ‘[Expletive] the triangle, I need to get myself going and try to save this damn game,’

    ^made me lol

  • mp7three

    Phil & Kob clear the air…not much for Slamonline to twist and run with is it?

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

    Phils backtracking so quickly here. Lol. So all along whodathunkit that ricky davis wasnt a chucker, he was just trying to bring some energy and crank it up(banner). Antoine walker didnt chuck, he screwed up(dj screw) the offense.

  • OvaChicken

    This is some drama. YaaaaaAWN !

  • toinefan88

    Kobe is a dumbass. He refuses to feed the talented post players he’s been blessed to play with. That reason alone is why they lost to the Pistons in the Finals. Same thing happens now.

  • http://www.twitter.com/AllBall247 AllBall247

    Umm, I think Karl Malone being unable to run, Slava Medvedenko having to see the floor, and Gary Payton being unable to contain Billups might have had something to do with the Pistons winning.

  • http://www.redraidersports.com Nicolas Fleming

    That and Shaq not being able to run past a buffet, do you remember the only game the Lakers won in that series? I think Kobe went to 12 different chiropractors after carrying LA.

  • toinefan88

    The Pistons did play flawless basketball but if Kobe would’ve allowed Shaq’s dominance to lean on the Pistons all series they would’ve toppled easily. Ben Wallace was giving up like 4 inches and 80 pounds to Shaq. Shaq was getting excellent position under the basket waiting for the ball time after time only to see Kobe “crank up” a shot or look another direction. That is what ultimately ended that team’s reign prematurely.

  • http://www.redraidersports.com Nicolas Fleming

    Well, that and Shaq and Kobe hated each other…Shaq was out of shape and not the dominant king he was years prior and the years forthcoming when he got back in shape to play with DWade.

  • T-Money

    Bryan Crawford, you’re twisting reality here. Individual and collective performances are two different things. 1- Bron got praised when his team lost in 09 because he had a monster post season. 2- Bron got killed in 10 when his team lost because he totally sucked vs Boston. 3- Kobe got killed in 10 when his team won because he totally sucked in the deciding game. 4- Kobe got praised in 09 when his team won because he slaughtered Orlando. I think all four positions were justified.

  • http://slamonline.com Bryan Crawford

    Whatever you say, T-Money. Apparently, I’m always twisting reality when it comes to the things I’ve seen from commenters on this site regarding Kobe and LeBron. I couldn’t possibly be telling it like it happened.

  • Airnest

    Vintage Kobe FTW! The NBA needs more shameless gunners!

  • Jackie Moon

    There is no backtracking. I’ve been telling you from the start that the quote was taken out of context.
     
    Phil was never beefing with Kobe, he was saying that Kobe went away from the offense because no one else was bringing it.
     
    So much drama over nothing. When will some of you ever learn?

  • Kevin Wilson

    Sounds like two adults agreeing to disagree, and moving on. It wasn’t always like that with Phil and Kobe.

  • unrel

    shaq’d was outplayed by the wallace boys.. don’t get it twisted.. kobe threw up a bunch of shots, yes.. but shaq didn’t do a damn thing out there.. they both F’d that finals up..

  • T-Money

    BC, you implied that Bron always gets praised while Kobe always gets killed. Considering recent events, that’s kinda twisting reality, no? And I think I backed that up by providing examples when they were killed or praised even though the outcome for their team was similar (Ls for Bron and Ws for Kob). It wasn’t clear from your 11:53 am comment that “everybody” meant commenters, I substituted “everybody” for media. If you think I’m wrong then please explain why.

  • http://slamonline.com Bryan Crawford

    T-Money, typically when I say “everybody” in these threads, I’m almost always referring to commenters who regularly post here. So my bad, I should’ve been more specific on that one.
    Still, you know as well as anybody that when it comes to convos that occur in these threads, the general consensus is that Bron can do no wrong while Kobe is every unflattering thing you can say about a person and a basketball player.
    And as far as the media, you and others like to bring them and their biases up, but what you must realize is that these people are PAID to be biased.
    Cleveland writers loved LeBron for 7 years, now they hate him and will spend a few hundred or thousands of words telling you why he’s a bad person and a crappy player.
    Miami was indifferent to him, but on July 9th, every writer on South Beach sang his prises and continue to do so.
    The reality is, bias not only sells, but it gets people’s attention. I think I’ve proved that time and again with my position on LeBron and people’s reaction to me as a result.

  • http://www.slamonline.com Eboy

    Bron Crawford, revising history since 2010!

  • http://slamonline.com Kap

    You same guys said he was washed up and old last yr until he had his knee drained and he started dropping 30+ like Braylon Edwards drops footballs (which is alot)

  • http://slamonline.com Bryan Crawford

    Eboy, witnessing history since the beginning of time!

  • burnt_chicken

    i like Ebile’s twist on Crawford’s name. His wordsmithery knows no bounds!

  • Jackie Moon

    By definition, if you do not at the very least recognize Kobe as a top 5 shooting guard all time, you are a hater. You can still be a hater if put Kobe within this range, but this is the maximum bound for haters.

  • http://slamonline.com Kap

    I hate when guys say he’s shooting too much and he needs to get the ball in the post. To those who say this, have any of you seen the last 15 games what happens when Gasol gets the ball in the post? Gasol is the one who is not getting enough criticism by the media. His defense is awful and he is playing very lethargic. Let me not mention how awful Artest and bench have been.

  • http://www.slamonline.com Eboy

    Bron, if you seriously think Bron gets more love than Kobe on this particular website, you either a) drunk or b)legally blind. If you go back a few years, the only love Bron REALLY got around here was for the fact that his game and his athleticism was freakish. He never really was respected by “the regulars” as you refer to them. Kobe ALWAYS got the respect and the over saturated love. Perhaps you haven’t been around long enough or whatever…..but your assessment is inaccurate. That’s real.

  • http://slamonline.com Kap

    I gotta agree with Bron Crawford. Lebron is slurped so hard on here with the regulars it is ridiculous. He gets too much respect for being a sidekick.

  • http://www.slamonline.com Eboy

    And to be clear….I always liked the dude’s game before he came to Miami. I wasn’t a Lebron superfan before that. I liked his game. I like Caron Butler’s game. I like Andre Miller’s game. I like Manu Ginoblli’s game. I like Westbrook’s game. Does that make me a “groupie”?

  • http://www.slamonline.com Eboy

    Surprising that two Kobe slurpers think everyone else slurps Lebron.

  • http://slamonline.com Bryan Crawford

    Well, E… The amount of LeBron slurping that goes on around here now, I’m sure more than makes up for whatever love you say that he wasn’t getting before when I wasn’t around.

  • Jackie Moon

    There are no Kobe “slurpers”, only people who know what’s up.
     
    It’s like calling someone a “gravity slurper” because they believe in gravity.

  • http://slamonline.com Allenp

    Haven’t we discussed just how nasty a word “slurping” is?
    Bron and Kobe both have passionate fanboys and have had passionate fanboys for some time. Both of them have gotten criticized and have huge contingents of haters. Stop arguing over dumb ish.
    And, the Lakers need to get the ball more to Pau and Bynum. But, it’s not all Kobe’s fault that they don’t touch the ball because Pau is not assertive enough, and the scrubs for the Lakers don’t seem to understand their roles.

  • http://www.facebook.com/joe.l.brewer3 BlackPhantom

    Let’s be real, Pau Gasol is extremely talented, but he really isn’t playing to his full potential, in fact he’s being his old soft-self again. And don’t get me started on Artest…..

  • unrel

    what does lebron have to do with this conversation?.. let me help get it back on track.. phil isn’t back tracking.. he doesn’t need to.. he clearly said that’s their 4th qtr game.. and how they win ball games.. so if it’s a part of the system to allow kobe to take over, if need be, at some point.. how is that ballhogging?.. i thought you guys knew the game.. when the spurs need buckets.. they go down low to Timmy.. mavs?.. top of key to dirk.. utah?.. pick/roll.. NO/Phx?.. cp3/nash to probe and make a play.. LAL?.. kobe (the best shot maker in the game).. don’t be idiots, guys.. usually, at the parks.. the guy that calls another person a ball hog is either guarding him or a teammate that says it on his way home..

  • kobesBESTfriend

    y dont the lakers let Kobe score all he wants so he can move up the all time points lists and pass up that fat tard shaq?the have the division is already theirs…there will be plenty of time for team ball come April thru June

  • JTaylor21

    Give Gasol and Bynum the damn ball; look I’ve cured the lakers problems with that statement.

  • LakeShow

    lol Jgaylor always proving his intelligence. i’d say give it to bynum before Gasol, at least till he figures his ish out. kobe keep doing your thing. the only aggressive laker these days..

  • http://www.facebook.com/joe.l.brewer3 BlackPhantom

    No you didn’t cure the Lakers JTaylor, Pau is part of the problem in LA, he isn’t playing the way we ALL know he can play

  • capostat

    Phil doesnt seem to be backtracking. When the story first came out, and I read his original quote, I was confused, cause he said Kobe was “screwing up the offense”, and that usually “energizes the team”. I thought, “Does he mean energize the Lakers, or the energize opponent”. I see that he meant the Lakers. I mean using the expression “screwing it up” is a little too strong and an unlikely criticism for Phil to be using against Kobe. Sure it’s a weird way to say that a player “said” “screw it”, and went off on his own, but for sure that’s what he meant.

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