We start our gossip column with something that the Yanks consider newsworthy. Being honest, we knew this all along.
KOBE: I BLEED PURPLE AND GOLD
Kobe Bryant will always be a Los Angeles Laker. He doesn’t have a choice anyway.
Despite the Lakers getting off to their worst start in half a century, Kobe is on an NBA-high $48.5million over the next two seasons. He has stated that he is behind the Lakers all the way.
Via Yahoo! Sports:
“I hear the chatter of Kobe should ask out and he should go and play for a contender in this latter stage of his career,” Bryant said. “But that’s not what I do. I’m extremely loyal to the Lakers. […] I believe in fighting through the tough times as well as enjoying the good times. It’s my responsibility to get us to be the best that we can be. It’s important that we approach that on a day-to-day basis.”
“We can’t get discouraged by it,” Bryant said. “It’s a very long season. You just have to stay the course. Keep on looking to improve, keep on looking to get better and things will eventually break. […] I’ve enjoyed a great amount of success here. You can’t just enjoy the successful times and then run away from the bad ones. No, I don’t even think about [departing]. I’m a Laker.”
“It was really tough to land those free agents just because of the opportunities that they had,” Bryant said. “You got [Carmelo Anthony] going back to New York, LeBron [James] going back home to Cleveland. The odds just weren’t in our favor. But I took comfort in the fact that the Lakers did absolutely everything possible to make it happen. Absolutely everything possible. […] We offered Pau [Gasol] an incredible deal. I saw them put the work in. It’s much different than in 2007 when I felt like they were just sitting on their hands. This is not that case. They were going after it and being aggressive. I will fight for that till the end. They tried, tried and tried and it didn’t work out. I stand behind them 110 percent. I bleed purple and gold.”
KIDD WANTS TO PLAY AGAINST NETS OWNER 1-ON-1
Personally, this is a little humour, but it would be pretty cool. Jason Kidd wants to play Brooklyn Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov 1-on-1.
But while we’re at it, how about Kidd and Prokhorov face off in a Russian spelling bee?
Via the Journal Sentinel:
“I’m no longer in Brooklyn,” Kidd said. “Unfortunately they keep talking about it. I don’t. I’ll let them keep talking.
“Now if it was me and him playing 1-on-1 on the court, that would be fine.”
Kidd said of the ongoing saga: “You would have to ask him (Prokhorov) why they keep talking about it.” […] Speaking about the game on Nov. 19, Kidd said: “It’s one of 82. I’m only worried about tonight (against Indiana). I’ve been in hostile environments as a player, as a coach. … I think it’s a part of the game. I think the one thing we can all learn from this is class.”
Milwaukee and Brooklyn will face off on November 19.
