We should have seen it coming. The boos from the
Bryant’s introduction at the first game of the season seemed strange. Yet,
anyone who has been paying attention — not just to the trade rumors, but to
Bryant’s entire Lakers career — shouldn’t have been surprised.
Kobe Bryant was an intriguing piece of the Lakers puzzle
from the start. People took to Bryant initially because Jerry West did, and
Logo’s judgment. Shaquille O’Neal was the Lakers’ big acquisition during
Bryant’s rookie year, setting a precedent that would affect the course of both
men’s careers.
Bryant, though not a starter, was slowly developing a cult
following after winning the NBA Slam Dunk contest. But when he got a chance to
showcase his awesome talent, he crumbled in the clutch. Rather than one of
those high-arching threes with time ticking down that fans have now come to
almost expect, Bryant fired two air balls in potentially game-winning playoff
situations.
The lack of playoff success didn’t damage the youthful
Bryant too much, as he was able to grow as a sixth man in his second year and
become the youngest All-Star starter in league history. O’Neal knew a good
thing when he saw it (as “Kazaam” obviously proved) and thus the Lakers’
All-Star quartet of Shaq, Bryant, Eddie Jones and Nick Van Exel was narrowed to
the Dynamic Duo: “Superman and Superboy.” Unfortunately, “Superboy” was too
mature to adopt the kid label, and as the son of a basketball player, Kobe
carried a sense of entitlement.
During the Western Conference Semifinals against the Spurs
in the strike-shortened ’99 season, Bryant’s youth again would prove
disadvantageous. Several missed free throws during the closing seconds in game
two and an ill-timed turnover at the end of game three essentially handed San
Antonio the sweep. As Kobe again dealt with failure, Tim Duncan — who came to
the NBA from Wake Forest one year after Bryant — was a Finals MVP and the new
Next Big Thing.
The strain of the O’Neal-Bryant relationship showed early
on, and has been well-documented. The theory in LakerLand was that if Magic and
Kareem could co-exist for five titles, Bryant and Shaq could too. When Phil
Jackson came and led the Lakers to three straight titles, the relationship and
team looked like it would hold.
Unfortunately, each year that didn’t end with a title, the
cracks shone brighter, and it became apparent that Bryant had become a selfish
supernova, wanting the atmosphere but feeling constrained by the Diesel. Shaq
was the king of L.A., and even if Bryant was more explosive, he was still the
prince.
Bryant should have realized that the torch he longed to
carry would have naturally been passed, as the aging Shaq would inevitably
decrease in his skills. Dwyane Wade played Robin to Shaq’s Batman, and ended up
as the Finals MVP during their second season together. Had he played his cards
right, maybe it would have been Kobe hoisting the trophies and being given the
torch.
The love-hate relationship with Bryant had always been one
of those dirty little secrets among Lakers fans. Of course he was cheered,
because every night, even post-Shaq, there was always a chance that something
amazing would happen (and it would in a near-upset of the Suns in the 2006
playoffs and 81 points against the Raptors). Still, Bryant widened this rift,
seeming to push Shaq and Phil out by flirting with signing with the Los Angeles
Clippers, and then changing his jersey number to distance himself from the
Shaq-led Lakers and ring up a few more merchandising dollars.
I don’t know if Bryant will be traded this season, and
unless McGrady, Arenas or a group of semi-equivalent talent is involved, he
shouldn’t be, but I wasn’t surprised by his demands. And I wasn’t surprised to
hear Buss go off on Bryant, someone he had protected for so many years. And I’m
also not surprised to find out that GM Mitch Kupchak doesn’y want to be “the
guy who traded away Shaq and Kobe.” I also won’t be surprised if Derek Fisher
becomes Kupchak’s best acquisition due to his ability to put a bandage on the
situation, or if Bryant becomes such a distraction that he’s traded mid-season
for an unequal package.
But I was still surprised when the boos reigned down from the
Staples Center crowd in the season’s opening game — surprised that so much
talent, so much excitement and so much history would finally not be enough to
balance out all the negatives. Yet, looking at the entire Kobe Bryant saga so
far, everyone should have seen it coming.
