Mar.8 at 12:52 pm

Geoff says:
Shouldn’t he have been suspended longer considering this was the SECOND time he’s done it? I mean it was obviously intentional because NO ONE FLAILS their arms like that after a contested shot. I don’t CARE HOW MUCH phantom contact their is!!!!!

Mar.8 at 12:58 pm

sidneyg4 says:
Kobe may never learn from the first two times he’s done this reggie miller tried to create contact, but he never slapped anyone to my recollection and they say bruce bowen is a dirty player he plays defense half of these so-called superstars play maybe if mr. jackson (stu i mean) give him a lenghty suspension and a fine maybe he’ll get the point then again maybe not…

Mar.8 at 1:04 pm

Max Airington says:
Maybe, maybe not? The league has been soft and it does matter. Do you really think Nash could’ve been this player during the hand check defense era? All these rules changes were made to get away from Riley’s Knicks/Heat bullyball and increase scoring after Money left. There are more than capable players in the lig now, so why not go back to the old days? You know when you could touch a guy you’re guarding? The only reason Kobe’s “swings” stand out so much is because the lig is so f*cking tame these days. Besides both guys (Manu & Marko) said it wasn’t dirty or suspension worthy. Stu jackson, you’re on my list.

Mar.8 at 1:09 pm

"Big" Al says:
exactly! while its nice that the league is handing down punishment, the preferential treatment that is happining in the L is ridiculous. As long as your a household name you can get away with practically anything, and if you promote a kindly image i.e. Dwayne Wade than you CAN get away with anything. I’m sick of games being decided at the foul line, compared to twenty years ago this league is soft as butter, and pampering star players isn’t going to make it any better.

Mar.8 at 1:12 pm

Cal says:
Maybe Kobe just hates foreign players.

Mar.8 at 1:13 pm

Max Airington says:
Oh, and I distinctly remember the exact same play happening in a Knicks game a week after the KB/Manu incident. No suspension. If anyone else remembers this/has video, I’d appreciate it.

Mar.8 at 1:14 pm

Cub Buenning says:
I miss the days when superstars used to brawl in the playoffs.
The league’s trigger finger is as itchy as they come these days.

Mar.8 at 1:22 pm

Mike says:
I miss the days when players got physical and banging was allowed. Charles Oakley would not make it in this day and age of soft crybabies that whine their way to the hoop and cry their way to 15ppg on the free throw line. Some of the fouls in the old Knicks-Heat playoff series would lead to a lifetime banishment in today’s game.

Mar.8 at 1:22 pm

Reggie Evans says:
Why put in the reader’s comments if you weren’t able to watch the clip he was referring to?

Mar.8 at 1:25 pm

Reggie Evans says:
I didn’t read Lang’s article above, but I’m assuming that he doesn’t defend Kobe, because he rarely defends Kobe, and he lives in NY and most East Coast fans hate Kobe. (Hey, I’d feel the same way if I lived on the East Coast and rooted for the Knicks.)

Mar.8 at 1:26 pm

Tricky Ricky says:
Does anybody remember when Ginobli flopped on to Barbosa’s leg and put him out for like two weeks? The refs need to start pulling out yellow cards for simulating before Kobe cuts his arm on somebody’s teeth.

Mar.8 at 1:26 pm

Julian says:
yeah, its stupid. its something that happened during the course of the game, we ALL know what kobe was trying to do there. does anyone really think he was trying to hit the guy in his face because he blocked his shot? lol come on now…that would be funny if someone got his shot blocked then just straight punched the guy who blocked him in the face. but obviously thats not what happened in minnesota. the league is acting stupid and probably has more important matters to deal with. maybe its an intentional distraction for something else thats happening…

Mar.8 at 1:34 pm

Steve says:
I’m a Wizards fan. Etan Thomas has a habit of snatching rebounding and swinging his elbows to protect the ball and clear some space. That’s his perogative and maybe it’s a good strategy. But if his elbow connects with a face, he’s going to get a foul and maybe a suspension.
If Kobe wants to try to get a foul call by swinging his arms, that’s his perogative and it might work most of the time. But when someone’s face gets busted as a result, then he’ll have to pay the price.

Mar.8 at 1:34 pm

Gnar Gnar Duckets! says:
Creating contact like that is straight up lame. Flailing your arm onto a dude after you release the ball is not going to affect the shot in any way & should never be called as a defensive foul. The L is just trying to clean up the game.

Mar.8 at 1:35 pm

coach says:
maybe that is kobe’s version of follow through ?
every basketball trainee knows that you need to follow through after very shot .
the problem is that nba’s jackson followed through w/ a suspension every time kobe does it .
why ? is it because marko got hit in the face ?
darn . make all the jarics wear face masks !

Mar.8 at 1:43 pm

Isaac says:
Kobe’s latest bitch move highlights, to me, the larger pussification of the NBA. Would this play have happened 20 years ago? Absolutely not. If someone had pulled this stunt, the other team would put that person on the floor with a clean, but hard foul.
I blame Alonzo Mourning for all of this. His faux-fierceness caused those Knicks-Heat melees, and instead of making the necessary changes to stop the holding and grabbing that was making the NBA suck, they buried a crucial, unspoken, but universally understood basketball code: If you’re a bitch, you will get yours.

Mar.8 at 2:00 pm

Aurelio says:
Remember Rudy T and Kermit Washington? Washington was not swinging at Tomjonavich. The issue is not intent; the issue is the elbow. And, in case you don’t think an elbow is comparable to a fist, just ask a mixed marshall arts fighter which he would rather throw. An elbow has greater potential for devestation — and far less potential for injury to the elbow thrower than the hand injury potential of a punch. Suspend model citizen Kobe for ten next time. And for the season the time after that. The NBA could get along just fine without him.

Mar.8 at 2:05 pm

uke says:
He is a great player, but extremely unlike-able. Its not an East Coast West Coast thing. I like KG, I like Baron Davis, I like Elton Brand. Greatness as an athlete and as a person do not go hand in hand. He is the Ty Cobb of his generation, an extremely talented guy with a lot of personal and social issues he needs to deal with better.

Mar.8 at 2:09 pm

Calvin Byrd says:
doesn’t the team have to complain to the league for Stu Jackson to look at the video?

Mar.8 at 2:12 pm

J-Bird says:
Dont be fooled by Kobes new “team first” attitude, dude is still a punk and will take any advantage he can get, fair or foul.

Mar.8 at 2:15 pm

mdshuai says:
I love watching highlights from the Bulls - Knicks second round, seven game playoff series classic back in ‘92: watching X and Scottie battle under neath for rebounds, Charles Oakley’s physical play, all of it; you can’t play like that anymore, you’d foul out of the game in about 10 minutes. Pippen said a few years ago that he couldn’t guard anyone these days the way he defended Magic in the ‘91 playoffs because they would just call fouls and he’d be out in 6 seconds. I miss the days of NBA defense, but what can you do? I’m still going to watch it regardless, right?

Mar.8 at 2:34 pm

Nadav Mor says:
and will take any advantage he can get, fair or foul. wow, great observation dr. naismith. MJ never took any advantages they got. I remember all those times where after Michael’s first step he would just stop, give the ball to the ref after apologizing for traveling.

Mar.8 at 2:39 pm

Sparker says:
i think the swipe actually reveals more about how kobe is feeling about the season. i watched him on sunday against the suns, and at certain points he looked downright disheartened. people were talking mvp six weeks ago. as of now he’s basically back to watching shaq make another title run. that can’t be much fun.

Mar.8 at 2:43 pm

J-Bird says:
I dont remember MJ elbowing guys in the face after missing his jump shots, elbowing guys in the face while backing them down (which kobe did many times in the playoffs to both raja bell and barbosa).

Mar.8 at 2:49 pm

rob stewart says:
In both incidents the game was close and the pressure was high. This reminds me of that kid we all know (or are)who crosses the line when the pressure is high. We all know this kid. The one who wants to fight after losing a game of Streetfighter or Madden, even if you weren’t talking trash during the game. You know, the kid who throws YOUR CONTROLLERS against the wall when he loses a close game. I just don’t think it’s natural to slap guys in the face only when the game is close and you miss the shot.

Mar.8 at 3:00 pm

jbn74sb says:
From the man himself (taken from the awesomeness that is kb24 dot com): “This is as frustrated as I’ve been an a long time.
Injuries to our team don’t seem to stop. Now we have to deal with my suspension and another loss to the Bucks. But life isn’t about feeling sorry for yourself or the position you find yourself in. Its about accepting it and going from there with a determination that we will endure at all cost, no matter what! So now its off to Philly. Let’s see if we can’t get the engines revved up again. Strength and Honor. - Two4″

Mar.8 at 3:09 pm

Cheryl says:
Listen, it makes sense to ammend the way the game is called as guys get bigger, stronger, and in a lot of cases, more athletic than they were in the 80s (20 years ago!) The same kind of adjustments to the way the game is called is happening in the NFL for the same reason. Sure, I miss the 80s, but it’s because I miss the guys who played the game back then, not the game in general.

Mar.8 at 3:31 pm

J says:
Are you people crazy? Who shoots like that. I know Marion, Kevin Martin, Prince, etc… all got wierd releases, but NOBODY flails their arms THAT hard when they get hit. Watch D-Wade or Bron when they get fouled. These guys take just as nany or more hits as Kobe, but they don’t try to take out a guy who actually was able to stay with them. Kobe should definatley be suspended for thryin to intimidate people who attempt to block his shot. Isn’t that part of the game? All the great players have had to deal woth getting blocked from time to time. What the hell is wrong with Kobe?

Mar.8 at 3:32 pm

allenp says:
Man, Max pointed out that Brian Cook did the exact same thing Kobe did to Manu and Jaric the game Kobe missed against the Knicks and he did not get suspended. The EXACT same thing.

Mar.8 at 3:51 pm

ALX8725 says:
Kobe’s “follow through” has got to be the most obvious form of intentional flagrants EVER! Obviously he was frustrated with the fact that Jaric was totally up in his face playing D just like how he was pissed off that Manu blocked some of his shot. I cant believe everyone is defending him saying “he’s trying to draw contact” that has got to be the most BS thing ever. Didn’t we learn anything from his retailiation UFC elbow to Mike Miller’s jugular?

Mar.8 at 3:52 pm

holla boi says:
how does lebron not get anything for the wade closeline and kobe gets this?.. i dont think either should be a suspension though

Mar.8 at 4:02 pm

brendan says:
the league is softer than 20 years ago. dudes barely got a couple weeks out for punching people in the head. 30 years ago, kermit washington only got 26 games for making rudy t look like mr. melting-wax-figure

Mar.8 at 4:06 pm

Chris Sorum says:
Lang, you need to watch that clip. Worthy was visibly upset, and basically told everyone loud and clear exactly what he didn’t like about this league anymore. For those of you who hasn’t seen it yet, here’s the clip… http://www.sendspace.com/file/kfikno I really hate the way this league is going. All these touch fouls, flagrants being called for nothing and suspensions and fines basically every week. What are they trying to do exactly? And although I agree that Kobe has to stop his flailing, I think it is sad that this type of play actually can get you suspended. And if they are going to be consistent about it, what about that Lebron clothesline on Wade or that Brian Cook play that followed the Manu suspension? It’s all bs IMO. Imma finish with that last comment by Worthy, (on the state of the Lakers right now): “Jesus couldn’t coach this team!” LOL, sad, but true.

Mar.8 at 4:09 pm

IrvBX says:
how about shooting to score instead of shooting to get fouled?

Mar.8 at 4:11 pm

Max Airington says:
THAT’s who it was! Cookie! Thanks allenp.

Mar.8 at 4:22 pm

Patrick says:
the stu jackson running the league is the same stu jackson who destroyed the vancouver grizzlies, nuff said

Mar.8 at 4:26 pm

Old School Baller says:
Kobe was not trying to draw contact. Kobe was trying to create an advantage by using his elbow to shield the guy off while he goes to get the ball. When one player gains an advantage that is a foul. When the person swings his elbow violently into the facial area of another player, that is a flagrant foul. Kobe should have been suspended for multiple games because he does it on purpose. Notice he only does it when his shot has gotten blocked. This is not a normal part of his follow through. There is a method to Kobe’s madness, it is deliberate egregious. To compare this to Michael or Reggie trying to create contact is simply a “know nothing” statement. This is more like Bill Cartwright or Karl Malone with flagrant elbows. When you fine and suspend them, miraculously this “reflex action” stops.

Mar.8 at 4:45 pm

Co Co says:
You can’t help but think the league is singling out Kobe. Shaq has been throwing errant elbows for years with not even a whistle, plus he tried to kill Marvin Williams the other night and he got nothing and Marvin missed the next game. The league is too inconsistent with these fines and suspensions.

Mar.8 at 4:58 pm

jonny says:
the L is so inconsistent with their s**t.. kobe def. should not have been suspended.. would they have suspended lebron for an msg game? if he shot stu jackson in the ass i’m guessin he still plays that game

Mar.8 at 5:04 pm

Gnar Gnar Duckets! says:
I remember a while back when the Mailman popped the pre-double MVP Nash in the chops with a ‘bow & the Mavs were saying he should have been ejected & suspended due to a rule about any elbow contact above the shoulders.

Mar.8 at 5:11 pm

Russ Bengtson says:
I always liked Reggie Miller’s double-leg kick “follow-through.” Because that wasn’t intentional contact or anything.

Mar.8 at 5:34 pm

Ryan Jones says:
“Strength and Honor: Two4″ I’m gonna end every conversation I have for the rest of my life with that. That’s f*ckin’ awesome.

Mar.8 at 5:39 pm

Max Airington says:
Even when he does do something original it always comes off lame. Kobe Bryant is Parker Lewis’ unfortunate twin. Can’t win.

Mar.8 at 5:59 pm

GodSaveTheKnicks says:
Where was this call in the WC Finals against the Kings when Bibby got called for fouling Kobe’s elbow with his nose?

Mar.8 at 6:06 pm

Reggie Evans says:
Michael Olowakandi stepping on the floor is an unnatural basketball act.

Mar.8 at 6:14 pm

bay area says:
I don’t know if he needs a suspension for that, but this move Kobe tries to pull when he throws his arm sideways hoping to get a foul call is completely ridiculous and has to stop. The way the league calls games now, any contact with the shooter’s arm will result in foul shots, regardless of how light of a tap it is (or how awkwardly the shooter jumps into his defender in hopes of getting the foul). I think we’re all missing the bigger travesty in this incident– that Kevin McHale traded Sam “Big Ones” Cassell to get Jaric in the first place.

Mar.8 at 6:23 pm

Dirk_Fan!!! says:
Kobe gets suspended again for flailing out his elbow and hitting someone in the face. I don’t think it warrants a suspension, but he takes the risk and okay.
BUT… did you see Shaq nearly killing Marvin Williams (the part he didn’t kill by himself) career in that game against Atlanta.
Don’t tell me he had a chance to get the ball. He never lets someone have the chance to dunk on him. Everybody knows it. So it was intentionally and if a 350pound guy stops someone while in the air, there could have been serious damage. But hey, it’s Shaq. Who cares! Better suspend Kobe for at least trying to draw a foul!
The league is just so inconsistent. Same with the Melo incident and then KG swings at Dyess and gets one game. If you fine someone for something, then do it with others too.

Mar.8 at 6:33 pm

MagicChicken says:
DID NO ONE SEE THE PLAY!?!?!?!? Did no one see Jaric taking out Kobe’s lower half while Kobe was still in the air? Sure, people are prone to think the worse whenever the name Kobe Bryant comes up, but when someone takes yoru legs out from under you, aren’t you going to flail a little to regain your mid-air balance? Hey, if your gonna flail, why not try and use the offending tackler as support for your fall? If you pause the video above at the 11 sec mark, you can clearly see that Jaric is practically acting like Kobe’s chair before Kobe’s arm comes recoiling back. A split second later, Kobe is landing on one leg, and his hand (not his elbow) is in the face of Jaric, in what appears to be an attempt to throw his weight forward, rather than fall backwards and hurt something. The officials on the play didn’t care that Jaric fouled Kobe, but they may have missed it because they didn’t have slow-mo. BUT STU JACKSON AND ALL YOU HATERS DO! serisouly, everyone who mentioned anything about flagrant, flailing or w/e, just STFU, and WATCH THE REPLAY!

Mar.8 at 6:37 pm

MagicChicken says:
Furthermore, would anyone be whining and pissing if Kobe didn’t reach back to regain balance, and instead landed on his ass, or worse yet, twisted his ankle? Naw, no one would care! If the play went down like that, and a star player took a hard fall from a hard foul, everyone would say it’s part of the game, and no one would get suspended. Tell it like it is Worthy!

Mar.8 at 6:41 pm

John says:
The suspension was warranted. One cannot recklessly (and deliberately) throw your elbows around like that. It was bad enough with Dikembe did it, but at least he was doing it for the right reasons. Kobe’s flying elbows are unnecessary, and may he be suspended every time he does it.

Mar.8 at 7:09 pm

See Bee Fore says:
The L these days is soft as puppy shite.

Mar.8 at 7:10 pm

albie1kenobi says:
isn’t “strength and honor” the phrase Maximus says before all his battles in Gladiator? i think kobe should just accept the fact that he’s being hated on (which i think he does) and just straight up becomes Darth Vader. why not? i think that’d be way easier than trying to tip-toe that wire-thin line he’s walking on.

Mar.8 at 7:28 pm

namik says:
Can anyone beside Marcel Murtoni tell me why LeBron wasnt suspended? Or Manu? I guess if someone doesnt call Lang personally, he feels small and needs to make some weak nicknames and ridicule them. Hey LW, if the dude getting hit says he dosent care, I dont see why it matters. When you played basketball, did you ever step inside the three point line? Its a physical sport. Deal. It was a foul, lets move on.

Mar.8 at 8:18 pm

what says:
I still think if Wedgie Evans can grab a man’s scrotum and not get suspended, you should pretty much be allowed to do whatever you want without any penalty whatsoever.

Mar.8 at 8:37 pm

thesubwayconnection says:
I think that the arm swinging is to get a foul, and it should stop. I also don’t think that it’s enough to warrant a suspension of any kind. Offensive foul? Only if Kobe makes contact with the player guarding him (Manu/Marko situations). Phantom contact pisses me off, and I’ve been yelling about it for a while now. I think the league should not be this soft, and Rasheed’s stated that publicly. A ton of players have. There is no defense. Hail to the Suns and Mavs for the next ten years.

Mar.8 at 9:48 pm

Aidan says:
The world is a different place from 20 years ago - why would the league be any different?

Mar.8 at 10:57 pm

Sherri says:
i wasnt really expectin` such an article frm Lang, i was expectin` a lil more jabs at KOBE [like always] but anywho much props for atleast tryin to hold urself back it must’ve been hard. Back to the topic, i think KOBE should stop his natural insticts of such follow throughs, i think he should start CLOTHESLININ` ppl frm now on, as we all know players [LEBRON] have been gotten away with tht, so jus to find out if the L is singling him out [which they are] he should now clothesline ppl. also clotheslining is a vicious play then the particular follow through[if get caught],u will still get 1 game susp. [take Raja Bell for instance], so if KOBE really wanna hurt somebody in the future, i say try Clotheslinin`. + James Worthy is one funny man [atleast in tht interview]

Mar.8 at 10:59 pm

Sherri says:
& to the ppl who actually believe KOBE intentionally hit Jaric with the elbow, you actually think that he would pull such stunt intentionally to hurt his team who was already playing with 10 player roster, with almost half the starting lineup out, no matter how much you dislike the man but ya’ll should know better tht he aint like tht.

Mar.8 at 11:02 pm

thasam says:
I think we’re all in agreement that the league has gone soft. The biggest recent example to me in that regard was the fact that Stu “Jackass” Jackson suspended Stackhouse last year for simply trying not to get dunked on by Shaq - I couldn’t believe the bulls**t the league was rying to perpatuate that JStack, all 6′6″ and 220 of him put the Big Bush Supporter in physical peril. All Stack was trying to do was prevent an easy dunk in Game 4 of the Finals, ironic when you consider how much the league likes to glamorize McHale clothelining Kurt Rambis around the neck in Game 4 of the 1984 Finals (and you wonder why Worthy was so mad).
But in the case of Kobe’s ‘bow throuwing, this smeelss like a b***h move. LZ Granderson on the Worldwide Leader’s website had an good take on this the other day, when he mentioned that when Raja Bell grabbed him around the neck and threw him last year, KB8 (as he was known then) didn'’t do s***t, perhaps because Bell might have pulled a Chris Childs 2-piece on Kobe’s face this time. The point of the article is that Kobe seems to pull this s***t on poeple who pose no threat to him (apparently that means skinny white boys) and teams like to put physical defenders like Artest or Ruben Patterson on him, notjust because of their abilities to check him, but also because Kobe won’t dream of pulling anything near this kind of s**t at them. When you’ve gotten you a** kicked by Reggie Miller of all people, then you have a VERY limited pool of guys you can physically intimidate…and Kobe has finally found that pool.

Mar.8 at 11:37 pm

Nelson James says:
Frankly, I’m suprised noone has commented on the fact that Marko Jaric playing *actual* defense is an unnatural basketball motion. ALX8725 said:
“Obviously he was frustrated with the fact that Jaric was totally up in his face playing D…” You can’t be serious. Kobe was concerned with MARKO JARIC’S defense? What a joke.

Mar.9 at 12:15 am

Co Co says:
The only thing Ruben stops Kobe from doing is scoring 60.

Mar.9 at 12:57 am

TC says:
Nelson, Jaric actually blocked Kobe good once before the incident. So yeah Kobe was concerned about Jaric’s defense that time. Mamba is the best in the game but please get off his jock already. Superstars got blocked and scored on every game so just relax… LOL at Kobe is a swinger. Lang, u is a silly mofo….

Mar.9 at 1:55 am

laker_legend says:
i think Kobe shud haev been suspended but i dont like da fact that every1 is gonna start callin him a “dirty” playa. OH AND DA WHOS DA DUMB-ASS COMPARING KOBE WITH TY COBB. COBB MAY HAVE BEEN ONE OF DA GREATEST BASEBALL PLAYAS EVER, BUT THE GUY WAS A DAMN RASICT, SO PLEEZ DON’T COMPARE HIM THE KOBE.

Mar.9 at 2:57 am

havoc33 says:
Lol, good one Russ… I guess that was a natural basketball move, huh?

Mar.9 at 3:06 am

C says:
Now accidental contact is a suspendable offense? Oh it’s not accidental right? So in the closing seconds of a tie game, Kobe has the reflexes to purposely clock Ginobili in the face while the guy is BEHIND him, and then get off another decent shot at the basket in midair. Holy sh–! this guy is more talented than we thought! Funny, when a players complain about Bowen sticking their legs under them, the league takes no action. But when Manu and Jaric say that Kobe’s plays were accidental, the league take matters in its own hands. Also, it’s pretty sick that when a mistake (by Stu Jackson) is repeated twice, suddenly its more acceptable to the public. Oh I forgot- in this country, it’s better to be consistent than to make the right decision.

Mar.9 at 7:29 am

LakersTalk says:
At this point, you have to be a real idiot to not recognise the vendetta that Stern & Stupid Stu have against Kobe. Lang, I’m sorry to see your ignorant anti-Kobe bias show itself once again.

Mar.9 at 8:51 am

Boyd says:
I watched the sixers-lakers 1980 finals the other day and it was rough as fuck. Players getting elbowed to shit, one guy, (possibly michael cooper? he may not have even been in the L then, so it could have been someone else) got knocked out cold on a layup, was brought round with smelling salts, then staggered to the foul line and hit two free-throws! It was awesome! Being British, everyone plays football or Rugby (which is a fucking brutal game, but fun as hell) and most people ask me why basketball is such a bitch-ass sport; it’s because of guys like stu jackson and the sternbot. You think a player today would be allowed to carry on after getting sparked out? play stops if someone grazes their fucking knee. Let kobe swing his elbows, everyone does it, and bring back the 1980 rules!

Mar.9 at 10:49 am

David says:
Kobe didnt try to hurt him. All of yah that think he did, stop hating!!!

Mar.9 at 11:16 am

NBA fan says:
It’s not about the call or the foul. It’s about FANS like me buying tickets for $350 2 months in advance to a game expecting to see my favortite NBA player, only to find out a 3 hours before the game that he was suspended for playing basketball. What the hell are we, if not the PAYING CUSTOMERS??? I didn’t pay $350 a ticket to have my favorite player suspended. This is the REAL ISSURE here. MY MONEY PAYS STU(pid) Jackson’s SALARY!!! And Stu…YOU’RE FIRED!!!

Mar.9 at 1:04 pm

Old School Baller says:
It’s hard to compare what Kobe has done to other players. Is there a double standard? Probably. But Kobe has brought it on himself. Let’s cite the facts (i) As an 18 year old rookie, he took the last shot in an elimination game for the Lakers and shot an airball. There were better and more experienced players on the team (including Shaq) who he refused to defer to; (ii) he practically ran Shaq out of LA with his “wanting to be the man” attitude, (iii) he and his wife accused Karl Malone at making a pass at her, which once Karl explained his side, the incident appeared childish; and (iv) last but not least, he broke about 500 codes of the street when he said “I should do like Shaq does . . . I should have paid her off . . . Shaq has spent over $1 million paying off women”. Because he was in trouble on an assault case, his comment was a childish plea for “why should I get a beating by myself . . . Shaq did it too . . . he should get a beating too!” When he explained himself, Kobe made it appear that the comment was an “accidental” slip of the tongue as well. It’s naive to think that he will ever be given the benefit of the doubt by the NBA community for attempting to “out” Shaq and for the harm done to the man and his family. Unlike the other players mentioned during this discussion (Shaq, Lebron, etc.) Kobe’s actions have been consistent and make him appear mean-spirited in general. So if league officials or other players have “heat” for him, he brought it on himself. I bet he wouldn’t “accidentally” smack Chris Childs in the face.

Mar.9 at 1:53 pm

Boyd says:
I agree, kobe is a twat. Complete and utter, serious personality/social deficiencies, everyone knows he’s a twat, but… on the basketball court, swinging elbows etc are pretty natural. If this was gerald wallace or andrew bogut we were talking about, who would care? But because kobe (legitimately) is the villain, we’re getting off the point: Stu Jackson and the sternbot are perpetuating the downward spiral of bball into complete bitch-dom, a lady’s game, not far removed from netball. Kick these dicks out of office and lets turn it back into a mans game. For fucks sake.

Mar.9 at 1:54 pm

mike says:
the league seems to take a very simplistic view on increasing the leagues popularity… increase the scoring, increase the viewers. personally i feel this is dumb id rather watch a game with scores in the 70s with lots of very physical competitve play as opposed to a game with scores over 100 with teams being awarded free throws every trip down the court. suspending players for fouls like this that are hard but not intentional removes a lot of desire for fierce competion in the league. why bother giving an honest 100% if its going to get u suspended? better not take a risk in going for a rebound that is 50/50 if u might catch the other guy by mistake unless u want a suspension.

Mar.9 at 1:58 pm

Old School Baller says:
To Boyd, you notice that Kobe only swings his elbows when he gets his shot blocked. He attempts to gain an advantage by blocking the other player which will give him time to land and retrieve the ball. Gaining an advantage is a foul, an elbow in the facial area is a flagrant foul. He never flails his arms when he shoots unimpeded.

Mar.9 at 2:08 pm

Boyd says:
Gaining an advantage is a foul? Lets make the first step a foul on the guys who are quicker than everyone else, then. I kind of see what you are saying about kobe, but for gods sake, why suspend him? T-him up, let the game carry on; Amare made a good point recently, he has 14 T’s, nearly enough to get suspended, yet he doesn’t swear at the refs, throw punches, nothing. He gets them for shouting. For shouting. He said ‘they’ are taking expression out the game, and he’s right; ok, elbowing someone in the face is not cool, but the NBA is a nanny league for watered down peacocks nowadays. No physicality, no emotion; the propietors of a sports league are actually trying to take out things that make it a fucking sport. Do they want a competitive league or fancy-pants harlem globetrotter exhibitions every night? Just cos guys like Kobe or Raja get aggressive and show they actually have balls, they get thrown out. Stick a band-aid on and fucking get on with it.

Mar.9 at 2:10 pm

Hoop Fan - NBA Hater says:
I hate Kobe and the Lakers, but let’s be objective here. The NBA is a BS league that is looking more and more like the WWE. Raja Bell CLOTHESLINES Kobe in the playoffs, and he gets the same suspension that Kobe gets for (somewhat) incidental contact… How is that legit? Bruce Bowen hacks people EVERY GAME worse than anything Kobe did in either of these cases, but he gets away with it because the NBA needs to make heroes out of wimpy guys like Tim Duncan. David Stern and Stu Jackson are a couple of shady douchebags.

Mar.9 at 2:28 pm

Old School Baller says:
Boyd, don’t disagree with your comments. Taking the emotion out of the game and other acts you mentioned is an attempt by the NBA to make the game more “corporate” and to appeal to the masses. The NBA is bending over backwards because the “product” is watered down and not as strong as it was 20 years ago prior to the league expansion. They have a choice, keep it “real” and let it be a “niche” sport like in the 80’s or continue to cross over to the “wine and cheese” crowd. But that’s another discussion for another day. Nonetheless, in any era, purposely throwing an elbow into the facial area is a flagrant foul. Done repeatedly, warrants a suspension. Otherwise, players will take matters into their own hands in order to make Kobe think twice about it. Again, he would never smack Chris Childs because Childs would not wait for Stu Jackson. He and Kobe went at when Childs was a Knick . . . remember?

Mar.9 at 4:05 pm

sl balla says:
some of u have no idea wat goes on in basketball games, so dont go and say he did it on purpose when u neva played ball before

Mar.9 at 4:55 pm

mark says:
As opposed to all the experience you bring to the table SL Balla ? I would venture to wager that if that same play happened to you in a pick up game - a fight would follow. You can’t whack somebody in the face because they block your weak jumper …

Mar.9 at 5:13 pm

NBA Fan says:
Stu and Dave need to get the fuck up off the NBA table and be PERMANENTLY SUSPENDED FORM EVER being involved in the NBA again. I wil NEVER EVER BUY A TICKET IN ADVANCE EVER AGAIN AS LONG AS STUpid JACK(ass)SON and DAVID 9Hitler) STERN GET THEIR ASSES FIRED FROM ANYTHING NBA AGAIN.

Mar.9 at 5:37 pm

NBA Fan says:
Stu and Dave need to get the fuck up off the NBA table and be PERMANENTLY SUSPENDED FORM EVER being involved in the NBA again. I wil NEVER EVER BUY A TICKET IN ADVANCE EVER AGAIN AS LONG AS STUpid JACK(ass)SON and DAVID (Hitler) Stern remain the GESTAPO of the NBA!!! GOT THAT STUpid Jack(ASS)son!!! YOU’RE FIRED!!!!

Mar.9 at 6:52 pm

Scoop says:
Black dude hits White guy, both times. I gotta play the race card again!!!

Mar.9 at 9:19 pm

rbx says:
It was not intentional!
KEY FACTS ON BOTH PLAYS
1)His shot got blocked
2)He was looking up at the ball
3)He was jumping back up
When jumping up players bring their ARMS DOWN (See any dunk, jump ball, etc.. hell even the NFL Combine vertical jump)

Mar.10 at 5:39 am

Boyd says:
Old School baller, amen. Like the ‘wine and cheese’ comment. One thing though, if players were to take it into there ‘own hands’ if kobe kept doing it, that would be cool. But I appreciate what you’re saying, he never slapped Charles Oakley or Charles Barkley as a kid cos he knew he would have got nocked the fuck out. So if your saying he spikes wimps like Ginobli cos they won’t respond, then I suppose someone has to fight their corner for them. Its just all getting a bit nauseating.

Mar.10 at 10:53 pm

Kharnac says:
Considering he smacked someone else on a drive to the basket, again the elbow to the face, I am beginning to wonder what he is trying to do.

Mar.11 at 3:09 am

Old School Baller says:
Given that the wine and cheese crowd has taken over the NBA, a player cannot take matters into his own hands. For instance, the media and the wine and cheese crowd constantly portray Rasheed Wallace as a thug. Yet I have never seen Rasheed throw a punch at another player, bait another player into a fight or even foul someone with the intent to hurt him. They obviously don’t know what a thug is. Anybody, particularly an African American, who shows a lot of emotion is branded a thug or a malcontent and is criticized repeatedly in attempt to quell his behavior. The same has been done to T.O. in football. Practically if a player attempted to take matters into his own hands (i) the media would sensationalize the incident and make a federal case of it and (ii) league officials would act swiftly to prevent the any perception that the NBA is a violent league. A hard-nosed player like Maurice Lucas or Rick Mahorn would not be allowed to exist in today’s NBA. Today’s NBA promotes floppers and guys who score 30 points on 30 shots while giving up 35 points on the defensive end. By promoting this version of basketball the NBA risks losing its core base of educated basketball fans.

Mar.11 at 11:30 am

Boyd says:
Indeed! We are on the same page Mr Old School Baller. I think it is particularly highlighted for me, because the whole ‘corporate’ sport thing is nauseating to the British. In England, other than in cricket, football and rugby games rarey pass without a ruckus, major or minor. The thing is, the guys throwing the punches are usually looked up to and the players who dive and flail around are what the leagues try and stamp out; not the guys using their fists or studs. I am absolutely serious about this. The NBA on the other hand PROMOTES floppers, as you point out, the sporting nature of the game is being watered down; the contrast with the grass-roots nature of British sport is phenomenal. It’s all about making money; teams uproot from a city and move if they aren’t making any, what the hell is that about? I absolutely love basketball, but in some instances, the language and advertisement and pomp that is used around the NBA will often cause a group of us to laugh out loud and turn the channel over out of embarassment. I have played the game since I was a young kid, and always admired the artistry of it over the more traditional British games, yet I find increasingly difficult to defend NBA basketball as a sport.

Mar.11 at 9:42 pm

indi says:
notice kobe isn’t smacking guys who would kick his ass for it

Mar.12 at 10:00 am

sl balla says:
well mark, ur about the only person in the world who thinks kobe has a weak jumper…and i damn sure have more experience than u, jus so u know

Mar.12 at 11:46 am

Darryl hodoh says:
the league has gotten softer since the 80s. i’m 15 and ie even know that. i’ts a shame that they’re allowed to fight in hockey but if you get a paper cut in bball, they take desperate measures.