PHILADELPHIA -- Kobe Bryant defied his coach and did not join the Los Angeles Lakers in Philadelphia on Thursday night, leaving the team unsure of his whereabouts when they arrived to play the 76ers.
Bryant's agent later informed the Lakers that Bryant would join them in Orlando, the fifth stop of the Lakers' seven-game road trip.
In Cleveland a day earlier, coach Phil Jackson originally said Bryant would join the team in Orlando -- in part to spare him from being the target of taunts from fans in Philadelphia.
But Jackson later changed his mind and said Bryant, on the injured list with a lacerated index finger, would join the Lakers in Philadelphia.
Jackson said Bryant was supposed to be on a plane from Los Angeles that was to arrive between 4 and 5 p.m, but no one on the Lakers had heard from him by the time Jackson addressed reporters at 6 p.m. -- 90 minutes before tipoff.
"It's good for him to be with us here. He can have a couple days to be with us in this situation, join his teammates, see how we're playing, see firsthand what we're going through right now as far as the way we're playing the game," Jackson said. "He's supportive, and his teammates are supportive of him, so it's kind of a catch-up point."
Bryant, who attended high school in a local suburb, has been the target of boos and taunts in Philadelphia since the Lakers and 76ers met in the 2001 NBA Finals. The booing was worst during the 2002 All-Star game when Bryant was named the MVP of that game.
"I think being booed is the ultimate sign of respect," said teammate Shaquille O'Neal, who quizzed reporters on whether Bryant had shown up.
If he wasn't going to show, at least tell the coach so it doesn't become yet another distraction for the team to deal with during this season.
As for the Philly fans...hey, I don't like them, but I've got no beef against booing accused rapists.
Wait…if it’s MLK Jr. Day AND Pat Patterson’s Birthday…who gets the token win here?-- Matt "Excalibur05" Hocking on a match between Mark Henry and Rico
MH: What’s a clever way to say that I have a penis? CJ: Uh…Mark, nobody’s going to buy that shirt. MH: How about if I say that I’ve got…a…uh…? CJ: Coming up with T-Shirt ideas is hard Mark, why not leave it to the WWE marketing department. MH: I know! I’ve got it! CJ: Got what? MH: Stank! That’s Mah Stank! I’m gonna make a fortune!! CJ: “That’s Mah Stank”? MH: On the front it’ll say “Can You Smell It?” and on the back it’ll say “That’s Mah Stank”. Everybody’ll buy it because they’ll think it’s a Rock shirt. CJ: You know…you might be on to something there, sad to say. MH: I can’t wait to show mah stank to Trish.
You know, I have a feeling that Spanky didn’t quit, he was fired. Why? So they could repackage Mark Henry as “Stanky.” Think about THAT! --Matt "Excalibur05" Hocking, 1/19/04 Raw Satire
Hollinger's point in the article, though, is that teams that do consistently bad don't really count as cursed. Boston was long considered the most cursed team in Major League Baseball, despite having out-performed many other teams in recent years.
Thread rated: 5.98
#
