Kobe had some legal trouble years ago.  And I think many haters justify their emotions based on the accusations that were made at the time.  The fact that he was not convicted and the prosecution was forced to drop the case when his accuser decided she didn’t want to testify in court is not important to the haters.  To some, being accused of something means you are guilty despite the official verdict.  I refuse to accept that perception; our legal system is based on the presumption of innocence until proven guilty.  Others would argue that he admitted to adultery and that makes him an evil person.  Ignore the fact that 50% of married women and 60% of married men have an affair while married. 

Kobe-haters say that Kobe drove Shaq out of town.  I look at Shaq and Kobe as teammates who played together for awhile, and then needed to go in different directiaons because they could no longer play together.  While I regret that the two of them were unable to put their egos aside and learn to co-exist, I believe it is team management that actually controls the roster.  Jerry Buss has said that he made the decision not to extend Shaq’s contract based on Shaq’s age, injury history and physical condition.  And Shaq has criticized every organization he has left, as well as many of his former teammates and coaches.  To put all the blame on Kobe and none on Shaq is wrong.  

Other haters say Kobe is a selfish ball-hog who shoots too much and doesn’t pass the ball.  If you ever watch classic games when they are replayed, you will see that this is untrue.  Of course, Kobe shot the ball.  He is arguably the second best shooting guard to ever play the game, after Michael Jordan.  When Kobe scored 81 against Toronto a few years back, the starting line-up was Kobe, Smush Parker, Lamar Odom, Kwame Brown and Chris Mihm.  And with that line-up, I would have advised Kobe to shoot as often as he liked.  I don’t really care about the number of shots he takes.  I look at two factors.  Is he making a decent percentage of them?  Somewhere between 45 – 50% is my benchmark.  And did the team win? 

Kobe-haters say Kobe is egotistical and smug.  I would argue that his domination in the new millenium is proof that he actually has been the best player in the league over the past decade.  LeBron James refers to himself as the King; I guess he’s king of the regular season.  Kobe is king of the post-season, which is having your priorities in the correct order.  Kobe has 5 championships in 7 final appearances; Magic had 5 championships in 9 final appearances.  LeBron has 0 championships in 1 final appearance.  My vote for most egotistical NBA player has to go to LeBron. 

Here is a past article by a self-proclaimed Kobe Hater http://www.slate.com/id/2141287/

Here is the source for the adultery stat: http://www.catalogs.com/info/relationships/percentage-of-married-couples-who-cheat-on-each-ot.html

http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jan/31/sports/la-sp-lakers-gasol31-2010jan31

If you said anything about Ron Artest, no matter how outrageous and off the wall, would people really have trouble believing it?  For example, Ron Artest recently expressed unhappiness that Pluto is no longer considered a planet.  He will be getting his own reality show on E! entitled “They Call Me Crazy”.  Since he’s a producer on the show, you have to figure the title was approved, if not created, by him.  A New York native, Artest played at St. John’s University, and then played professionally for Chicago, Indiana, Sacramento, Houston and now Los Angeles.  This 6’7″ 30 year old small forward will be starting his second season with the Lakers; he will be more experienced in the triangle offense, but he should not be the primary or secondary option within it.  Prior to last season, there was some concern with how Ron Ron would fit in and what his impact on team chemistry would be, but I think the end results from the playoffs were pretty good.  As long as he continues to play lock-down defense and to make a few key shots in the playoffs, it’s all anyone could ask from Artest.  Of course, he continues to be an excellent interview and active on Twitter; his lack of predictably is what make him entertaining.  As the sole Laker not to participate in the ring ceremony at the beginning of last season, one hopes he’ll be even hungrier for a second ring this season.  He has committed to selling the ring from last season as a fundraiser to help provide for more psychologists and therapists in schools:

http://www.lakerstats.com/category/news/page/2/

Ron Artest on Pluto:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie/post/Ron-Artest-loves-Pluto-hates-that-it-is-not-a-p;_ylt=Ah.eR5pS9RverqdNriicUo9gPKB4?urn=nba-271334

And after his playing days, Shannon can continue with his side interest of guest starring in music videos.

Check out Toni Braxton http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cETtDC59-I and Monica http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arCTOMGT9do

Here is a good article on Blake http://www.ocregister.com/articles/steve-257796-blake-deceived.html

When reading about Matt Barnes, you often find the terms “defense”, “toughness”, and “outside shooting”.  He describes himself as a football player playing basketball.  After playing at UCLA, he was drafted by Memphis in a pick from Orlando, then his rights were traded to Cleveland.  I don’t find that at all confusing.  Really.  The Lakers will be his 8th team in his 8th season in the pros.  This 6’7″ 30 year old small forward will primarily serve as back-up to Ron Artest, although he could also get some spot minutes at shooting guard.  Like the signing of Theo Ratliff, Matt Barnes will be able to provide some defense off the bench.  Barnes averaged 9 points and 5.5 rebounds in 81 games last year.  He was arrested September 8th on charges of felony domestic violence and for preventing his fiancee Gloria Govan from talking to 911 operators.  He posted a $50,000 bail and was released.  Govan made a statement a few days after his arrest saying that the charges are false.  Sacramento County prosecutors will decide October 18 whether they will press charges.  It is possible that the league or team may decide to suspend him for a couple of games, even if no charges are filed.  Although that would make me question the presumption of innocence that is supposedly the foundation of our legal system.  Fortunately, the Lakers have experience dealing with legal troubles during the season, and should be able to maintain focus.  And small forward is a position where the Lakers have depth.  Barnes said all the right things in his press conference, that he was happy to be with the Lakers and it was a dream come true.  He is hungry for a championship and will contribute coming off the bench in whatever capacity the team says is necessary.  Having veterans on the time still looking for their first ring is a good safeguard against complacency setting in.  I consider this free agent acquisition a major upgrade, and one of the reasons the bench is much better than it was last season.  Lakers Three-Peat!

Theo Ratliff, a 6’10” center, replaces DJ Mbenga as the back-up to the back-up.  Some of my friends didn’t particularly like Mbenga, who played on average 7 minutes per game, scoring 2 points, grabbing 2 rebounds while shooting 47% from the field in 49 games.   Last season, Ratliff averaged 16 minutes per game, scoring 3.5 points, grabbing 3 rebounds while shooting 46% in the same number of games.  Had the Lakers kept Mbenga, the advantage would have been that he is only 30 and knows the triangle offense, his teammates and the coaches.  Ratliff is 37 and playing for his 9th team in his 16th year as a pro, after 4 years of college ball in Wyoming.  The guy has been traded for Jerry Stackhouse, Dikembe Mutombo, Rasheed Wallace and Kevin Garnett as part of multiple-player packages over his career.  The Laker bench was weak last season, either due to injuries or personnel (Hello, Adam Morrison!), and did a poor job of maintaining leads, let alone increasing them.  Ratliff is renowned as being a shot blocker, which may stop opposing players from driving to the rim as frequently and easily as they did last season while the bench was on the floor.  With 1,963 blocks, Ratliff ranks 18th in NBA history for career blocks.  He needs to realize it’s not important for him to be taking a lot of shots when he comes in.  It’s defense and rebounding that wins championships, so focus on those two areas.  An improved bench will allow the Laker starters to have more rest over the grind that is the NBA regular season.  Given their veteran status, this is an important component in the Laker’s bid to three-peat.  Because Magic Johnson was Ratliff’s boyhood idol, that makes him A-OK in my book.