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I’m not one for bias-based conspiracies, but no one refuses to pull punches about an athlete the way ESPN’s Henry Abbott does with Kobe Bryant.
His latest article, titled “KOBE,” where he blames Kobe for single-handedly destroying the Los Angeles Lakers from within was no different. He makes some points — few of them fair — but recklessly overlooked others that greatly weaken his already-iffy assertion. It also comes right after Kobe called him and the rest of ESPN a “bunch of idiots” for his rankings. Interesting.
Abbott is the same guy who in September 2009, took apart a fan-made highlight reel of Kobe’s best dunks. His point in that blog was that while those dunks were majestic (his word, not mine), Bryant could have instead passed the ball for better options. It makes some sense, if you ignore altogether the momentum caused by jumping over full-grown men and fouls Bryant drew by challenging players at the rim.
His trick of ignoring or seriously downplaying obvious counterpoints to make his contention seem stronger is the card-stacking fallacy and a propaganda technique. So, there’s that.
In yesterday’s article, Abbott utilized anonymous sources and cited examples of Bryant running players out of the organization. Anonymous sources tend to have an axe to grind themselves. Such sources can be one-sided as their name won’t be tied to their statements. They have nothing to lose.
Secondly, the examples Abbott uses were incredibly flawed. Let’s look at a few that stuck out the most.
Abbott points to Shaquille O’Neal. Yes, Kobe called Shaq “fat” and “out of shape.” Why? Shaq was fat and out of shape. We can’t make Kobe the villain and overlook Shaq’s own famous quote: “I got hurt on company time, so I’ll rehab on company time.” O’Neal burned so many bridges on his way out; there was a serious question as to whether the Lakers would retire his jersey. The Lakers also won two titles since Shaq left. Don’t remember reading either little tidbit in the article.
He does the same thing with Dwight Howard, who chose to take less money and join the Houston Rockets two years ago. Yes, Kobe could have done more publicly to support his teammate. Yes, Bryant’s “it’s my team” quotes to start the season probably eroded team chemistry. But when Abbott uses a source close to Howard that said L.A. was perfect for the immature big man, it again calls to question the intentions of said source.
Howard has thrived off the court in two cities whose media and fan attention pale in comparison to the madness surrounding the Lakers and he never seemed comfortable in L.A.’s bright spotlight. I don’t mean level of play — he’s been great wherever he played. I mean in terms of how he’s handled teammates and the media. Those cities and his teammates in Orlando and Houston accept Howard for the goof ball he is. Kobe and Los Angeles didn’t. That not an indictment of either side; they simply didn’t fit. Blaming one person for the entire situation is extreme oversimplification.
Lastly, Abbott discusses how Kobe has failed to recruit elite talent since Pau Gasol joined the Lakers and even went so far as to say players are actively avoiding the Lakers so long as Bryant plays there. That’s downright wrong and easily where Abbott is most reckless. He cites LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony, who both made their decisions for completely different reasons. Anthony and his wife love New York (and the $30 extra million they gained by staying) and James wanted to go home. Didn’t Abbott read LeBron’s press release in Sports Illustrated?
He also brings up Kevin Love, who was traded to James’ Cleveland Cavaliers before he could make his own decision as a free agent. Again, reread the article. He doesn’t bring up that insanely relevant fact, either.
He also fails to mention how the Lakers lost a true visionary with Dr. Jerry Buss’ passing. Nor does Abbott explain how the CBA ensures the Lakers can’t fully take advantage of their market size or revenue stream. The Chris Paul trade veto goes forgotten, along with Steve Nash’s injury issues since joining the Lakers.
But why would he mention that? Abbott had a point to make and clicks to garner, after all.
Anthony F. Irwin is an NBA, NFL, MLB and NCAA Football contributor for www.Rantsports.com. Follow him on Twitter, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google. Send him an email at .
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