They'll be closer to 50 losses…..much closerI'm interested to see who's mathematically eliminated first between the Knicks and Lakers
dude its not even close, Lakers by at least two months.They'll be closer to 50 losses…..much closerI'm interested to see who's mathematically eliminated first between the Knicks and Lakers
http://www.sportsgrid.com/nba/kobe-bryant-is-trying-to-re-write-history-but-he-cant-fool-the-internet/lol kobe
Why does Kobe keep trying to fool everybody into forgetting what really happened in 1996
http://www.sportsgrid.com/nba/kobe-bryant-is-trying-to-re-write-history-but-he-cant-fool-the-internet/Kobe was just being tsundere for Charlotte.
Why does Kobe keep trying to fool everybody into forgetting what really happened in 1996
Yeah, the Knicks being in the east means that as long as they're around .333 they'll be in the chase until the final 2 weeks of the season.dude its not even close, Lakers by at least two months.They'll be closer to 50 losses…..much closerI'm interested to see who's mathematically eliminated first between the Knicks and Lakers
Harden plays defense like me in 2K, he just mashes the button when a pass goes up.
http://instagram.com/p/rsp-AcR82C/
http://instagram.com/p/rsp-AcR82C/
Yeah, the Knicks being in the east means that as long as they're around .333 they'll be in the chase until the final 2 weeks of the season.dude its not even close, Lakers by at least two months.They'll be closer to 50 losses…..much closerI'm interested to see who's mathematically eliminated first between the Knicks and Lakers
With the pacers out the line up I'm pretty sure the Knicks make the playoffs. Also as bad as the Knicks front court is I don't see Amare or Barg getting significant minutes at the 5 like last year which is automatically an improvement over last year (though I still think barg didn't suck as much at the 5). Dalembert, Cole, and Smith will be a center rotation of probably 15-20 limited minutes each. I do think Melo is going back to the 3 considering he's losing weight (which will help him in tying to guard 3's)and it would be easier for him to post on 3's to pass out in the triangle offensively anyhow.
So ideally I think they will try to hide Amare and barg at the 4 when they are out there. I also think the real issue next season will be the Knicks getting rebounds, Melo was a great rebounder at the 4 and Tyson was great most of the time too and they compensated for the rest of the team whenever they were in. Idk if its an option but ideally considering the Knicks won't be using a mutated version of seven seconds or less and shooting 3's the whole game. If fisher can have the guards (Shump) ready to slow transition offensive points it'll help.
Anyhow with that said I'm not worried about defense in the regular season. Many teams have made it to the playoffs based on offense and the Knicks should make it this year again for the same reason. They should get 42-45 win season based on teams not being able to double and triple Melo whenever they needed a stop like last season. Also damn near the whole team is playing for a contract, they will overproduce whenever possible.
They'll be closer to 50 losses…..much closerI'm interested to see who's mathematically eliminated first between the Knicks and Lakers
Lakers were mathematically eliminated when Kobe said he was coming back
yal need to stop hatingLOL
beastcoast is back
if you think the east is going to be anything other than shameful again you've been smoking crack in your down time.
http://www.journalnow.com/archives/article_e7a4ddee-ed8d-5be1-9b81-723b924628ec.html
Tell me again about how Sandy Hook isn't real!
To be clear. What happened was the trade was decided, Kobe never forced anything. Vlade Divac wanted to back out and retire because he was the one who wasn't ok with the deal, and during that period of doubt, Art Tellum said what he said days after the trade was decided, and Kobe was pissed that Charlotte didn't want him.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8KznRFUKd0
You don't think that if Kobe was publicly declaring he would only play in LA prior to the draft that the announcers wouldn't consistently mention that? "This is peculiar that Charlotte drafted him, there must be a deal on the table because Kobe's made it clear that he'll only play in LA" would have come out of the mouths of one of those people.
But once again, tell me about how 9/11 was an inside job!
A look back into the archives shows that the notion that Kobe orchestrated the trade is bogus.
And those who were involved in the wheeling and dealing at the time of the trade shoot down all the legends that have developed over the years.
"The deal was actually done a day ahead of time, and it was Vlade for a player to be named," said Bill Branch, the Hornets' head scout at the time who still operates out of Charlotte as a scout for the Seattle-now-Oklahoma City Sonics. "If I remember right, they didn't even tell us who they wanted us to pick until about five minutes before the pick was made. So it was never a matter of us actually drafting Kobe."
Branch scouted Bryant twice for the Hornets while Bryant was at Lower Merion H.S., but he said that the Hornets "never even considered him" as a player they would draft and keep. Bass was an old-school GM who liked to deal but didn't usually gamble on young players.
Tell me again about how Sandy Hook isn't real!
To be clear. What happened was the trade was decided, Kobe never forced anything. Vlade Divac wanted to back out and retire because he was the one who wasn't ok with the deal, and during that period of doubt, Art Tellum said what he said days after the trade was decided, and Kobe was pissed that Charlotte didn't want him.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8KznRFUKd0
You don't think that if Kobe was publicly declaring he would only play in LA prior to the draft that the announcers wouldn't consistently mention that? "This is peculiar that Charlotte drafted him, there must be a deal on the table because Kobe's made it clear that he'll only play in LA" would have come out of the mouths of one of those people.
But once again, tell me about how 9/11 was an inside job!
Kobe and his agent threatened the Nets that he would play in Italy if they took him
what the fuck are you even on about
what the fuck are you even on about
if cousins goes out
how bad are we going to get bodied
Rubio/La Bomba
Calderon/Sergio
Fernandez/Claver
Ibaka/Felipe
Marc Gasol/Pau
just off the top of my head what i guess is the squad ^
legit shook
I don't think Pau is playing.
Kobe and his agent threatened the Nets that he would play in Italy if they took him
what the fuck are you even on about
Once Tellem and Adidas’ Sonny Vaccaro got wind of West’s interest, they decided they’d try to scare the Nets away from drafting him with those phone calls. But according to Nash, those phone calls had no bearing on the Nets eventual decision not to take Bryant. He insists that he knew Tellem was bluffing and that he still would have selected Kobe if that final decision was his and not Calipari’s.
Nash believes that what ultimately convinced Calipari to change his mind was a conversation he’d had with David Falk, who was not only the agent for Kerry Kittles but also repped Michael Jordan. Somehow during their telephone conversation, Falk convinced Calipari to draft his client instead of Kobe. As exec VP of basketball operations, the decision was Calipari’s to make and he didn’t want to make a huge mistake with his first big decision since being hired.
Kobe's agent and the Adidas guy got wind of the interest from Jerry West, so they called Calipari and bluffed a threat, something agents do all the damn time and no different from any other phone call agent's make. Calipari was ultimately convinced to take Kittles for other reasons.
As for Charlotte, Kobe nor his agent never forced that trade either. He wanted to play there, he would have played in NJ too (which is why he did THREE workouts for them and his parents had Dinner with Calipari trying to sell him on drafting their son) So this absurd story made up by Glenn Beck type clowns that he forced a trade out of Charlotte because they would have kept him otherwise is a complete and total fabrication and I've posted links and articles and quotes proving it.
lol the revisionist history for kobe's honor
like players have never forced their way to certain teams before
like players have never forced their way to certain teams before
lol the revisionist history for kobe's honor
like players have never forced their way to certain teams before
I just posted articles and quotes stating that the "Kobe Forced his way to the Lakers" story was revisionist legend not based on fact and you're still denying it lol. Obama Birth Certificate tier indeed.
Over lunch on draft day, Calipari and Nash told one of the Nets' seven owners, Joe Taub, that Bryant would be a Net in eight hours. Taub preferred John Wallace, the Syracuse senior, and worried that a high school kid might ultimately leave for a bigger market and a better team in free agency.high school kids call up coaches with threats every draft , bruhs
Only Bryant wasn't about to wait years for his liberation. He called Calipari after the coach's lunch with Taub, and Bryant's agent, Arn Tellem, called Nash. Prospect and agent declared they wanted no part of Jersey; Tellem even threatened that his client would play in Italy if the Nets ignored their wishes.
Over lunch on draft day, Calipari and Nash told one of the Nets' seven owners, Joe Taub, that Bryant would be a Net in eight hours. Taub preferred John Wallace, the Syracuse senior, and worried that a high school kid might ultimately leave for a bigger market and a better team in free agency.high school kids call up coaches with threats every draft , bruhs
Only Bryant wasn't about to wait years for his liberation. He called Calipari after the coach's lunch with Taub, and Bryant's agent, Arn Tellem, called Nash. Prospect and agent declared they wanted no part of Jersey; Tellem even threatened that his client would play in Italy if the Nets ignored their wishes.
Already covered that.
Once Tellem and Adidas’ Sonny Vaccaro got wind of West’s interest, they decided they’d try to scare the Nets away from drafting him with those phone calls. But according to Nash, those phone calls had no bearing on the Nets eventual decision not to take Bryant. He insists that he knew Tellem was bluffing and that he still would have selected Kobe if that final decision was his and not Calipari’s.
The article Phee posted has the classic revisionist history.
1) Kobe forced his way to LA by telling multiple teams he would only play for LA (bullshit)
2) The Hornets had NO CHOICE but to trade him, they would have kept him otherwise (bullshit)
3) "Bryant never wanted to play in Charlotte. Or in Sacramento, or Indiana, or anywhere else" (bullshit)
They got a verbal commitment from West that he had a deal in place, after doing 3 insane workouts and his dad trying to convince Calipari to draft him they tried the Italy bluff in hopes Calipari would pass. That's well documented. All the stuff with forcing Charlotte's hand or legitimately considering Italy or even that the threat was the sole reason Calipari picked Kittles...that's all revisionist nonsense and I've posted quotes from the Hornets FO and the Nets FO to prove it.
Calipari worked out Bryant three times at Fairleigh Dickinson University, and three times came away mesmerized. "If you watched the workouts," Calipari said, "you would say either this kid was taught to fool us in these workouts or he's ridiculous."
Because when you will never consider playing for the Nets, you work out for them 3 times, blow them away with how good you are and make them want you...that makes 0 logical sense.
Let's move on.
hahahahahaha
What's so funny? I've beyond a doubt proven my point, this is actually an NBA conspiracy theory that's been debunked lots of times, but still people hold on to it. "Kobe's an asshole, this MUST be true" is essentially what all those people are clinging to.
and kobe has never cheated on vanessa either
Seriously. Birth Certificate Level lunacy at this point. My only take away is none of you guys read the article I posted or even the quotes, cuz that tells the entire story.
- Kobe works out for every team that brings him in
- NIGHT BEFORE DRAFT his parents meet with Calipari to sell him on drafting Kobe
- AT THE SAME TIME West secures the deal with the Hornets to flip Vlade for an unnamed pick
- DAY OF THE DRAFT West tells Kobe's people he has a deal in place to bring Kobe to LA if Calipari passes
- DAY OF THE DRAFT Kobe and his representatives try a bluff threat to get Calipari to pass, which he ultimately does anyway for a variety of reasons.
Somehow that timeline of events of about 24 hours turned into "Kobe's told everyone he wouldn't play for them. He was ALWAYS only going to play for LA. He forced Charlotte to trade him, they had no choice. He strong armed the entire league to get his way"
The sad part is, you guys just bought that nonsense without actually researching it, it's not like it's not openly out there.
Maybe I missed something completely but my original point was that Kobe keeps revising history, and I'm pretty sure you've helped make my point Vag. Even if my posted article isn't totally truthful, but the fact is, Kobe keeps bringing it up like "Charlotte drafted me, decided I wasn't good enough for them" when, as you've posted multiple times, the deal was already in place.
So maybe Kobe didn't force a trade to LAL but he keeps acting like he was left at the altar
So maybe Kobe didn't force a trade to LAL but he keeps acting like he was left at the altar
Maybe I missed something completely but my original point was that Kobe keeps revising history, and I'm pretty sure you've helped make my point Vag. Even if my posted article isn't totally truthful, but the fact is, Kobe keeps bringing it up like "Charlotte drafted me, decided I wasn't good enough for them" when, as you've posted multiple times, the deal was already in place.Wiggins and Kobe aren't remotely the same situation either. He's doing that shit retired NFL players always do by attaching themselves to whatever is relevant at the time. Truly the mark of the flabby and sick.
So maybe Kobe didn't force a trade to LAL but he keeps acting like he was left at the altar
http://select.nytimes.com/2007/06/29/sports/29roberts.html?_r=0
“That is an impossibility,” Bryant’s agent, Arn Tellem, said at the time. “There are no ifs. It would not happen. He is going to be a Laker, and that’s the only team he’s playing for.”
"Basically, I kept teams from picking Kobe by not giving their coaches access to him," Tellem told Sports Illustrated in 2003. "I knew teams would be reluctant to take a chance on a high schooler without first talking to him and working him out"
I don't know why he feels the need to invent struggle to add flavor to his career or something.
Kobe refused to workout for Charlotte breh lol
how you gonna fail on the first bullet point?
http://www.journalnow.com/archives/article_e7a4ddee-ed8d-5be1-9b81-723b924628ec.html
Do yourself a favor and re-read that.
Branch scouted Bryant twice for the Hornets while Bryant was at Lower Merion H.S., but he said that the Hornets "never even considered him" as a player they would draft and keep.
Maybe I missed something completely but my original point was that Kobe keeps revising history, and I'm pretty sure you've helped make my point Vag. Even if my posted article isn't totally truthful, but the fact is, Kobe keeps bringing it up like "Charlotte drafted me, decided I wasn't good enough for them" when, as you've posted multiple times, the deal was already in place.
So maybe Kobe didn't force a trade to LAL but he keeps acting like he was left at the altar
That's exactly what happened though. They CLEARLY thought he wasn't good enough, neither did the other 12 teams sans Calipari. There was one guy in the lottery who wanted Kobe, that was Calipari. West wanted him too, but he was more focused on moving Vlade's contract to open up space for Shaq. Even if Kobe got drafted by the Nets West would have traded Vlade for a pick.
A last minute coordinated effort between West/Tellum/Kobe got them to bypass Calipari. But as I've already shown the quotes, ultimately Nash and Calipari didn't make their decision based on those threats, they knew it was just a bluff.
There was article about this Kobe-Charlotte thing in the Charlotte Observer a while back.
I was there, covering the 1996 draft and the ensuing trade for the Charlotte Observer. To suggest Hornets general manager Bob Bass or anyone else in the organization rejected Bryant is absurd.http://blogs.charlotte.com/inside_the_nba/2014/07/kobe-bryants-tweet-revisionist-history-at-its-worst.html
Bryant’s agent, Arn Tellem, and then-Lakers general manager Jerry West manipulated that draft masterfully. West wanted Bryant and he also wanted to create enough space under the salary cap to sign center Shaquille O’Neal as a free agent. He ended up with both, reinvigorating the Lakers.
The Hornets were more or less pawns in all this. Tellem wouldn’t let some lottery teams -– including the New Jersey Nets and the Hornets -– work out Bryant, a high school player from suburban Philadelphia. About a week before the draft Bass asked me what I was hearing about all this. He suspected the same thing I did, that Tellem was trying to direct Bryant to a team outside the top picks.
The morning of that draft we got a tip at the Observer that the Hornets were discussing a trade to acquire a center. Eventually, working with Scott Howard-Cooper, then of the Los Angeles Times, we figured out this was the deal: If Bryant lasted to the Hornets’ 13th pick, they would select him and deal him to the Lakers for Divac’s pre-existing contract. That gave West both Bryant and the cap space to pursue O’Neal.
This got a little complicated when Divac threatened to retire, rather than report to the Hornets. I asked Bass what he’d do if Divac didn’t relent and Bass said he’d keep Bryant.
That put Tellem in a nasty mood. Eighteen years later I remember him screaming at me over the phone from Southern California that Bryant would be a Laker no matter what.
Here, let's just go back and forth posting conflicting articles and then have a cock-war over whose is more legit.
http://blog.nola.com/hornetsbeat/2009/03/former_hornets_gm_bob_bass_liv.html
http://blog.nola.com/hornetsbeat/2009/03/former_hornets_gm_bob_bass_liv.html
Bryant canceled a workout with the Sacramento Kings, who had the No. 14 pick in the first round in 1996 and declined to work out for the Hornets. His agent, Arn Tellem, also told the Hornets, according to Bass, that Bryant did not want to play in a small market such as Charlotte.
Here, let's just go back and forth posting conflicting articles and then have a cock-war over whose is more legit.It's the middle of August, Kevin Love won't be traded for another week, what else is there to talk about.
Who the fuck is Tellem to refute unnamed sources?
Worked out for NJ, Clippers, Boston, LA, Philly etc. He worked out for everyone practically.
Rodeo, he worked out for Calipari 3 times in NJ. Suggesting they didn't let him work out for the NJ nets is absurd.
The ONLY teams he didn't work out for was Charlotte and Sacramento because they were 13th and 14th. I don't think he thought he'd fall that far down. Jerry West didn't even have a deal to get Kobe until the day before the draft, how the hell are you going to plan that from the get go?
Yep. We've hit the point where Vaggy would argue with Arn Tellem and tell him he's wrong if he was on this thread posting right now.
Yep. We've hit the point where Vaggy would argue with Arn Tellem and tell him he's wrong if he was on this thread posting right now.
It's DOCUMENTED that he worked out for NJ, Clippers, Boston, LA, Philly. What are you smoking right now?
Right, so can he stop pretending like this situation is at all comparable to Wiggins, or that he ever wanted to play in Charlotte?
Right, so can he stop pretending like this situation is at all comparable to Wiggins, or that he ever wanted to play in Charlotte?but legacies :geek:
Right, so can he stop pretending like this situation is at all comparable to Wiggins, or that he ever wanted to play in Charlotte?
The fact that Kobe wanted to be in LA doesn't change the equally true fact that Charlotte was never interested in drafting him and no one forced their hand. If that deal wasn't on the table, they would have drafted someone else entirely.
I don't think Cleveland was Wiggins #1 hope either man.
And either Art Tellum is incompetent, or he's just bragging about something he had little or no control over. That deal was done independent of him. Kobe worked out for other teams and everyone was super impressed. The Clippers said it was the best workout they'd ever seen. The idea that Art Tellum maneuvered that from the beginning flies in the face of Calipari's own statement that he was having dinner with Kobe's parents the night before the draft and they were selling HIM on drafting Kobe.
Sounds an awful lot like he's taking credit for not letting Kobe work out for Charlotte and Sacramento which Kobe thought he wouldn't fall to anyway.
You're arguing that Tellem and Kobe didn't orchestrate him going to LA the entire time and buying into Kobe's bullshit sociopathic mindset that Charlotte "didn't give him a chance".Yep. We've hit the point where Vaggy would argue with Arn Tellem and tell him he's wrong if he was on this thread posting right now.
It's DOCUMENTED that he worked out for NJ, Clippers, Boston, LA, Philly. What are you smoking right now?
“That is an impossibility,” Bryant’s agent, Arn Tellem, said at the time. “There are no ifs. It would not happen. He is going to be a Laker, and that’s the only team he’s playing for.”
"Basically, I kept teams from picking Kobe by not giving their coaches access to him," Tellem told Sports Illustrated in 2003. "I knew teams would be reluctant to take a chance on a high schooler without first talking to him and working him out"
Kobe is a fucking maniac and his mindset and thought process is that of a sociopath. That dude stares himself in the mirror everyday and lies to himself like Al Franken's Stuart Smalley character on SNL. It's also one of the reasons he's really fucking good at basketball.
You're arguing that Tellem and Kobe didn't orchestrate him going to LA the entire time and buying into Kobe's bullshit sociopathic mindset that Charlotte "didn't give him a chance".Yep. We've hit the point where Vaggy would argue with Arn Tellem and tell him he's wrong if he was on this thread posting right now.
It's DOCUMENTED that he worked out for NJ, Clippers, Boston, LA, Philly. What are you smoking right now?
Kobe is a fucking maniac and his mindset and thought process is that of a sociopath. That dude stares himself in the mirror everyday and lies to himself like Al Franken's Stuart Smalley character on SNL. It's also one of the reasons he's really fucking good at basketball.
"Kobe's an asshole, this MUST be true" is essentially what all those people are clinging to..
What's hilarious is that you guys are buying Art Tellum taking credit for that shit when the timeline is clearly established. That shit was all decided in a window of less than 24 hours before the draft.
He worked out for at least 6 teams, and for the NJ Nets 3 times. Charlotte never seriously considered him, and neither did any other team except Calipari's Nets in the top 13. Calipari ended up going with Kittles because he was a first year schmuck and got sonned by two Agents, Fagan and Tellem in final few hours.
[size=200]“That is an impossibility,” Bryant’s agent, Arn Tellem, said at the time. “There are no ifs. It would not happen. He is going to be a Laker, and that’s the only team he’s playing for.”[/size]
[size=200]"Basically, I kept teams from picking Kobe by not giving their coaches access to him," Tellem told Sports Illustrated in 2003. [/size]
[size=200]"Basically, I kept teams from picking Kobe by not giving their coaches access to him," Tellem told Sports Illustrated in 2003. [/size]
even if kobe wasn't an asshole, that doesn't change the fact that charlotte saw an opportunity to pry vlade out of LA for a 13th overall
Right, so can he stop pretending like this situation is at all comparable to Wiggins, or that he ever wanted to play in Charlotte?I think that if Cleveland was truly uninterested in Wiggins or that he was selected for the Wolves, they wouldn't have sent him to Summer League or anything. They wanted him and then the Kevin Love deal fell in their lap after LeBron signed and they had to do it because it's Kevin Love.
[size=200]“That is an impossibility,” Bryant’s agent, Arn Tellem, said at the time. “There are no ifs. It would not happen. He is going to be a Laker, and that’s the only team he’s playing for.”[/size]
Lol. Vlade wanted to back out of the deal, Charlotte AGAINST THEIR OWN WISHES, was going to be forced to keep him, and Art Tellum said that totally pointless thing AFTER THE TRADE WAS ALREADY DECIDED.
Again dude, Art Tellum is taking credit for something where the timeline has been established and you're eating it all up.
IT IS AN INDISPUTABLE FACT THAT HE WORKED OUT FOR LAKERS, CLIPPERS, PHILLY, BOSTON, NEW JERSEY among others. Either Art Tellum sucks at his job, or he's revising history to take credit fore something that happened outside of his efforts. With the exception of threatening Calipari at the 11th hour, which Nash said had no effect on the decision process.
No agent will EVER admit to forcing his client to a specific team. That is a quick way to get blackballed.
so after it is done, they will just say things like
"oh well those teams weren't interested in my client" or "we were willing to go there but they went in a different direction"
They will never ever ever come out with a " lo, we didn't want to him to play for that fraud ass franchise, so we made sure we didn't work out for those lames".
Tellum didnt cop to it until yeeeeaaars later.
so after it is done, they will just say things like
"oh well those teams weren't interested in my client" or "we were willing to go there but they went in a different direction"
They will never ever ever come out with a " lo, we didn't want to him to play for that fraud ass franchise, so we made sure we didn't work out for those lames".
Tellum didnt cop to it until yeeeeaaars later.
Now Arn Tellem sucks at his job and is lying about what happened to... I don't know. What's Tellem's agenda for telling us all of this? He's considered one of the premier (the premier?) agent in sports.
Obviously, "I don't know, maybe he sucks at his job".
Obviously, "I don't know, maybe he sucks at his job".
No agent will EVER admit to forcing his client to a specific team. That is a quick way to get blackballed.
so after it is done, they will just say things like
"oh well those teams weren't interested in my client" or "we were willing to go there but they went in a different direction"
They will never ever ever come out with a " lo, we didn't want to him to play for that fraud ass franchise, so we made sure we didn't work out for those lames".
John Calipari brought Kobe Bryant to New Jersey three times that spring to work out. "I worked him out three times and I thought I was losing my mind. Obviously I wasn't. He was really good. I'd brought him in a third time because I just said, 'I've got to see this kid again because this is ridiculous."
There was little doubt Allen Iverson would be the top pick. Yet GM Brad Greenberg invited Kobe in, anyway, for a test run. ‘I guess they saw some of my high school games. That was the only explanation I could think of for not being asked to shoot or dribble or demonstrate any of my skills’ Bryant said. ‘All they wanted me to do was to sprint the court. They timed me on a stop watch.’ Greenberg told Bryant him Iverson had run faster. ‘So?!?!’ Kobe exclaimed. […] Greenberg disputes Bryant’s version. In an email he said the workout consisted of more than running. ‘He did shooting drills and other stuff … had a great workout,’ Greenberg wrote. ‘I just thought Iverson [was] a better selection at the time. I wasn’t comfortable going with a HS kid for the No. 1 pick vs. Iverson.’”
"I had a really good workout with the Clippers," "And they told me 'This is the best workout we've ever seen…'" However, Bryant said that the Clippers still told him pre-draft that they weren't going to select him. "We want to turn things around with our organization," he recalls them saying. "And we feel like if we drafted a 17-year-old kid, the city of Los Angeles wouldn't take it seriously."
+ the Lakers. That's 5 teams I just googled and found. The idea that Art Tellum kept him from working out with the lottery teams is a joke, and anyone who believes it is too lazy to do the basic research
West's summation was plain: "Best workout I've ever seen. He's better than anybody we have on the team right now. Let's go."
Although Bryant had worked out for—and naturally impressed—representatives from many NBA teams, the consensus was that taking a high school guard so high in a very strong draft was too risky
This is the truth. Pure factual truth. Art Tellum stroking himself years later is irrelevant.