It’s official: Kobe Bryant out Tuesday night vs. Spurs

By Kurt HelinApr 17, 2012, 4:09 PM EDT
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We told you to expect this but Lakers coach Mike Brown made it official at the Lakers shootaround Tuesday — Kobe Bryant will miss his sixth straight game with a shin injury and will sit out the game against the Spurs, as reported by the Los Angeles Times and other sources.

The rule of thumb the Lakers trainers are using is when he shows he can jump without pain he can come back. While he has practiced with the team he is not where the trainers want him yet.

Kobe said recently he would be back “well before” the playoffs. So, how do you define that, coach Brown?

“With a guy like Kobe, especially, his feel is so great for the game that I think he’ll be able to ease in probably better than most guys,” Brown said, “but for me to sit here and say, ‘He needs five games’ or ‘He needs two games,’ would not be correct. I think it’s just more by feel than anything else.”

That is some quality tap dancing around the issue right there.
This game matters to the Lakers, who are now just one game ahead of the Clippers for the Pacific Division crown and the three seed in the West (the Lakers also have the tiebreaker with the Clippers). The team that wins the Pacific and gets the three seed gets to avoid a dangerous Memphis team in the first round.
The Spurs are on the second game of a back-to-back-to-back Tuesday, but none of their big three played more than 13 minutes in a blowout win against Golden State Monday night. Your guess is as good as mine as to what Gregg Popovich has planned.

Kobe Bryant “definitely” staying retired, not playing in Big3 next season

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By Kurt HelinAug 21, 2018, 5:59 PM EDT
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When spoken words get transcribed — or just heard by people half-listening — context can be lost.

Take for example, the Big3 media conference call on Tuesday (which I was on). The executives of that league — co-founders Ice Cube and Jeff Kwatinetz, plus Clyde Drexler and Amy Trask — have a fun, joking relationship that comes through when you speak to more than one of them at a time. They drop inside jokes, poke a little fun at each other, and sound more like you and your friends hanging out with a beer rather than some cold, staged PR event. It’s no secret Cube has tried to recruit Kobe Bryant for a while to the Big3, only to get shot down each time, and that led to this exchange when they were asked about Kobe coming to the league.

Ice Cube: “We have a list of people that we would love to see, I think the fans would love to see. The fans would love to see Kobe, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, and Paul Pierce. Anybody who still has the passion to play. We don’t want you if you don’t have the passion to play. If Kobe doesn’t have the passion to play at this level, then it’s better for him to watch on tv. If he has the passion, then here we are.”

Jeff Kwatinetz: “I did hear from a credible source that Kobe is going to be playing next year. That’s something, but it may be nothing.”

Ice Cube: “That would be amazing.”

Kwatinetz was joking with Ice Cube more than making a prediction, but that’s not how some read/heard it, the news got out on Twitter, and, well, Twitter is Twitter.

That forced Kobe’s marketing person to shoot the idea down publicly, just to be clear.

I’d like to say this is the kind of thing we see in the off-season when there are no games to write about, but we know better, this happens during the regular season, too.

Just to be clear, Kobe was probably as well prepared for life after basketball as anyone who has retired from the NBA, and he has moved on. He still works out with guys — Boston’s Jaylen Brown most recently — and does his video breakdown series for ESPN, but he’s got a lot of other things going on as well with his businesses. The man won an Oscar already, what more do you want? He has moved on.

Just a reminder, the BIG3 championship night kicks off at 8 p.m. Friday night live on FOX, from Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn. The championship game will see Power — led by Corey Maggette and Glen Big Baby Davis — taking on 3’s Company (led by Andre Emmett, the hottest player in the league right now) for the title.

Zhou Qi’s China edges Jordan Clarkson’s Philippines at Asian Games

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Associated PressAug 21, 2018, 5:00 PM EDT
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JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) The Philippines was vastly improved with Cleveland Cavaliers guard Jordan Clarkson added to the team to face China at the Asian Games.

Just one problem.

Although the U.S.-born Clarkson led all scorers with 28 points, he had to sit out much of the fourth quarter with a cramp in his right thigh. That was the opening China needed, winning 82-80 in Tuesday’s Group D game.

Clarkson returned to play the last few minutes of the quarter, and the Philippines Paul Dalistan missed a 3-point shot with about five seconds left, which could have sealed an upset against the tournament favorites.

“After he cramped, Jordan couldn’t play his 100-percent best,” Philippines coach Joseller Guiao said. “But even without him in there we still played well.”

Despite the loss, Philippines should reach the quarterfinals with China heavily favored to beat Kazakhstan on Thursday.

Houston Rockets young center Zhou Qi led China with 25. The 2.17 meter (7-foot-1) blocked a half-dozen shots for the vastly taller Chinese. China’s other NBA player, Dallas Mavericks small forward Ding Yanyuhang, had seven points.

Clarkson, whose mother has Philippines heritage that earned him a passport, arrived in Jakarta just a few days ago after the NBA finally agreed to let him play.

He hit the third of three straight 3-point shots to tie the game at 55-55 late in the third quarter.

The Philippines led 78-75 late in the game, but couldn’t hold on with Clarkson unable to play at full speed.

“We have to keep moving on and hope we get to play them (China) again in the tournament,” said Philippines guard Gabriel Norwood.

Clarkson skipped post-game interviews, walking directly past reporters to get his leg treated.

“I don’t see this as a loss,” Guiao said. “We formed this team only two weeks ago, and Jordan just flew in five days ago. He was able to get into the flow quickly. We’re a lot better with Jordan Clarkson.”

Hornets PG Tony Parker says he’ll retire with Spurs

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By Dan FeldmanAug 21, 2018, 4:00 PM EDT
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Just four players in NBA history have spent their first 15 seasons with a single franchise then played for another team:

  • Karl Malone (Jazz then Lakers)
  • Hakeem Olajuwon (Rockets then Raptors)
  • Patrick Ewing (Knicks then SuperSonics and Magic)
  • Paul Pierce (Celtics then Nets, Wizards and Clippers)

Tony Parker will join the club. After playing a Hall of Fame-worthy 17 seasons with the Spurs, he signed with the Hornets this summer.

But he still wants his career to end in San Antonio.

Parker in a Q&A through Hupu (as translated via Google):

Is it possible that you will retire as a Spurs player in the future? Just like Paul Pierce. No matter how you wish you all the best in the new season!

A: Yes, I will retire as a Spurs player.

Pierce signed a one-year unguaranteed contract with the Celtics after he finished playing with the Clippers. Then, Boston waived him that same summer. It was purely ceremonial.

Parker doesn’t explicitly say he’ll follow the same course with the Spurs, but that seems most likely. Still, maybe he envisions actually playing for San Antonio after his Charlotte contract ends.

The Spurs have moved onto Dejounte Murray as their starting point guard, but they might welcome Parker to the end of their bench on a minimum contract for one more season. They clearly respect what he has meant to the franchise.

Kobe Bryant in Big3 next year? One league co-founder jokingly says yes.

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By Kurt HelinAug 21, 2018, 3:00 PM EDT
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Ice Cube — the hip-hop legend, actor, and co-founder of the Big3 — knows Kobe Bryant, because he’s Ice Cube and everyone wants to know him. Cube has said every time he sees Kobe he tries to get the former Laker to join the Big3, and every time Kobe shoots him down.

But Friday, Big3 co-founder Jeff Kwatinetz said jokingly said expects Kobe will play in the league next year.

During a conference call to promote the Big3 title game (this Friday night in Brooklyn, broadcast live Fox at 8p.m.). Myself and other media on that call did a double take (if you can do that on a phone call).

A reporter asked if they expected Kobe to join and this was what followed.

Ice Cube: “We have a list of people that we would love to see, I think the fans would love to see. The fans would love to see Kobe, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, and Paul Pierce. Anybody who still has the passion to play. We don’t want you if you don’t have the passion to play. If Kobe doesn’t have the passion to play at this level, then it’s better for him to watch on tv. If he has the passion, then here we are.”

Jeff Kwatinetz: “I did hear from a credible source that Kobe is going to be playing next year. That’s something, but it may be nothing.”

Ice Cube: “That would be amazing.”

The league’s executives have a running banter of jokes that run between them during these conference calls, and this was more in that tone that serious.

This came after last weekend when a reporter asked Stephen Jackson if Kobe could handle the Big3, to which Jackson offered to slap the reporter for dare suggesting Kobe couldn’t handle it, then Jackson basically begged Bryant to join the league

Don’t bet on it happening.

This year more name stars did jump in — Amar’e Stoudemire, Nate Robinson, Metta World Peace — but Kobe would be another level (or three). As Cute said, the league would love to land him (or Kevin Garnett, or Paul Pierce) but so far that level of recent star has eluded the Big3. Someday that likely will change.

But not with Kobe.

Kobe was as well prepared for life after basketball as any NBA player ever can be. He’s got other interests and threw himself into those — he won an Oscar — plus has kept his toes in the NBA waters talking to and working out with young players such as Jaylen Brown. Also, he’s done a film breakdown series for ESPN. He’s spent more time with his family. All of which is to say, he may miss basketball but he’s got a full plate.

Ice Cube will keep asking Kobe, and one should never say never. But until Kobe comes out and says he’s in, don’t bet on seeing this happen.