The Last Days Of The Black Mamba

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We all knew it was coming but I still can't believe it's happening this soon.

Kobe Bryant, one of the best shooting guards of all-time and perhaps the best player of his generation, has decided that this will be his last season with the Los Angeles Lakers.

In addition to the announcement of his retirement a few hours ago, the Black Mamba expressed his feelings about his impending departure from the National Basketball Association as a professional basketball player through two letters entitled "When We First Met I Was Just A Kid" and "Dear Basketball",.

Although Kobe Bryant's fierce and competitive nature suggests that he'd continue playing until the day he dies, it seems that the injuries, losses and abysmal performances finally got to him, forcing him to hang it up after this season.

If it was 2004, I couldn't care less. I hated this guy back then. At the time, I thought this guy was selfish and an egomaniac who'd rather drive a dominant center out of town just so the Lakers can become his team. I also disliked the fact that he was being compared by the media to Michael Jordan.

But with the passing of time, I learned to appreciate what he brought to the table and what he meant to the game. He is without a doubt one of the best scorers we've ever seen. After all, he did score 81 points in an NBA game, and that's the closest we've gotten to a Wilt Chamberlain-like performance in years.

His intensity and work ethic is unmatched. Words can't describe just how dedicated and passionate Kobe Bryant is about basketball. His letters speak for themselves. That is how most people would feel after realizing the thing that they've poured their heart and soul into for years has been completed. You could admire the impact of your work, but you wouldn't be thrilled that the thing you enjoyed doing for most of your life is finally over. And let's not forget that prior to his injury, he was able to keep in step with younger superstars like Lebron James and Kevin Durant, despite having a lot of mileage on his body. At his age, the only way Bryant could've done that is by taking care of his body and practicing religiously.

I also learned that some of my previous sentiments about this weren't guy completely accurate. It's really hard to be unselfish when you're a great scorer. Besides, it has been explained in "Kobe Bryant's Muse" it wasn't just about getting all the glory but more about relying more on himself rather than expecting people to get him out of a bind.

In addition, Shaquille O'Neal has said on record that his departure from the Lakers had little to do with Bryant and more with money. Furthermore, Kobe disliked Shaq for reasons other than becoming the face of the franchise. The way the big fella' tried to slap him during rookie year, as Stephen A. Smith recalls, kinda' rubbed him the wrong way and got their relationship off the wrong foot from the get-go. Shaq's laziness, among other things, added insult to injury.

And lastly, I realized that comparing him to MJ was the right thing to do. In a league craving for its next big star in the post-Jordan era, Kobe stepped up and reminded us why we fell in love with Jordan. First, he was a winner. He may have not won as much as MJ but he does have a fist full of rings. He's a two-time gold medalist in the Olympics to boot. He also participated and won a dunk contest like MJ. Scoring in bunches is another thing they shared, and the way Kobe did it was hauntingly familiar to that of Chicago Bulls legend. In addition to his scoring prowess, Bryant played great defense. He also boosted the popularity of basketball around the world to an all-time high. Kobe may not be Michael Jordan, and probably isn't as good as him, but someone once said he is his generation's Jordan and I couldn't agree more.

Love him or hate him, Kobe Bryant has done a lot for the game of basketball. His presence will be sorely missed once he leaves the game forever so let's cherish the moments we see him lace it up and heave forced shots one last time. And for those who still dislike him, as the song goes, don't it always seem to go, that you don't know what you got till its gone?

Why the Miami Heat could lose in the NBA Finals

While most blogs are highlighting the strengths of the Eastern and Western Conference champs in their Finals preview, Lone Opinion decides to take a step back (pun intended) and focuses on the concerned teams' weaknesses and problems. In this post, the Miami Heat.

After some early season struggles, the Heat's Big Three are finally getting their act together and are living up to expectation. Poised to win it all, here's a rundown of things the Heat have to address, otherwise, they'll never hear the end of Mark Cuban.

Why the Dallas Mavericks could lose in the NBA Finals

While most blogs are highlighting the strengths of the Eastern and Western Conference champs in their Finals preview, Lone Opinion decides to take a step back (pun intended) and focuses on the concerned teams' weaknesses and problems. In this post, the Dallas Mavericks.

Why the Mavs and Heat make for a perfect Finals

Dirk Nowitzki: Ay kalbo! Pendong peace.
                                                                                      Source: link

The Los Angeles Lakers defending their title against the Boston Celtics should sound good around this time of the year, however, this year's NBA playoffs left us with the Dallas Mavericks and the Miami Heat.

I'm not one to complain though.

While seeing the purple and gold slugging it out with the green and white can make any basketball junkie drool in excitement, there's some interesting storylines that make the Heat-Mavs meeting in June just as exciting.

Lone Opinion's NBA Awardees

The NBA regular season is not yet over, but in a few days, it will be. Just when we thought we've seen it all, from injuries and recoveries, trades and tirades, staying home and going away, struggles and triumphs, and wins and losses, we've yet to see outstanding players get rewarded for their achievements.

Last year, I made a list of NBA awardees at Siopao Heaven. This year, with a blog of my own, I'm awarding the best ballers here in Lone Opinion.

So if ever someone would ask me who deserves some love this season, they would be:

Perk up or pack up?

When news broke that Danny Ainge traded Kendrick Perkins and Nate Robinson for Nenad Kristic and Jeff Green, a lot of Celtics fan were disappointed. And it's not surprising. After all, why change something that works?

Robinson, albeit prone to poor shot selection, provided a spark off the bench. He and Glen Davis can put the ball in the hoop whenever the Big Four can't. And Perk, well, we all know what he did. He was the man in the middle when the Cs won it all back in 2008. He provided the toughness that the Celtics needed to take a very competent Orlando Magic team to seven games in the Eastern Conference Semis back in 2009, despite the absence of Kevin Garnett. And lastly, he made life miserable for Andrew Bynum, and any of the Lakers' bigs, in last year's Finals. It wasn't until he tore his ACL that Kobe Bryant and co. were able to put the Cs away in game seven.

2011 NBA All-Star Weekend, where robbing and Kobe Bryant happens

As All-Star Weekend comes to a close, here's a recap of what transpired during the greatest spectacle in the NBA:

Team vs. Player - whose side are you on?

No other team sport probably highlights an individual more than basketball, thus separating NBA stars from that of other major sporting events.

Whether it's making those around them better, scoring in bunches, playing solid defense, crashing the boards, hitting game winners or doing a little bit of everything, the star player will always have a hand in his team's wins and losses. Bottom line, he is the face of the franchise.

Because of this notion, most fans see the star player and the team as one entity, and this results into a mixed fan base composed of the team's and the star player's respective group of supporters. It is only when the star player leaves town, via trade or free agency, that you can determine where a fan's loyalty lies.

So long, Sloan

When Karl Malone and John Stockton retired, who would've thought that the Utah Jazz will remain a force in the Western Conference?

In a sea of doubters, I'm pretty sure Jerry Sloan was the only guy who ever believed in the Jazz.

Is the Western Conference running out of All-Stars?

Some hours ago, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported that the New Jersey Nets will be landing Carmelo Anthony any time soon. The Nets will be engaged in a three-team trade with the Detroit Pistons and of course, Carmelo's current team, the Denver Nuggets.

Arenas, Richardson and Turkoglu will be joining the Orlando Magic

The Orlando Magic may have been on the upper echelon of the NBA for the past few seasons, but this is one group that won't rest on its laurels. They want to win, and they want to win now.

So they'll be getting rid of two fading All-Stars to get productive players in return. 

Nate Robinson is invisible

From the guy that brought you Shrek and Donkey comes Nate Robinson: Invisible.

Six teams that should trade for Andre Iguodala

Come and get me.

Andre Iguodala, probably the best dunker to never have won the Slam Dunk contest, is rumored to be on the trading block.

And while Rod Thorn insists that the Philadelphia 76ers isn’t looking to part ways with the versatile swingman, there are reasons for them to have Iggy shipped out of the City of Brotherly Love.

And such reasons are highlighted by his purse-aching contract. ‘Nuff said.

Stoudemire steps out of Nash's shadow

It wasn’t too long ago that the names Steve Nash and Amar’e Stoudemire belonged to one sentence.

The crafty playmaker and the explosive power forward led the Phoenix Suns to numerous games and have been the face of the franchise for five seasons.

But now, that honor belongs solely to Nash after Stoudemire decided to take his talents to New York.

Milicic may have found his niche

Pssst. Thought you said you gonna let me score?

At 25 years old, Darko Milicic is now in his 7th NBA season and the experience has been anything but easy.

Milicic was 18 years old when he was drafted second overall by the Detroit Pistons back in 2003. Lebron James, Milicic, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade were the Top 5 overall picks of the 2003 NBA Draft.

Having your name mentioned in the same breath as those guys isn’t actually a bad thing. But in Milicic’s case, it has been a curse.

What NBA Tip Off tells us

Nagpuputukan dito!

The greatest basketball show on Earth has resumed and it kicked things off with very entertaining games.

First, let’s tackle the less-talked-about Phoenix vs. Portland game. And then one of you guys says, “There was a Phoenix-Portland game? See, there was so much attention on the Black Mamba, The Young Big Three and The Ancient Big Three that everyone forgot about Captain Canada and that big man who always gets injured. Everyone expect for Phoenix Suns and Portland Trailblazers fans.

Kobe Bryant knows his place in NBA history

It’s been a while since I posted something here at Lone Opinion. Apologies to my readers. I had some work to finish before I can start vandalizing this virtual wall in Cyberspace. Next time I’m going on hiatus, I’ll keep you posted.

Now on to the post.

ESPN shoots Amar'e Stoudemire naked

What's worse than seeing Shaquille O' Neal wearing a pink Speedo? How about Amar'e Stoudemire in the nude?

NBA expands technical foul guidelines

Ah, the technical foul. The only weapon a referee can use to directly get back on a player that he/she dislikes.

But seriously, the goal of the tech is to help players keep their emotions in check.

When players become too physical and starts turning the court into a ring, give them a ‘T’. When coaches start cursing and character assassinating the refs, give them a ‘T’. When a team official hits the head of a player, give his team a ‘T’ and ban him from the league. When a baller, coach and/or team official still has the guts the pull another technical foul-worthy stunt after earning one, give him another one so you can kick him out of the game.

See, techs are good. In a competitive game like basketball, there are so many emotions involved that you need rules like this to save the hardwood from turning into a war zone.

10 things to look out for as NBA draws near

With the conclusion of the FIBA Men’s World Championships comes another major basketball event set to take place after a few weeks.
The world’s premiere basketball league, the NBA, opens on October 6, and in anticipation of the coming 2010-2011 Season, Lone Opinion gives you a rundown of 10 things to watch out for when the ballers return to the hardcourt.