Friday, October 15, 2004

Currently Playing The Joshua Tree By U2 see related - Some quotes and notes from Phil Jackon's new book: --[Jackson] asked Bryant if he had 'someone to talk to' about the rape accusations. Bryant said that he had a minister to consult. Then, suddenly, Bryant, a star guard, vowed that he would not hold back from replying if O'Neal criticized him publicly" --Jackson said he had learned that Bryant voted against the current labor agreement because it placed a cap on salaries --O'Neal refused to have his feet taped by a trainer who was allied with Bryant, while Bryant would not be taped by the trainer who wraps O'Neal's feet --Jackson sought out General Manager Mitch Kupchak to demand that Bryant be dealt before the trading deadline in February --Concerned that his relationship with Bryant was worsening daily, Jackson asked O'Neal and Rick Fox to come to his hotel suite. He asked them what they thought about the possibility of the Lakers' offering Bryant a leave of absence. The players said it was unnecessary, that he would contribute when he was healthy --In a video session after the Pistons and the Lakers had split the first two games of the series, the Lakers assistant coach Tex Winter offered a withering assessment of O'Neal's defense against the screen roll. When his career is over, Winter said angrily, he vowed to expose O'Neal as overrated. And, here's the most bizarre excerpt I've seen: --After the Lakers lost the third game of the finals, Jackson and O'Neal met in a bathroom to plot strategy. O'Neal suggested that Jackson play the little-used small forward Bryon Russell. Jackson called the idea ludicrous because Russell did not know the offense. Then, other players, including Bryant, joined them in the bathroom. After hearing several suggestions, Bryant told the group how much he hated the triangle offense, but he would run it, pass the ball to O'Neal and beat the Pistons down low. Met in a bathroom? wtf?!?! This book sounds very interesting... **New poll up. Results from last one: A majority have an average liking for polls, with one Fuck Off. Vote in the new one**