Re: Shaky season for LA?

["Dan Forant" <dforant1@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Shaky season for LA is an understatement. NY Post is reporting Kobe's folks
didn't attend the wedding because he married a Latino. Lot's of hard
feelings. The Alter Boy Kobe may have a past. LA is going to be rocking this
summer. The rag newspapers will run this story with tid bits daily that will
equal the Clinton oral office tales. . There will be enough distractions
that we won't notice the Celtics floundering around.

DanF

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Stephen Beauregard" <sb@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: "celtics list" <celtics@xxxxxxxx>
Sent: Sunday, July 20, 2003 8:36 AM
Subject: Shaky season for LA?


> Shaky season for LA?
>
> Bryant could miss games to go on trial
>
> By Shira Springer, Globe Staff, 7/20/2003
>
> he NBA community continues to discuss the possible consequences of Kobe
> Bryant's actions on the night of June 30 at a Colorado resort. The Lakers'
> five-time All-Star guard was charged with one count of felony sexual
assault
> Friday afternoon.
>
>
>
> It appears the case will go to trial, which could force Bryant to miss
part of
> the season, which runs from October to June, if the Lakers advance in the
> playoffs. Bryant's first day in court will be Aug. 6, when he will be
> arraigned and have bail set. The prosecuting attorneys have not speculated
on
> when a trial would take place.
>
> Before Bryant was charged, the Lakers faced high expectations for the
upcoming
> season with the free agent signings of Gary Payton and Karl Malone. Now,
the
> distraction created by Bryant's legal problems must be factored into the
> equation.
>
> When asked what effect it would have if Bryant missed a significant
portion of
> the season due to a trial, the Celtics' director of basketball operations,
> Danny Ainge, said, ''It's devastating. The Lakers, now with Gary Payton
and
> Karl Malone coming along, it's going to be a lot less significant than it
> would have been. But from a basketball standpoint, it's still you're not
with
> your full team and that's never fun, especially when it's one of your best
> players. But again, the Lakers have a boatload of talent there, so they
can
> overcome times without Kobe for a period of time.''
>
> The Lakers will not be the first team to encounter distractions brought on
by
> a star player. Ainge was in Phoenix two years ago when Jason Kidd, then
with
> the Suns, was arrested on a spousal abuse charge and spent a night in
jail.
> Ainge saw how the story was played over and over in the media. ''Jason
> addressed the problem and it became an issue between Jason and his wife
that
> had no bearing on the team, but it became national news. And it became a
> continuous discussion on talk radio and in the newspapers and everywhere
> else,'' said Ainge. ''It became an issue. So, the very people that
criticize a
> person for his behavior and how it can distract a team are in fact the
ones
> that are distracting the team. I find that very ironic.''One of Bryant's
> attorneys, Pamela Mackey, told the Orange County Register that the
''minimum
> time frame for a trial is four to six months'' so it will be hard to have
it
> done outside the NBA season. The NBA has said it will allow Bryant to play
> while the case is being determined.
>
> Meanwhile, the Register also reported that the alleged victim, according
to a
> friend, overdosed on pills at her home and was rushed to a hospital two
months
> before making her allegation against Bryant.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Steve
> sb@xxxxxxxxxxxx