Letters: How great is Kobe Bryant?

Kobe Bryant will never be the greater Laker in history because he has never given himself fully to this city or its fans. He doesn’t even live in Los Angeles!

In his 14 years as a Laker, he has never embraced the role of team leader on or off the court without it seeming contrived and self-serving. He may do plenty of charity work that we don’t hear about, but he’s never had any public charity events of his own like Shaq’s annual Christmas gift giveaways or Magic’s “Midsummer Nights” weekends.

There’s also a likable gene that Jerry West, Magic and even Shaq had and still have that Kobe just doesn’t seem to possess. The most well-known Kobe “fan encounter” remains his profane rant about trading Andrew Bynum in a parking lot. And how can the “greatest player in Lakers history” continue to be such a polarizing figure to teammates and fans alike?

Charles L. Freeman

Baldwin Hills

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No one can surpass what Jerry West and Magic Johnson did for their team. They can only join the two Lakers greats. Welcome to the group, Kobe.

Wally Torkells

Indio

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Magic Johnson’s dominance of a game was not reflected in the box score, where he would maybe score 6-10 points that particular night, but the game was totally in his control and the Lakers would win. Magic elevated the play of his teammates on the court by getting everyone involved. For the Lakers to repeat, Kobe needs to spread the “Magic.”

Paul Shubunka Sr.

Santa Clarita

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How apropos that No. 24 scores 44 to pass No. 44 to become the Lakers’ career scoring leader. Congratulations, Kobe!

Ron Tom

Pasadena

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Bill Plaschke’s article on Kobe Bryant not being the greatest Laker is understandable for an older gentleman living in the past and reminds me of a saying, “Memory is a great deceiver: It embroiders until naught is left but the glory and the pleasure.”

Plaschke may be right, West and Johnson were great, but still, when looking back 20, 30 or 40 years, the picture painted may be rosier and more beautiful than it really was.

Richard Karliss

Malibu

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Only Plaschke could make being the third-greatest player in arguably the greatest franchise in any sport’s history sound like a booby prize.

Bruce A. McClanahan

Pismo Beach

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How much more of a monopoly can the Lakers get in your sports section? You might as well call it the Bryant/Lakers Daily -- page after page, picture after picture, finger after finger. Why, with all the other great college and international sports now going on, especially here in L.A., and with college basketball in full swing and the run-up to the Olympics, must we be fed such a plethora of cliches with hackneyed, obvious information on one single entity?

The Lakers are talented and newsworthy, but not for so many major articles with full-scale pictures each day. Today I was inspired to write this letter because there was just a tiny picture and small article on the retirement of the great Kurt Warner, yet multiple stories on the Lakers.

Ken Kvammen

Newport Beach

Pack it in

Now that the Clippers relieved Mike Dunleavy from his coaching duties, how about the organization parlaying this new start by moving to Anaheim’s Honda Center? It’s a win-win situation for everybody.

Janet McKinney

Inglewood

It’s a major hit

Embroiled in a bitter divorce battle for the team he claims he is the sole owner of (which is contrary to everything he and his soon-to-be ex-wife told the world from the day they bought the historic franchise and stadium in 2004), the man from Boston authorizes a 2010 roster built around three budding stars (Ethier, Kemp and Loney), a rapidly aging hitting savant (Manny), a past-his-prime second baseman with a weight clause (Belliard) to replace a Gold Glove All-Star (Orlando Hudson), a patchwork (and that’s being extremely generous) pitching rotation, a catcher in steep decline (Martin) and a series of free-agent signings featuring players that no one has ever heard of (led by Reed Johnson) and what do you have?

“Major League 3”!

Bobby Midnight

Pacific Palisades

Recruiting wars

How is it that Lane Kiffin can tell recruits they don’t have to worry about any NCAA sanctions against the USC football program that will affect their futures at SC? This would seem to indicate that the administration already knows the outcome of the NCAA investigation. Which means that the meeting with the Committee on Infractions on Feb. 19-21 is a total sham. The USC football program continues to operate above the law. Money can’t buy love, but it can buy the NCAA.

Robert Grijalva

Tustin

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There are two-sport college players. It may be time for a two-sport coach. UCLA should make Rick Neuheisel the basketball recruiting coordinator.

Wes Wellman

Santa Monica

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Rick Neuheisel says “there are now two options in this town” for college football players. Rick, there always have been. Option 1: National championships (11). Option 2: EagleBank Bowl appearances (1).

Most smart football players prefer Option 1.

John Mark

Newport Beach

The Phil rules

Phil Mickelson, meet Charles “I’m Not a Role Model” Barkley. With high-spinning, square-grooved clubs recently ruled illegal, Phil went back door and just started playing with a 20-year-old square-grooved club protected by a 1990 lawsuit. When asked about it, Phil says, “It’s a terrible rule . . . [the] loophole is nuts. But it’s not up to me to interpret the spirit of the rule.”

Actually, Phil, it certainly should be, for golfers revere and self-enforce their rules better than any other athletes. I’m sure Tiger Woods would never do such a thing! Well, skip that thought. . . . Maybe Phil can start hanging out with Tiger and Charles?

Brad Kearns

Auburn, Calif.

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The PGA Tour must be upset that its two top players are cheaters. Oh, so you don’t think that Mickelson is a cheater because his wedge is “legal.” The sports world is littered with creeps who think if you don’t get caught, it’s not cheating. Mickelson falls into the other category of ethically challenged guys who think that if they are not breaking the law, then they have done nothing wrong.

David Wilczynski

Manhattan Beach

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I can understand the Ping Eye wedge exemption, but the USGA should hold that any post-1990 modification of the club renders it illegal. A club is more than just the head. I bet Phil is using a new shaft and grip, making this a rebuilt club and one that should be disallowed. Left in its original configuration I doubt any pro would be using a 20-year-old club regardless of the grooves.

Kelly Flock

Encinitas

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Who gave Scott McCarron the right to call out Phil Mickelson for cheating? That’s like the pot calling the kettle black. For years, McCarron has been using the long putter, which many feel should be illegal. McCarron should just shut up and let the PGA Tour decide what wedges are legal or illegal.

Ron Cooper

La Crescenta

T.J. on ice

If I understand T.J. Simers’ logic (and when were those words last used together?), he alternates between denigrating and ignoring the red-hot Kings all season but then goes to a game and -- surprise, surprise -- finds fault with everything [Feb. 3]? Guess what, T.J., the game was full of action, the crowd lively and the experience nothing like it was described. You obviously neither understand nor appreciate the sport of hockey, so stick to slower-moving competitions that you can follow. And the next time you want to jump on the Kings’ bandwagon, perhaps you’ll slip and fall underneath. Now that would be a logical conclusion.

Andy Watters

El Segundo

He wants Hud

Congratulations to Rex Hudler on his recent broadcasting awards. Now, let’s make it a perfect story by bringing Hudler back to his normal job as Angels broadcaster.

Hud can make every Angels game truly interesting and exciting, and we will miss him dearly this season if he is not allowed to return.

Charles W. Jenner

Los Alamitos

Fighting City Hall

The L.A. City Hall of Fame includes some great athletes, yet it strangely missed two superstars from Hamilton High: Sidney Wicks and Warren Moon.

Joel Gossman

Los Angeles

NBC time warp

The Vancouver Olympics is in the same time zone as Los Angeles. In keeping with Olympic television tradition, should I delay watching the events for eight or 16 hours?

Mike Giachino

Glendale

Fault!

Just wondering, if Tiger Woods wins one of the major golf tournaments, would that story get relegated to the bottom of the second page of the sports section? Seems to me that the best tennis player ever to swing a racket should garner a little more respect than that.

Scott Patterson

Sierra Madre

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