If ever there was an NBA player that embodied the term “knucklehead,” Smush Parker would be it. The guy was pretty much a joke of a player, especially for one who started at point guard in back-to-back seasons for the Lakers a few years ago, getting around 30 minutes per game. He tried a rapping career off the court which busted, and he’s been known to have serious struggles with valet from time-to-time. That’s why we take what he says with a grain of salt, including his remarks on this MSG program. Skip to the 40 second mark for the juicy stuff. (transcription below in case you can’t watch it)
Now just because he’s a bad player who’s currently unemployed doesn’t mean what he said wasn’t true. It probably is how he feels considering he was complimentary about Phil Jackson. The transcription of his remarks is below, and thanks to FanHouse for the video.
“Playing for the Lakers was an overrated experience. Phil Jackson was great. I don’t care what the media says, they said I had a problem with Phil Jackson. The problem was never with Phil Jackson — it was with your boy, 24 — formerly known as KB. The problem with that team starts with him and ends with him. The reason why I say overrated is because everyone thinks playing with Kobe Bryant was the best thing since sliced bread but it’s not. Out to Miami with the Big Fella, Shaq Diesel, one of the greatest guys I’ve had a chance to play with and meet. Really down to Earth, really cool off the court.”
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More Hot Stories at larrybrownsports.comThis entry was posted on Monday, March 16th, 2009 and is filed under Basketball. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
It’s easy to understand Kobe. Let’s take these former Lakers as examples:
If you work hard and play hard he respects you, and it seems like these guys have never had anything but praise of Kobe : Caron Butler, Ronny Turiaf, Robert Horry, D Fish (when he was gone a couple years), Mark Madsen, for example.
If you do not work hard and play hard, he does show you the same amount of respect: Shaq, Smush Parker.
Smush Parker is a bum who was just satisfied with a paycheck. It pained me to watch him every night play for the Lakers. It’s no wonder he loved Shaq while in Miami, they have the same work ethic.
Is Kobe maybe too intense? Sure. But I’ll take Kobe’s super-intensity over Smush Parker’s indifference every day of the week.
I think you just nailed it right there about the work ethic comment. Probably says it all.
Smush who?
heh
The man is right. Kobe is the disease plaguing the Lakers. No surprise he won’t win anymore rings without an all-time great center manning the paint for him.
Only Kobe fans are so blind that they don’t see the effect that a better Larry Hughes has on the Lakers.
The lakers are one of the best teams in basketball right now. How can Kobe be a disease plaguing the Lakers? It’s not the laker fans that are blind, it’s the laker haters that can’t see. Give credit where credit is due. The lakers became a much better team when Derek Fisher replaced Smush Parker. HE sounds like the problem.