East Coast cities are more AI than Kobe

Congratulations, Kobe Bryant. By scoring 44 points last night against the Memphis Grizzlies, you surpassed Jerry West for the most points scored by a player in a Laker jersey.

The hype machines of ESPN and NBA TV predictably made all the talking head speculation today, wondering, is Kobe the greatest Laker ever? Where does he fit in the list of all-time shooting guards? Has he surpassed Michael Jordan? Will he ever surpass Jordan? Is he the greatest NBA player ever? Is he even the greatest player in the NBA right now?

It was funny to watch this while running on a treadmill in the City of Brotherly Love. Kobe visited his home city last Friday, and one columnist wondered how the Sixers and Lakers franchises might have developed had Philadelphia chosen Kobe No. 1 overall, rather than Iverson, in 1996.

Pops makes pledge to Haiti

One of my greatest pleasures at The Daily Journal the last four years was getting to know Pops Mensah-Bonsu, a St. Augustine Prep and George Washington University graduate now playing professionally abroad.

Mensah-Bonsu, a native of Ghana who grew up in Great Britian, played briefly for the Raptors, Spurs, Rockets and Mavericks, and is believed to be the first Ghanaian-born player in the NBA.

He first impressed me in 2006 (I think?), when he and the Colonials came to Philadelphia to play St. Joseph’s. We had an interview scheduled, but because a walkthrough and team meeting took longer than expected, Mensah-Bonsu didn’t make it back to the hotel where we were supposed to meet until almost 10:30 p.m.

The beauty of Rex Ryan

Jets coach Rex Ryan is something else, isn’t he? He’s as engaging as Patriots coach Bill Belichick is unbearable, as un-PC as a radio shockjock.

And he just keeps going.

Ryan stayed in character when he said he would be “shocked” if the Jets lose to the Colts on Sunday. Even a Patriots or Giants fan has to appreciate such a candid comment.

Time to love Sammy

We’ve been tough on Sammy Dalembert these last eight years. But it now appears that we’ve missed the point.

When 76ers fans threw up their arms in disbelief that Dalembert, who stands 6-foot-11 and has the wingspan of a California condor, still did not seem to grasp simple concepts of the game such as traveling and goaltending, we assumed Dalembert was unwilling to learn. That it was a lack of effort, not a lack of ability, that held him back from being a Hakeem Olajuwon-esque force in the middle. That he didn’t care.

If Dalembert has shown one thing over the past week, it is that he absolutely, positively does care. He cares so much, in fact, that his internal desire may challenge Allen Iverson’s for the team lead.

Why, NBA? WHY???

When I look at the rubble of what is left of the NBA, I mostly blame David Stern.

He has presided over the league during a lockout that led to a 50-game season, five relocated NBA franchises and the addition of seven mostly-superfluous expansion teams. Most of all, he’s done it all with a smug self-satisfaction that is downright infuriating.

But the players hold no small blame for the league’s shrinking appeal since it’s heyday in the mid-1990s. Since Michael Jordan’s squeaky clean image retired for a second time, the league tried to make equally squeaky-clean stars out of Grant Hill, Anfernee Hardaway, Tim Duncan, Steve Nash and LeBron James.

But the names many people associate with the league now are Latrell Sprewell, Ron Artest and Gilbert Arenas.

What’s the proper reaction to spitting on a logo?

It is Friday, and the talk about Eagles web site director Dave Spadaro spitting on the star at midfield in Cowboys Stadium looks to be old news, which is a good thing. This was a nominal issue from the start, but with both teams scheduled to meet again this week, there was potential for this to get more play than it deserved.

The timing of the incident was perfect, however, in a week in which sports-related controversy got plenty of attention in the form of Agent Zero.

But by the time everyone stops yelling about Gilbert Arenas’ gun fiasco, Tiger Woods’ reported dalliances and Spadaro defacing a symbol of America’s team, the question is, should any of this matter?

Donovan McNabb as Yossarian and the economic stimulus bill

The duality of sports fans never ceases to amaze, proving that a person or group of people can be defined by a word even if they most likely have absolutely no idea what it means.

Listening to the logic of Philadelphia Eagles fans following any sort of loss, it’s impossible not to think of Catch-22, the novel by Joseph Heller. Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb is cast as Yossarian, the main character.

In the novel, military regulations stipulated that a pilot could be freed from duty if he was crazy and unfit to fly.

But …

Reaction is out of whack with tenor of McNabb’s “youth” comment

Donovan McNabb, like the rest of the Philadelphia Eagles, played like an amateur against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday and deserves all the grief he gets over his play. But the miniature controversy over his comments after the game is ridiculous.

Sports fans love to say it’s all about the play on the field, not what is said off of it. Then, when an athlete or coach says something, fans do backflips criticizing and dissecting each syllable. When the speaker in question is McNabb, multiple this phenomenon to the nth degree.

I guess it should be no surprise, then, that McNabb’s rather cliche and boring comment about his teammates’ youth has become the latest example of No. 5’s alleged immaturity/stupidity/wimpyness/evil.

Iggy and Sammy trade for T-Mac would favor both sides

More valuable than gold doubloons to European explorers, the white whale to Captain Ahab or cheap female companionship to Tiger Woods, huge expiring contracts are the most cherished commodity in the NBA. So when the biggest individual player contract in the league goes on the trade block, it’s going to receive some attention.

That the Tracy McGrady sweepstakes threatens to overshadow the freaky Gilbert Arenas situation illustrates perfectly how salary structure overrides everything in the NBA — even alleged gun incidents inside the locker room.

It’s the nature of the business that T-Mac’s $23 million contract is viewed not as an albatross, but as a valuable bargaining chip for the Houston Rockets, who are six years and zero first-round playoff victories (with McGrady in the lineup) in their T-Mac era.

The one team the Rockets should give the longest, hardest look is the one that is in the worst spot in terms of the salary cap. The 76ers are so bad financially, they’re willing to give a roster spot to Royal Ivey simply because Ivey’s contract is negligible towards the cap. That’s what longterm deals with Elton Brand, Samuel Dalembert and Andre Iguodala will do.

Hey, Sixers: Why not Iverson?

When Allen Iverson returned to Philadelphia the first time after being traded, there was an energy in the Wachovia Center that had not existed in years, including several in which Iverson was still on the roster. The crowd exploded and the All-Star guard’s eyes watered as he put his hand to his ear in an effort to summon more noise from the fans. And they obliged. Suddenly, Iverson’s many vocal detractors were nowhere to be found, and I haven’t seen or heard from them since.

At the time of the divorce, the rap sheet against Iverson was not only lengthy, but was quite convincing. His disdain for practice, his notorious late night party habits, his butting heads with nearly every head coach the team brought in, his dominance of the basketball, his hampering of young player’s development, and the list goes on. Before long, even the hardcore Iverson fans were considering life without him.

Allen would end up in Denver, and later Detroit, but never really found a groove and was eventually banished from the Pistons after complaints about coming off the bench (officially: back problems). After the season, Iverson became a free agent and to-date, has yet to find a basketball home.