Kobe Bryant Finally Ends His Silence About Mike Brown

It finally happened. Kobe Bryant finally spoke on Mike Brown. The way everybody was waiting on this, we figured it would be a huge letdown, cliche after cliche. Actually, Kobe gave us a nice little sound bite, telling ESPN as detailed by the Los Angeles Times: “He just seems like the type of coach that buttons everything up, so I think as players we’ll all be happy.” Whatever that means … Kobe’s been speaking his mind lately. He even told all of LeBron‘s haters to back off … The Chinese Basketball Association’s noticing a growing list of NBA players stating interest in playing in China and plans to act accordingly. NiuBBAL reported, from a CBA insider, the league’s offices may institute a no opt-out clause specially aimed at incoming NBA talent. The initiative basically suggests players can’t just up and leave midseason once the NBA and NBPA get their act together. The CBA’s also thinking of instituting a one active NBA player per team limit. We’re not mad over them possibly altering stipulations considering the clubs are bent on protecting their chemistry. Teams would fall apart midway through the season. Therefore the rumored amendments, while shrewd, are understandable … Earlier, we wrote about how Stephon Marbury felt Carmelo and Amar’e really don’t know what they’re in for when they hint at playing in China. The ex-NBA point guard actually said this: “I don’t think they’d want to stay. They’ll want to go home. I don’t think Carmelo Anthony is going to run like they want to run in practice. They want to run you to death. The first time I got there, they ran in practice for two straight hours.” Marbury’s NBA days didn’t resemble those of a boy scout, and he’s no spring chicken so the hard practices likely took a harsher toll on his energy. Nevertheless, he’s played in China for nearly two years and has his bearings on their brand of play. His assertion holds weight … Marbury believed folks like Kobe have a better grasp of the expectations which come with being in the CBA. Kobe’s always been lauded as a hard worker. It’d be interesting to see if he’d actually meet the challenge in stride, let alone sign with a CBA team to begin with … Nicolas Batum, as said by his agent, recently signed with the top French club SLUC Nancy. The 22-year-old has shown some key strides since he first hit the scene, and while we wouldn’t proclaim him as an All-Star prospect anytime soon, he’s a solid scorer with deceptive athleticism and defensive capabilities to boot … Magic Johnson‘s interview with the Los Angeles Times had the Hall of Fame point guard reminiscing on better days as a premier NBA player. The ol’ girl interviewing him thought she pulled a fast one on Magic by asking which of his former teammates was the worst at catching his no-look passes. Earvin kept it pretty political but still, we figured Kurt Rambis‘s name was swirling in his head. He admitted that the four-eyed wonder eventually got hip to his passing game and even threw Jamaal Wilkes and A.C. Green on the ballot for good measure … We’re out like Randy Moss.