Kobe Bryant throws a teammate under-the-bus, again

Kobe Bryant remains one of NBA's most dynamic and prolific players -- of all time. His competition is not his peers -- Kobe competes against NBA history: Magic, Bird, Doc J, and of course, Mike.

 Kobe uses NBA royalty as his measuring stick for his greatness.

And no one can deny Kobe's work ethic nor his intensive commitment to his craft -- dude has put in his gym time and so much more.

However, we all wanted to be like Mike, but we don't want be like Kobe...

Kobe, unlike NBA royalty of yesteryear, is far from being an endearing figure. His talents and clutch performances are begrudgingly acknowledged.

Why?

By several accounts, Michael Jordan could be harsh and a bully with teammates -- behind closed doors. We all recognize that the warm and fuzzy MJ from the Hanes underwear commercial does not accurately reflect the hyper-competitive reality of MJ. However, unlike Kobe, MJ -- on the NBA floor -- emanated authenticity.

Kobe -- the way he greets his kids after a victory and who can forget the furling of the lip look against the Celtics a couple years ago -- comes off as manufactured or even contrived. Furthermore, can anyone remember MJ publicly feuding with a teammate, or yet in still, throwing a teammate under-the-bus in a press conference.

Kobe -- talent aside -- just doesn't get it:

The Los Angeles Lakers trudged off the Staples Center floor late Saturday, a single loss now separating them from season's end, another fourth-quarter collapse once again causing their undoing. They didn't show much poise in the locker room, either, with Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum pointing blame at others for allowing the Oklahoma City Thunder to steal their second victory in three games.

Bryant missed eight of his 10 shots in the final quarter, but shrugged off his struggles by saying his teammates' lack of aggressiveness "forced" him to take tough shots. He also left no question which teammate deserved the most blame for the 103-100 loss in Game 4.

Pau Gasol.

Bryant faulted Gasol for not playing aggressive enough. It was also Gasol's turnover that led to Kevin Durant making the winning 3-pointer with 13.7 seconds left.

"Pau's got to be more assertive," Bryant said. "He's the guy they're leaving [open]. When he's catching the ball, he's looking to pass. He's got to be aggressive. He's got to shoot the ball or drive the ball to the basket. He will be next game."

Pau Gasol had 10 points and five rebounds in the Lakers' loss. (AP)Bryant has periodically targeted Gasol with his public criticism, hoping to motivate him to lift his performance. But with the Lakers now down 3-1 in the series and facing Game 5 on Monday in Oklahoma City, Bryant's patience has been exhausted. Gasol's inconsistency has been a problem for the Lakers throughout the season, and he never seemed to recover after the team tried to trade him in December to the Houston Rockets in a deal with the New Orleans Hornets for Chris Paul. NBA commissioner David Stern blocked the trade, and Gasol has admitted his tenuous status with the franchise has bothered him.

Gasol totaled just 10 points and five rebounds in Game 4. Most recently, Bryant criticized both Gasol and Andrew Bynum after a listless performance in a Game 6 loss to the Denver Nuggets in the first round. Gasol responded with 23 points and 17 rebounds in the Lakers' clinching Game 7 victory. source