section c
December 23-29, 2009
Delmas tries to get Lions a victory
By Leland Stein III
He later apologized to all and proceeded to
talk to the scribes.
The Arizona Cardinals came to town and
tried mightily to give the Detroit Lions a vic-
“It is frustrating going through this,” he said.
tory. However, it was not in the cards as the 2-
“We prepare every week and we work hard. I do
12 Lions lost yet another contest - it was their
not pay attention to our record. If I did I would
35th loss in 38 games.
go crazy. I approach every week one game at a
time and I believe every week we are going to
Arizona produced a wondrous run at an NFL
win that game. I have no other way of looking at
title last season, as it went to its first Super
it. Going forward we just need to keep prepar-
Bowl contest, losing in an exciting game to the
ing and stick to the coach’s plan.”
Pittsburgh Steelers.
It was refreshing to see Delmas’ passion. He
As the 2009 season has progressed they
wants to win. He is working hard to make it
have fought hard to show all they were not a
happen, but the team has not collectively been
fluke. The Cardinals are now 9-5 and are in
able to sustain a winning season.
charge of the NFC West.
“We have some good young players,” Delmas
The Lions lost yet another contest as they
said, “and it is just a matter of time before we
fell 31-24 to Arizona at Ford Field.
put it all together and produce a winning team.
Down 17 zip late into the second half, Lions
I like this team and its players. I see a good
rookie safety Louis Delmas produced a game-
base for us to get this thing turned in a winning
changing interception off All-Pro quarterback
direction.”
Kurt Warner.
It is no wonder Delmas was frustrated, the
It was Delmas, who was playing on two bad
losses by the Lions is getting trying for all. No
ankles, who returned an interception 100 yards
one can forget a 0-16 2008 season, even those
for a touchdown midway through the third quar-
that were not on the team. They have to hear
ter to send a jolt through the smallest crowd in
it from the fans and reporters over and over
Ford Field history.
again.
“That turned the game around,” center
“I did not come into this season thinking
Dominic Raiola said of Delmas’ big interception
about what happened last year,” he proclaimed,
return. “I mean, the guy’s a game changer. He
“but as the season keeps progressing and our
makes plays and is always around the ball.”
record stays negative, I cannot help but hear it.
But all we can do is keep fighting and working
Concurred coach Jim Schwartz: “There’s a
in practice and prepare ourselves for the next
reason that we drafted (Delmas) where we draft-
game.
ed him. I know there was a lot of criticism and
a lot of questioning about that pick, but those
“I think in reflection there were a few games
are the reasons that we drafted Delmas. He’s
we had a chance to win, but it did not happen.
going to make more (big plays). Big plays equal
If we had won those games it could have been a
scoring in this league. Maurice (Morris) made a
whole different season.”
long run; Delmas intercepts the ball and goes
Delmas is proving himself to be a rising
100 yards for a touchdown and all of the sudden
star in the NFL. He said the adjustment to the
we’re right back in the game. It didn’t look like
league has been smoother than even he expect-
we were going to be back in and that’s the value
ed it would be.
of big plays.”
“I know people will say I’m crazy, but to
Delmas, the Lions’ second-round pick out
me the game has gotten slower,” he said. “It
of Western Michigan, became only the second
is more about technique and studying your op-
player in NFL history to implement an intercep-
ponent. But the biggest adjustment for me is
tion and fumble returns for touchdowns as well
playing 20 games. In college and high school
as a safety in the same season. His 100-yard
the season ends at 12 games.”
return Sunday is tied for the third-longest in
franchise history.
In the end, Schwartz and Delmas said that
Lions rooKie Louis Delmas. it was great the Lions showed heart and played
Going into the Lions locker room following
able guy and you see it in his play. He plays the game with passion, but after the clock read
yet another loss, when approached by report-
“You have to have that emotion,” said Jon
hard all the time. You can’t ask for anything zero the Lions found themselves at the end of
ers, Delmas threw his chair against the wall
Jansen, in his 11th NFL season. “You have to
more. You have to be able to know when to turn another loss.
and challenged reporter as to why they wanted
be able to play with emotion and you have to
it on and when to turn it off and where to exhib-
to talk to him.
be able to feel with emotion. Delmas plays with
it the emotion, and young guys are learning.”
Leland Stein can be reached at lelstein3@
passion. He’s an emotional guy. He’s an excit-
aol.com.
Kobe Bryant chasing history
One-on-one with the NBA’s best player
AUBURN HILLS — Los Angeles Lakers All- any other game and tried to do what I could to
Star guard Kobe Bryant” said “Star Wars” is help my team win. I must admit, once the point
one of his all-time favorite movies. I think it is total got up, people started telling me about it.
appropriate when one considers the NBA and But Wilt’s record was never in jeopardy.
world basketball stratosphere that Bryant has
to negotiate.
“The fact of the matter is I’ve been in the
league long enough to understand that the in-
I know from my humble efforts as an athlete dividual things really don’t mean anything. It
that a truly exceptional one has to have that is how you perform as a team that will be one’s
edge. It is a thin line between arrogance and lasting impact.”
having that intrinsic belief in oneself.
Bryant has integrated his vast skills into
Bryant is truly in a “Star Wars” battle with a team format that has led to four NBA titles
himself, the NBA elite and his run at NBA his- and one gold medal as a member of the 2008
tory. He fancies himself as the Black Mamba, Summer Olympics U.S.A. Men’s Basketball
one of the world’s most lethal snakes; however, Team.
I liken him to the Jedi Warrior in his favorite
movie – comparing him to the young warrior
I sat in an interview session in Beijing at the
who is seeking the Force and finds it.
start to the 2008 Olympics and Bryant joked
about the seriousness of the game. He said, “If
Bryant has traversed a minefield of obstacles we do not win the Olympic gold, I may emigrate.
to get to the place he is at in the world’s sport- I’ll be an Italian. You’ll be calling me Kobe
ing community; his Lakers’ No. 24 is the top Giovanni.”
selling jersey in America, Europe and China.
I asked Bryant how the Gold medal com-
Currently running on our local television the muppet versions of Kobe Bryant and LeBron James are intense rivals in their Nike televi- pared to the NBA championships.
sets is the LeBron James and Bryant Nike sion spots. – Photo courtesy of Nike
Muppet show.
“It is not even close,” Bryant responded.
“The NBA titles are great and important, but it
“Yes, it is fun seeing the commercials,” is regional. In the Olympics you are playing for
Bryant acknowledged. “We had a lot of input your country and competing against the entire
in the formation of the spots. They wanted to world community. Standing on the Gold medal
make sure they knew my personality and Le- podium was the greatest feeling in my life.”
Bron’s. We are polar opposites. He is always
talking and I am always listening. But it is in-
I, like Bryant, admire the Olympics for all
teresting to see the creative end of it all. The
that it is suppose to be — a collective anointing
good thing is that LeBron and I are really good
of the world community in a spirit of peace and
friend, we respect each other.”
athletics.
When the
Bryant has had the dream season happen to
Lakers came
him, winning the Olympics and then the NBA
to The Palace
title.
Sunday to “Yeah, I sit back sometimes and reflect
contest the about it all,” he said. “It was all like a dream.
Pistons, it Yeah, I had the vision, but having it become a
was further reality was unbelievable. Everyone wants to be
proof that the best and that is what we all shoot for every
Bryant and year, but when it happens like it did for me,
the Lakers you just get humbled and thankful it is really
have become real.”
the NBA’s
Many times in NBA history, defending cham-
rock star
pions experience a letdown, but Bryant believes
In the Game
troop as The
it will not happen to these Lakers.
Palace saw a
By Leland Stein III
rare sellout
“Pau (Gasol), Lamar (Odom), Andrew
and many in
nBA mVp KoBe BryAnt drives against the Pistons. – Lakiesha Harvey photo
(Bynum) and adding Ron (Artest) to the mix I
attendance
I used to talk to him after every game when no
blew it up and it became a big deal. For me, I think has elevated this team,” Bryant said. “We
appeared in Lakers’ gold jerseys and signs sup-
other reporters were interested. I noticed that
wasn’t even starting for my own team and I had may not win it all, but we sure have the talent
porting the defending NBA champions.
he was a cerebral athlete as evident by the fact
not won anything, so I was very humble about and coach (Phil Jackson) to make a real run at
it all.” it. But make no mistake about it, our goal its to
Bryant, only 31, is in his 13th season in the
he spoke Italian and Spanish fluently.
win another title.”
NBA and with time come history and reflec-
Now, 13 years later his resumé has grown to
Since his second year in the league, Bryant
tions.
the point of Hall of Fame worthiness. It start-
has started in every NBA All-Star Game, win- Bryant is getting older in the NBA “Star
Wars,” but don’t tell him that.
He is the son of former NBA player Joe “Jel-
ed in his second season when he was voted a
ning the All-Star MVP award in 2002, 2007,
lybean” Bryant. And like Tiger Woods, and
starter for the 1998 All-Star Game, becoming at
and 2009. He has won a regular season Most
“I feel I’m a better player that I’ve even been,”
Serena and Venus Williams, he has always
19 the youngest All-Star in NBA history.
Valuable Player Award (MVP) in 2007-08 and
he stated. “I’m more mature and I’ve learned a
has been selected to seven All-NBA Defensive
known what he wanted to do with his life – play
I remember interviewing Bryant before the
lot about people and myself. I think the process
teams.
basketball at the highest level.
game in a Madison Square Garden locker room
has been all for the good. I know I’m a better
person and a better teammate. I know I do not
I was covering the Lakers as a journalist
about his impending match-up with legend Mi-
He is only the second player in NBA history
have to score 30 points every night and I realize
when then GM Jerry West, traded for Bryant in
chael Jordan and he was cool as northern Alas-
to produce four straight 50-point games, fol-
there will be up and downs, but I’m mentally
the 1997 NBA draft. Many exclaimed, “Who is
kan weather. He went out and posted a team-
lowing Wilt Chamberlain, who is the all-time
ready for whatever.”
this high school player and why was popular
high 18 points and 6 rebounds. He also became
leader with seven consecutive 50-point games
center Vlade Divac traded for him?”
the first Laker to win the Nestle Crunch Slam
twice. Also in the 2006 season, Bryant scored
I predicted that Boston would win the 2010
Dunk contest.
81 points against the Toronto Raptors, the
NBA title, but Bryant and the Lakers are posi-
It was a lonely time for Bryant as he only second highest number of points scored in a
tioned to make my prognostication wrong.
played 15 minutes per game in his rookie
“I was excited to be starting in the NBA All-
single game in NBA history, second only to Wilt
season and in year two only started one game.
Star game,” Bryant told me, “especially since
Chamberlain’s 100-point performance.
Leland Stein can be reached at lelstein3@
Many were questioning whether he had the
I did not even start for my own team. I tried to
aol.com.
right stuff to be a great NBA player.
play down the Jordan match-up, but you guys
“I honestly do not know why I scored that
many points,” Bryant said. “I just came out like
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