..on kobe's maturity..

“I’ve definitely seen the growth,” -Derek Fisher

He got 4 rings now. 2 more and get even with MJ. So how has he mature over the years?
Well, big time! I used to criticize him that he wont get any Ring alone. He's a selfish arrogant dude back in the days when Shaq left him in LA. They had their feud on who has to be the go to guy. Both of them were young and stupid. They got their ring because they were too lucky at that time against the rest of the league, by God! They had all the luck in the world during that time. The lucky 3 by Horry against the Kings, the tip ups and grabble versus the portland's pippen, rasheed, smith... hey cmon they had luck. No one was dominant at that time. And then they fell apart, they didn't gel well, they had their own agenda. No maturity. So Kobe has to prove himself and the rest of the League that he can. He almost wanted out of the team (Lakers) until Mr ZEN (Phil Jackson) himself knock the sense out of him. Probably the same relationship Mr. Jackson had with MJ, only this time He is mentoring a far more immature player, a younger student. So what does Kobe get out of it? A RING BABY! A ring earned outside everybody's shadow.
So now he is up to the challenge on making this team like the team MJ led for 6 championships. Leadership, team focused, and.. UNSELFISHNESS. Recently there is an argument on Pau Gasol's statement about Kobe's shooting spree.. and guess how Kobe reacted? ZIP! He has truly matured now. Ordinarily players will state their mind over it, but Kobe learned the hard way that sometimes its better to keep your mouth shut, this isn't about you anymore, its about the team and how it will affect the team's morale and thirst for another push in the finals. He learned that you can always confront the issues professionally rather than personally, its always a win win concept especially if your thinking about the team and not your own personal agendas.
And this was proven when He shrugged of the Shaq rap after loosing to Boston in the Finals prior to their championship win. It made sense and it made him a better man than Shaq.

So speaking about Shaq, he's with another dude so hungry for a ring..Lebron. Could Lebron learn things from how Kobe is doing right now? Or would they just dominate this series for having a strong dominant center and a strong dominant small forward/slasher/shooter that both offers a mismatch anywhere around the league.