Michael Wilbon translated a career as a newspaper reporter at the Washington Post into a successful television career at ESPN for his often thoughtful commentary.
His latest commentary, however, wasn't thoughtful; it was flat-out wrong.
U.S. Soccer men's national team coach Jurgen Klinsmann questions Kobe Bryant's worth
On ESPN's "Pardon the Interruption," the show's co-host took U.S. Soccer men's national team coach Jurgen Klinsmann to task over comments Klinsmann made about Kobe Bryant, telling the New York Times Magazine:
"This always happens in America," Klinsmann told me, waving his hands in the air. "Kobe Bryant, for example - why does he get a two-year contract extension for $50 million? Because of what he is going to do in the next two years for the Lakers? Of course not. Of course not. He gets it because of what he has done before. It makes no sense. Why do you pay for what has already happened?"
When PTI fellow co-host Tony Kornheiser asked Wilbon what he thought of Klinsmann's comments, Wilbon went off on a Dennis Miller-style rant.
"I've known Kobe Bryant," Wilbon said, according to USA TODAY Sports' For the Win. "And you, Mr. Klinsmann, are no damn Kobe Bryant. I mean seriously, Mr. Klinsmann now wants to tell all of American sports how to work. Get the hell out. Get out of America. If everything here - you want to coach this team fine. You haven't won anything. You're so gutless you went out and said 'oh, our team can't win, we can't win.' You're supposed to be such a great coach, why are they paying you? They're apparently paying you for something you did not only yesterday, but somewhere else about 4,000 miles away. I repeat: Get the hell out. When did Klinsmann become an expert on American sports?"
When Klinsmann was dead-on about his assessment of Bryant. Bryant is four years removed from guiding the Los Angeles Lakers to its last title. He carried the Lakers on his back during the 2012-13 season, helping a franchise that also had Dwight Howard, Pau Gasol and Antawn Jamison sneak into the playoffs on the season's final weekend.
Bryant, who will be 36 in August, blew out his Achilles just before those playoffs and played just six games in 2013-14. He could not carry the Lakers anywhere close to a championship in the last three years, has a lot of miles on his body since entering the NBA out of high school and is coming off two major injuries.
His market value is nowhere close to $24 million per year over the next two years. And that's not to mention the seeming contradiction that he wants to win another title but is completely unwilling to give the Lakers any kind of discount to do it.
So if Wilbon wants to get mad at Klinsmann for saying the U.S. has no chance of winning the World Cup, which starts in two weeks - another honest assessment - that's OK because it can be argued that the statement undermines the team's hopes for a deep run in an event that traditionally has not been good to it. And if he wants Klinsmann, to "get the hell out," even that's not the most outrageous statement.
It's disagreeing with an assessment that is accurate in every sense. Anyone besides the Lakers and Wilbon, who believe Bryant's value is $24 million, also believes Alex Rodriguez will come back in 2015 and have a monster season as part of the $61 million the Yankees owe him.
Whom do you think has the more accurate statement in regards to Kobe Bryant: Jurgen Klinsmann or Michael Wilbon? Comment below or tell us @SportsWN.
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