How to buy a championship

I watched Kobe Doin' Work last night, the documentary shot and produced by Spike Lee about the basketball star. I am a Utah Jazz fan, so my opinions about Kobe are pretty extreme and pretty rigid. The movie did not do a whole lot to change these opinions. Two things were very illuminating to me, however. First, I was surprised at the disconnect between Kobe's on-court actions and statements, and his off-court explanations of these same actions a year later. Second, I was surprised at what the Lakers organization has given up to Kobe in order to win a championship. It seemed to cost a lot, and not just in dollars.
Throughout the film (which, if you haven't seen it, revolves around a game that takes place in April, with the Lakers hosting the Manu-less Spurs), Bryant constantly is telling refs how to do their job, telling players which plays to make, and talking general smack to his opponents. This is assuredly the status quo for most N.B.A. stars, but what made it interesting was hearing basketball Kobe vs. street-clothes Kobe as they dissected the game together. For example, basketball Kobe would run up to a ref and angrily complain about a foul that was not called and street-clothes Kobe would laugh and say something like The refs always try their hardest and they want to do the best job possible, so I just try to help them out. At other times, he would be talking shit to a whole number of different Spurs players, and most of them (excluding Bowen) did not seem pleased to hear it. Street-clothes Kobe laughed again and told us how much fun all these players were having. The divide between what the public hears Bryant say after when he is not on the court and when he is on it is not only evident in this film, but gaping. It made me wonder whether he saw this difference and was completely full of shit or whether he didn't.
The smack talking did not only affect the other team. Kobe constantly told his teammates what to do and where to be and basically how to play. While on the court, they seemed to be annoyed, but tolerant. When the game was over, they seemed to be more friendly. Even while Phil Jackson tried to make a point during a timeout or the halftime break, Kobe always talked over him and tried to explain it to the team. I couldn't help but remember the book that Phil wrote, saying Kobe was obnoxious and couldn't be coached. It assuredly seemed to be the case in the film. This lack of enthusiasm from the players when Kobe told them what to do and the lack of assertion from the coach made me wonder: is this team buying a championship from Kobe with their dignity? Are they willing to be bossed and pushed around at every turn to win that ring? Certainly it worked out this year, and certainly Kobe can deliver a championship. After watching this movie though, I began to think that the Lakers are paying for it in more ways than one.