I want to see Kobe Bryant play well. I want this not as much for me, as a fan with rooting interests in the player and the team he plays for, but for him. As a person and a player.
I want it for him because as one of the best players who I have ever seen play basketball I want him to go out on terms somewhat relatable to the player he has been throughout his career. I want it for him because, after coming back from three season ending injuries and spending an inordinate amount of time simply rehabbing to prepare to play, I want that work to have meant something. I want it for him because, well, on some levels I think he’s earned it.
You can understand my disappointment, then, that I am coming to the conclusion that Kobe will not play well this year. He will not approximate the player he was. He will not depart the game at a status befitting his contributions to it. The hope to avoid the “Willie Mays as a Met/Patrick Ewing on the Magic/Hakeem on the Raptors” comparisons will, very likely, go unfulfilled.
This isn’t to say Kobe cannot have games where he plays well. He may not have shot well against the Pistons, but he played well by racking up assists and using an attack style game to enhance his gravity on the court. His commitment to put himself in positions which threatened the defense opened up the game for his teammates and for himself. His boxscore impact was strong, but his game impact was stronger.
Through 13 games, however, this type of performance has been infrequent. Too infrequent. But Kobe can talk a good game.
After the loss to the Raptors Kobe talked about being the voice of reason regarding ball movement. He said he’s a player who could still score 25 points, but that approach didn’t help anyone (specifically, the young players). But he followed up those post game words by taking 22 shots a game later against the Blazers, 10 of which were in the 1st quarter. He said he was trying to get the team off to a good start, but it also looked like a guy who might have forgotten he’d just said two days earlier trying to score 25 a night wasn’t going to help anyone.
What you see above is Kobe’s shot chart for the year. Now, if you look to the title of this post, you could argue there are “easy” ways to fix Kobe’s struggles. For one, he could cut out the three point shots from his game. I mean, over 40% of his shot attempts are from distance and he’s only making 20% of them. Taking a page from Dwyane Wade or Monta Ellis’ playbook of turning down that shot could be a meaningful shift.
Second, he could cut down his shot attempts in general. Kobe’s 166 FGA’s are only 3 behind Jordan Clarkson’s for the team lead, but Kobe has played 3 less games. Kobe leads the team in usage rate at 29.2 and a lot of that is based on his high shot volume. So, cut down the shots, especially from behind the arc, and we are making progress. Right?
Well, sorta. If we remove every 3 point attempt from Kobe’s statistics, he is still only shooting 42.7% from the field. Kobe has only shot below 45% on two point FGA’s two other times in his career besides this season. One was last year, the other was his rookie season. These would otherwise be known as two of the years of his career we do not want to replicate.
It is also important to remember who Kobe is as a player. I have always believed Kobe is much more than the “gunner” he has been made out to be. Yes he has embraced that moniker in recent seasons, but you do not win championships in this league if you do not capitalize on the extra attention defenses pay you with smart, effective passing. While Kobe’s best games will always be associated with his scoring binges, some of his best individual plays in the biggest moments of his career have actually been passes.
The issue, though, is that Kobe is not the same feared scorer he once was. So he is not drawing nearly the extra attention he did when he was at the top of the league. Historically, Kobe is used to roasting single coverage and then making (mostly? somewhat?) appropriate pass/shot decisions once the help comes. This year that help is not coming so Kobe is shooting. Those shots are not falling.
So, again, what is the easy solution here? If you have one, I’d love to hear it. But if it involves a guy who has been at the pinnacle of his sport for nearly two decades to suddenly look in the mirror and see a different reflection, I’m going to tell you that’s probably not realistic.
I wish this was different, of course. I wish it for him. Not just because I want the Lakers to be better than they are (and I mean more than just win/loss records), but because on some levels I think he deserves it. If only it were that easy.
Chastin j says
Kobe should pass. Unless he is free throw line and below on offense, he should pass the ball and keep the ball moving. The team as a whole should shot less threes. They may be shooting more threes than the GW, whom of which are a three point shooting team.
Kobe has great post game footwork. He can play most, if not all, of his small forward counter parts on the high to mid post and either shot over them or display his great footwork. So then he’ll be running around a little less and he’d be using less energy for his offense. He is not going to power over anyone, but he should be able to score from free throw and below with finesse.
Speaking of freethrow, he needs to go to the line more. Being in the post will allow more chances to be fouled and … go to the free throw line.
If the Lakers want to play kobe, then they should play a game kobe can play ( a slower game). The Lakers are fast, but not as fast as they think they are.
In summary, Kobe should shoot from the free throw line and below, the team needs to shoot less three balls, the team needs to get to the free throw line more often, and the tempo needs to be slower. Maybe then kobe can play more games and also get into a rhythm.
Todd says
Categorize this under the, ‘Oh, goodness no!’ department:
From an ESPN article by Ford and Pelton that talked about Okafor’s rookie struggles. The article posed the question of whether Okafor was a star in the making or trade bait? I’ll sum it up for you, Okafor is an inefficient offensive player who plays even worse defense. Turns out Okafor and Noel are not playing well when they are on the floor together — they are appreciably more productive without each other around.
____
Ford said:
“And there might be a team or two out there where Okafor fits better. I especially wonder about the Lakers. D’Angelo Russell has been a tough fit in L.A. The Lakers flipped from Okafor to Russell the night of the draft. Would the two teams consider swapping the two players? That would effectively be a draft-night trade, a few months later.”
____
My comments:
While the answer to the question, ‘Who should the Lakers have drafted?*’ is clearly, ‘Porzingis’ — in hind sight it is definitely not, ‘Okafor’. I’d much rather bank my franchise on a PG that may be able to attract badly needed free agent talent than a center best suited to the NBA game of 25 years ago.
Note: I am no FO supporter. By trying to avoid one, I think Jim’s moves have hastened, deepened and prolonged the Lakers rebuild. If you doubt me on this look at where we are. I think the team should have fully embraced the rebuild years ago. The team’s path out of this mess (and it is a mess) would certainly have been clearer.
However, if Jim/Mitch get a phone call from Sam Hinkie about an Okafor/Russell swap they should hang up.
* Full disclosure I wanted, in order, : 1) KAT, 2) Russell 3) Mudiay 4) Porzingis. I actually wanted the Lakers to draft Russell and flip Clarkson + stuff to the Knicks for Porzingis. I guess we didn’t have enough stuff to pull that one off. I thought at the time Porzingis was freakishly unique and would be the perfect running mate for Randle up front.
T. Rogers says
I don’t think Kobe can spend a lot of time in the post anymore. At SF he is often being matched up against longer, heavier players. Constantly posting up would require him to expend even more energy than he does now. Between fighting for position and having to shoot over taller players he would be exhausted before halftime of every game.
The best course for Kobe is shortened minutes, less shot attempts overall, and higher percentage shots taken. In reality Kobe needs to be set up. I just don’t think the Lakers have the kind of offense and offensive players to consistently set him. And to be fair, Kobe is not a “set me up” type of player. I really don’t see this situation changing much this season.
david h says
darius: the solution is to teach old dogs new tricks…
a. kobe bryant
b. byron scott
c. mitch kupchak
d. jim buss
e. both a and b
f. sometimes c and d
g. more a and b than c and d
f. all of the above
g. sometimes none of the above
this is why sat exams take forever and seldom are completed in the time allotted.
Go lakers.
Nesto2k says
Kobe was done last year, it just seems like this is the year where everyone finally admits it. Tearing your shoulder on a simple dunk is the definition of an old man injury. Combine the old man frailty with being wildly inefficient and you have a player that simply doesn’t belong on the court.
With that being said, he’s definitely earned the right to be a starter for the Lakers. BS just needs to, ahem, man up and reduce Kobe’s minutes and somehow convince him to take a LOT less 3s.
David Aguilar says
nah…byron scoot is doing just fine…hell i say play kobe 47 minutes/night…whats the diff…kobe IS going to break down and finally we can just let our FUTURE play and the PAST rest…thank you kobe for 20 years but GOD PLEASE…RETIRE…this is a young man’s game and guess what you AINT!
matt says
Lakers management gets more credit then noted, look at whats going on, PLAN A lakers acquire Dwight howard on a contract ending deal for pretty much nothing, lakers roll dice acquire steve nash for 2 protected first round picks and 2 second round picks, lakers lineup nash kobe pau howard, if it worked a championship contender, but it doesn’t work, PLAN B, rebuild through the draft sign kobe for entertainment purposes only set yourself up for big free agent signings when kobe’s done, their plan b is fully being exercised,think about this draft top 3 picks protected top 2 guys look great
tankyou says
Perhaps others feel the same way, but the problem is that the ONLY player I have a real emotional investment in is KOBE. Yet, I don’t want to see this version play anymore, I said the same thing last year when I thought it was more than obvious he was in steep physical decline. I didn’t want to watch it anymore. BUT at the same time, I really don’t feel invested in the players we do have. Which is easy to do since they basically produce a whole new roster every year. The only static players are some of the ones I like the least, Kelly/Sacre/Swaggy.
For whatever reason I just don’t like watching Clarkson play that much, he shines on offense, but I really don’t think he cares about defense and that bothers me. Kobe was great as a “gunner” but he also used to D people up big time, I respected that and it helped me overcome my frustrations with his lack of passing some games.
So Randle is the only guy I really like, I’m not sold on DAR and don’t care for him as a player. I always liked the Lakers b/c they always had at least a couple players I felt I could root for even when the team was a bit Blah. But at this point I don’t watch everygame anymore, watch more and more low-light reels. I suppose I’m going to have to learn to like Clarkson and DAR?? I don’t know but I do know that Byron Scott was my least favorite Coach in the NBA before they picked him. So I was utterly disgusted with the choice. Nothing he has done has made me change my opinion of him, lots of talk about defense–but no good schemes, horrible decisions at the ends of winnable games. He’s not an XX’s and OO’s coach, yet he’s not a players coach either, he’s basically a bit of a overly Macho D-bag that uses demeaning jargon rather than constructive criticism–and he does it in front of the cameras on a regular basis. His Laker pedigree doesn’t mean anything at this point. I just want to see him gone, I’m fine with Madsen for now, get someone else later. Also Keep Kobe to 20mpg and make him come off the bench, he is choosing to play, sadly that’s where he belongs at this point and has the best chance of making a positive impact.
BigCitySid says
-There’s only a handful of players still active in the NBA who were drafted in the ’90’s:
Kobe Bryant (’96), Paul Pierce (’98), Tim Duncan (’97), Kevin Garnett (’95), Dirk Nowitzki (’98), Vince Carter (’98), Jason Terry (’99), Metta World Peace (’99), & Andre Miller (’99). May be one or two more, but I believe these are the biggest names. All except Carter and Miller have won at least one NBA title. All who won were instrumental in their teams’ title quest. Most: Kobe, Pierce, Duncan, K. G., & Nowitzki are shoe ins to make the Hall of Fame. Carter has a good chance.
Of the future HOF’s: three of them know their roles and are very comfortable with them. This season Duncan & Pierce are competing on title contending teams in supporting roles. Garnett will be mentoring young talent in a supporting role. Dirk (12.7fga/per game), w/ a PER of 22.9 is looking very good while sharing the ball with Deron Williams (11.2 ) & Wesley Matthews (10.1) on a Mavs team playing better than expected. Kobe’s role on the Lakers???
– Interested in seeing how these old guys compare to each other this season:
http://bkref.com/tiny/ZF3fY
– Meanwhile Kob continues to close in a new record: only guy in the NBA to ever miss more than 14,000 field goals in the history of man. He’s currently at 13,877. At this season’s current rate of 11.1 missed shots per game, he’ll reach that historical mark in 11-12 games.
-In the immortal words of William Shakespear’s younger and less well known brother LeRoy:
“To Kobe or Not To Kobe…That, is the Question!”
– Let’s go Lakers!
matt says
This lineup was designed to be a bottom 3 team, just like last years team was designed to be a bottom 5 team it all reflects the prospects coming out that year, this year 5 good players were coming out, next year 2 guys look really good, the protected picks were design that way, the drafts are scouted years in advance, the only thing that hurts our chances of recieving a top 3 pick is injury to a player who helping us lose if you know what im sayin, do really think kupcheck is this lame come on people he’s been doin this for how long.
matt says
D’angelo russell was not nba ready when they drafted him and they knew that and were ok with it.
JeffT says
Two things they can stop doing right now that will help:
1. Stop posting up Kobe 20 feet from the basket early in the possession.
2. Stop giving Kobe the ball with 4 seconds to go beyond the arc.
Archon says
Let’s be honest. Kobe’s career in effect ended when he tore his Achilles. Few players come back from that in the NBA, and even fewer come back playing at anything close to the level they played at prior to the injury. Turns out Kobe wasn’t the exception, but before that injury we shouldn’t forget he was playing basketball at a very, very high level, unprecedented in fact for a guard with his minutes load. I think without the injury Kobe would still be playing at a high level but ALOT of athletes can say that.
Do I wish Kobe’s career would have ended in a more dignified way befitting an all-time great player? Yes, but honestly how many all time great players ended their career gracefully? Why did we expect it to be different with Kobe?
Robert says
JeffT: “Stop giving Kobe the ball with 4 seconds to go beyond the arc.”
BCS: “To Kobe or Not To Kobe, That is the Question.”
Chastin j: “Kobe should……….keep the ball moving”
tankyou: “the ONLY player I have a real emotional investment in is Kobe”
2005 called – they want their thread back.
BigCitySid says
– Read this piece from Baxter Holmes about Scott defending Kobe’s game:
http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/14208302/lakers-coach-byron-scott-defends-kobe-bryant
– As I continue to believe, company man Scott is one of the few coaches willing to carry out this order from the FO. That’s why he was hired.
KevTheBold says
Kobe is an addict, through and through.
Unless someone starts a Shooters Anonymous group, he is at least good for nostalgic walks down memory lane, and next years draft pick.
matt says
I did not know ewing was on the magic and hakeem was on the raptors until now and looked it up and found a picure of ewing posted up vs hakeem in those uniforms
Barath says
Easy solution: retirement
The AARP league would see Kobe shoot better.
While there are no panaceas, give Kobe the ball at the elbows (post up) not where he gets it now. If this wears him out, play him fewer minutes and rest him more games.
Cut out the three. Play for the pass more.
These will result in Kobe dropping off the team leaderboard which is an ego thing, I don’t know if it will happen
phred says
Really great points. Totally agree.
LKK says
Kobe needs to give up the reins and ride in the back of the wagon. Painful to see and say, but his time is past. I’ve never been a fan of him at the 3 spot this year… He simply doesn’t have the chops anymore to compete with threes who are for the most part bigger, stronger and faster. Kobe against Harrison Barnes tomorrow? Really??
Scott should let DAR come off the bench. Make Kobe a nominal starter for the first 6 minutes if the 1st quarter and then replace him with Russell as the first sub. Kobe can’t play 7 or 8 minutes in a row. The Lakers desperately need a true small forward to balance the lineup. Kobe, Young or Metta just doesn’t cut it. Above all, Scott needs to limit the Mamba’s minutes and let the young guys sink or swim.
Anonymous says
Are the Warriors facing a McKinney/Westhead situation? For those old enough to remember, the Lakers GM Jerry West hired McKinney to coach the new Magic led Lakers. Unfortunately, McKinney suffered a serious head injury in a bicycle accident. By the time he was healthy enough to return. Westhead had the Lakers rolling.
Hell, the Lakers could cherry pick either Walton or Kerr in this situation, if they just hold tight. Clearly BS is not a long term solution.
LKK says
How about giving Anthony Brown a look at small forward? Why the hell is he on the team if he’s not good enough to play on this shambles of a team?
steve0319 says
Kobe has a choice to go out gracefully, and he’s shown that he can this season and also last 2 seasons in some games. In Portland game, he started hot, so he couldn’t help himself, thinking/wanting to have one of his formerly usual games.
I still believe that there will be mixes of some bad shooting games with near triple double games.
But only because he chooses. I think BS also thinks allowing Kobe to make that choice himself is the best course of action rather than taking things away from him.
DJ says
Last night is perfect example of this Lakers team, this team has no superstar player . Lakers FO conflicts with themselves when they said this year Lakers will make the playoffs. Lakers coach is funny, he said Lakers did not draft Porzingis because they think he is a “project”, what about DAR ? he is a “project” too.
Robert says
Archon: “Kobe’s career in effect ended when he tore his Achilles.” That means we gave him a 2 year – $48 million extension after his career ended.
Kev: “Kobe is an addict, through and through.” And when did we realize this?
David Aguilar: “this is a young man’s game and guess what you AINT!” He birthday has not changed since the day we signed the extension. He is also younger than Nash was well when we……………
T Rogers: “I really don’t see this situation changing much this season.” Ya think? : )
Kbj says
Lakers thought Porzingis was a bigger project than DAR and I thought so too. These were my rankings before the draft:
1. KAT
2. Okafor
3. Russell
4. Mudiay
5. Porzingis
As for Kobe, I’m just enjoying watching him play before he retires. This is probably the last Lakers superstar in a while unless you guys think Russell will be the next legend. I don’t, although I do believe he will be pretty good.
Warren Wee Lim says
My Kobe off the bench proposal looks better now.
Kobe’s diminished health doesnt need statistics to prove. He cannot get around average players anymore. So? Put him in the game when the reserves are playing so he can dominate. In effect, you put your youngsters to the fire everynight out with no Kobe to bail them out. Its not like he still can, anyway.
matt says
Plumlee is better than hibbert
Warren Wee Lim says
To balance the lineup, place Nick Young at the 3 to start the game alongside Clarkson and Russell. This gives DAR a more reliable shooter at the wings. This also allows Randle to operate freely since Young is outside-based while Kobe occupies space inside on O for his mid-range post-up.
If you can get away with politics, divide the team into two. The optimal lineups would be:
Russell
Clarkson
Young
Randle
Hibbert
Williams
Bryant
Brown
Nance
Black or Bass
matt says
When kobe or randle gets the ball the rest of the team should be ready to play defense the other way,,,,, in yesterday’s game russell was the best lakers player, if he can shot a little better and stop ball watching on defense he will be great. He needs to watch the guy hes defending better, he leaves his guy open for three by watching the ball. His defense has improved tremendously, if there was a better team around he would easly be the best rookie. Also it seems as if russell is not appreciated by some of his teammates. Randle desperately needs to add another dimension to his game maybe passing, but I’m guessing it’s just poor coaching, but he had that same problem at Kentucky, get the ball drive in the force a shoot even with three defenders crash in.
harold says
Do you have Kobe’s 4th quarter shooting stats? Not sure he is shooting above 20%.
The Lakers were down by three in the 4th quarter when Kobe was re-inserted in the lineup. The flow of the game stopped. Scott has to bite the bullet and not re-insert when the squad on the floor was playing well. It’s called coaching.
On a side note, it’s time to play Brown. Defensively, he’s an upgrade who can spread the floor.
bluehill says
My two cents – I think Kobe takes so many threes because it takes too much energy to penetrate or to work off of screens to get a closer shot. Now defenses are probably willing to give him that shot, which makes it even more tempting for him. Kobe is a better SF defender than a SG defender, but for limited minutes. It’s a lot to ask of him to defend starting SFs for 30 – 35 mins. All of this is to say I think that Kobe can be effective with more limited minutes and playing more against the opponent’s second units. Of course, that probably won’t happen.
As for Byron, I think we should keep him for the year. If we get rid of Byron now, we’re probably going to have an interim coach unless the FO really believes that one of the assistants is a long-term solution and any former head coach that isn’t coaching probably isn’t a fit with this team. Any good college coach isn’t leaving until the season is over, which will be just before our season is over, so we might as well wait. Trade the vets so that Byron has no choice but to play the young guys. Trade Hibbert, Williams, Bass and Swaggy for whatever they can get. I think Swaggy will generate some interest because his increased focus on defense.
matt says
The clarkson rotating into the bench unit worked pretty good
It's the MONEY!!! says
I think Robert’s viewpoint is overlooked. He has stated that the only thing he has left to enjoy on this team is Kobe. Kobe is playing like crap, but maybe he is still selling luxury boxes and time-warner cable ad subscriptions to misguided fans and business owners.
It is unfortunate, but many “lakers” fans do not appreciate team basketball, and only tune in to watch STARS!!! At them moment, there is no star to sell on this team, only some young prospects and the corpse of kobe. So the FO has instructed Byron to parade out Kobe’s corpse like weekend at Bernie’s so that we can pretend that he is Kobe Bryant, and this is the second coming of showtime until a new star emerges. Best of luck to them.
brian says
I’d like to see kobe change his shooting stroke first of all. Having a single motion shot like stephen curry where the shot starts at his midsection instead of trying to shoot it above his head. This requires less power from his legs when he shoots those 3’s. Kobe doesn’t have a traditional shooting stroke (elbows in). His elbows flare out a little to the side. He probably should change that as well. Instead of trying to take people off the dribble, I think he’s better off with a role similar to korver where he runs around multiple picks, get to the elbows and start making reads from there.
rubenowski says
At the beginning of the season I thought Kobe should come off the bench but I didnt think his ego would allow that so I gave up the thought. I definitely like that idea though. But theres no way thats happening.
Keith says
Umm, let’s just lose every game from here on out…Ben Simmons went for 21 pts 20 rebounds and 7 assists. He’s worth it.
Clay Bertrand says
Great Posts by alot of you folks the last couple of threads. KevTheBold, rr, KO, Robert (some funny ones Rob!!) It’s the MONEY!!!, bluehill, matt, Mid-Wilshire, BigCitySid etc.
To sorta piggyback what It’s the Money!!! said, I’ve been a Laker fan for 35 years. I have never been a fan of ANY one player more than I am a fan of the TEAM. We’ve had numerous Hall of Fame players over the years and some of the best EVER!!! Kobe Bryant is one of those players. One of those GREATS!!
But as a LAKER FAN, I see Kobe KILLING this team. They can’t rebuild until he’s gone. Period. But the real central reason (MONEY) they can’t is because there are far too many KOBE FANS and not an equal balance of LAKER FANS it seems.
I read a post on this site where the poster stated that he “pays for league pass to see KOBE not (insert another Laker name of your choosing)”.
That’s the problem right there in one half quoted half paraphrased sentence. There actually are real people who won’t watch the games if KOBE isn’t playing. I am getting to the point where I don’t want to watch when he IS PLAYING!! This whole charade of a basketball season is about letting the Cult of Kobe and his legion of FanBoys/Girls buy overpriced tickets and watch commercials. We can’t get on with firing the Coach, recruiting FAs, Developing our Young Guys, building team chemistry because if KOBE isn’t playing, KOBEFANS won’t watch.
So the Lakers HAVE to play– AND START Kobe even though he stinks, is not improving, refuses to adapt his game, and WILL NOT BE HERE NEXT YEAR just to appease a cult of people who are not true Laker fans so those people will see commercials and go to Jack in the Box and an Indian Casino or two. I hope those people are all enjoying watching their hero embarrass himself and hold up our team’s future at the same time.
They’ll have a good few months of it because like it or not we’re all stuck in Kobe Purgatory until next spring.
I love how every other interview, Kobe plays the “IM JUST TRYIN TO HELP THESE KIDS LEARN” card. “I gotta teach these guys how to win…” Blah Blah Blah ….How about teaching them to play within themselves by EXAMPLE. Lazy 3 point misses, NEVER running back on D, passing one game, ball hogging the next. Professor Bryant no more lessons please.
Now Byron says he has “EARNED” the right to have crappy shot selection.
Byron is EARNING himself an early dismissal from his position–whenever it comes–it will PRECEDE the end date of his contract.
PLEASE keep Byron thru the end of the year though to at least give us the best shot to keep our pick!!
Kobe, you’re OPEN behind the line again!!! You know what to do!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
smh
Gene says
Kobe talking about sharing the ball the night before…Then shot 8 times in a row without making a pass… SMH…
Gene says
Kobe’s shooting pct isn’t that far off…Look at his 2 point pct.The difference is that in the past his pct was helped by lay ups and dunks….not this season.
Tonefinder says
Tankyou’s words resonate with me. I, too, am more a Kobe fan than a Laker fan. I am not proud to admit this. Well, I always enjoyed several players on competitive Laker teams of the Kobe era (I came to the game during the 2000 championship run).
But now, in the absence of the team even being competitive, I no longer watch. This means that I have not become familiar with the young players. The bridge to the future team is not being built for me. Viewed in this light, the Time Warner deal has been a catastrophic failure ie: hoping to maintain /rekindle fan interest with a massive contract for one superstar.
Again, I take no pride in being this type of fan. I guess people seek the mythology of the hero, someone truly “special.” For many years, Kobe provided that, so reliably that we couldn’t imagine it would ever end. Many of us still have difficulty accepting that it finally has.
Josh says
I wish someone would tell BIGCITYSID no one cares about this missed shot record Kobe is approaching. That he feels he has to tell everyone about on every new article is just sad. Common sense would tell anyone with a brain all of the NBA’s longest tenured players and top scorers are probably in the top 10 of that list. Probably comes with playing 20 friggin years. Stop pushing an agenda. Some of us want to enjoy reading supstance. Also. All of those older players got to adapt to their new mortality and aren’t coming off two major injuries. Since it’s obviously not going to change can we stop trying to force feed the rest of us the same repetitive dross.
Josh says
Perhaps many of the whiners haven’t watched every game. I have. We sucked with and without Kobe this season. We lose of a multitude of reasons that don’t include Kobe. Honestly as long as the kids are getting 30 mins I could care less. WE AREN’T WINNING THIS SEASON. ACCEPT IT. LET IT SOAK IT. Maybe then we can have real discourse and not all of this chicken -little nonsense This season is just PT and asset collection. Anything more should be a good thing and something for the fan base to be happy about. It’s just sad how much other fans are making Laker forums unbearable.
Anonymous says
Easy fix is him calling back the Magic Mamba.
BigCitySid says
– @ Clay Bertrand, absolutely correct, your November 23, 2015 at 9:57 pm post is what I’ve been stating for YEARS. Laker fans and Kobe fans are not always one and the same.
– Lakers will be part of history vs the Warriors, either as the team which prevented the Warriors from setting the record or as the team which allowed them to get the record.
Fern says
For all purposes Kobe’s career ended on April 12 2013, there is no other way around it, that was it. How his career ended? With this team on his back taking it to the playoffs by sheer force of will on probably the best season of his career, THAT i will never forget, we can go back and fwd about the extension, but you know what? I always been fine with it, he earned it he deserve it, case closed. The way i see this team this year, it was built in the hope that Kobe could somehow be who he was at least partialy, that his play would create wins, if this was 2005 the Lakers would not be 2-11 they would be at least a 500 team just because Kobe was an unstoppable mutant back then, now it’s the end for him, his shot selection has been beyond horrid, well he never has the best shot selection but he made those shots for 17+ years. His offense is hurting the team and has robbed this team of several wins, he won’t go to the bench thats a given, but he needs to revert to that facilitator role that we all know he can still play very well, like i say before, for the Lakers to move foward Kobe has to retire, only then the kids can take the reins. About Pozingis, nobody not even PJ thought he would be this good this soon, thats what playing in the second best league in the world for a couple of years instead of playing with kids in the NCAA do for you, and people forget that we have Julius as a pf already and he is no scrub, Okafor stats are padded because he plays in a D-league team, not impressed by him that much, horrible horrible defender, Towns is going to be really good and he was out of reach, that leaves “the bust” the same bust that it’s improving and was within striking distance from a triple double last game, he is going to have his ups and downs and struggled in his first couple of weeks in the NBA with a stubborn old school coach and a battalion of players that need the ball, but he is finding his game and he is avg over 10ppg and got his field goal up to 40% he is a great rebounder for a pg and his assists are not that hight because of the “system” he finds himself playing in, is ridiculous to say he is not “nba ready”. This kid is going to be pretty good. Sorry for the long post but i could not access the site for the las couple of days because of server problems and i had a lot on my chest lol. GO LAKERS
Fern says
Saying that there are more Kobe fans than Lakers fans is not entirely true, i was in Dallas last season and went to see the Lakers w/o Kobe and there were like 40% Lakers fans on the stands, the Lakers have one of the biggest fan bases in the entire world it’s like the Yankees no matter how much the team stinks the fanbase will be there and there are going to make a ton of money regardless , but there are more Kobe fans thats true, people don’t realize that extension it’s been paid for already by the income Kobe brings to the team.
Todd says
Kobe’s playing time is not a Byron call it’s management’s. As some have noted attendance, viewership and merchandising run through Kobe. The FO made their bed with Kobe. If he was healthy then it would be a good night’s sleep. He’s not and the Lakers are, well, experiencing a nightmare.
In the previous thread it was mentioned that the Lakers money train has taken winning off the table as a prime driver of decisions. That’s why we see strategies of compete and rebuild (with Kobe providing cover) while maintaining salary cap flexibility to sign two elite FA’s every summer. That’s a lot to ask for and has never been done to my knowledge. But hey, if failure doesn’t impact the cash flow then what incentive is there to let real basketball people run this thing.
KevTheBold says
Clay Bertrand, pulled the refrigerator from the wall !
Look at all the dust, spiders and things we don’t recognize, nor fathom how they got there.
Why ruin your memories of the Black Momba?
Replacing them with the Gray toothless one, acting the part, can’t be in any way satisfying.
We have an exciting new core that needs your support.
People who can’t let go of the past, are doomed to extinction.
So jump on now, the door is open.
It’s time to distinguish yourself as a true fan, or a bandwagoner.
T. Rogers says
“How about giving Anthony Brown a look at small forward? Why the hell is he on the team if he’s not good enough to play on this shambles of a team?”
—
I’ve been thinking the same thing. When you are 2-11 everyone on the roster should at least get a shot. Outside of injury why legitimate reason is there for him not to play?
rr says
As I have said many times, there is no right way to be a fan.
As to Anthony Brown–yes. That is one reason why, although I will always love Metta for Game 7, I opposed signing him as an active player. As I mentioned a week or so ago, the six young guys, plus Kobe and Hibbert, should get the bulk of the minutes IMO.
I think benching Kobe would be a meaningless theatrical gesture at this point. What I blame Byron and Kobe for are the minutes and the 3s. Kobe should be playing 26-30 MPG and shooting 1-2 3s. But as Todd says, the issue goes back to the top.
KO says
Sunday I played 3 on 3 with guys half my age. I shot every time I touched the ball. I made 4 out of 15. Guys on my team asked why I kept shooting. I said, I earned it so deal with it.
5 minutes Laker I ran into a hard pick. Can’t raise my left arm last few days.Today I learned I have a torn lagrum. Called guy who ran into me and told him.
He answered. “Well guess you earned it”
I am retiring from basketball.
All this is a true story. Surgery next week. Hope Bryon and my Newport neighbor Kobe read this.
No one should ever earn failure!
Clay Bertrand says
KO, “MAN UP!!!!!!” Kobe don’t need no stinking 2 arms to SHOOT EVERY TIME!!!!! You gotta FIGHT THRU those picks brother!!!! BTW, Basketball on the MEAN STREETS of Newport Beach is NOT for the faint of heart. Newport Beach is Rucker Park West!!!! LOL (just ribbing you a little bro).
KevTheBold, my point was as a LAKER fan and not JUST A KOBE FAN, I embrace the team and I am just chompin at the bit to watch the young core play. When DAR goes out and Lou Williams is in, I get a little less interested but I’m still watching Randle, or JC, or Nance Jr. or Tarik Black (seen as often as Sasquatch on the floor). I’m ALL IN on the Lakers and the rebuild. The losses DO NOT bother me at all (especially w/ the possibility of keeping our pick). I’m onto the next chapter already and stoked to watch it unfold. I ride SHOTGUN for the bandwagon whether it’s got anyone on it or NOT!! Always!!!!
I didn’t mean to BELITTLE KOBE FANS at all. And I am not a Kobe Hater at all. I was just pointing out that the dynamic that is driving some of the agendas that appear to be delaying the inevitable complete rebuild. Clearly his injuries were not part of the plan (not that they couldn’t have been foreseen).
I understand some fans who are younger or newer to the game really tend to be fans of the PLAYERS as opposed to the team. That’s just the way the game is marketed these days and has been for years now.
BIG QUESTION: Do the KOBE fans stop watching the Lakers and the NBA when he retires?? DO the Lakers LOSE a significant chunk of their fanbase when Kobe leaves?? I’d say NO.
KevTheBold says
Clay Bertrand, I know exactly what you were saying lol.
My response was to the hero worshippers, who will be lost at sea when the good ship Kobe sinks.
I assume however, they will swim to the new ship, and latch onto our new hope.
Clay Bertrand says
Word Kev!!
TempleOfJamesWorthy says
I wish Kobe would retire. Today.
I wish he would have retired the day after he tore his Achilles.
I have enormous respect for the player Kobe was and what he brought to the Lakers. But his greatness always came at a price. When Kobe was a superstar, the price of his narcissism was worth his production (and contract demands). Now, it’s not.
And the Lakers organization/management/coaching kowtowing to Kobe’s game of Let’s Pretend I’m Still An NBA Star is delaying the much-needed rebuild cycle.
I don’t necessarily blame Kobe for what’s happened. He’s supposed to do what he thinks is best for him and his career. But someone was supposed to say “No.” to him. No one in the Lakers’ organization has.