With the way Kobe Byrant has played to start the season, there has been a lot of eulogizing his career. You do not have to look far to find the next read on how bad he currently his, how he should retire, and how much of a drag he is on the court in what will likely be his final season.
But this version of Kobe is not how I will remember Kobe. The Kobe I will remember is the one who dominated for a decade and a half, the Kobe who struck fear into opponents simply by walking onto the court.
This is the guy I am talking about:
(h/t to @moho_haroon for the video)
This Kobe, of course, is no longer with us. This Kobe went out playing 40+ minutes a night carrying a injury plagued 2012 Lakers team to the playoffs before blowing out his achilles tendon on a move he’d made thousands of times before.
Still, though, this is the Kobe I will always remember. The guy who confounded defenses, could lock down his man with the best of them, and, more than anything else, won games. The current Kobe may not be able to do these things anymore and that’s more than a little depressing. But that will never take away from the truth of what he was as a player.
Moho says
MAMA I MADE IT!!!
Anonymous says
Love this video, this is how I’ll remember him as well
BigCitySid says
– Understand your position D. And I know a number of people will agree with you. And I want to get to the point of remembering him “the way he was”. Just challenging right now watch him play “the way he is”.
– Right now I’m hoping Kobe doesn’t agree with Scott’s plan to start him out of pity as per Baxter Holmes latest piece. http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/14237963/los-angeles-lakers-coach-byron-scott-says-bench-kobe-bryant-poor-play
– Kobe always said a player had to show he deserved to be the Laker who took the reigns from him. Well, there are a number of Lakers playing better than him right now…or does this not count?
Reed says
To be critical of Kobe, as a Laker fan, for this season’s 14 games is incredibly shortsighted and ungrateful. If you are a fan of this team, then he has provided you with as much fan joy as any athlete of the last 20 years; if you are not a fan of this team but are a fan of basketball, then he has provided you with an opponent worth caring about, and always worth watching. Yes, it would be an understatement to say he’s playing poorly, but let him leave the game on his terms, and be grateful you were able to witness what he provided the last two decades. No damage is being done. Russell is 19; whether he takes 8 shots or 15, or has a usage of 20 or 28, now simply doesn’t matter long term. What matters is what he is in five years, and there will be plenty of post-Kobe time for him to get there. In the meantime, he gets to spend a year with a legend and see what it means to work towards greatness. For all the Kobe-bashing Laker fans who have been twisting the knife this season — settle down and be grateful you witnessed the career of an all timer.
Shaun says
im sorry but who on this team is better than kobe exactly?
developing guys sure … but kobe is still the best player on the team and is shooting at roughly the same % as james harden who was #2 in mvp balloting last year ….. guys relax
LKK says
I’ll always think that Kobe really loved being a Laker and always gave as much as he could for the team to win. I’ll always remember how he wrestled Dwight Howard out of bounds in the 2009 Finals, saving a sure dunk and putting Howard on the line. Of course Howard missed, setting up the Lakers’ victory that night. Kobe was relentless. Only injury and age stopped him.
KO says
What Shawn?
He 242 in league on guys who have played 25 minutes at 32% and last in NBA on 3 pointers. LAST
This Kobe is worst starter in league shooting. Old Kobe was great.
ThIs one is terrible. Read the numbers please.
LKK says
Tennyson spoke well of the ravages of time in this quote from Ulysses…
“…and tho’
We are not now that strength which in old days,
Moved heaven and earth,
That which we are, we are
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will,
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.
BlizzardOfOz says
You have to feel for Sid. Must have been awful for him to be a Laker fan these past 20 years. I wonder if he’s been complaining about Kobe the whole time, or more like Bill Simmons, talking constantly about his awfulness from 2004-2007 and 2012-present, and curiously silent the rest of the time.
DonFord says
Never liked Kobe’s demeanor. And never a fan of his on-court-judgment.
But I’m not stupid. His legendary preparation, combined with his prodigous footwork, and throw in his athleticism and vicious determination … and you have one of the most incredible grandmaster shotmakers of all time, a thing to behold (even if you’re shaking your head at the same time at the latest bullheaded decision he made).
Kbj says
Lakers fan base are extremely fickle. Just enjoy Kobe while you still can. Soon he will be gone and the haters can move onto disparaging Russell, Clarkson and Randle.
Chris J says
There’s a logical disconnect among those who fail to understand that not enjoying Kobe’s play now, and being upset with how that is affecting the 2015-16 roster, somehow equates to disparaging his career or contributions to the franchise.
Kobe is arguably the greatest Laker ever, right there with Magic, Kareem, West and Baylor. But none of those guys belong in an NBA starting lineup now, either. Saying as much is not shortsighted, ungrateful nor fickle.
Gomezd says
I think there are a lot of Kobe fans first and Lakers fan second out there.
Its curious because with someone like Lebron you can expect it, he has played with cavs and heat neither have the history of a franchise like Lakers or Celtics so it is very easy to see how people identify as Lebron fans first.
I’m a little surprised it has happened with Kobe and the Lakers. But i think it might be an age thing, Im 26 and all my friends are Laker fans BECAUSE of Kobe. So of course they don’t understand the concept of team first, individual second.
I think whether you identify as a Kobe fan or Laker fan primarily heavily influences how you perceive the current situation right now.
Shaun says
you didn’t answer with anyone else on the team … is hibbert better than him, clarkson … maybe , russel ain’t , even randle these past few games aint
sure he has a bad shooting% these past few games but we are shooting like 30% as a team and a lot of the shots hes been taking are bail outs after clarkson or russel have stalled the offense through our crappy sets …. eyeball test to me at least says hes not done
offensive scheme i think has a bigger play here
KenOak says
Thank you for writing this Darius. I watched the entire video because that is exactly how I remember Kobe.
I’m a Lakers fan first and foremost. I started watching and loving this team when I was around 8 years old and it was Magic Johnson who captured my imagination then.
When I think of the Kobe Bryant story, I remember a kid that shot airballs in the playoffs, but didn’t let that break him mentally. Nope. He came back stronger and better. Every single year. Stronger and better. He worked on his game to add new wrinkles even when he was arguably the best player in the world. I remember all the game winners, all the chase down blocks, all the times he went straight at the best shot blockers in the game and took their souls.
I remember 81.
I remember 62 in 3 quarters.
I remember a spinning, pushing, fadeaway 3 pointer agains Portland.
I remember a Nike campaign begging and pleading for a Kobe/Lebron finals, but Kobe was the only one who could hold up his end of the bargain.
Thank you Kobe. Thanks for all the wonderful memories. Thanks for all the championships.
Stats says
@LKK – thanks. Made my day.
BigCitySid says
– To those who are losing their first superstar to Father Time, I’ve been there, done that. I’ve been a Laker fan since ’65.
– I’ve seen Baylor, West, Wilt, Goodrich, Silk, Nixon, Cooper, Magic, Kareem, Worthy, Horry, Shaq and many others all play their last games as Lakers. But I’ve never seen ownership sacrifice season after season for one declining player. I don’t expect Kobe 1st fans to understand this…and I’d be disappointed if true Laker 1st fans didn’t understand this.
– Althought never a fan of his “I eat 1st” ideology, especially considering the fact that he played with three of the most offensively talented 7 footers (Shaq, Gasol, & Bynum) in his career, I did appreciate what he bought to the table.
– It appears many Kobe 1st fans are part of the “Me generation”, obviously I’m not. There’s no “I” in team. Needless to say as a 50 year fan of the Lakers and all of their incredible players, Kobe doesn’t crack my personal “top 5 favorite Lakers”. So obviously it’s more than “what you’ve done” for me, it’s also “how you’ve done” it.
– Awaiting Laker reboot 2016.
matt says
You gotta remind us, i remember when my friend had about a hundred kobe basketball cards before i barely knew who he was, i remember seeing kobe rap at the wake up show party in Hollywood, this was all before he was great, and on the court the same friends grandma a 80 year old laker fanatic knew kobe was gonna be a superstar when he was a rookie, kobe in his prime put daggers in some of best assembled team’s hearts, Portland, Sacramento, and Phoenix. I can’t think of others the lakers beat some great teams on their way to the finals because kobe could shoot from anywhere.
matt says
Shaun if kobe doesn’t retire and doesn’t get hurt again, do you resign him and if so for how much?
KevTheBold says
Thank you Darius, that video brought a tear to my eye.
Kobe is the hero, that snatched the impossible win from the jaws of defeat, more times than I can count.
I will never forget his valor, his determination, his skill.
That will to win however came at a price: Ego.
We were willing to pay that price when we were rewarded; and now some believe, that we should keep paying out of respect.
Though I can feel that urge, the past several years of frustration makes it difficult to nurture it.
I’m for moving on.
We finally have a bright young core, which can be led by a promising new potential star with a fresh attitude.
This one is not ego driven, yet seems to have determination fueled by some innate confidence, and calm intelligence decades beyond his 19 years.
Yes I love Kobe, always will, yet he is two point two years past his use by date, and many of us are loathe to lose another year for the sake of sentiment; nor waste or damage precious developmental time for our kids.
Now since it’s clear that the FO, nor Scott will dare, We only ask that Kobe finally submerge his ego for the sake of the future Lakers, a team which he loves as much as we.
To mature into the mentor role his vast experience and his body demands.
Is that, too much to ask?
KO says
Thanks Chris J.
Read my mind?
Pull out Kobe 32% and team is over 40%.
Instead of last in NBA in 3s with KB 18% they would be middle of pack.
Kobe is like a champion fighter who hung on a year to long just for the money. Not about his past but as a basketball purist its about the unwatchable now.
Its time to move on. In what world does a team dump a entire season and stunt the growth of the future to celebrate the past? In the clueless world of Jimmy and Jeannie.
I get having a Kobe day, not a Kobe year. When you care more about the player then the team you are not a Laker fan. I loved Jerry West but didn’t stop watching when he retired. Sure didn’t see MJ back on Bulls his last year.
Fact Kobe is the worst shooter on the team yet takes the most shots. And this is worst team in Laker history.
That is sad.
Robert says
Kev: “Now since it’s clear that the FO, nor Scott will dare, We only ask that Kobe finally submerge his ego” Alternate version of same: Since the FO and the Coach are incapable of doing their jobs, we will ask Kobe to do something that simply has never been in his nature.
matt: “and doesn’t get hurt again, do you resign him and if so, for how much?” Well – the last time we signed him, we were told it was good business which would probably still be the case – the man sells tickets. Last time we signed him – he was actually hurt with a major injury. So if you are saying that he is not hurt this time, that would represent an improved climate from which the Lakers signed him the last time. I would recommend that we sign him for south of $24 per : )
Lakers First vs Kobe First: I have always been a Laker first fan. I talked about using the amnesty on Kobe and was against the extension. That said if all the FO gives me to root for is Kobe records, that is what I will do (as I predicted I would do a few years back).
Focus: The focus of Laker Nation is mostly on Kobe and Byron. Yes the numbers questioning the FO are growing, but most do not want to think about such things and would prefer to blame Kobe and Byron for everything. This gives them something to hope for – Kobe retires, Byron is fired, and the FO starts making decisions that do not result in bigger issues replacing them. The first two are just a matter of time. With regard to the later – I can only say – Hope Springs Eternal.
Clay Bertrand says
DonFord, I second your post….
Chris J, TOTALLY right on!! No disrespect and not ungrateful to call it like it is. KOBE himself would do the same (if it were someone ELSE)…..I don’t see how anyone can misunderstand this sentiment…..
Gomezd I agree that age seems to be a factor in the KOBE FIRST fanbase vs. the general LAKERS fanbase. Ever since Jordan, PLAYERS have been marketed more than the teams and you see that with the younger fan loyalties.
KevTheBold, “…many of us are loathe to lose another year for the sake of sentiment.” Succinct and well put. Let’s get ON with this rebuild. I’m anxious to get it going!! Bring on the GROWING pains!!! Get rid of the DYING pains we are going thru now!!!
Shaun, Really???? Who on the Lakers is better than Kobe??? First of all, TOTAL apples and oranges and pineapples type of question but I will indulge your curiosity. Are you ready?? Since you asked…..In NO special order:
1.) Hibbert
2.) Clarkson
3.) Randle
4.) Nance Jr.
5.) Nick Young
6.) Metta
7.) Russell
Are ALL better than Kobe right now. ALL of them. Lou has another few games shooting like last game and he will make the list too.
The rest of the team is probably TIED with Kobe right now except Kelly, Huertas and Sacre….
AAAAAnd Harden just dropped 50 last night with 8 dimes and 9 boards last night. Please don’t compare Kobe’s numbers to Harden’s and then remind us all that Harden was runner up for MVP last year…….cmon man!!!!! Just…COME ON!!!!!!!!!!…. Its ok if you want to dream that Kobe and Harden will finish the year with nearly identical statistics. Not even CLOSE is my prediction….
Kobe’s current “defense” makes Harden look like RON ARTEST in his PRIME and Harden couldn’t cover a dime if he stepped on it!!!!!!!!!
Other than ONE GAME where he decided to play within himself and distribute the ball (this after sitting out DAYS and 3 games to “rest” before facing Detroit on the second of a back to back for them), Kobe’s stats speak for themselves. They are historically bad for him and at or very near the bottom of the league.
He NEVER looks like the best player on the floor. He’s playing horrendous and even FLASHES of his former greatness are very few and far between these days. Why is anyone even questioning this??
He was great. He’s played 19 years. Now he’s clearly not even GOOD.
Where’s the Rocket Science here???
Clay Bertrand says
KO, “”When you care more about the player then the team you are not a Laker fan.”
That is my true belief as well brother (and I think a lot of us feel that way–Lookin at you Robert!!!) No offense to anyone. I’ve been trying to say that without actually COMING OUT AND SAYING IT. Yes yes yes, people can be fans however they want to be fans and all that. That’s a given. This ain’t Russia….lol….
What you see is a divide in those who want to worship Kobe’s very presence on the court and bristle at blasphemous comments that have any negative tone, and those who see no one player is bigger than the Lakers Team and want the TEAM to succeed above all else.
Uh-Oh…….It’s ON now!! lol
KO started it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ; )
Vasheed says
I think the most interesting thing that might happen is Kobe playing in the Olympics to finish his career. Now let us just hypothesize that while logging 15 min per game, without being the focus of the offense, in a system that does not demand he plays in isolation that he shoots +40% from the field. What would that imply about the Lakers? I don’t think that would be an absurd possibility.
Kbj says
Apparently if you are a Kobe fan, you are part of the younger generation and not a true Lakers fan, who knew? Nobody is dumb enough to say that Kobe is not doing bad. He looks terrible. However, Kobe got a 2 year contract and he has earned the right to finish that contract starting on the Lakers, no matter what the detractors say. I want to see him finish the season and then retire.
“What you see is a divide in those who want to worship Kobe’s very presence on the court and bristle at blasphemous comments that have any negative tone, and those who see no one player is bigger than the Lakers Team and want the TEAM to succeed above all else.”
If people would stop posting so many obnoxious and negative comments about Kobe, there wouldn’t be people who feel the need to defend him. Its hard for me to ignore these comments because it seems every thread has to have multiple comments about Kobe.
I have to agree with Robert. Why don’t we talk about the F.O? These people gave Kobe the 2 year contract. I would have been fine if they amnestied Kobe or didn’t re-sign him. They did neither. These people are also the same people that hired Byron Scott. Can we move onto the real culprits behind the Lakers demise?
BigCitySid says
– @ KBJ, for the first time in his career Kobe MAY be receiving more negative comments than positive ones.
– Just curious, many here (rightfully so) blame ownership for giving Kobe a salary cap choking contract he was not able to live up to production wise on the court. Fans had very little to do with that decision. However, fans will have everything to do with him being voted into the All-Star game as a starter.
– My questions, is that something you want to see? Voted in for any other reason than being deserving this season? Are you willing to take the chance of seeing him go 0 for 8? Be posterized? O even worse, guys just letting him score out of respect.
-Fans, not the ownership will be in charge this time…and that decision is quickly approaching.
Clay Bertrand says
Kbj, to clarify, if one is a KOBE ONLY fan, i.e. like some here, one states publicly that one only watches the games to see Kobe play, and doesn’t care to watch the rest of the team—that is not a TRUE LAKER fan. A Laker fan watches the team….if a person says they don’t watch the team and only Kobe, and if there is No Kobe they won’t watch games, they are ADMITTING they are not Laker fans. No one needs to call them out but when I say Kobe Fans, I am speaking specifically of these defined types of fans.
Now how COULD someone be a True Laker fan under that definition?? Please explain how liking ONLY one player and not the rest and paying to watch ONLY KOBE makes a person a TRUE LAKER fan. I welcome the explanation. Maybe I have overlooked something in the fan dynamic here.
Gomezd posted above, “…i think it might be an age thing, I’m 26 and all my friends are Laker fans BECAUSE of Kobe. So of course they don’t understand the concept of team first, individual second….”. I mentioned that younger fans have had PLAYERS marketed to them more than TEAMS ever since Jordan. That is just a factual observation. No one said ALL young fans are KOBE ONLY fans….But to follow Gomezd’s reasoning, younger fans do seem to skew that way.
And as BigCitySid mentions, the fans will likely vote Kobe into the All Star game. If not, the coaches will put him there regardless of how he is playing. He clearly won’t deserve it based on THIS season.
Is that a NEGATIVE comment or a factual observation?? I say the latter….
Clay Bertrand says
Regarding the FO,
No one is happy with the way things are right now but the Lakers are a BUSINESS.
The F.O. is running a business. It was here before Kobe and it’ll be here when he’s gone. Kobe worshippers are buying tickets to fund the business (and/or watching the broadcasts and seeing the commercials) and the F.O. wants and needs to make money off of these things.
Since they knew they were not going to be COMPETITIVE for a while to where they would sell seats and ads etc. by simply WINNING, they decided to double down on Kobe and KOBE FANS because THEY ONLY PAY TO WATCH KOBE (tongue in cheek)!!!!!
So since all they have that they thought people would pay to see is KOBE, they signed him to an extension as an Opiate to the Masses to give SOME entertainment value to the team while they slowly rebuild toward relevancy. Some people can see this and some people can’t.
This is after the same supposedly directionless F.O. tryed to preserve Kobe’s Championship Window by trading a broken down All Star in Bynum for Howard and draft picks (that would have been LATE 1st Rounders had we won) for Nash—ALL moves that were hailed by many as positives at the time. It was a gamble to a degree FOR SURE, but the Buss family did what their Dad would have done and went ALL IN for another CHAMPIONSHIP.
Now in hindsight we all should hang the F.O. for the botches that occurred based MOSTLY on injuries or because Jim Buss promised the fan base something many naïve fans actually BELIEVED (3 year rebuild is not realistic and never was)???
Maybe its the younger fan base–who has not had the chance and the benefit to be able to see several eras of different great teams–who think that this down time is the end of the world like a first girlfriend break up!!
“…Lakers Demise” ????? What???? Is that the Sky Falling!!!!!!???? News of the Lakers Demise has been greatly exaggerated!!! I know that the older fans understand that this is the natural course of things to be down for a while and to rebuild. This is sports after all. If we won the Championship EVERY SINGLE YEAR there would be no fun in it and we’d be the freakin Globetrotters with 29 teams of Washington Generals.
IMO, The F.O. at this point is doing just fine under the circumstances (True – many of their own making) in giving the Kobe Lovers their fill of him in this his final year. In doing so, Kobe’s crappy play and Byron’s insistence on playing him AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE will also greatly improve our odds of ending up with a talented young player in the draft. They are trying to right the ship having few resources because they traded them away to try to win more rings. Why is that an indictment of their efforts???
So they are totally inept and should be FIRED because they did what they ALWAYS HAVE DONE and went ALL IN for Rings and it didn’t work out THIS TIME!!???!?!!??
Ridiculous….
rr says
Chris J
I see the point but for me such judgments hinge on tone, repetitiveness etc. There are clearly people here who don’t like KB and it affects their ability to put the situation in perspective. As I have always said, the haters are as emo about as the fanboys.
And yes, the current situation is primarily a FO problem.
Kbj says
BCS, if Kobe does not play better, he will not get my vote. I rarely vote for players anyway.
Clay, after reading your comments, I have to ask: What is your problem with Kobe? You blame fans (younger fans, especially) who only like Kobe. Apparently, there are no problems with the F.O. Just bad decisions because of Kobe and his supporters. If the F.O was not so preoccupied with Kobe, everything would not be as bad as it is now.
As to your last point, the F.O didn’t just screw up going all in for rings. They have continued to make mistakes after the championship window was closed. Not trading Dwight or Gasol and letting them go for nothing. The ridiculous cycle of getting free agents on 1 year contracts to make cap space to get max free agents and failing embarrassingly. Quite frankly, I find it ridiculous that people still believe the F.O aren’t inept.
TempleOfJamesWorthy says
I think there’s a sentence which sums up Kobe Bryant’s career from start to finish.
In response to a reporter’s question about Kobe’s trust in his teammates, Kobe said, “I trust my teammates. I trust myself more.”
That’s pretty much what 19+ years of Kobe have been all about: getting Kobe to trust his teammates enough so they could win collectively as a team.
Some years, the Lakers didn’t have enough talent, and Kobe’s lack of trust in Smush/Kwame/Medvedenko/etc. was warranted.
Sometimes, Kobe did need to take over. Some of Kobe’s late-game heroics were among the best we’ve ever seen in the NBA.
But often enough, Kobe’s trust imbalance hindered the team. In Rich Bucher’s oral history of the 2004 Finals…
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2468658-an-oral-history-of-the-2003-2004-los-angeles-lakers-the-first-super-team
…Chauncey Billups notes that Detroit’s defensive strategy was to let Shaq get his, because if that went on long enough, Kobe would eventually get antsy and break the offense…and then Detroit had the Lakers where they wanted them.
I respect the heck out of Kobe and what he accomplished in his career. But I also lament that he never learned how to consistently meld his talents and personality with his teammates (much as I lament Shaq not taking conditioning/free throws seriously enough). So I don’t love Kobe in the same way I love other Lakers (e.g. Magic Johnson).
rr says
TOJW,
The 2004 team simply wasn’t as good as Detroit, especially after Karl Malone went down (Slava Medvedenko replaced Malone at the 4) and Detroit was bad news after they got Rasheed Wallace, as they proved by getting back to the Finals and nearly beating San Antonio in 2005. Kobe played poorly in that series, but as Kevin Pelton says, teams, not players, win (and lose) titles. No Laker other than Shaq (and Rick Fox, who went 4-7) shot over 40% against the Detroit D.
rr says
That’s pretty much what 19+ years of Kobe have been all about: getting Kobe to trust his teammates enough so they could win collectively as a team.
—
Nah. When they Kobe’s teams had the talent, they won. The 2003, 2004, 2008 and 2011 teams lost to hot/excellent teams that were better than they were at the moments they played the Lakers. One mistake that guys like you and Sid make is focusing so much on Kobe that you don’t look at who is playing with and against him and what is going on around him, and you evaluate success or failure through the lens of how you feel about him, and look for stuff, like the Chauncey Billups quote, that confirms it. If you look at the those two rosters, Shaq would have had to–this is literally true–average about 55 points a game for the Lakers to win that series.
This is not to say that Kobe didn’t take a lot of bad shots in that series and throughout his career; he did. But basketball is a team game, and NBA teams win and lose, mostly based on talent and to some extent, coaching. People said Jordan shot too much until Pippen and Grant matured and Phil was there.
TempleOfJamesWorthy says
Reply to rr:
Please take a look at Kobe’s shooting percentage in the six NBA Finals he played in.
Other than the 2002 Finals against the completely overmatched Nets, Kobe has never shot better than .430.
Please also note complaints throughout Kobe’s career from teammates and coaches about the need for him to get others involved (especially efficient scorers like Shaq and Pau Gasol). And it’s not like Kobe ***couldn’t*** do it. I remember during the Howard/Gasol/Nash/D’Antoni season that the Lakers went to a Kobe postup-centric offense to shake things up, and Kobe averaged 12 assists a game for several games. He CHOSE not to play basketball the “right” way much of his career. He CHOSE to take a lot of bad shots he didn’t need to.
Yes, basketball is a team game. And far too often what Kobe thought was best for the team (against copious evidence to the contrary) was for Kobe to shoot more. He did that in Season 1 and he’s still doing it in Season 20.
LKK says
ESPN Stats & Info
ESPN Stats & Info – Verified account ?@ESPNStatsInfo
LeBron James: 35 go-ahead FGs in final 5 sec of regulation/OT (reg season & postseason).
In last 20 seasons, only Kobe Bryant (45) has more.
7:10 AM – 29 Nov 2015
Kobe must have been doing a few things right from season 1 to season 20.
rr says
TOJW,
So what is your argument? That if he had played differently they would have won more titles? Which years? 2008? 2004? 2003?
Also, while there are exceptions, the fact is that many players’ rate stats go down some in postseason, due to better competition. You are making the exact mistake I pointed out: making everything about Kobe. A lot of the reason the Lakers lost in 2008 and 2004 was because they were playing two awesome defensive teams. As I pointed out in that very post, no one on the 2004 team shot over 40% in that series except for Shaq. Both Lamar and Pau shot pretty well in 2008, so I suppose you can argue if Kobe had shot less, that series gets extended. But the Lakers lost Game 6 by 39, and were playing without Bynum against a 66-16 team.
As to the complaints from Pau and Bynum late in Kobe’s career, at the time, I did a little research on it, and it showed that in games KB missed during those years, Pau’s and Bynum’s usage went way up—and their efficiency went way down. The key to Kobe’s success was that his offensive game was so diverse that he commanded an enormous amount of defensive attention. There were several articles during that period about “Kobe assists”—the Lakers getting action off of missed shots.
So—and the all caps and the asterisks demonstrate this—it comes back to that same emotional issue: You don’t like Kobe Bryant. You don’t like his style of play. And that’s fine. But it is an emotional issue much more than an analytical one. I don’t mean to be a pain about it, but this is the same argument I have been hearing about him since Shaq left, and it is IMO weak.