FkLA
01-14-2015, 01:43 AM
Not sure if this has been posted but this dude went in. Posted part of it, click the link for the rest of it.
Kobe Bryant has long been one of the most controversial players in the game, in large part because of his style of play. This season has served to magnify the reasons why, whether he’s been sitting or playing. But one thing that gets lost in all the Internet-spun Bryant wars is that he’s the ultimate (and inevitable) product of his generation.
Michael Jordan impacted the game beyond anyone in history, not just in terms of play, but in terms of marketing. He turned the NBA into an international sensation through his aesthetic play. His drives to the rim, shifting and twisting in mid-air, seeming to make impossible in-flight adjustments, were superhuman. As he aged, he adjusted, adding highly refined skills when his athleticism waned.
Through it all, there was never a player so enjoyable to watch. His competitive fire, extraordinary athleticism, and unappalled skills made him seem unstoppable, and the fact that he never lost a competitive series once he won his first ring bore that out. It made a certain amount of narcissistic “assholery” excusable.
When Jordan retired, the NBA was in need of a marketing replacement. Since no one else could do what Jordan did, the league changed the rules to make it easier to imitate him. It gradually removed all restrictions from the hand check and imposed three seconds on the defensive end. That opened up the lanes and made it easier for wings to drive lanes and get to the rim, a la Jordan. And in Jordan’s place rose the “Air Apparent.”
Bryant wasn’t just reminiscent of Jordan – he had patterned his game, move for move, after him (http://bballbreakdown.com/2014/12/18/somebody-take-challenge/). He put up similar numbers, albeit with considerably less efficiency. And therein has always been the controversy surrounding Bryant. As he rose to prominence — greatness, even — advanced analytics started taking hold in basketball. The concept of possessions became more important than totals, and efficiency took priority over volume.
Bryant was the champion of so-called hero ball: The notion of letting one person rise to the challenge, overcomes all the odds and carry his team to victory, particularly when the game was on the line. The NBA adapted to such play, though. Tom Thibodeau-style defenses became the rage of the league, overloading the strong side to close off driving lanes, rendering Bryant even less efficient than he’d been before. But even while the critics complained about the style he played, Bryant defied them, helping his team to win two more rings.
The “broth” of this particular soup was the Internet, where anyone in the world with access to a laptop and the World Wide Web could offer up opinions on the topic. The debate thus simmered and boiled for nearly two decades. And that’s how we got to this season. Bryant, coming off two major injuries at the ripe-old age of 36, was shooting up shots more recklessly than ever.
In short order, he crossed two career milestones. First he broke the record for missed field goals in a career on November 12th. Then, he passed the aforementioned Jordan in career points just a bit over a month later, on December 15th. He had attempted 605 shots in just 27 games, sinking just 224 of them. It was a spectacular rate of both attempts and misses. At his inefficient worst, Bryant scored 39 points in a game against the Phoenix Suns — and required 37 shots and 12 free throws to get there.
It was so otherworldly that, at points, his usage percentage surpassed his field-goal percentage — something unprecedented in the annals of basketball history.
Kobe was coated with the Teflon of seemingly horrible teammates. “What’s he supposed to do? Pass?”, his defenders asked rhetorically. But this was in spite of considerable evidence to the contrary. According to NBA.com’s media site, through December 21st, the Lakers were ineffective with Bryant on the court, scoring just 101.8 points per 100 possessions (http://media.nba.com/Stats/Dashboards/TeamPlayerMatchupDashboard.aspx?&leagueid=00&seasonid=22014&perMode=2&teamid=1610612747&playerid=977&statsMode=1&splits=ToDate.2014-12-20) (subscription required). When he sat, the offense exploded, notching 108.7 points. So yes, he was supposed to pass, because Kobe’s way wasn’t working.
...
http://bballbreakdown.com/2015/01/12/meet-the-new-kobe-same-as-the-old-kobe/
Kobe Bryant has long been one of the most controversial players in the game, in large part because of his style of play. This season has served to magnify the reasons why, whether he’s been sitting or playing. But one thing that gets lost in all the Internet-spun Bryant wars is that he’s the ultimate (and inevitable) product of his generation.
Michael Jordan impacted the game beyond anyone in history, not just in terms of play, but in terms of marketing. He turned the NBA into an international sensation through his aesthetic play. His drives to the rim, shifting and twisting in mid-air, seeming to make impossible in-flight adjustments, were superhuman. As he aged, he adjusted, adding highly refined skills when his athleticism waned.
Through it all, there was never a player so enjoyable to watch. His competitive fire, extraordinary athleticism, and unappalled skills made him seem unstoppable, and the fact that he never lost a competitive series once he won his first ring bore that out. It made a certain amount of narcissistic “assholery” excusable.
When Jordan retired, the NBA was in need of a marketing replacement. Since no one else could do what Jordan did, the league changed the rules to make it easier to imitate him. It gradually removed all restrictions from the hand check and imposed three seconds on the defensive end. That opened up the lanes and made it easier for wings to drive lanes and get to the rim, a la Jordan. And in Jordan’s place rose the “Air Apparent.”
Bryant wasn’t just reminiscent of Jordan – he had patterned his game, move for move, after him (http://bballbreakdown.com/2014/12/18/somebody-take-challenge/). He put up similar numbers, albeit with considerably less efficiency. And therein has always been the controversy surrounding Bryant. As he rose to prominence — greatness, even — advanced analytics started taking hold in basketball. The concept of possessions became more important than totals, and efficiency took priority over volume.
Bryant was the champion of so-called hero ball: The notion of letting one person rise to the challenge, overcomes all the odds and carry his team to victory, particularly when the game was on the line. The NBA adapted to such play, though. Tom Thibodeau-style defenses became the rage of the league, overloading the strong side to close off driving lanes, rendering Bryant even less efficient than he’d been before. But even while the critics complained about the style he played, Bryant defied them, helping his team to win two more rings.
The “broth” of this particular soup was the Internet, where anyone in the world with access to a laptop and the World Wide Web could offer up opinions on the topic. The debate thus simmered and boiled for nearly two decades. And that’s how we got to this season. Bryant, coming off two major injuries at the ripe-old age of 36, was shooting up shots more recklessly than ever.
In short order, he crossed two career milestones. First he broke the record for missed field goals in a career on November 12th. Then, he passed the aforementioned Jordan in career points just a bit over a month later, on December 15th. He had attempted 605 shots in just 27 games, sinking just 224 of them. It was a spectacular rate of both attempts and misses. At his inefficient worst, Bryant scored 39 points in a game against the Phoenix Suns — and required 37 shots and 12 free throws to get there.
It was so otherworldly that, at points, his usage percentage surpassed his field-goal percentage — something unprecedented in the annals of basketball history.
Kobe was coated with the Teflon of seemingly horrible teammates. “What’s he supposed to do? Pass?”, his defenders asked rhetorically. But this was in spite of considerable evidence to the contrary. According to NBA.com’s media site, through December 21st, the Lakers were ineffective with Bryant on the court, scoring just 101.8 points per 100 possessions (http://media.nba.com/Stats/Dashboards/TeamPlayerMatchupDashboard.aspx?&leagueid=00&seasonid=22014&perMode=2&teamid=1610612747&playerid=977&statsMode=1&splits=ToDate.2014-12-20) (subscription required). When he sat, the offense exploded, notching 108.7 points. So yes, he was supposed to pass, because Kobe’s way wasn’t working.
...
http://bballbreakdown.com/2015/01/12/meet-the-new-kobe-same-as-the-old-kobe/