Kobe Bryant:

[Cry Havoc]

"I think a big key for tonight's game is for my teammates to step up and have that confidence..."


Yes Kobe. Because when you shoot 4-6 shots per game over the course of an 82 game season while watching another player take 30 SPG, and you MIGHT get 10 touches per game, you can certainly have the confidence necessary to knock down jumpers against top teams in the post-season. :rolleyes


I love how people who said Kobe needs to take over and take more shots during the regular season are now eating crow because there isn't a single player on the court besides Odom who even takes initiative for the Lakers.

[The Lake Show]

It worked today Kwame and Odom were great! :clap

[Carrot Top]

Lakers are crap suns win the next three

[Xylus]

Dear Kobe,

Stop making those ridiculous fadeaway jumpers from 20 feet out.

kthx,
Xylus

[JamStone]

It's as if Kobe's teammates are nervous high school freshmen. Ummmmm, they're professional basketball players too. Even if they don't shoot but 4 shots a game, they should be ready to make those wide open shots. Ever heard of practice? If they don't have the confidence to make wide open jumpers, why are they playing professional basketball? Enough of the Kobe hasn't shared the ball enough during the course of the season argument. First of all, he did for much of the beginning of the season. He averaged over 5 assists a game. Except for Dwyane Wade who also plays point guard part time and Tracy McGrady, there isn't another shooting guard in the NBA that averages more assists than Kobe. It's a stupid argument. His teammates get paid millions and millions of dollars to be ready to make wide open jumpers when Kobe is double and triple teamed. Not touching the ball enough isn't an excuse. Give Kobe a reason to trust you. Knock down some shots. Look at Brian Cook. At least he's not scared to shoot when he comes into the game. And, one of the biggest culprits of missing open shots has been Luke Walton. And, I can guarantee you that he's been getting more than 10 touches a game and 4 shots a game.

Kobe may be a ball hog and have a big ego. But, his teammates still have to make shots and make plays.

[EastsBeasts]

Even if they don't shoot but 4 shots a game, they should be ready to make those wide open shots. Ever heard of practice? If they don't have the confidence to make wide open jumpers, why are they playing professional basketball?

Then why can't Delfino hit his wide open shots?

[BacktoBasics]

Did you catch the halftime blurb about how hard it was for Kobe to deal with the struggles of the season being a bit of a dissapointment?

How the fuck can this dude even begin to talk about the struggles of anything. He got exactly what he fucking wanted. You wanted it Kobe...you wanted to be the main guy and win scoring titles and have the spotlight shine on you and only you. You wanted them to dump Shaq and Phil and you made if perfectly clear that winning titles wasn't a priority anymore.

I hate this spoiled whiny little fuck. I don't want to ever hear this fucking coward bitch and moan ever again. Loser.....scoring champion fucking waste of talent.

[Purple & Gold]

It's as if Kobe's teammates are nervous high school freshmen. Ummmmm, they're professional basketball players too. Even if they don't shoot but 4 shots a game, they should be ready to make those wide open shots. Ever heard of practice? If they don't have the confidence to make wide open jumpers, why are they playing professional basketball? Enough of the Kobe hasn't shared the ball enough during the course of the season argument. First of all, he did for much of the beginning of the season. He averaged over 5 assists a game. Except for Dwyane Wade who also plays point guard part time and Tracy McGrady, there isn't another shooting guard in the NBA that averages more assists than Kobe. It's a stupid argument. His teammates get paid millions and millions of dollars to be ready to make wide open jumpers when Kobe is double and triple teamed. Not touching the ball enough isn't an excuse. Give Kobe a reason to trust you. Knock down some shots. Look at Brian Cook. At least he's not scared to shoot when he comes into the game. And, one of the biggest culprits of missing open shots has been Luke Walton. And, I can guarantee you that he's been getting more than 10 touches a game and 4 shots a game.

Kobe may be a ball hog and have a big ego. But, his teammates still have to make shots and make plays.

:clap :clap Well said JamStone tell these guys to go to the gym and practice making their shots.

[Purple & Gold]

Did you catch the halftime blurb about how hard it was for Kobe to deal with the struggles of the season being a bit of a dissapointment?

How the fuck can this dude even begin to talk about the struggles of anything. He got exactly what he fucking wanted. You wanted it Kobe...you wanted to be the main guy and win scoring titles and have the spotlight shine on you and only you. You wanted them to dump Shaq and Phil and you made if perfectly clear that winning titles wasn't a priority anymore.

I hate this spoiled whiny little fuck. I don't want to ever hear this fucking coward bitch and moan ever again. Loser.....scoring champion fucking waste of talent.
:blah :blah :blah :blah

[TheNextGen]

Kobe's ankle breaker on Marion was sweeeet.

Colin Cowherd said that Kobe is the best 1vs1 player he has EVER seen. I tend to agree. ;)

[Cry Havoc]

It's as if Kobe's teammates are nervous high school freshmen. Ummmmm, they're professional basketball players too. Even if they don't shoot but 4 shots a game, they should be ready to make those wide open shots. Ever heard of practice? If they don't have the confidence to make wide open jumpers, why are they playing professional basketball? Enough of the Kobe hasn't shared the ball enough during the course of the season argument. First of all, he did for much of the beginning of the season. He averaged over 5 assists a game. Except for Dwyane Wade who also plays point guard part time and Tracy McGrady, there isn't another shooting guard in the NBA that averages more assists than Kobe. It's a stupid argument. His teammates get paid millions and millions of dollars to be ready to make wide open jumpers when Kobe is double and triple teamed. Not touching the ball enough isn't an excuse. Give Kobe a reason to trust you. Knock down some shots. Look at Brian Cook. At least he's not scared to shoot when he comes into the game. And, one of the biggest culprits of missing open shots has been Luke Walton. And, I can guarantee you that he's been getting more than 10 touches a game and 4 shots a game.

Kobe may be a ball hog and have a big ego. But, his teammates still have to make shots and make plays.


Having played in a number of games myself, I think it's a bit inaccurate to compare making jumpshots in practice to those in a gametime situation. I honestly do have to wonder about some of the Lakers and how they continue to hold a position in the NBA (i.e., Shammond Williams) but the fact of the matter is that they will never get better playing in a game situation if they are not exposed to that environment and have real playing time. Bryant's performance last night was great, and his teammates stepped up as well.

However, that's just 1 game out of the 3 that they have even made an appearance. The fact that they CAN play like they did last night is further proof that given the right type of leader and intrinsic desire, they can step up and disrupt the Suns' offense. Yet I don't see the effort night in, night out, and you have to blame Kobe for that. He's the leader. Even if it's not his fault, he has to step up and take the blame for the team being where it is. If the entire Laker team can play like they did last night, they have a shot against Phoenix, and you'd have an extremely difficult time attempting to convince me that Michael Jordan (whom Kobe is supposedly better than) would get that kind of effort from his team 33% of the time.

The Lakers showed last night that they CAN play defense against the Suns. The question is why aren't they being motivated to do that night after night?

[leemajors]

The Lakers showed last night that they CAN play defense against the Suns. The question is why aren't they being motivated to do that night after night?

scrubs aren't renowned for their consistency.

[Purple & Gold]

Having played in a number of games myself, I think it's a bit inaccurate to compare making jumpshots in practice to those in a gametime situation. I honestly do have to wonder about some of the Lakers and how they continue to hold a position in the NBA (i.e., Shammond Williams) but the fact of the matter is that they will never get better playing in a game situation if they are not exposed to that environment and have real playing time. Bryant's performance last night was great, and his teammates stepped up as well.

However, that's just 1 game out of the 3 that they have even made an appearance. The fact that they CAN play like they did last night is further proof that given the right type of leader and intrinsic desire, they can step up and disrupt the Suns' offense. Yet I don't see the effort night in, night out, and you have to blame Kobe for that. He's the leader. Even if it's not his fault, he has to step up and take the blame for the team being where it is. If the entire Laker team can play like they did last night, they have a shot against Phoenix, and you'd have an extremely difficult time attempting to convince me that Michael Jordan (whom Kobe is supposedly better than) would get that kind of effort from his team 33% of the time.

The Lakers showed last night that they CAN play defense against the Suns. The question is why aren't they being motivated to do that night after night?
Jordan's team was 100 times better than this Laker team. It comes down to talent.

[Cry Havoc]

Jordan's team was 100 times better than this Laker team. It comes down to talent.

So you're saying they were talented last night, but not most nights? What, does Kwame Brown only get open for dunks because of his talent, or because his team is actually make an effort to get him open looks.

I mean, what the hell? They came back from 17 down to beat one of the top teams in the NBA, Kwame had a huge night, and somehow they still "don't have any talent".

NONE of which is relevant to my point. I said that Jordan would have the team playing hard EVERY NIGHT, not that they would win a title with him. Kobe shouldn't get credit because his teammates figured out a way to step up 1 out of 3 games.


scrubs aren't renowned for their consistency.

So now they're talented but not consistent? What IS it people? Either you can play defense or you can't. Either you can score and make plays or you can't. The Lakers showed for 3 quarters last night that they CAN play defense, and they CAN score at will against the Suns. So why can't they do that every night? Hmmmm.

[TheNextGen]

So you're saying they were talented last night, but not most nights? What, does Kwame Brown only get open for dunks because of his talent, or because his team is actually make an effort to get him open looks.

I mean, what the hell? They came back from 17 down to beat one of the top teams in the NBA, Kwame had a huge night, and somehow they still "don't have any talent".

NONE of which is relevant to my point. I said that Jordan would have the team playing hard EVERY NIGHT, not that they would win a title with him. Kobe shouldn't get credit because his teammates figured out a way to step up 1 out of 3 games.



So now they're talented but not consistent? What IS it people? Either you can play defense or you can't. Either you can score and make plays or you can't. The Lakers showed for 3 quarters last night that they CAN play defense, and they CAN score at will against the Suns. So why can't they do that every night? Hmmmm.

because they suck and are not talented

[mardigan]

Kobe kicked ass last night. He was just licky Kwame and Odom finally were scoring some paint points or they would have lost. The Suns looked all out of sorts last night

[cornbread]

Is there any news on Marion ankles yet? Are they completely shattered?

[mardigan]

Is there any news on Marion ankles yet? Are they completely shattered?
Yes, and he suffered a torn labia

[cornbread]

Yes, and he suffered a torn labia
Kobe Colorado joke coming in 3,2,1...

[Rosie O'Donnell]

If Kobe can lead the Lakers to three more victories in this series, then LA has a very good chance of advancing to Round 2.

:ban: :troll

[BacktoBasics]

:blah :blah :blah :blahIts rediculous to think that life after Shaq would equal more rings. Isn't this why they are supposed to play the game.....oh wait no its not its the money the lime light and the scoring titles.

Kobe showed his true colors when being the main man and having a big stat line took presidence over winning games and stock piling rings.

Its not very often talented players are blessed with equally talented HOF big men and a legendary coaching staff partnered with a massive market. He took the opportunity of a lifetime for granted all because he wants to make the highlight reels. I have no respect for him.

[Carrot Top]

Its rediculous to think that life after Shaq would equal more rings. Isn't this why they are supposed to play the game.....oh wait no its not its the money the lime light and the scoring titles.

Kobe showed his true colors when being the main man and having a big stat line took presidence over winning games and stock piling rings.

Its not very often talented players are blessed with equally talented HOF big men and a legendary coaching staff partnered with a massive market. He took the opportunity of a lifetime for granted all because he wants to make the highlight reels. I have no respect for him.

:clap Very true

[Cry Havoc]

Its rediculous to think that life after Shaq would equal more rings. Isn't this why they are supposed to play the game.....oh wait no its not its the money the lime light and the scoring titles.

Kobe showed his true colors when being the main man and having a big stat line took presidence over winning games and stock piling rings.

Its not very often talented players are blessed with equally talented HOF big men and a legendary coaching staff partnered with a massive market. He took the opportunity of a lifetime for granted all because he wants to make the highlight reels. I have no respect for him.

Not to mention that he and Shaq were together and still got beat thrice. Twice by the Spurs and once by the Pistons.

[Purple & Gold]

Its rediculous to think that life after Shaq would equal more rings. Isn't this why they are supposed to play the game.....oh wait no its not its the money the lime light and the scoring titles.

Kobe showed his true colors when being the main man and having a big stat line took presidence over winning games and stock piling rings.

Its not very often talented players are blessed with equally talented HOF big men and a legendary coaching staff partnered with a massive market. He took the opportunity of a lifetime for granted all because he wants to make the highlight reels. I have no respect for him.
Sorry, but life after Shaq has a very good chance of equaling more rings. In L.A. Shaq was lazy, out of shape, and going to command almost $30 Million in cap space. If we were gonna keep Shaq and Kobe we would not be able to sign anybody else. After Detroit kicked our ass it was obvious Shaq wasn't the answer. Anytime you give up offensive boards like we did you better not be asking for anything close to $30 Million. Once Shaq went to Miami his work ethic changed and he gave the Heat something hadn't given the Lakers in years, 100%. Kobe saw the writing on the wall and new this same lineup wasn't gonna do shit anymore. Add to the fact that Shaq needs half a year to get rolling, we would be very low seeds in the West every year.

So it's ridiculous to think that Kobe only wants scoring titles instead of rings. The best move to win rings was to rebuild instead of having a lazy, getting older by the minute, big man taking up close to $30 Million in cap space.

[trueD]

Sorry, but life after Shaq has a very good chance of equaling more rings. In L.A. Shaq was lazy, out of shape, and going to command almost $30 Million in cap space. If we were gonna keep Shaq and Kobe we would not be able to sign anybody else. After Detroit kicked our ass it was obvious Shaq wasn't the answer. Anytime you give up offensive boards like we did you better not be asking for anything close to $30 Million. Once Shaq went to Miami his work ethic changed and he gave the Heat something hadn't given the Lakers in years, 100%. Kobe saw the writing on the wall and new this same lineup wasn't gonna do shit anymore. Add to the fact that Shaq needs half a year to get rolling, we would be very low seeds in the West every year.

So it's ridiculous to think that Kobe only wants scoring titles instead of rings. The best move to win rings was to rebuild instead of having a lazy, getting older by the minute, big man taking up close to $30 Million in cap space.
And how's that rebuilding thing going for ya?

IMO, it was Kobe ratting out Shaq that sent Shaq to the I-want-a-6 year/120 million deal talk. End of story. Chemistry was getting bad already, that sealed the deal for Shaq. He settled for less in Miami, go figure.

It's been three years without Shaq. Lakers are no closer to winning a ring than the Kings are-- after losing their whole core group of Webber, Peja, Christie and Vlade during these same three years, and that without a superstar.

In the last three years, here's the short PO rundown for our teams:

Kings:
Lose to Sonics first round
Lose to Spurs first round
Miss playoffs

Lakers:
Miss Playoffs
Lose to Suns in first round
(probably) lose to Suns in first round.

The difference? Nada.


Sorry, but life after Shaq has a very good chance of equaling more rings...if Lakers can get some help inside before Kobe turns 35.

All fixed.

[trueD]

Is there any news on Marion ankles yet? Are they completely shattered?
:lol

http://youtube.com/watch?v=YmAKVw1q1mw

[Purple & Gold]

And how's that rebuilding thing going for ya?

IMO, it was Kobe ratting out Shaq that sent Shaq to the I-want-a-6 year/120 million deal talk. End of story. Chemistry was getting bad already, that sealed the deal for Shaq. He settled for less in Miami, go figure.

It's been three years without Shaq. Lakers are no closer to winning a ring than the Kings are-- after losing their whole core group of Webber, Peja, Christie and Vlade during these same three years, and that without a superstar.

In the last three years, here's the short PO rundown for our teams:

Kings:
Lose to Sonics first round
Lose to Spurs first round
Miss playoffs

Lakers:
Miss Playoffs
Lose to Suns in first round
(probably) lose to Suns in first round.

The difference? Nada.
First off no team can rebuild in 3 years. You are jumping the gun a little, don't you think?

As for Kobe sealing the deal on the Shaq move, maybe that's what broke the Shaq/Kobe duo up. But what really sealed Shaq's fate with the Lakers was him yelling at Dr. Buss to "Fucking pay me". And getting dominated on the offensive glass by Detroit. That's what sent him out the door.

And sorry your whole core of players do not equal Shaq, I think history has already proved that. Fact is we already have our new post threat in the making. Once he develops, banners will start hanging in the Staples once again. How are you doing with your new post threat??

[kobe_bryant]

it's hard to work with stiffs

[resistanze]

And didn't Shaq sign with the Heat for 5 years, $100 million? Same as 6 years/$120 million.

[trueD]

First off no team can rebuild in 3 years. You are jumping the gun a little, don't you think?
Possibly. You guys have a lot of decisions to make this off-season with lots of expiring contracts and an unhappy Odom. Hopefully Mitch is up to the task.


Fact is we already have our new post threat in the making. Once he develops, banners will start hanging in the Staples once again. How are you doing with your new post threat??
I personally love your new post threat in-the-making, and would give you just about any combination of players Kings have for him. AND you're right, our post threat is non-existant, but that's been true for a very long time.

My point was, things probably aren't moving how Kobe figured they would without Shaq. Shaq's personality was a kind of glue for the team, something Kobe seems to be missing on his own. Lakers need a shot in the arm by a player who could compliment Kobe, but Kobe would appear unaccepting, unless that player can play to HIS standards. He shows flashes of team play every once in awhile, but it's always short-lived. It's a puzzle for Laker fans, and a true dilemna for Lakers organization, I suspect. And honestly? It's frustrating for fans of b-ball in general, seeing how much talent is being wasted because of short-sightedness on Kobe's part by his unwillingness to respect his teammates.

Who on the Lakers has the capacity to compliment Kobe? Probably many: The rookie Farmar, Odom, Kwame, maybe even one day Bynum.

Another superstar on the team would either make or break the Lakers, there is no inbetween, imo.

[trueD]

And didn't Shaq sign with the Heat for 5 years, $100 million? Same as 6 years/$120 million.
Not exactly. One more year playing time and twenty million dollars really IS something. :lol

Shaq settled. Lakers could have built around Shaq instead of Kobe. Hindsight sucks.

[Purple & Gold]

Not exactly. One more year playing time and twenty million dollars really IS something. :lol

Shaq settled. Lakers could have built around Shaq instead of Kobe. Hindsight sucks.
Building around Shaq instead of Kobe is just stupid. Say what you want about Kobe, but you can't say he doesn't give you 110%. With Shaq you're lucky to get 80%. Plus Shaq is way older than Kobe. Anyone that would build around an older Shaq instead of a younger Kobe is just stupid.

[Purple & Gold]

And didn't Shaq sign with the Heat for 5 years, $100 million? Same as 6 years/$120 million.
The Lakers offered him over $20 Million per year. He wanted the full max which was around $30 Million a year. He accepted less when he went to Miami, for whatever reasons. More than likely to try to stick it to the Lakers.

[Purple & Gold]

Possibly. You guys have a lot of decisions to make this off-season with lots of expiring contracts and an unhappy Odom. Hopefully Mitch is up to the task.
IMO Odom is out the door. He will probably get packaged with Kwame and picks for some type of true 4. Odom is what he is a very nice 6'10 player that presents matchup problems for any team. He's a very solid rebounder and is also a very good defender against the SF/PF tweener types. He has problems finishing, his right is non-existent, he's not a post player, and his mid-range game is way to inconsistent. He would be a much better 3rd than 2nd option. But when you get paid $13 Million per year you need to be more than just a 3rd option. They might try one more year depending on what happens this playoffs and what is offered for that package and then try to re-sign Kwame to a contract more around his value, in the $6 Million range. They might want to see if the team can stay healthy next year.


I personally love your new post threat in-the-making, and would give you just about any combination of players Kings have for him. AND you're right, our post threat is non-existant, but that's been true for a very long time.

My point was, things probably aren't moving how Kobe figured they would without Shaq. Shaq's personality was a kind of glue for the team, something Kobe seems to be missing on his own. Lakers need a shot in the arm by a player who could compliment Kobe, but Kobe would appear unaccepting, unless that player can play to HIS standards. He shows flashes of team play every once in awhile, but it's always short-lived. It's a puzzle for Laker fans, and a true dilemna for Lakers organization, I suspect. And honestly? It's frustrating for fans of b-ball in general, seeing how much talent is being wasted because of short-sightedness on Kobe's part by his unwillingness to respect his teammates.

Who on the Lakers has the capacity to compliment Kobe? Probably many: The rookie Farmar, Odom, Kwame, maybe even one day Bynum.

Another superstar on the team would either make or break the Lakers, there is no inbetween, imo.
The problem with Kobe is that he has to realize that it's not everybody's goal in life to be the best basketball player ever. He has to realize that basketball players are human and that everybody has different priorities. It's a good problem to have if you're a fan of the Lakers, but it also rubs many people the wrong way. IMO the main problem he had with Shaq was that Shaq wouldn't stay in shape and never put in the time to learn how to shoot FT's. If Shaq ever learned how to shoot FT's the Lakers would have truly been unstoppable. I also think it's unacceptable that Shaq never learned how to shoot FT's. Karl Malone is a good example of a player that realized that his FT% was what was holding him back.

The Lakers definitely need a PG. Kobe handles the ball way too much and is asked to do way too much. He's asked to score, distribute, play excellent defense, lead, rebound, etc. He hasn't found the perfect balance between scorer and distributor and might never will. But that's a PG's job and Kobe shouldn't be asked to have to also play that role. If the Lakers had a solid PG you would see the whole team play that much better. It basically comes down to talent and the Lakers are just lacking in the proper talent to win it all.

[trueD]

Well said, thanks for the response P&G.

Kings are also in need of a true 4. If we can use Bibby in a swap, we'll have about the same amount of $$$'s to spend as Lakers, without having to utilize our expiring contracts or younguns. Again, like Lakers. But I don't look for Kings to deal with Lakers, even though it might benefit both our ballclubs. I think Odom could work in an free-flowing environment, and Bibby would work well with Kobe, imo.

Gonna be an interesting off-season for both our ballclubs.