Pop: Stop with Udoka on Kobe already

[DarrinS]

He can't guard Kobe. End this silly experiment.


When Bruce is resting, all the Spurs can really do is try to play team defense and crowd Kobe's shots.

[JamStone]

LOL

It has become abundantly clear that if Kobe wanted to, he could score on Udoka like he was in a gym by himself. There is absolutely no resistance when Udoka guards Kobe. The most the Spurs can hope for is that Kobe just misses a shot. It's like Kobe gets a boner when he sees Bruce on the bench and Udoka in front of him.

Before the series, I recall reading some Spurs fan that stated that he/she thought Udoka guarded Kobe better than Bowen. Hard to even begin to understand how someone thought that.

[nikegirl]

I got a suggestion, let Kobe score, shut the rest of the team down. Is this what they've done today? Just wanna know coz I didn't see the game.

It seems that letting the superstar go off and shut everyone else down have worked well for the Spurs, so I'm just saying. Let me know if I'm way off with my analysis.

[1Parker1]

The problem with putting Udoka on Kobe is that Kobe's eyes just light up and even if he wasn't in rythmn with his shots, by the time Bowen comes back in, Kobe is usually on fire and he's difficult to stop at that point.

Then again, Spurs have no one outside of Udoka they could put on Kobe so there's really nothing else the Spurs can do. Can't play Bowen 48 minutes, and you definitely can't put Ginobili on him. You just have to believe the team defense forces Kobe into tough shots.

Take Fisher, Odom, and Gasol out of the offense can help the Spurs go a long way in this series. Problem is, at home those guys usually play exceptionally well.

[T Park]

He can't guard Kobe. End this silly experiment.


When Bruce is resting, all the Spurs can really do is try to play team defense and crowd Kobe's shots.

Uh no.

[still.focused]

Having BB is just a luxury
When he sits we get an idea of what 29 or so other teams in the league feel like for 40+ mins
THink of it more as Kobe bein just that good than as an experiment

[nfg3]

Timvp stated it best when he said that Udoka is a 6'5" pylon for Kobe. This is not working and never will. Udoka is much better guarding Odom and the like. Udoka has more upper body strength than Bowen but his lateral movement is way too slow for Kobe. This is a total mismatch in favor of Kobe.

What impressed me about game 3 was that Kobe had 1 assist and in all 3 games has gotten only 6 FT attempts. When Kobe gets his teammates involved this is a very very good team. When he is all by himself, well you saw what happened in game 3. If this continues then the Lakers will have a much harder time winning this series if they can. If the game 2 scenario gets resurrected then the Spurs are in big trouble. Limiting Kobe' assists and FT attempts will play a big role in whether the Spurs win this series or not.

All series are about adjustments so game 4 will be fun to watch.


:flag:

[djohn14]

Udoka dosent play bad D on Kobe...Kobe is just a great player. Udoka isnt Bruce Bowen, hes just a pretty solid defender with a bigger offensive game then Bowen. If not Udoka who is gonna gaurd him when Bowen rests? You want to Use Manu? Parker? We could bring in Horry and let him get burned. Bowen hasnt even done a great job on Kobe. Just be happy with a damn win.

[O-Factor]

LOL

It has become abundantly clear that if Kobe wanted to, he could score on Udoka like he was in a gym by himself. There is absolutely no resistance when Udoka guards Kobe. The most the Spurs can hope for is that Kobe just misses a shot. It's like Kobe gets a boner when he sees Bruce on the bench and Udoka in front of him.

Before the series, I recall reading some Spurs fan that stated that he/she thought Udoka guarded Kobe better than Bowen. Hard to even begin to understand how someone thought that.

Really????

I'd like to see proof of that. I've never heard such an argument on Spurstalk.

[pawe]

Kobe is a different player than Amare or CP3 or West. We can't use the "let him score and beat us by himself and shutdown the others offensively" strategy against him because he WILL surely beat us by himself. Leave Bruce on the floor with Kobe and take him out when Kobe sits.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

Udoka's guarding Kobe the same way Pop has Bruce guarding him - give him the jumper and prevent the penetration to the lane.

All Udoka is doing is buying time for Bruce to catch a breather, which is all anyone would do checking Kobe. Who do you suppose we should put on Kobe instead? Finley? Barry? Manu? Stoudemire?

The fact is there isn't anyone better or even comparable to Udoka defensively to put on Kobe, and any of the other guys we could trot out there Kobe WOULD be able to go around and create havoc in the paint.

In short, people need to stop bitching about Ime on Kobe and just understand that's the way it's going to be when Bowen needs a breather and not much is going to change.

[SenorSpur]

He can't guard Kobe. End this silly experiment.


When Bruce is resting, all the Spurs can really do is try to play team defense and crowd Kobe's shots.

True dat. Udoka doesn't have the quicks needed to say with Kobe. He does better on a bigger, more physical player like Lebron James.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

I just want to know who Darrin wants to guard Kobe. Bowen can't play all 48.

So who do you think should be out there checking Kobe:

A. Manu
B. Barry
C. Finley
D. Stoudemire

???

None of those guys could even keep Kobe from getting to the paint, at least Ime is doing that.

[JamStone]

True dat. Udoka doesn't have the quicks needed to say with Kobe. He does better on a bigger, more physical player like Lebron James.

Udoka would not have any success against LeBron James either.

[KB24 MVP]

Udoka aint got shit on kobe he can score 45 on a daily basis aginst Bowen if he wanted 2 let alo9nwe Udoka hahaa

[PlayoffEx-static]

Udoka aint got shit on kobe he can score 45 on a daily basis aginst Bowen if he wanted 2 let alo9nwe Udoka hahaa

If Kobe scores 45 on Bowen, they lose. It would take probably 35-37 shot attempts to get there. No one else would have any kind of rhythm. Kind of like game 3 on steroids.

[Guajalote]

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x309/Guajalote/noeasybuckets2.jpg

Our strategy is to keep him off the three point line and funnel him into something like... oh, I don't know... THIS! (and yes I'm aware DRob is no longer on the team).

[jag]

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x309/Guajalote/noeasybuckets2.jpg

Our strategy is to keep him off the three point line and funnel him into something like... oh, I don't know... THIS! (and yes I'm aware DRob is no longer on the team).

I'm not so sure you are. You DID just suggest that we "funnel" him into Bowen and D-Rob...

Last time i checked, which was about 2 min ago, we don't have a big man with Robinson's length, size, or jumping ability. And considering that Gasol is stepping out of the paint and making Duncan follow him, i'm not so sure you want Kobe being "funneled" into Oberto.

[pauls931]

I just want to know who Darrin wants to guard Kobe. Bowen can't play all 48.

So who do you think should be out there checking Kobe:

A. Manu
B. Barry
C. Finley
D. Stoudemire

???

None of those guys could even keep Kobe from getting to the paint, at least Ime is doing that.




Finley used to be a great defended. I still remember cringing when he sprained his ankle a week before a playoff series with the spurs so the suns had no one to guard Sean Dirk_is_my_daddy_Dirk_is_my_daddy_Dirk_is_my_daddy _Dirk_is_my_daddy_Dirk_is_my_daddy_Dirk_is_my_dadd y_. Ugh... :D

WTF!!! I went to type S e a n E l l i o t?

[still.focused]

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x309/Guajalote/noeasybuckets2.jpg

Our strategy is to keep him off the three point line and funnel him into something like... oh, I don't know... THIS! (and yes I'm aware DRob is no longer on the team).

Actually the strategy is to keep him off the foul line
And not funnel him anywhere but to make him a jumpshooter

[MannyIsGod]

Udoka's guarding Kobe the same way Pop has Bruce guarding him - give him the jumper and prevent the penetration to the lane.

All Udoka is doing is buying time for Bruce to catch a breather, which is all anyone would do checking Kobe. Who do you suppose we should put on Kobe instead? Finley? Barry? Manu? Stoudemire?

The fact is there isn't anyone better or even comparable to Udoka defensively to put on Kobe, and any of the other guys we could trot out there Kobe WOULD be able to go around and create havoc in the paint.

In short, people need to stop bitching about Ime on Kobe and just understand that's the way it's going to be when Bowen needs a breather and not much is going to change.]

QFMFT

[MannyIsGod]

Actually the strategy is to keep him off the foul line
And not funnel him anywhere but to make him a jumpshooter

Don't believe everything Doug Collins says dude.

[PlayoffEx-static]

Finley used to be a great defended. I still remember cringing when he sprained his ankle a week before a playoff series with the spurs so the suns had no one to guard Sean Dirk_is_my_daddy_Dirk_is_my_daddy_Dirk_is_my_daddy _Dirk_is_my_daddy_Dirk_is_my_daddy_Dirk_is_my_dadd y_. Ugh... :D

WTF!!! I went to type S e a n E l l i o t?

You misspelled it in a way that timvp will no longer tolerate. There's a text replacement algorithm in place. :lol

[MannyIsGod]

This is jsut another example of how spoiled Spurs fans are. Most teams in the league don't have anyone near the capability of Bowen on their roster at all. How do you think they defend Kobe? The same way Ime does, they don't. Just realize that while Ime is a good defender there are not very many Bowens in the history of the league.

[ShoogarBear]

Bruce Bowen is the worst starting forward in the league.

[Guajalote]

I'm not so sure you are. You DID just suggest that we "funnel" him into Bowen and D-Rob...

Last time i checked, which was about 2 min ago, we don't have a big man with Robinson's length, size, or jumping ability. And considering that Gasol is stepping out of the paint and making Duncan follow him, i'm not so sure you want Kobe being "funneled" into Oberto.

Good take. Except that this is why our defensive rotations have to be so crisp, getting to shooters on the perimeter or low post players. I think our team is built to defend someone like Kobe because of Duncan, Oberto, Thomas, and Horry. Our size, at least in this series, can be our strength.

(Salivating) I remember the days of having DRob as a mistake eraser. And I agree that he was very athletic and could "double jump" like no one else.

But, I've seen someone smart like Manu, Barry, or Parker get steals in games where shooters/slashers like Kobe and LeBron get themselves in the air after being funneled away from the 3 point line and have to either brick one off the backboard from 10-12 feet, or throw a desperation pass that gets picked off.

Don't get me wrong. I'm simplifying this to the extreme. There is no way to completely shut down Kobe. He's going to get his points and is the MVP for a reason.

I just think that by keeping him off of the 3 point line, and thus avoiding what we saw in the 4th quarter last night, he has to kill us two points at a time, whether from making a high degree of difficulty shot, or at the free throw line.

[jag]

Good take. Except that this is why our defensive rotations have to be so crisp, getting to shooters on the perimeter or low post players. I think our team is built to defend someone like Kobe because of Duncan, Oberto, Thomas, and Horry. Our size, at least in this series, can be our strength.

(Salivating) I remember the days of having DRob as a mistake eraser. And I agree that he was very athletic and could "double jump" like no one else.

But, I've seen someone smart like Manu, Barry, or Parker get steals in games where shooters/slashers like Kobe and LeBron get themselves in the air after being funneled away from the 3 point line and have to either brick one off the backboard from 10-12 feet, or throw a desperation pass that gets picked off.

Don't get me wrong. I'm simplifying this to the extreme. There is no way to completely shut down Kobe. He's going to get his points and is the MVP for a reason.

I just think that by keeping him off of the 3 point line, and thus avoiding what we saw in the 4th quarter last night, he has to kill us two points at a time, whether from making a high degree of difficulty shot, or at the free throw line.

Funneling the likes of Kobe and Lebron into Duncan is smart. Funneling the likes of Kobe and Lebron into Oberto is stupid. Duncan isn't in the paint as much as we would like, with Gasol hitting the 15 footer it's going to be tough to funnel Kobe into a shot blocker.

[rasho8]

Sean Dirk_is_my_daddy_Dirk_is_my_daddy_Dirk_is_my_daddy _Dirk_is_my_daddy_Dirk_is_my_daddy_Dirk_is_my_dadd y_

AWESOME!!! I CAN MISSPELL IT TOO!!!

We need to replace more words like this.

[loveforthegame]

If Finley was getting scored on like Udoka is he'd be thrown under the bus but with Udoka it's *just buying time till Bowen returns.* True, Udoka is the best option over Finley, Ginobli, or Barry but I don't see why Udoka is getting a free pass with some here.

[Ronaldo McDonald]

When Bruise Bowen is out we should have Finley on Kobe. Like Udoka, he has no chance of stopping him, but the difference is that we can run consecutive plays for Finley to get him open jump shots (he been money coming off screens ala Rip Hamilton; I don't know why we don't run more of these plays for him), that way Kobe would have to chase him around. This could be our best defense on Kobe while Bruise sits.

[mrspurs]

noone can guard kobe.....but kobe.......go spurs go

[jag]

True, Udoka is the best option over Finley, Ginobli, or Barry but I don't see why Udoka is getting a free pass with some here.

You just answered your own question.

[ShoogarBear]

If Finley was getting scored on like Udoka is he'd be thrown under the bus but with Udoka it's *just buying time till Bowen returns.* True, Udoka is the best option over Finley, Ginobli, or Barry but I don't see why Udoka is getting a free pass with some here.

There's a difference between "getting scored on" and "played defense".

[1Parker1]

There's a difference between "getting scored on" and "played defense".

:lol There's also a difference between letting guys like Rdamonovic, Fisher, and Odom score easily on you and "getting scored on" by a guy like Kobe Bryant.

If Finley were defending Kobe...actually that thought is so scary I don't even want to think about it. Next.

[Spurs Brazil]

I disappointed with Udoka defense on Kobe so far.

I thought he could make Kobe work to get his pts but so far he's guarding him the same way Finley, Manu or Brent would.

[SpurOutofTownFan]

When Bruce is out the only thing that may help the spurs is to make him give up the ball and double him a little bit. Just show him different Ds, one time only Udoka then the next Udoka with somebody else but before he gets to the perimeter. Just give some time for Bruce to come back in the game. There's really no easy solution.

[timvp]

Udoka's guarding Kobe the same way Pop has Bruce guarding him - give him the jumper and prevent the penetration to the lane.That's how Udoka's trying to guard him but that's not what he's doing. Kobe drives around Udoka like Udoka's not even there. He also gets much more open looks off the dribble for his pull up jumper.

But yeah, the drop from Bowen to anybody is a big drop. Udoka might be the second best defender Kobe has faced in the playoffs ... and that should illustrate how good Bowen's defense has been. Udoka is unathletic to begin with but Kobe makes him look like he's in a wheelchair.

When Kobe gets switched off onto other players, the only two on the Spurs who have a prayer of staying in front of him are Parker ..... and Oberto :depressed

Oberto has pretty damn quick lateral movements for a bigman, but when Oberto is quicker than all your swingmen not named Bowen you know the Spurs swingmen have gotten even older and slower than usual.

[Mamba24]

Bowen is the only one on the Spurs who can guard Kobe, but even he really can't stop him unless he undercuts him (which he did twice in Game 3). Pop probably puts Udoka on Kobe because Ime used to be a Laker and had to guard Kobe in practice so he figures he might know some of Kobe's moves.

[ManuTim_best of Fwiendz]

Can't we kidnap Battier and say he's Udoka? So Bruce can have a backup?

[ShoogarBear]

Can't we kidnap Battier and say he's Udoka? So Bruce can have a backup?

They might be able to get away with it, except DazedAndConfused would spot that right off.

[Ocotillo]

(Salivating) I remember the days of having DRob as a mistake eraser. And I agree that he was very athletic and could "double jump" like no one else.



This is what I am hoping Mahinmi develops into. Not counting on DRob like offensive production but would love to have the athletic shot blocking big there just in case.

[GrandeDavid]

Udoka aint got shit on kobe he can score 45 on a daily basis aginst Bowen if he wanted 2 let alo9nwe Udoka hahaa

Mr. Literacy is back. Great. :sleep

[ballhog]

Let Kobe do his thing.....wiggle, shake, dip, fallaway, whatever. As long as he doesn't get the guys involved I'm fine. Used to work pretty well with not doubling Shaq a few years back. Nobody can stop Kobe....how do you stop a 28 ft 3 pointer?

[DazedAndConfused]

Kobe had 1 assist because nobody was hitting their shots. Not because he was a ballhog.

He was 10-23 and scored 30 points. He had an excellent game, his teammates did not.

[PlayoffEx-static]

Kobe had 1 assist because nobody was hitting their shots. Not because he was a ballhog.

He was 10-23 and scored 30 points. He had an excellent game, his teammates did not.

It was an excellent game for some players but I'll take 3 more just like that, 10-23 30 points. For Kobe, that was room temperature.

To be fair, no one on the Lakers seemed to be moving the ball, but Kobe picked the worst time to start gunning, early to mid 1st quarter with the Lakers in the lead and no one else getting any clean looks. He jacked up a couple of ill-advised 3s and let SA back into the game. Most definitely not one of those games when Kobe let the game come to him. Once the Lakers got up 8 points, he'd have been much better served to distribute instead of going for some Sunday punch. You're not going to KO a team like SA at home in the first quarter, but you can sure as hell shoot them back into it.

[Mamba24]

Kobe started "gunning" when it was apparent the Lakers offense was struggling. Anyhow, I think the game was lost in the 2nd quarter when Phil foolishly left Lamar in there with the 2nd unit and it was like watching a horror film with Lamar bricking shot after shot, free throw after free throw, throwing the ball away and such. The bench (save for Luke Walton who sucks balls) wasn't actually that bad.

[MannyIsGod]

Its no where near Kobe's fault they lost last night. Look at what Odom gave them. If Odom doesn't give them shit then they aren't going to win games.

[Spurminator]

I'd consider throwing a hard double at Kobe when Bowen is on the bench. He's good enough to make a quality pass out of the double but at least you're relying on the Vujacics and Farmars and Fishers to hit shots that way. Maybe you buy some time without Kobe going off.

[SPARKY]

This is what I am hoping Mahinmi develops into. Not counting on DRob like offensive production but would love to have the athletic shot blocking big there just in case.

Well, it's nice to have Splitter and Mahinmi coming in next season.

[SPARKY]

Its no where near Kobe's fault they lost last night. Look at what Odom gave them. If Odom doesn't give them shit then they aren't going to win games.

Do you see a championship team built on Gasol and Odom as 2nd and 3rd stars? I don't. I don't even see a Finals team for that matter.

[Tyler_Durden]

Udoka is still a good 3 to 4 years away from being able to even limit a player like Kobe.

I am sure Pop realizes this, and won't be putting Udoka back on Kobe the rest of these playoff games.

[SPARKY]

Udoka at least now should have a good idea of what is expected of him.

[ducks]

I disappointed with Udoka defense on Kobe so far.

I thought he could make Kobe work to get his pts but so far he's guarding him the same way Finley, Manu or Brent would.

he will do better on his d on him as series goes deeper just like hornets
bowen is telling him more each game