Bill Simmons on Kobe (GREAT read)

[RonMexico]

1) Simmons is a Boston fan, you can tell how much it hurts him to write something positive about Kobe.

2) Simmons doesn't give credit to Kobe for making his teammates better. He dismisses Kobe's performance and attributes it to Pau and Ariza. Whose to say that Pau and Ariza didn't get better because of Kobe?

LeBron makes his teammates better, MJ makes his teammates better but for Kobe, it's his teammates that make him better. Never mind that Ariza sucked so bad he couldn't even get PT prior to coming to the Lakers.

Simmons writes funny/entertaining articles but the bias against Kobe from this Celtic fan is pretty blatant.

On your point #2, I'm pretty sure that Simmons respects Kobe's work ethic and how that undoubtedly rubs off in a positive way for both his Team USA teammates and his Laker teammates. I think Simmons also draws parallels between his level of dedication and compe ive fire and that of MJ.

Some will say that LeBron makes his teammates better, but then a valid alternative point can be articulated that he didn't make them good enough to warrant a trip to the Finals.

Still, I think that although anyone could imply that Pau and Ariza were better because of Kobe, Simmons argues that his numbers from the playoffs and the finals do not support such a conclusion; most notably the fact that at the end of Game 2 he went 1-on-4 and that his total FGA and FG% were not all that impressive or indicative of a player who fully "trusts" his teammates.

So now that leads us to a few more questions and answers: has Kobe truly changed his on-court behavior or are we just being forced to believe that he has? Much praise has been lauded upon Phil Jackson (and certain Chicago veterans like Bill Cartwright) for his ability to convince MJ that ceding some control and trusting his teammates in key situations would lead to greater success. I don't think we have definitive evidence to conclude that he has convinced Kobe so completely. Again, we all know that Pau Gasol is a talented player and I don't know how much more Kobe helped him than he helped Kobe.

Lastly (while I can admit that NBA players are primadonnas and not considered "coachable"), I think some credit can be shared with the Lakers' coaching staff and the triangle offense for allowing Ariza and Gasol to blossom despite Kobe's natural selfish inclinations. I don't think that we can say MJ willed Steve Kerr to be a better shooter and is the reason Kerr drained the series clincher against Utah in '97; I think a better answer would be that Jackson and Bulls' management placed the right pieces around MJ and Jackson willed Jordan to make an extra pass and trust that Kerr has the balls and skill to nail a 15-foot jumper with the game on the line. With that in mind, I think that maybe Ariza had something Jackson and Mitch saw and were able to maximize his skills... a contract year for Trevor didn't hurt either.

[Halberto]

That's one of the stupidest things I've ever read about basketball. The Pistons which -slapped the HOF Lakers the year before were part of a "flawed crop"? GTFO.

Not to mention beating the Suns' best team of the Nash era.

[Yuixafun]

One of his better articles with some solid ideas worth pondering.

[Culburn369]

Simmons still can't believe, or acknowledge that Lee missed those layups in Game Two. The poor thing.

Then when Fisher used the top of Nelson's head to sight it in Game 4 he'd seen quite enough. Simmons was countin' on the Celtics gettin' there. Uh, uh, Daddy-O, it was Orlando, and we left 'em, dead in the ground.

One charter back to California. 1.

[jcrod]

Like I said it's fake praise sprinkled with his hate all over the article.

Agree.