Why Kobe?

Kobe Bryant just needs to win games and eventually the media will get off his case. If he has to be a ballhog to win games, so be it.

The problem I still see with the team is Kobe is surrounded by soft prima-donna players who don't know the fundamentals of basketball. It's taking the players far too, much time to learn how to play the Triangle offense. It's really not that hard to learn if you know the basics of basketball and can think on the fly. Right now the team looks robotic on the court and are thinking too, much about where they are supposed to be instead of just playing basketball.

Last night there were some great examples of this. Chris Mihm grabbed an offensive rebound, and instead of just going up and dunking it, he kicks the ball out to reset the offense. Lamar Odom did this a few times as well. Also the players kept passing up wide open shots and then found themselves taking a low percentage shot with the shot clock winding down.

I know it's only the preseason, but it's frustrating to see the same mistakes from last season being carried over again this year. You have to wonder what the players were doing since the end of last season until now, because they still looked lost on the court.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting phunDamentalz:</div><div class="quote_post">If Kobe gave the other players confidence, that would be making his teammates better. Passing to a player does not necessarily make them better. Passing to them and believing they can take care of the rest makes them better. Passing to them like "I know you ain't making this, but i need to show a few passes so coach doesn't say i'm selfish" doesn't make them better. I"m not inside kobe's head so i don't know what goes on in there, but i definitely think making your teammates better is in part a mental thing. Anyway kobe gets unfairly criticized. Apparently it's not enough to be a ridiculously talented basketball player you've also got to be everyone's favorite guy in the locker room.</div>

I think the players are confident stepping on to the court with Kobe Bryant already. He's one of the best players in the game and gives your team a chance to win on any given night. Having him on the court makes them better immediately, because of all the defensive attention Kobe draws away from his teammates.

I have to get back to my original point, this roster is loaded with prima-donna players. Kobe Bryant needs to be surrounded by players who are obsessed about winning championships. Right now the Lakers have players like Odom, Kwame, and Mihm who have talent, upside, potential, but they don't have the mental drive to take advantage of their skills. They just do enough to get by, but never fully reach their potential.

Lamar Odom had the same problem in college. He was the best player on the court every night, but he never had the killer instinct. There's a reason why Lamar Odom is not an All-Star in this league and not mentioned on the same level as Kevin Garnett, Amare Stoudemire, or Tim Duncan. He just doesn't have the mental makeup and desire to be the best player in the league. If he really wanted to assert himself, he would be better than any of those players.

Kwame Brown still refuses to take accountability for his actions. I realize he had a terrible childhood, he had a rough introduction into the NBA, and he wasn't in the right system in Washington. However, a player who wants to be the best will force the issue and make it the right situation for themselves. I think him and Odom suffer from a defeatist attitude.

Chris Mihm is another under acheiver. He's been one his entire basketball career and he's shown little improvement since his rookie season. Again, he's just not tough enough mentally to play Center in the NBA. He backs down every time he's knocked out of position. Instead of fighting for hte position again, he just takes what the person gives him. He still has terrible hands, which makes it hard to give him an entry pass and still doesn't understand the angles of the game. He panics when the double team comes, and still hasn't learned to keep the ball above his head in traffic. He has a bad habit of keeping it low where guards can swipe at it. Also it's discouraging reading reports about how slow he is at learning the Triangle offense. When Andrew Bynum was brought in, he learned more than Chris Mihm in 3 days, versus half a season of playing in it for Mihm.

The Lakers are expecting Phil Jackson to do what he does best and get the most out of these guys. This is what makes predictions hard for this team. It's going to depend on how receptive they are to PJax, and how fast they can learn. Even with all the support, at the end of the day these three are only going to be as good as they want to be.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Lamont:</div><div class="quote_post">this is typical of laker fans and of kobe, blame everyone else beisdes Kobe.
i was watching a program about kobe's career a little while ago, it talked about how kobe was so popular his NBA rookie year yet he still remained a bench player on the lakers, because at the time he could not form a proper relationship with his other teamates, this hasn't changed in 10 years. kobe is extremely talented but its obvious he can't lead a team. last year wasn't a fluke, the 02-03 season when shaq was injured and kobe tried to lead the team, that was the year the laker dynasty streak ended and they lost to the spurs. maybe kobe and his fans should stop blaming the other teamates and start looking at Kobe himself.</div>

What show was this?

Kobe Bryant was benched because he didn't get along with his teammates? What a farce!

Kobe Bryant was benched because the Lakers had Eddie Jones starting at shooting guard and playing 38 minutes a game. They also had Byron Scott as the backup SG.

Let's also not forget who the GM was at the time, Jerry West. He would never put up with that attitude, especially coming from a rookie.

You always bring up last season and when Shaq was injured as reasons Kobe cannot lead a team.

Let me ask you, name one player who can lead a team not built around them?

The Lakers lineup is filled with players complimenting Shaq, not Kobe. The Lakers won't be able to completely make that transistion until 2007 when they finally have cap flexibility.

No one is blaming those players. Hell the season hasn't even started yet. My point was those players had issues with their careers well before Kobe Bryant was a teammate.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting phunDamentalz:</div><div class="quote_post">Shapecity you said "Kobe Bryant needs to be surrounded by players who are obsessed about winning championships."
Those players are not growing on trees. Guys talk the talk about how it's all about the ring, but most of them are content to "give it a shot and see what happens". I believe there are only a tiny group of guys who are truly obsessed about winning. And you could argue that the great players make their teammates better by turning them into guys obsessed about winning championships when before they were unmotivated. I don't really believe that every single person on say the MJ Bulls roster or the Spurs 03/05 is THAT much different drive-wise from Kwame/Lamar/Mihm, at least not until Tim or Jordan got to work with them. Manu aside, do you think Scottie Pippen or Steve Kerr or Nazr Mohammed were obsessed with winning championships? I think Kobe is a great player though, just not at the same level as Mike or TD. Not everyone can be those guys.</div>

I would disagree, I think every player on the Bulls roster was focused on winning the championship in those seasons, same with the Spurs. The job of the leader and head coach is to keep the team focused and provide motivation when players start slacking.

Scottie Pippen and Steve Kerr were definately obsessed with winning titles. When they felt the ride was over in Chicago they both moved on to places where they felt they could win another title. Nazr Mohammed might not have been focused, but once he got to San Antonio, he was forced to if he wanted any playing time.

Just because there might only be a handful of players obsessed with winning, doesn't mean you don't try to look for them. I think there are lot more than you realize in the league. Every year there is a new group of hungry veterans trying to claim glory before they can no longer play. Every year there is a new group of rookies who come from winning college programs and understand how a team functions.