The decline of Kobe Bryant

[indiefan24]

Bryant has lost a step, as do most players who've logged as many minutes as he has. His shooting this season, however, is no worse than any of his previous seasons (except from 3-point range). In fact, it's slightly better this season (46%) than his career average (45.5%).

Even if his fingers heal completely by the start of next season, we cannot expect his shooting to improve by a significant margin. If anything, it's his weary legs that account for his dismal shooting from 3-point range. As Ray Allen has stated several times, success from that distance is largely determined by lift provided by the legs.

Bryant, whose legs have endured more NBA minutes than Allen, has begun to show the signs of age and wear. This season, he is averaging about two more minutes per game than his career average and his resultant fatigue has been reflected in his pathetic 32.5% shooting from downtown. Bryant has partially compensated for his shooting struggles from distance by developing a very solid mid-range, fadeaway jumper (similar to MJ) that will prolong his career somewhat, but this may not work over the longer term.

The problem, of course, is that many defenders have figured out that Bryant is no longer the long-range threat he once was. As a result, they play a step off him closer to the basket. This accounts, in part, for Bryant's seeming inability to get past his man and to the rim with the ease he showed in his youth. This problem will only be exacerbated as Bryant continues to slow down with age.

I don't believe Bryant will be able to enjoy the same level of success that Jordan did in the latter years of his career. For one thing, Jordan was a much better passer than Bryant and was able to pass out of double-teams in the post with a much higher degree of success than Bryant has ever shown. If Bryant becomes more of a post player, he will only make it easier for teams to double or triple team him. Will he be able to find the open man in such situations? I don't think so.

Secondly, Jordan never relied on his three-point shooting to the extent that Bryant has throughout his career. As a result, the shift to a mid-range game may be a bigger problem for Bryant. Bryant has used his range to draw defenders to the perimeter and create lanes to the basket in the past. Now, as defenders begin to lose respect for his 3-point shooting, the paint will be more clogged as they play a step closer to the basket.

Thirdly, Jordan was always a higher percentage shooter (roughly 50% over his career) than Bryant, so he and his teams were able to enjoy success with that shooting ability.

Bryant, as noted above, has never shot a high percentage (not even 47% during a single season), so I'm less certain that he and his teams can enjoy as much success if Bryant's perimeter game is deteriorating. You can only be successful shooting a lower percentage if many of your shots are worth three-points instead of two. But if you shoot a lower percentage than the opposition on two point shots, then you will struggle to keep pace with most teams.

Unless Bryant can raise his shooting percentage to 50% or above, the Lakers will increasingly have games where Bryant's inferior shooting hurts his team's chances for victory (as we have seen far too many times in the past). Personally, I agree that Buss gave Bryant too much money for what he'll be able to provide over the next 3-4 years.

[AJ2k8]

I fail to see the point of this thread.

[Freshprince619]

Yawn. Cant find nothing better to do with your day then write a long ass post of hate? :rolleyes:

[Allstar24]

I'll bump this thread after the playoffs...

[dough]

He has more help now. He can take it easier. He's still one of the greatest players in the game.

[indiefan24]

Yawn. Cant find nothing better to do with your day then write a long ass post of hate? :rolleyes:

hate? reality bud.

[indiefan24]

I fail to see the point of this thread.

Then you must fail to see the point of most things...

[Freshprince619]

hate? reality bud.
You just said he is shooting better then his career average. So where do you see the great decline?
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o286/VespertineIconoclast/Obama-haters-gone-hate.gif

[ZenMaster]

So basically what your'e saying is that Kobe is not as good as Jordan... Way to go.:applause:

[AJ2k8]

Then you must fail to see the point of most things...

Well so far you haven't provided a reasoning or a purpose for this thread, even when it was criticized...

[DukeDelonte13]

well if it makes you kobe fans feel better, apparently Lebron at the age of 24 is already in decline according to some posters here.. :oldlol:

[AJ2k8]

well if it makes you kobe fans feel better, apparently Lebron at the age of 24 is already in decline according to some posters here.. :oldlol:
Well all that hair he's lost since he's entered the league must take some sort of toll on his performance...

[RoseCity07]

6 billion people on earth. Always someone going to be on kobe's ass.

[indiefan24]

So basically what your'e saying is that Kobe is not as good as Jordan... Way to go.:applause:

read it again

[indiefan24]

You just said he is shooting better then his career average. So where do you see the great decline?
http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o286/VespertineIconoclast/Obama-haters-gone-hate.gif

read

[beermonsteroo]

I think Kobe will decline rather quickly the next two years. He has some many games right now in his legs that this is not a shame though. I think in two years Kobe will a 20ppg 5 assists 5 rebounds at roughly 43 percent from the field.
In fact Jordan is the only shooting guard above 32 years who was still very effective and the best man at his position. I don't think Kobe can have the same level as Jordan from 32-35. Kobe has played a lot more games then Jordan had in his age, and Kobe was never on the athletic level of Jordan in the first place. Kobe at age 34 will be at best look like Jordan did at 38. Right now Kobe isn't even as good anymore as Jordan was at age 35.
This has nothing to do with Kobe bashing, its simply a fact.

[LA_Showtime]

he was playing in the post earlier in the season and he was doing fine. part of the reason he was shooting around 50% was because he wasn't taking stupid, off balanced 3 point shots. i think kobe's last couple months have more to do with his finger than anything else. he's still crafty enough with the ball to get by defenders, the problem is that his ball handling skills have noticably worsened since he broke his finger.

[ZenMaster]

read it again

Yeah you point out areas with him not being/will be as good as Jordan in the latter stage of his career.

[madmax]

Bryant isa aging and naturally declining...I mean why is that news to anyone? Isn't this a fact of life or what?:wtf:

[LA_Showtime]

well if it makes you kobe fans feel better, apparently Lebron at the age of 24 is already in decline according to some posters here.. :oldlol:

athletic decline and decline is different. lebron's obviously lost some explosion on his two footed leaps.

[DukeDelonte13]

athletic decline and decline is different. lebron's obviously lost some explosion on his two footed leaps.
:hammerhead:

Why do you keep insisting when you don't have a single shred of evidence of this assertion? :wtf:

[Kurosawa0]

Bryant is still a top five player. Probably top two, but I think it's legitimate to argue Wade or Durant. I may not agree, but you can argue it. He's obviously exiting his prime, but he probably has two to three seasons left at this level. With all the talent he has around him in LA, Kobe will contend for several years to come.

[golddigger31]

He will continue to play, play well with his team, but he won't be getting any better especially since he's out now for his fingers

[dr8ked]

I'm afraid that this finger injury thing will not go away, especially with the Fiba world championships coming up, and thats after a deep playoffs run. He should've went for surgery last year when this whole finger thing started, but he felt like he was tough and could handle it, i even remember posting that Kobe should never use his finger as an excuse for shooting horribly,since he had a chance to fix it but he passed on it.

[King Lebron LBJ]

well if it makes you kobe fans feel better, apparently Lebron at the age of 24 is already in decline according to some posters here.. :oldlol:

:wtf:

[LA_Showtime]

:hammerhead:

Why do you keep insisting when you don't have a single shred of evidence of this assertion? :wtf:

look at some earlier videos. lebron's two footed leaping skills aren't the same. hell, in general he's not as explosive as he used to be. he's still effective though because A) he's a freak athlete who is still plenty athletic and B) he's 6'9 260 and players bounce off him.

[Mr Clutch Melo]

http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Content/Image/06-02-2008/NBA-ref.jpg

[tontoz]

Kobe has never been a good 3 point shooter. This year he is shooting only 1.5% worse than his career average. I don't see the significance to this given his injury problems.

Dumb thread

[King Lebron LBJ]

Kobe has never been a good 3 point shooter. This year he is shooting only 1.5% worse than his career average. I don't see the significance to this given his injury problems.

Dumb thread

Well Kobe has always been a volume shooter, shooting % has never been a true decider with Kobe.

[indiefan24]

Kobe has never been a good 3 point shooter. This year he is shooting only 1.5% worse than his career average. I don't see the significance to this given his injury problems.

Dumb thread

you're dumb for posting

[mlh1981]

Bryant isa aging and naturally declining...I mean why is that news to anyone? Isn't this a fact of life or what?:wtf:

But it's not supposed to happen to Kobe Bryant.

[artex]

He has more help now. He can take it easier. He's still one of the greatest players in the game.
yup

[King Lebron LBJ]

Bryant is still a top five player. Probably top two, but I think it's legitimate to argue Wade or Durant. I may not agree, but you can argue it. He's obviously exiting his prime, but he probably has two to three seasons left at this level. With all the talent he has around him in LA, Kobe will contend for several years to come.

I think next year is when Durant will likely overtake Kobe. Even at 32..Kobe will still average 26. 5 and 5 but he will no longer be feared offensively.

[crisoner]

I think next year is when Durant will likely overtake Kobe. Even at 32..Kobe will still average 26. 5 and 5 but he will no longer be feared offensively.


:banghead:

[King Lebron LBJ]

:banghead:


By that I mean he won't see as many double teams. Teams will be confident in guarding him one on one without him going crazy on a regular basics.

[Jasper22]

IndieFag24, stop hating!

[StacksOnDeck]

A bunch of idiots in this thread. Kobe is in his 13th season and he's still a top 4 scorer in the league and top 5 player. Who else can be that good after 13 seasons?

[ShaqAttack3234]

Who else can be that good after 13 seasons?

Jordan won an MVP, championship and finals MVP in his 13th season, Shaq was number 2 in MVP voting in his 13th season and Kareem won a championship in his 13th season.

[StacksOnDeck]

Jordan won an MVP, championship and finals MVP in his 13th season, Shaq was number 2 in MVP voting in his 13th season and Kareem won a championship in his 13th season.

So basically comparing Kobe to Kareem and MJ? That's how good he is.

Shaq also missed a lot of games for a lot of seasons.Not comparable.

[chazzy]

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/sports_blog/2010/04/ted-green-is-kobe-bryant-getting-old.html

Did you copy and paste from the comment section of this article... or are you Gaz V?

[indiefan24]

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/sports_blog/2010/04/ted-green-is-kobe-bryant-getting-old.html

Did you copy and paste from the comment section of this article... or are you Gaz V?

I didn't get too much feedback over there so I posted it here.

[indiefan24]

IndieFag24, stop hating!

awww

[ShaqAttack3234]

So basically comparing Kobe to Kareem and MJ? That's how good he is.

Shaq also missed a lot of games for a lot of seasons.Not comparable.

But Shaq was also several years older than Kobe, was playing more minutes early on than Kobe and Kobe missed his fair share of games as well, missed 11 in his rookie season, missed 16 in 2000, 14 in 2001, 17 in 2004 and 16 in 2005.

And Karl Malone was also better than Kobe in his 13th season.

[StacksOnDeck]

But Shaq was also several years older than Kobe, was playing more minutes early on than Kobe and Kobe missed his fair share of games as well, missed 11 in his rookie season, missed 16 in 2000, 14 in 2001, 17 in 2004 and 16 in 2005.

And Karl Malone was also better than Kobe in his 13th season.

When you consider the fact that Kobe played so many more games than Karl cause he went further in the playoffs a lot more times than him, it's not comparable.

[Younggrease]

But Shaq was also several years older than Kobe, was playing more minutes early on than Kobe and Kobe missed his fair share of games as well, missed 11 in his rookie season, missed 16 in 2000, 14 in 2001, 17 in 2004 and 16 in 2005.

And Karl Malone was also better than Kobe in his 13th season.

well I'll guess that Kobe would be better than Malone in his 14th year...and also I'll take over 97-98 Malone any day of the week, there is something about Malone that he couldnt get baskets during winning time and teams started clamping down on defense. I'll take the guy who gets it done during winning time.

[Xsatyr]

read

I can't read, I can only write.

[rfm767]

hate

[glidedrxlr22]

It

[lefthook00]

Just wait till next season when we will really be able to tell how much he has declined.

[dynasty1978]

well I'll guess that Kobe would be better than Malone in his 14th year...and also I'll take over 97-98 Malone any day of the week, there is something about Malone that he couldnt get baskets during winning time and teams started clamping down on defense. I'll take the guy who gets it done during winning time.

This. Having seen both play, Karl Malone was a perfect example of why stats don't tell the whole story. Still, some good company to be in whether it's Kareem, Shaq, MJ...Karl. It isn't the age, but the mileage as they say.

[catch24]

It's NOT that he's on the decline, but the nagging injuries IMO. He was still 31 at the beginning of the season (shooting close to 50% and averaging, what, 30-35ppg?). Come playoff time we'll see, but I still believe it's his finger(s).

[ShaqAttack3234]

When you consider the fact that Kobe played so many more games than Karl cause he went further in the playoffs a lot more times than him, it's not comparable.

You have an excuse for everything. Nevermind the fact that Karl Malone was starting from the time he entered the league, he missed just 5 games in his first 13 seasons and he was older than Kobe.

No excuses, Jordan, O'Neal, Malone and arguably Kareem were all better in their 13th season than Kobe.

However, before injuries hurt Kobe's season, he was playing some of the best basketball of his career.

[StacksOnDeck]

You have an excuse for everything. Nevermind the fact that Karl Malone was starting from the time he entered the league, he missed just 5 games in his first 13 seasons and he was older than Kobe.

No excuses, Jordan, O'Neal, Malone and arguably Kareem were all better in their 13th season than Kobe.

However, before injuries hurt Kobe's season, he was playing some of the best basketball of his career.

O'Neal :rolleyes:

[catch24]

Shaq '06 > Kobe '10? Eh, guess it's arguable.

[ShaqAttack3234]

O'Neal :rolleyes:


Shaq '06 > Kobe '10? Eh, guess it's arguable.

Shaq in the 2004-2005 season was in his 13th season, 2nd in MVP voting and many thought he was robbed. Kobe is currently better than Shaq has been since that season, though.

[Disaprine]

Bryant has lost a step, as do most players who've logged as many minutes as he has. His shooting this season, however, is no worse than any of his previous seasons (except from 3-point range). In fact, it's slightly better this season (46%) than his career average (45.5%).

Even if his fingers heal completely by the start of next season, we cannot expect his shooting to improve by a significant margin. If anything, it's his weary legs that account for his dismal shooting from 3-point range. As Ray Allen has stated several times, success from that distance is largely determined by lift provided by the legs.

Bryant, whose legs have endured more NBA minutes than Allen, has begun to show the signs of age and wear. This season, he is averaging about two more minutes per game than his career average and his resultant fatigue has been reflected in his pathetic 32.5% shooting from downtown. Bryant has partially compensated for his shooting struggles from distance by developing a very solid mid-range, fadeaway jumper (similar to MJ) that will prolong his career somewhat, but this may not work over the longer term.

The problem, of course, is that many defenders have figured out that Bryant is no longer the long-range threat he once was. As a result, they play a step off him closer to the basket. This accounts, in part, for Bryant's seeming inability to get past his man and to the rim with the ease he showed in his youth. This problem will only be exacerbated as Bryant continues to slow down with age.

I don't believe Bryant will be able to enjoy the same level of success that Jordan did in the latter years of his career. For one thing, Jordan was a much better passer than Bryant and was able to pass out of double-teams in the post with a much higher degree of success than Bryant has ever shown. If Bryant becomes more of a post player, he will only make it easier for teams to double or triple team him. Will he be able to find the open man in such situations? I don't think so.

Secondly, Jordan never relied on his three-point shooting to the extent that Bryant has throughout his career. As a result, the shift to a mid-range game may be a bigger problem for Bryant. Bryant has used his range to draw defenders to the perimeter and create lanes to the basket in the past. Now, as defenders begin to lose respect for his 3-point shooting, the paint will be more clogged as they play a step closer to the basket.

Thirdly, Jordan was always a higher percentage shooter (roughly 50% over his career) than Bryant, so he and his teams were able to enjoy success with that shooting ability.

Bryant, as noted above, has never shot a high percentage (not even 47% during a single season), so I'm less certain that he and his teams can enjoy as much success if Bryant's perimeter game is deteriorating. You can only be successful shooting a lower percentage if many of your shots are worth three-points instead of two. But if you shoot a lower percentage than the opposition on two point shots, then you will struggle to keep pace with most teams.

Unless Bryant can raise his shooting percentage to 50% or above, the Lakers will increasingly have games where Bryant's inferior shooting hurts his team's chances for victory (as we have seen far too many times in the past). Personally, I agree that Buss gave Bryant too much money for what he'll be able to provide over the next 3-4 years.

Wonderwoman - Bride of Darkseid

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTUJiyDXiMc

[catch24]

Shaq in the 2004-2005 season was in his 13th season, 2nd in MVP voting and many thought he was robbed. Kobe is currently better than Shaq has been since that season, though.

04-05 Shaq was def better (in the regular season) than Kobe currently, I agree. For some reason, I thought Shaq was in his 13th year during the 05-06 season...You're right though.

[Kellogs4toniee]

He's lost a step.... that's common sense. He's in his 14th year in the league. How are the rest of the 1996 draft doin: Iverson (not playing), Marbury(not playing in NBA), Camby(good role player), O'Neal(good role player), Z? It's more than normal that he's declining. What's not normal is that he's still playing at such a high level when his contemporaries are not.

Even at a clearly visibly declining stage he is still a top five player in the league. What I mean by that is, when your playing a game and you have an opportunity to pick five players to choose from, 90%+ percent of the time you will have Kobe among your five picks. That in itself is an amazing accomplishment given the minutes and games he's played.

He's played all 164 games the last two seasons, bringing 2 finals appearances and a championship. Out of those in his draft, only Allen Iverson and Ray Allen have played more minutes...barely, yet those two are clearly not the kind of force that Kobe is still today.

Essentially, there is no one that was picked in or around the same draft as Kobe that still plays at the all - star / borderline elite level that Kobe is playing at today.

Someone mentioned how Jordan, Kareem, Shaq, etc. were all still playing at a high level respective to the year they were in the league and to Kobe's current predicament. What are we arguing about here? That Kobe isn't a MJ, Shaq, or Kareem? Ok... less than .1 % of the players in the NBA are.

What i'm trying to get at is that the majority finally understanding that Kobe is taking that drastic decline just now is in itself an amazing testimony to the legend of Kobe Bryant's physical and mental take to the game.

[sodapop]

Kobe declined? I believe NOT! He's better today than he was a few yrs. ago. His game is highly advance, he has many options to score. The main question should be, who can stop Kobe? As of today, nobody. I'm not a Kobe fan nor I do not like the Lakers. However, Kobe is a once in a life time great player. LeBron James is next - if he can avoid knee injury.

[ShaqAttack3234]

04-05 Shaq was def better (in the regular season) than Kobe currently, I agree. For some reason, I thought Shaq was in his 13th year during the 05-06 season...You're right though.

Yeah, 2005-2006 was when Shaq really seemed to age IMO and fall from the game's true elite. I mean he was declining to some degree in 2003-2004, but I attributed a lot of that decline to the chemistry problems on the team and sharing the ball with Kobe, Malone and Payton.

[Jacks3]

His numbers are down because of the broken finger.

[thejumpa]

What i'm trying to get at is that the majority finally understanding that Kobe is taking that drastic decline just now is in itself an amazing testimony to the legend of Kobe Bryant's physical and mental take to the game.

Pretty much. Even though I think Kobe is on a decline in terms of consistency, his skills are still polished and effective. If any of you actually watched MJ, he did the exact same thing that Kobe is doing and that Dwayne Wade will have to do....more mid range shots and more scoring in the post. At this point, it's less about athleticism and more about superior footwork/shooting skills. That evolution of his game is pretty cool to see I think.

[Jacks3]

His finger looks terrible. Its like completely crooked and facing in a very unnatural direction.
http://img689.imageshack.us/img689/726/interviewx.png

[KenneBell]

That looks pretty disgusting. Of course, ISH would lead you to believe that it doesn't effect him. :oldlol:

Kobe from October to January showed no signs of drop off and he maybe was even better than he was in 08-09. He was putting up 31/6/4.5 on 49% shooting. Of course, he doesn't have the explosiveness and quickness are leaving him but his effectiveness hasn't decreased in my opinion.

It's hard to be at your best when you can't dribble the ball or shoot the way you want to.

[oh the horror]

That looks pretty disgusting. Of course, ISH would lead you to believe that it doesn't effect him. :oldlol:

Kobe from October to January showed no signs of drop off and he maybe was even better than he was in 08-09. He was putting up 31/6/4.5 on 49% shooting. Of course, he doesn't have the explosiveness and quickness are leaving him but his effectiveness hasn't decreased in my opinion.

It's hard to be at your best when you can't dribble the ball or shoot the way you want to.



Agreed. Im not sure why people do not acknowledge injuries when it comes to star players. I know the great ones make it LOOK easy, so one would believe that Kobe is merely having quite the drop off, and is shooting poorly due to him being on somewhat of his last legs these days, but the reality is ....Dude HAS BEEN playing through injury for a majority of the season. And that finger DOES IN FACT hinder his play pretty damn greatly.



Which is why I dont understand why dude is playing for the national team this summer. (at least I believe he is?)

[Knoe Itawl]

That looks pretty disgusting. Of course, ISH would lead you to believe that it doesn't effect him. :oldlol:

Kobe from October to January showed no signs of drop off and he maybe was even better than he was in 08-09. He was putting up 31/6/4.5 on 49% shooting. Of course, he doesn't have the explosiveness and quickness are leaving him but his effectiveness hasn't decreased in my opinion.

It's hard to be at your best when you can't dribble the ball or shoot the way you want to.

The bball season starts practically November 1. It was from there until about mid December that he was putting up those numbers. That's hardly enough of a sample size to ASSume he'd be doing it all year. Especially considering he's NEVER DONE IT BEFORE. What, at age 31 he was going to?

As for the injuries thing, you Kobe guys have used it so much that even when it may be legitimate, people :rolleyes:

It's like the boy who cried wolf. Every time Kobe has had a bad game in the past 8 years some fanboy whines that he was "injured" or "the rape case affected him" or "he's facing the greatest defense ever in the NBA" or some such garbage.

[Jacks3]

http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/bryanko01/splits/2010/
Look at the huge drop-off in FT%/FG% after the injury in late December...Not a coincidence..

[ShaqAttack3234]

Knoe Itawl does have a point, but I did see a different Kobe than any other version I had seen earlier. Despite not shooting 3's, his TS% had to be up there with any other seasons, but more importantly he was more consistent. He wasn't have the huge 45+ point games, but he was almost a lock for a solid 30+ point night with a few efficient 40 point games and the Lakers were winning. He looked almost unstoppable in the post. Not saying he would have kept up 30/6/4.5 on 49% for the entire season, but I do think he would have had a better season(which is reasonable considering the injury). I'd say atleast 28-29 ppg on 47-48% shooting.

[Indian guy]

There's no case of an all time great suddenly falling off at 31. Every Top 20 great was beasting at that age. Maybe not as well as they did in their late 20's, but they were all still legit superstars in the game. It's foolish to think a supremely skilled player like Kobe has declined so steeply at 31, especially when there was no drop-off in his play this season prior to his injury.

[Babalu]

Kobe's declined with age, no doubt about it. But his biggest problem right now isn't tired legs or decline, its his finger. Kobe has always been good enough to make tough shots and find ways to get a shot off nomatter who is guarding him. He always takes so many ill-advised shots. Its just now he's missing more of em because of his fingers.

If kobe stays out of international ball this summer and heals his fingers, I think next season he will be back to form. Not explosive awesome super kobe like when he was younger, but back to the kobe we saw the first few months of this season, who was playing very very good ball. He has declined, but not enough to just toss him out in the wind. He still has a few seasons of greatness left. If he can get healthy and rest.

[oh the horror]

The problem is, dude just refuses to rest, and or get surgery to repair that finger. He keeps playing, and playing, and playing.

[Poodle]

i disagree on the point that kobe's jumper can't improve due to his declining lift on his shot. i think he can and probably will last in the league for years to come similar to MJ did where they become above average shooters more or less, and stll draw the attentiion because they are still a huge threat at it. that lift is a bunch of crap imo, jumpers can be on/off for players season to season where its mostly about feel and comfortability of that year.

kobe still has days where he looks good driving but i agree for the most part you can't rely on him being able to do that, where he more or less turns everything into a jumper. when they're not falling he hurts them more than helps most of the time, and thats my biggest criticism of kobe. he's just not always a smart player imo, more than coming across as selfish and it being about him more than the team. which is why i really think manu would help the lakers more overall than kobe, for how wacked that sounds. manu rarely is dumb like that.

if he were to focus just on his jumper more or less knowing thats all he has at some point, i think he can be better at it than now. MJ became a better jump shooter when he became more 1 dimensional later in his career imo. and a lot of kobe's shots are mid range these days, especially his game winners. but really the problem with EVERY more or less 1 dimensional jump shooter, including ray allen, is when they're shot isn't falling they SUCK. whch happens a little too often...

[bleedinpurpleTwo]

hopefully, Kobe will get some rest this summer. He needs it. From the championship, Olympics, to season again. He needs rest.

I don't know the full story on his fingers, but hopefully they, too, can heal to 100%.

He no longer has a great first step and thus increasingly relies upon outside shooting. Therefore, his fingers need to be 100%.

[ShaqAttack3234]

hopefully, Kobe will get some rest this summer. He needs it. From the championship, Olympics, to season again. He needs rest.

I don't know the full story on his fingers, but hopefully they, too, can heal to 100%.

He no longer has a great first step and thus increasingly relies upon outside shooting. Therefore, his fingers need to be 100%.

I agree, I think Kobe needs to get surgery after the playoffs, rest the entire summer until he's fully healed and if he needs to sit out the early part of the season then he has to do that. The Lakers have enough talent that he doesn't have to kill himself all regular season long, and really entering his 14th year he won't be able to. It would also benefit him to have his minutes limited moore like 2008-2009 or even more. He averaged 36 mpg in the 2008-2009 season and then he was ready for the playoffs where he was great. Killed Denver in the tune of 34/6/6 on 48% shooting in the WCF and he averaged 30/5/5 for the entire playoffs.

[Kellogs4toniee]

There's no case of an all time great suddenly falling off at 31. Every Top 20 great was beasting at that age. Maybe not as well as they did in their late 20's, but they were all still legit superstars in the game. It's foolish to think a supremely skilled player like Kobe has declined so steeply at 31, especially when there was no drop-off in his play this season prior to his injury.

Who do you have in your Top 20 that came straight out of High School besides Kobe Bryant? With this new generation, you have to measure it based on the amount of games / years they've played, not there age.

No one sane has said he has "declined so steeply." It's just that it's more obvious this year then previous years that he has lost that athleticism from his earlier years. People tend to forget his career numbers and just think of all his high-light athletic plays. Then they compare that to this season and "think" he has declined. In terms of numbers, he is doing just fine and still posting top five player stats.

[gts]

The bball season starts practically November 1. It was from there until about mid December that he was putting up those numbers. That's hardly enough of a sample size to ASSume he'd be doing it all year. Especially considering he's NEVER DONE IT BEFORE. What, at age 31 he was going to?

As for the injuries thing, you Kobe guys have used it so much that even when it may be legitimate, people :rolleyes:

It's like the boy who cried wolf. Every time Kobe has had a bad game in the past 8 years some fanboy whines that he was "injured" or "the rape case affected him" or "he's facing the greatest defense ever in the NBA" or some such garbage.
and you're the boy who cried "kobe"

man don't you ever get tired of coming out of the woodwork, firing up this tired old gimmick and making a fool out of yourself? or are you really this simple?

[bleedinpurpleTwo]

or are you really this simple?

I assume that is a rhetorical question.

[Poodle]

Who do you have in your Top 20 that came straight out of High School besides Kobe Bryant? With this new generation, you have to measure it based on the amount of games / years they've played, not there age.

No one sane has said he has "declined so steeply." It's just that it's more obvious this year then previous years that he has lost that athleticism from his earlier years. People tend to forget his career numbers and just think of all his high-light athletic plays. Then they compare that to this season and "think" he has declined. In terms of numbers, he is doing just fine and still posting top five player stats.


its the other way around. people who only look at the numbers won't know he's declined athletically and going to the basket, but people who watch him know he has, including laker homers, who for the most part don't deny it. well i guess some of you excuse it with injuries but even then i think a lot of them know it.

[indiefan24]

you betcha

[lakerHater]

Heres another example, he needs rest even when he hasnt played since Sunday!!:lol

[RealKnowledge]

Heres another example, he needs rest even when he hasnt played since Sunday!!:lol
Lebron is taking his 3rd day off this season. I guess he's declining too :rolleyes:

[Mrofir]

Kobe has never been a good 3 point shooter. This year he is shooting only 1.5% worse than his career average. I don't see the significance to this given his injury problems.

Dumb thread


legit

edit: though i think it's kind of ridiculous how everyone feels the need to post to express a desire for the thread not existing. That just seems strange to me. Nobody does that to my threads, theyre usually just ignored. And some of them are pretty stupid. What gives..

[ShaqAttack3234]

Heres another example, he needs rest even when he hasnt played since Sunday!!:lol

He's played injured, he's in his 13th season, it's close to the playoffs and the games aren't that important right now. Resting Kobe is a great move regardless.

Kobe's finger injury really acted up in January, plus he made a back injury that month as well and in February he injured his ankle. Where were all of these people talking about this decline through December? You know, when he was averaging 30.4 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 4.5 apg and 2.1 spg on 48.5% shooting and his team was 25-6?

Do you think it's a coincidence that all of the injuries pop up and he then averages just 23.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg and 1.3 spg on 42.2% shooting for the next 2 months? Then after getting rest, averages a very solid 26.1 ppg, 5.3 rpg and 5.9 apg on 48.4% shooting in March.

[ImmortalD24]

He's played injured, he's in his 14th season, it's close to the playoffs and the games aren't that important right now. Resting Kobe is a great move regardless.

Kobe's finger injury really acted up in January, plus he made a back injury that month as well and in February he injured his ankle. Where were all of these people talking about this decline through December? You know, when he was averaging 30.4 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 4.5 apg and 2.1 spg on 48.5% shooting and his team was 25-6?

Do you think it's a coincidence that all of the injuries pop up and he then averages just 23.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg and 1.3 spg on 42.2% shooting for the next 2 months? Then after getting rest, averages a very solid 26.1 ppg, 5.3 rpg and 5.9 apg on 48.4% shooting in March.minor fix.

[O.J A 6'4Mamba]

thats a myth the decline of kobe

[RaceBannana]

I don`t know why people act like they are surprised.... Anybody who has followed Kobe

[riseagainst]

I think Kobe will decline rather quickly the next two years. He has some many games right now in his legs that this is not a shame though. I think in two years Kobe will a 20ppg 5 assists 5 rebounds at roughly 43 percent from the field.
In fact Jordan is the only shooting guard above 32 years who was still very effective and the best man at his position. I don't think Kobe can have the same level as Jordan from 32-35. Kobe has played a lot more games then Jordan had in his age, and Kobe was never on the athletic level of Jordan in the first place. Kobe at age 34 will be at best look like Jordan did at 38. Right now Kobe isn't even as good anymore as Jordan was at age 35.
This has nothing to do with Kobe bashing, its simply a fact.

dam....

gawdbe.

:bowdown: :bowdown: :bowdown:

[Jameerthefear]

How stupid do you think op felt throughout the playoffs :lol

[Levity]

these sort of threads are interesting to read through, because its always a fun to guess what current alts go along with these past, now defunct, posters.

[Jacks3]

4 seasons later and he's sill putting up 27/6//6 on excellent efficeiny.

Proving the haters wrong again.

:roll:

[Twiens]

He's declined defensively, still as scary as anyone in the league on offense though.

[The-Legend-24]

People been saying this since like 09. And he keeps proving them wrong. :oldlol: :applause:

[Scholar]

3 years later & Kobe's still averaging 27/6/6.


Decline THAT!

[miggyme1]

The only thing that has declined is his sperm count.

[KingLeBronJames]

Kobe declining? :oldlol:

[ripthekik]

the only thing declining is lebron's hair line.

[WayOfWade]

His prediction was correct, it's just quite a few years early that's all.