Kobe Bryant needs to take a backseat if the lakers want to contend

[Boston C's]

its pretty freakin sad when you got guys as talented as dwight howard and pau gasol taking less then 10 shots per game on quite a few occasions (gasol regularly)

the shot distribution needs to be close between kobe and dwight...if dwight isnt at least a 1B option then the lakers will continue to stay mediocre just because kobes ego cant handle letting someone else shine

btw why in the world are there nights where metta world peace is allowed to shoot more then dwight :facepalm

[KingLeBronJames]

No he doesn't. It's their defense. It's horrible.

[M.Bustly15A5RU8]

If they had a good point guard instead of Kobe they'd have a winning record.

[Whoah10115]

A backseat to who? Pau is not in the game and it's not Kobe jackin shots. Dwight is still hurt and not playing with any kind of consistency. Where's his defense?


Besides, they have no PG. Kobe has been awesome.

[Boston C's]

No he doesn't. It's their defense. It's horrible.

their defense is horrible yea but the more games i see played the more i realize that d antonis system is such a fail...every other game youll see dwight with less then 10 shots it seems like and freakin metta world peace shoots more then him

this team on paper should be a favorite to win the championship...the way they are playin theyll be a 6-8 seed

[shadow]

his ass just needs to play some freakin' defense. All he does is stand around and point out to teammates that they need to cover his guy.

[Boston C's]

A backseat to who? Pau is not in the game and it's not Kobe jackin shots. Dwight is still hurt and not playing with any kind of consistency. Where's his defense?


Besides, they have no PG. Kobe has been awesome.

never said kobe hasnt been awesome and plz be real...before pau went down the lakers were struggling...pau is being releagated to a spot up shooter...you have 2 premier post players the lakers dont utilize them at all

[KingLeBronJames]

their defense is horrible yea but the more games i see played the more i realize that d antonis system is such a fail...every other game youll see dwight with less then 10 shots it seems like and freakin metta world peace shoots more then him

this team on paper should be a favorite to win the championship...the way they are playin theyll be a 6-8 seed
Maybe it looks like a fail so far. Let's judge when Steve Nash comes back. The guy that made the offense successful. The guy that knows how to run it. And also maybe Pau to have the team have full strength. For now, I'd say DEFENSE is the real issue with the Lakers.

[Boston C's]

Maybe it looks like a fail so far. Let's judge when Steve Nash comes back. The guy that made the offense successful. The guy that knows how to run it. And also maybe Pau to have the team have full strength. For now, I'd say DEFENSE is the real issue with the Lakers.

true...i guess its just me thinking that a 38 yr old pg wouldnt make that much of a difference but this is d antonis system...also nash and pau can work the pick and roll beautifully...any timetable on his return?

[Micku]

No he doesn't. It's their defense. It's horrible.

And the turnovers. They are pretty bad too.

While I agree that Howard needs a lot more shots, he had a decent amount of shots tonight against the Thunder.

If the Lakers want to contend, they either have to play better defense and lower down their turnovers. Or become the best offensive team in the league with Nash coming back.

[LALakerFan4Life]

true...i guess its just me thinking that a 38 yr old pg wouldnt make that much of a difference but this is d antonis system...also nash and pau can work the pick and roll beautifully...any timetable on his return?
Pau is day to day. From what I hear about Nash, it's about 2 weeks.

[longtime lurker]

its pretty freakin sad when you got guys as talented as dwight howard and pau gasol taking less then 10 shots per game on quite a few occasions (gasol regularly)

the shot distribution needs to be close between kobe and dwight...if dwight isnt at least a 1B option then the lakers will continue to stay mediocre just because kobes ego cant handle letting someone else shine

btw why in the world are there nights where metta world peace is allowed to shoot more then dwight :facepalm

It's obvious you've never seen Dwight play :facepalm

[Boston C's]

It's obvious you've never seen Dwight play :facepalm

nope totally oblivious to who dwight howard is... is he a point guard?

[kuniva_dAMiGhTy]

A backseat to who exactly? :confusedshrug:

If there is anything Kobe needs to do, it's play some freaking defense. He and his Lakers look pathetic out there.

[D.J.]

They need to play D and stop making stupid decisions with the basketball. Kobe has been his usual self on offense, but he needs to play D.

[Dictator]

Dwight took 17fgas and had 6 tos.

Kobe had 7asts.

Has nothing to do with Kobe nor Dwight but team defense.

[Boston C's]

A backseat to who exactly? :confusedshrug:

If there's anything Kobe needs to do, it's play some freaking defense. He and his Lakers look pathetic out there.

its not him taking a backseat....its that this isnt 2005 anymore and he doesnt need to shoot 25 plus shots on a nightly basis...you have the best center in the league on your team you have one of the most skilled power forwards in the game (when healthy)...get them their touches as well as yourself...the lakers need a balanced attack if they wanna go anywhere

kobe can and should lead the team in scoring but as long as its a balanced attack theyll be more successful

also as others have pointed out their defense is horrendous

[AirTupac]

its not him taking a backseat....its that this isnt 2005 anymore and he doesnt need to shoot 25 plus shots on a nightly basis...you have the best center in the league on your team you have one of the most skilled power forwards in the game (when healthy)...get them their touches as well as yourself...the lakers need a balanced attack if they wanna go anywhere

kobe can and should lead the team in scoring but as long as its a balanced attack theyll be more successful

also as others have pointed out their defense is horrendous

Why do you insist on posting when you don't watch the games. Pau gets touches all the time and he doesn't even bother to look at the basket anymore because he tries to pass AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. The fact that you mention him in your post just shows how much you know about this team.

Agreed about the defense, its disgusting.

[Boston C's]

Why do you insist on posting when you don't watch the games. Pau gets touches all the time and he doesn't even bother to look at the basket anymore because he tries to pass AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. The fact that you mention him in your post just shows how much you know about this team.

Agreed about the defense, its disgusting.

pau has been relegated to a spot up shooter in d antonis system...dude can hit shots but thats not exactly his bread and butter...if the lakers dont wanna utilize him properly then you better trade him for a stretch 4 like d antoni wants for his system

its not about the touches its about being in a postion to score...rarely do i see pau on the block at all...hell whatever happened to close games when kobe and pau used the pick and roll and either kobe would get a good look or pau would get it at the rim...did that just stop working or something :confusedshrug:

[Jacks3]

He's taking 19 FGA per game on amazing efficiency...and they're still under .500

It's incredible how people ALWAYS wanna make it about Kobe's shot attempts...it's like they can't comprehend that their problems go well beyond how much Kobe shoots the ball. Defenses, rebounding, bench play, turnovers,coaching...nobody wants to discuss that stuff.

[Boston C's]

He's taking 19 FGA per game on amazing efficiency...and they're still under .500

It's incredible how people ALWAYS wanna make it about Kobe's shot attempts...it's like they can't comprehend that their problems go well beyond how much Kobe shoots the ball. Defenses, rebounding, bench play, turnovers,coaching...nobody wants to discuss that stuff.

the defense is horrible...the turnovers are bad...those stuff definitely jump to mind first especially the defense...but kobe yes hes averaging about 19.5 shots per game which isnt bad (including tonight) dwight on the other hand is averaging 11 shots...lemme say that again ELEVEN SHOTS...that is inexcusable when you have arguably the best big man in the game...metta world peace is averaging 10.5 shots a game...WHY IS THAT MAN SHOOTING THAT MUCH IN THE FIRST PLACE...im not even a laker fan but the fact that hes shooting that much and hes almost equal on shot attempts for dwight is beyond me and ridiculous

[Yao Ming's Foot]

Sounds like a brilliant plan, lets have the most efficient player on the team take less shots.

Is that you Mike Brown?

[selrahc]

its pretty obvious you dont watch the games

[DatAsh]

Kobe's shooting isn't their problem. If anything, it's one of the best parts of their game so far. It's also not their defense, contrary to popular belief. Their biggest problem so far has been the turnovers.


Sounds like a brilliant plan, lets have the most efficient player on the team take less shots.

Is that you Mike Brown?

You don't always want your most efficient player shooting the most shots.

[Yao Ming's Foot]

Kobe's shooting isn't their problem. If anything, it's one of the best parts of their game so far. It's also not their defense, contrary to popular belief. Their biggest problem so far has been the turnovers.



You don't always want your most efficient player shooting the most shots.

Yeah you do as long as their quality of new shots is consistent with what resulted in high efficiency. :confusedshrug:

[NLZ]

Howard is averaging more shots this season than his career average, he's very limited offensively. Why do you think he deserves more shots? Even without the outside shooting he had in Orlando, he's been able to get fairly deep position because of the attention Kobe draws, not rocket science exactly. Pau Gasol? that's a different story. It's more of Brown's/Dantoni's (the systems) fault than Bryants, Gasol had career-years without these coaches and with Bryant.

[Lebron23]

He needs to concentrate on improving his defense. Kobe has been a mediocre defender this year, and the Lakers sucks defensively.

[I<3NBA]

their defense lose them games. they scored over 100 this game. no problem with offense. but Kobe does have fault since he's playing horrible defense.

[chazzy]

Kobe's playing the same defense he has for the past couple years, if anything it's better this year than 2011. Why is it now such a huge problem for this team's success? Main problem during a lot of possessions is penetration from the PG, which forces Dwight to rotate, and then the man who's supposed to help the helper isn't rotating quickly enough. That includes Pau, Jamison, Kobe, Metta. Seems to me this is the new talking point now that you can't point as his efficiency.

[DatAsh]

Yeah you do as long as their quality of new shots is consistent with what resulted in high efficiency. :confusedshrug:

And therein lies the rub.

[clipps]

their defense is horrible yea but the more games i see played the more i realize that d antonis system is such a fail...every other game youll see dwight with less then 10 shots it seems like and freakin metta world peace shoots more then him

this team on paper should be a favorite to win the championship...the way they are playin theyll be a 6-8 seed

If they are lucky. The Lakers might as well start tanking so they get some new phenom or something. The Lakers would have been better off keeping Mike Brown.

[KingLeBronJames]

If they are lucky. The Lakers might as well start tanking so they get some new phenom or something. The Lakers would have been better off keeping Mike Brown.
Mike Brown doesn't know what the hell he's doing.

[clipps]

Mike Brown doesn't know what the hell he's doing.
Neither does Mike D. Might as well throw a Kobe Stan in there as the Lakers head coach.

[G-Funk]

Kobr is the only player in NBA history to get shyt even when he plays well. Lakers as a team need to focus on hustling on defense and work on their TOs... watch a game.

[bdreason]

So who is going to take Kobe's seat at the wheel?



Trust me, I'm the first one to get on Kobe when he's playing selfish, but the Lakers need every point he can put on the board these days.

[dabulls23]

cool story ...:facepalm

[poido123]

1-8 when kobe scores more than 30+ :lol:

They are not winning a title with Kobe leading the scoring regularly. You have to think that this affects the team negatively, and teamwork suffers because if it.

[Nick Young]

A backseat to who, Dwight Howard and his two post moves?:roll:

[2010splash]

Dwight is simply overrated, as is Pau. Dwight is in his physical prime and the most gifted athlete at the center position, yet is putting up rich man's Tyson Chandler type stats. He's simply not that good, not a once in a lifetime talent in the mold of a Hakeem/Robinson/Shaq etc but rather just an all-star level center who stands out because of his weak competition. He's also a horrible passer with very little skill. Can't dominate/impose his will on a game because of poor skill level.

As far as Pau, this boy was a straight beast as recent as 2 years ago. Dude was probably better than any PF in the league in 2009 and 2010 and hands down top 10 in the league. He just sucks now for some reason.

Meanwhile, the guy in his 17th season and aged 34 is tearing sh*t up like nobody's business and it's HIS fault? Please... Kobe has proven to us what a true superstar is. Faux stars like Dwight and Pau are proving to us that they just aren't all that good.

[longtime lurker]

1-8 when kobe scores more than 30+ :lol:

They are not winning a title with Kobe leading the scoring regularly. You have to think that this affects the team negatively, and teamwork suffers because if it.

Great insight man. Kobe needs to average like 10 pts a game or something to fix the Lakers non existent defense. He should also miss more shots so his teammates won't feel as bad when they do.

[ihoopallday]

Great insight man. Kobe needs to average like 10 pts a game or something to fix the Lakers non existent defense. He should also miss more shots so his teammates won't feel as bad when they do.

http://emotibot.net/pix/4799.jpg

[longtime lurker]

http://emotibot.net/pix/4799.jpg

Yup real mad and real original picture

[ihoopallday]

Yup real mad and real original picture

It's just that you're replying to these trolls. Just ignore them

[kuniva_dAMiGhTy]

Agian, the Lakers defense is their main problem.


Great insight man. Kobe needs to average like 10 pts a game or something to fix the Lakers non existent defense. He should also miss more shots so his teammates won't feel as bad when they do.

Who said he should average "10pts a game"? He needs to get his guys more involved w/ Nash and Blake out. Guy is the only (legit) playmaker in the lineup.

[longtime lurker]

It's just that you're replying to these trolls. Just ignore them

Its hard to do when this forum is littered with them

[longtime lurker]

Agian, the Lakers defense is their main problem.



Who said he should average "10pts a game"? He needs to get his guys more involved w/ Nash and Blake out. Guy is the only (legit) playmaker in the lineup.

Here's the thing that posters here don't get. No matter how Kobe plays unless the Lakers fix their defense it doesn't matter. Kobe isn't a playmaker on the level of Steve Nash so asking him to play that role will take him out of his scoring rhythm. D'Antoni tried the same thing with Melo and it was a disaster. With Gasol out Kobe takes a back seat, who the hell is going to score? If the Lakers don't get hot from 3 their offense is garbage. Kobe scoring is not a problem if the Lakers could play D and Howard could make free throws. I can point to at least 2 games for sure that were lost because Howard couldn't make free throws. Until the Nash comes back this Laker team is just a patch work on the offensive end.

[9erempiree]

I knew there were stupidity on this board.

Lol @ the notion that Kobe should take a backseat. To who? Meeks and Duhon?

[Boston C's]

I knew there were stupidity on this board.

Lol @ the notion that Kobe should take a backseat. To who? Meeks and Duhon?

O plz shut the **** up you stupid kobe stan...and to the kobe stans that responded (you know who you are) try reading a little more closely next time...im not ****in blaming kobe for their struggles im just saying he needs to simply take his team with him to be successful...kobe is averaging 19.5 shots a game dwight is around 11.3 and metta ****in world peace is averaging 10.5 yea im sure thats a ****in recipe for success...i said kobe should lead the team in scoring but nooooooooooooo all the kobe dickriders in here come in and act like im bashing kobe and saying its his fault when NOWHERE in my statement i said it was :facepalm

its simple get dwight more touches in the post, get pau more touches on the block and not relegate him to a spot up shooter...and when nash comes back integrate him in there to run the pick and roll with pau

but all anyone wants to see is that im blaming kobe for the lakers struggles when im clearly not...kobe needs to take a backseat to the TEAM not to any one individual so you ppl need to read next time

[Dictator]

O plz shut the **** up you stupid kobe stan...and to the kobe stans that responded (you know who you are) try reading a little more closely next time...im not ****in blaming kobe for their struggles im just saying he needs to simply take his team with him to be successful...kobe is averaging 19.5 shots a game dwight is around 11.3 and metta ****in world peace is averaging 10.5 yea im sure thats a ****in recipe for success...i said kobe should lead the team in scoring but nooooooooooooo all the kobe dickriders in here come in and act like im bashing kobe and saying its his fault when NOWHERE in my statement i said it was :facepalm

its simple get dwight more touches in the post, get pau more touches on the block and not relegate him to a spot up shooter...and when nash comes back integrate him in there to run the pick and roll with pau

but all anyone wants to see is that im blaming kobe for the lakers struggles when im clearly not...kobe needs to take a backseat to the TEAM not to any one individual so you ppl need to read next time

:facepalm

You definitely don't watch the games. The reason Dwight's fga are so low because he's fouled on most of his shots. He attempts like 10-12 fts per game.

Kobe is doing just fine. It's the team defense.

Also on Pau Gasol. What games have you been watching?
Pau gets lots of touches but he's passive and also has had knee injuries which has resulted in that.

You need to watch the games and stop reading boxscores. I'm actually glad Kobe's scoring more or we would've been blown out by 30.

[I.R.Beast]

And the turnovers. They are pretty bad too.

While I agree that Howard needs a lot more shots, he had a decent amount of shots tonight against the Thunder.

If the Lakers want to contend, they either have to play better defense and lower down their turnovers. Or become the best offensive team in the league with Nash coming back.
Howard needs to get himself more shots...he's a bum with no post game and is useless facing up to the basket. thats why he consistently ends up with 10 or less shots... if he cant get really deep position there is no point giving him the ball... He's just an extremely overrated garbage man.... boards and blocks...anytime youre looking to run an offense through howard that spells trouble.

[winwin]

I knew there were stupidity on this board.

Lol @ the notion that Kobe should take a backseat. To who? Meeks and Duhon?
Boston C's aka gino1231 aka nbastatman aka dmavs

cant accept that kobe is a legend .. he's so full of hate

[Boston C's]

:facepalm

You definitely don't watch the games. The reason Dwight's fga are so low because he's fouled on most of his shots. He attempts like 10-12 fts per game.

Kobe is doing just fine. It's the team defense.

Also on Pau Gasol. What games have you been watching?
Pau gets lots of touches but he's passive and also has had knee injuries which has resulted in that.

You need to watch the games and stop reading boxscores. I'm actually glad Kobe's scoring more or we would've been blown out by 30.


alright lets just keep pretending like its the year 2005...the lakers dont have a top 10 pf number number 1 center and top 10 pg when healthy :facepalm

ive watched plenty if you seriously believe pau's role hasnt changed then your delusional...that stupid **** needs to get on the block and stay there...so does dwight...idk if they are intimidated by kobe but they seem content to let him do whatever he wants...dwight needs to dominate like he does...and plz explain to me why metta gets as many shots as dwight or should that be overlooked too

the team defense blows but lets not pretend kobe isnt part of that either...the lakers have lost to teams they had no business losing to this yr...kobe has been fantastic this yr (on the offensive end) but still the team needs dwight to be a force as well as kobe if they want to contend plain and simple

[Boston C's]

Boston C's aka gino1231 aka nbastatman aka dmavs

cant accept that kobe is a legend .. he's so full of hate

unreal...im not one of those ppl and you can check yourself if you want...sad to see that if you dont agree that kobe is God your automatically a hater...ive been in plenty of threads praising him and defending him...hell even now its not like im knocking him you guys just make it worse then it is...damn shamed if your albanian with your free kosovo avatar...as a fellow albo didnt think that one of our kind would be a freakin biased kobe stan who all he sees is just kobe :facepalm

[kuniva_dAMiGhTy]

alright lets just keep pretending like its the year 2005...the lakers dont have a top 10 pf number number 1 center and top 10 pg when healthy :facepalm

ive watched plenty if you seriously believe pau's role hasnt changed then your delusional...that stupid **** needs to get on the block and stay there...so does dwight...idk if they are intimidated by kobe but they seem content to let him do whatever he wants...dwight needs to dominate like he does...and plz explain to me why metta gets as many shots as dwight or should that be overlooked too

the team defense blows but lets not pretend kobe isnt part of that either...the lakers have lost to teams they had no business losing to this yr...kobe has been fantastic this yr (on the offensive end) but still the team needs dwight to be a force as well as kobe if they want to contend plain and simple

You're a Celtics fan right, bro?

Aren't you supposed to be happy the Lakers are losing? :lol :confusedshrug:

[Boston C's]

You're a Celtics fan right, bro?

Aren't you supposed to be happy the Lakers are losing? :lol :confusedshrug:

everyone who knows me knows im a sonics fan that went with boston once my team was gone... im pretty damn ecstatic the lakers are losing but the fact still remains a lot of things need to be fixed with that team

[Metroid]

Can't really blame Kobe for this. Maybe his defense, I think he got his first block last night, but other than that, offense with him is not a problem, despite the record.

[G-Funk]

Whats funny is that the only time Kobe scores 30 or more this yr is because nobody in the team can buy a bucket and hes just trying to keep or get the team back in it..

[G-Funk]

everyone who knows me knows im a sonics fan that went with boston once my team was gone... im pretty damn ecstatic the lakers are losing but the fact still remains a lot of things need to be fixed with that team
And it aint Kobes FG attempts

[Whoah10115]

never said kobe hasnt been awesome and plz be real...before pau went down the lakers were struggling...pau is being releagated to a spot up shooter...you have 2 premier post players the lakers dont utilize them at all



That's what I'm saying. I don't mean he's on the bench I mean he's not in the game, even when he's on the floor. It's got nothing to do with Kobe shooting. Pau is not right.

[Heavincent]

Backseat to who?

[Heavincent]

Whats funny is that the only time Kobe scores 30 or more this yr is because nobody in the team can buy a bucket and hes just trying to keep or get the team back in it..

Yeah some people think that Kobe scoring less than 30 points is some magic recipe for success or something. No logic what so ever.

[Rysio]

yea lets tell the best scorer of all time to take a backseat. :rolleyes:

[Young X]

Kobe's scoring isn't the problem, he's taking less shots than he did in 2009 (when the Lakers won 65 games and a championship). The main problem is their defense, turnovers, and the fact that they are currently playing two PG's that shouldn't even be in the NBA.

[General]

1-8 when kobe scores more than 30+ :lol:

They are not winning a title with Kobe leading the scoring regularly. You have to think that this affects the team negatively, and teamwork suffers because if it.
:applause: The dumbest post I've read on this board.

[Kobe 4 The Win]

LOL at people trying to desperately find a way to blame Kobe for the Lakers record. Come on son, Kobe has been playing great. He is the only one bringing consistent effort and production ever night. Nice try.

The Lakers need to get their players healthy and play together for a while and they will be fine.

[9erempiree]

alright lets just keep pretending like its the year 2005...the lakers dont have a top 10 pf number number 1 center and top 10 pg when healthy :facepalm

ive watched plenty if you seriously believe pau's role hasnt changed then your delusional...that stupid **** needs to get on the block and stay there...so does dwight...idk if they are intimidated by kobe but they seem content to let him do whatever he wants...dwight needs to dominate like he does...and plz explain to me why metta gets as many shots as dwight or should that be overlooked too

the team defense blows but lets not pretend kobe isnt part of that either...the lakers have lost to teams they had no business losing to this yr...kobe has been fantastic this yr (on the offensive end) but still the team needs dwight to be a force as well as kobe if they want to contend plain and simple

What in the hell does a Celtics fan like yourself admit that you watch plenty of games....not just any team....but the Los Angeles Lakers..:oldlol: :facepalm

You should be ashamed. Closet Laker fan?

Like I said, you don't watch many Laker games and why should Kobe take a back seat to Dwight's only 2 moves?

If anything, Metta probably needs to shoot less and let Kobe shoot more because he's the only one that gives a damn out there.

What the Lakers need to do is work on their defense and stop running and gunning with teams that are younger and faster. Also, they need to stop running and pulling up for those dumb 3 pointers, that D'antoni gives the green light for guys such as Metta. We don't need to give the green light to freaking Ron Artest, especially 3 pointers.

[chazzy]

Why are people acting like this team is some offensive juggernaut as currently constructed? The only two guys who can get their own buckets consistently right now are Kobe and less than 100% Dwight, the rest are role players who can get hot. Kobe will have the ball in his hands a lot less when Nash comes back to run the show. He is what he is, he's not going to suddenly average 8 assists in his 17th season.

[funnystuff]

If Kobe was willing to take a backseat, he would have won a title in 2004.

The drama will only continue.
This, it isn't Kobes mindset to ever take a backseat, which may lead him to missing the playoffs, again.

[Yao Ming's Foot]

If Kobe was willing to take a backseat, he would have won a title in 2004.

The drama will only continue.

Kobe was the 2nd most efficient Laker of that series. :confusedshrug:

[Ne 1]

If Kobe was willing to take a backseat, he would have won a title in 2004.

The drama will only continue.



This, it isn't Kobes mindset to ever take a backseat, which may lead him to missing the playoffs, again.

Yeah, it was all Kobe's fault. The rest of the team outside of Shaq shooting 33%, Malone injured, Shaq's lazy play defensively and on the boards, and Payton's atrocious play had nothing to do with it. It's all Kobe's fault. That's why the biggest blow-out loss came in the game where he only had 13 shots, right? :oldlol:

What a moron.

[Yao Ming's Foot]

Yeah, it was all Kobe's fault. The rest of the team outside of Shaq shooting 33%, Malone injured, Shaq's lazy play defensively and on the boards, and Payton's atrocious play had nothing to do with it. It's all Kobe's fault. That's why the biggest blow-out loss came in the game where he only had 13 shots, right? :oldlol:

What a moron.

Don't you know that if Kobe didn't hog the ball Shaq would have averaged 80 points per game and took the home the title. He did shoot 63% for the series (lets just ignore his 49% shooting from the FT line). I'm sure the best defense of our generation wouldn't have fouled him.

[Yao Ming's Foot]

:oldlol: Who was the most efficient?

The guy shooting 49% from the FT line.

Force feed him all of Kobe's shots and pretend Shaq's percentages stay the same and the Lakers still lose. :confusedshrug:

[Yao Ming's Foot]

The guy shooting 49% from the FT line was Shaq.

Shaq shot 63% from the field, Kobe shot like 36% from the field. It's pretty obvious Shaq was better and all Kobe had to do was the pass the ball to Shaq and they would have won.


Kobe singe handily cost his team the title in 2004 because he was butthurt that someone was better than him.

So you are just going to assume that the greatest defense of our generation is going to just let Shaq take EVERY SINGLE SHOT and not put him on the FT line?

:oldlol:

[Yao Ming's Foot]

If they put him in the FT line constantly then they would have all fouled out and they would no longer have this generation's best defense out there on the floor.

:confusedshrug:

Plus, Shaq's FT shooting was better than Kobe's shooting in general.

So what kind of stat line are you imagining Shaq should have had?

[Yao Ming's Foot]

I'm imagining that Shaq would have won his team the championship, but Mister Butt Hurt a.k.a Kobe Bryant held them back.

You are imagining it because its an illusion. The numbers don't add up. There is no logical basis behind that statement. :confusedshrug:

[Derka]

Pretty sure that's not going to happen.

Its officially a D'Antoni team now. All offense, no defense to speak of outside of what the players themselves can come up with on the fly.

[The Mamba]

Or LA could just focus on their actual problems:

1) Team Defense (Yes, Kobe's defense is atrocious)
2) Turnovers
3) Free-Throw Percentage (Hi Dwight)
4) Quality PG for D'Antoni Offensive Execution
5) Bench Production
6) Gasoft being an out of shape pussay, who is pouting and taking games off for "tendinitis"

Has nothing to do with Bryant's offense. In fact, on that end he's clearly the team's best and most productive player still to this day.

Gasol should come off the bench and play center, bolster the bench's fire power and run the 2nd unit offense though him.

[Whoah10115]

The Lakers were never going to beat Detroit. Shaq did look great. But Shaq's rebounding was down. He averaged 0.6BPG and played no defense of any kind. Kobe did not play very well. Shaq did.

He should have shot more. But how much more? Did no one notice how difficult it was for LA to get him the ball? Does anyone realize that Detroit did a great job of denying him the ball where he wanted.


Anyone notice that Mr. Kick It Out For The 3 averaged 1.6APG? Because he didn't get the ball? He still found enough possessions to get 2.8 TO's a game. More TO's than assists.


Detroit was the better team. Malone was beyond hurt and Payton was garbage. The same problems LA had been having the previous two years, which is what led them to sign those guys.

[Yao Ming's Foot]

Sure there is, instead of giving shots to a guy that shot 36%, give shots to a player that shoots 63%.


Yeah, giving the ball to the more efficient player is always a bad idea.














































:facepalm

Do you think Shaq should take have somehow magically taken every single shot the Lakers had? Is there a limit to how many times a bigman gets position to catch the basketball in the post in your world? How many points should have Shaq averaged that series?

[Money 23]

The Lakers were never going to beat Detroit.
I don't agree with this entirely.

Shaq was efficient offensively, but he was abysmal on defense. I don't know why he gets a pass for that series just because he shot well percentage wise. His rebounding was atrocious. Ben Wallace and Sheed abused him, because he put forth little effort. Lazy.

Kobe shot them out of some games, but like honestly they weren't getting offensive production anywhere else. Malone was done by this point. If Malone was healthy, they could've beat that Pistons team. Malone's injury is the actual reason why Detroit looked so much more well rounded.

If you had Kobe and Shaq both playing at high levels, they could've beat Detroit. If Malone was healthy on top of it, I see the Lakers winning.

[Whoah10115]

I don't agree with this entirely.

Shaq was efficient offensively, but he was abysmal on defense. I don't know why he gets a pass for that series just because he shot well percentage wise. His rebounding was atrocious. Ben Wallace and Sheed abused him, because he put forth little effort. Lazy.

Kobe shot them out of some games, but like honestly they weren't getting offensive production anywhere else. Malone was done by this point. If Malone was healthy, they could've beat that Pistons team. Malone's injury is the actual reason why Detroit looked so much more well rounded.

If you had Kobe and Shaq both playing at high levels, they could've beat Detroit. If Malone was healthy on top of it, I see the Lakers winning.



They would have to play like peak versions of themselves throughout the series. Detroit was better.


I don't give Shaq a pass for anything. While TT12 is over there creaming over how bad Kobe was, the truth is that Shaq looked great and also padded stats. It's been the reality of his entire career. Shaq is not the most consistent player ever. But he always got his. Hakeem embarrassed him, but you wouldn't think it if you looked at the stats. Put Shaq on that SA team and they get swept. They don't get beaten in 6.


Shaq's defense is average and he didn't even block shots in that series. He got his points, when he wanted. At times, he's unstoppable. At other times, he just got his points. People should realize that Shaq is a stats guy. His teammates put a lot of work into getting him the ball where and when he wants it. It's not just give it to him and he takes you home. That suggestion has always been ignorant.


Lastly...there is a massive logic fail with the basic "Give the ball to the 63% shooter". Under that logic, every decent starting center should always get the ball. Regardless of how dominant Shaq was, people should realize that none of the top 10 centers (besides Kareem as he got older with Magic) relied more on getting set up than Shaq did. It's preposterous that people suggest otherwise.

[Yao Ming's Foot]

We don't know because Kobe was the one jacking up stupid shots instead of passing the ball to Shaq. He was that butthurt that Shaq was better, just like he is and will be when Dwight gets his act together.

You don't know whether or not its feasible for a center to take every single shot against one of the best defenses of all time?? :facepalm

[Heavincent]

You don't know whether or not its feasible for a center to take every single shot against one of the best defenses of all time?? :facepalm

You know you're arguing with a complete retard, right? Just ignore him.

[Cali Syndicate]

Or LA could just focus on their actual problems:

1) Team Defense (Yes, Kobe's defense is atrocious)
2) Turnovers
3) Free-Throw Percentage (Hi Dwight)
4) Quality PG for D'Antoni Offensive Execution
5) Bench Production
6) Gasoft being an out of shape pussay, who is pouting and taking games off for "tendinitis"

Has nothing to do with Bryant's offense. In fact, on that end he's clearly the team's best and most productive player still to this day.

Gasol should come off the bench and play center, bolster the bench's fire power and run the 2nd unit offense though him.

Team defense won't get any better. they should re-hire MB as the assistant and have him focus the defensive aspects.

Turnovers will improve once Nash returns. Can't expect Kobe to score, play make and facilate effectively at his age.

Dwight's ft% is set in stone. If he hasn't improved by now, it never will.

Bench production can be solved with bringing Pau off the bench. Will haelp his game improve dramatically IMO since he will be able to play more in the paint. Either that or trade pau for some quality rotational players.

Don't think it's Pau being out of shape rather a loss of interest/motivation and rhythm.

[Cali Syndicate]

I don't agree with this entirely.

Shaq was efficient offensively, but he was abysmal on defense. I don't know why he gets a pass for that series just because he shot well percentage wise. His rebounding was atrocious. Ben Wallace and Sheed abused him, because he put forth little effort. Lazy.

Kobe shot them out of some games, but like honestly they weren't getting offensive production anywhere else. Malone was done by this point. If Malone was healthy, they could've beat that Pistons team. Malone's injury is the actual reason why Detroit looked so much more well rounded.

If you had Kobe and Shaq both playing at high levels, they could've beat Detroit. If Malone was healthy on top of it, I see the Lakers winning.

Malone's injury was more the reason than anything to the outcome of that series. Lakers were short stacked in front court rotation. There's no way Shaq was going to control the paint on both sides against the Wallace duo.

[Money 23]

Bench production can be solved with bringing Pau off the bench. Will haelp his game improve dramatically IMO since he will be able to play more in the paint. Either that or trade pau for some quality rotational players.

Don't think it's Pau being out of shape rather a loss of interest/motivation and rhythm.
Pau is out of shape for D'Antoni's system. Hell, PJ used to get on his case when he wouldn't run back on defense or offense and quickly establish position.

He definitely has a loss of interest and motivation, I agree.

They need to either trade him for youth and athleticism, or bring him off the bench to get his touches / confidence up, and give the bench some much needed fire power.

Otherwise, he's kind of going to remain stagnant on this team, and won't be much of an impact player.

[Cali Syndicate]

Pau is out of shape for D'Antoni's system. Hell, PJ used to get on his case when he wouldn't run back on defense or offense and quickly establish position.

He definitely has a loss of interest and motivation, I agree.

They need to either trade him for youth and athleticism, or bring him off the bench to get his touches / confidence up, and give the bench some much needed fire power.

Otherwise, he's kind of going to remain stagnant on this team, and won't be much of an impact player.

Yeah, as far as Pau's concerned it's like Bynum never left. Unless he's able to have more freedom to roam in and out of the paint he's really not going to be any different than he has the last two seasons. Pau like any other player, needs some rhythm, probably more so than others being that he's a finesse type player.

I think his loss of motivation began when they started mainly playing through Bynum during the 11 playoffs. Since then it's been kinda downhill.

[Money 23]

Malone's injury was more the reason than anything to the outcome of that series. Lakers were short stacked in front court rotation. There's no way Shaq was going to control the paint on both sides against the Wallace duo.
Agreed, Shaq was still lazy though.


Yeah, as far as Pau's concerned it's like Bynum never left. Unless he's able to have more freedom to roam in and out of the paint he's really not going to be any different than he has the last two seasons. Pau like any other player, needs some rhythm, probably more so than others being that he's a finesse type player
Absolutely

[Cali Syndicate]

Agreed, Shaq was still lazy though.


Absolutely

Word up

[TheBigVeto]

Kobe is the problem.
Just send him to D-league.

[Whoah10115]

Gasol is better suited playing with someone who doesn't mind coming out of the paint. To say he likes to roam in and out of the paint is actually very accurate and a great point.

[G-Funk]

1-8 when Kobe tries to comeback from a blow out loss and make it a game still late in the 4th.

[SCdac]

I don't think he needs to take a back seat entirely - more so, he needs to learn how to turn the guys he's playing with into super stars (Howard), through motivation, playmaking, and teamwork... Not just by taking 25-30 shots a game and trying to be the Man who gets all the attention... I think of the ways that Shaq and Duncan allowed players under them to rise up rapidly and significantly (Kobe, Wade, Ginobili, Parker, etc). They allowed the coaches to change the game plan and sets. It's just best for the team and said players. Kobe has an air about him, like he wants all the glory, and at 34 years old that might have to change eventually. Kobe's assists should be through the roof right now IMO, and that team should be inspiring each other defensively (doesn't seem to be happening yet).

[poido123]

I don't think he needs to take a back seat entirely - more so, he needs to learn how to turn the guys he's playing with into super stars (Howard), through motivation, playmaking, and teamwork... Not just by taking 25-30 shots a game and trying to be the Man who gets all the attention... I think of the ways that Shaq and Duncan allowed players under them to rise up rapidly and significantly (Kobe, Wade, Ginobili, Parker, etc). They allowed the coaches to change the game plan and sets. It's just best for the team and said players. Kobe has an air about him, like he wants all the glory, and at 34 years old that might have to change eventually. Kobe's assists should be through the roof right now IMO, and that team should be inspiring each other defensively (doesn't seem to be happening yet).

Good post:applause:

I believe Kobe to be a bit insecure with being in the background to his teammates. He essentially wants all the glory and.accolades at the expense of the team first mentality needed to lead this team

[Money 23]

I think of the ways that Shaq and Duncan allowed players under them to rise up rapidly and significantly (Kobe, Wade, Ginobili, Parker, etc). They allowed the coaches to change the game plan and sets. It's just best for the team and said players. Kobe has an air about him, like he wants all the glory, and at 34 years old that might have to change eventually. Kobe's assists should be through the roof right now IMO, and that team should be inspiring each other defensively (doesn't seem to be happening yet).
This is well worded, and thought out.

In actuality, I agree.

[Boston C's]

What in the hell does a Celtics fan like yourself admit that you watch plenty of games....not just any team....but the Los Angeles Lakers..:oldlol: :facepalm

You should be ashamed. Closet Laker fan?

Like I said, you don't watch many Laker games and why should Kobe take a back seat to Dwight's only 2 moves?

If anything, Metta probably needs to shoot less and let Kobe shoot more because he's the only one that gives a damn out there.

What the Lakers need to do is work on their defense and stop running and gunning with teams that are younger and faster. Also, they need to stop running and pulling up for those dumb 3 pointers, that D'antoni gives the green light for guys such as Metta. We don't need to give the green light to freaking Ron Artest, especially 3 pointers.


the bolded is one of my main points...look back at my original post metta shouldnt shoot double digit shots PERIOD...and if you knew me im a sonics fan that likes boston after my team was gone...never did i say kobe needs to shoot less and all this like you guys are claiming...he needs to help others step his game up which means taking a backseat on some nights to help others shine with him....give mettas shots to freakin dwight then you can actually have 2 superstar scorers like you were supposed to when this happened

[Boston C's]

I don't think he needs to take a back seat entirely - more so, he needs to learn how to turn the guys he's playing with into super stars (Howard), through motivation, playmaking, and teamwork... Not just by taking 25-30 shots a game and trying to be the Man who gets all the attention... I think of the ways that Shaq and Duncan allowed players under them to rise up rapidly and significantly (Kobe, Wade, Ginobili, Parker, etc). They allowed the coaches to change the game plan and sets. It's just best for the team and said players. Kobe has an air about him, like he wants all the glory, and at 34 years old that might have to change eventually. Kobe's assists should be through the roof right now IMO, and that team should be inspiring each other defensively (doesn't seem to be happening yet).

couldnt have said it better