Lakers problem stem from Kobe Opposing GM/coach/scouts point toBryant for Lakers ills

[Hoiids]

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/8763408/nba-opposing-gm-coach-says-los-angeles-lakers-problems-stem-kobe-bryant-shooting-too-much

By Chris Broussard | ESPN the Magazine


What Kobe Bryant is doing this season is both phenomenal and unprecedented. No player in NBA history -- not Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, not Moses Malone, not Karl Malone, not any of the league's famed ironmen -- have come close to scoring like Bryant in his 17th professional season.

Heck, most greats -- guys like Wilt Chamberlain, Oscar Robertson, Michael Jordan and Jerry West -- didn't even play 17 seasons.

So for Bryant to be leading the league in scoring at a 29.5 ppg clip while shooting a career-high 47.7 percent from the floor is nothing short of incredible. Before Bryant, Abdul-Jabbar had been the gold standard for well-worn scorers, averaging 23.4 points in his 17th season. But Abdul-Jabbar, who was 38 during that season, was clearly not near his prime, averaging just 6.1 rebounds and 1.6 blocks, well below his career averages of 11.2 and 2.6.

Bryant, while not the athlete he once was, is still producing at the same level he always has, posting 5.2 rebounds (5.3 is his career average), 5.0 assists (4.7 career) and 1.6 steals (1.5 career).

So it's very difficult to argue that Bryant is doing anything wrong in what, statistically at least, is one of his best seasons ever. And numbers never lie. But there are other numbers that say Bryant's offensive blitzkrieg is actually hurting the struggling Los Angeles Lakers more than helping them.

This season, the Lakers (12-14) are just 4-11 when Bryant takes 20 or more shots in a game. Yet, they are 8-3 when he shoots less than 20 times. And it's not necessarily because of the opposition.
With Bryant attempting fewer than 20 shots, the Lakers have beaten the Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets and Brooklyn Nets, all of whom have better records than the Lakers. The four teams Los Angeles has beaten with Kobe shooting 20 or more times? The bottom-dwelling Phoenix Suns, Washington Wizards, Philadelphia 76ers and Charlotte Bobcats, who have a combined record of 32-64 (.333). The eight teams the Lakers have beaten with Bryant taking less than 20 shots have a slightly better combined record of 87-112 (.437).

This trend intrigued me so I decided to go back even further, checking the numbers for the previous two seasons. The evidence was overwhelming: when Bryant shoots fewer than 20 times in a game, the Lakers are outstanding. When he shoots 20 or more times, they're only slightly above mediocre.

Last season, the Lakers were 26-19 when Bryant took 20 or more shots. That's a .578 winning percentage. Not bad. But they were 10-3 in the other games, a winning percentage of .769. In 2010-11, Phil Jackson's last season, the Lakers were 24-17 (.585) when Bryant shot 20 or more times and 33-8 (.805) when he took fewer shots.

So over the past three seasons, including 2012-13, the Lakers are 54-47 when Bryant shoots 20 times or more. To put it in perspective, that .535 winning percentage equates to a 44-38 record over 82 games. Over that same span, when Bryant takes less than 20 shots, the Lakers are 51-14 (.785), which would be a 64-18 mark in an 82-game season.

It seems pretty clear cut: the Lakers are better, and would be better this season, if Bryant shot less. At least that's what the statistics say.

But I didn't want to jump to conclusions simply based on the numbers, so I decided to call some of the league's basketball minds to get their take on the topic. I wanted to know whether Bryant needed to be reigned in, or whether he's simply shooting so much because the Lakers' roster is so limited and it's the only chance they have to stay in games.

I asked one general manager, an assistant coach and two scouts, all of whom work for teams that have played Bryant and the Lakers this season. Their views were strong:

The assistant coach says:

"Absolutely, Kobe's shooting too much. When we played them, we told our guys, 'Look, we don't necessarily want Kobe going for 50. I mean, we're going to guard him. But we're not going to double him, and we're not going to try to get the ball out of his hands.' Our main concerns were not to let [Antawn] Jamison hit a bunch of 3s and not to let Dwight [Howard] go crazy down low. There's no question they would be a better team if Kobe shot less. Why do you think [Pau] Gasol struggles? He's going to struggle in any offense where he doesn't touch it.

"At the end of the day, it has nothing to do with [Mike] D'Antoni and his system. It's all about what Kobe will allow to happen. When you play the Lakers, it's like they don't have a system. It's whatever Kobe chooses it to be. If he wants to take all the shots, he'll do that. He'll pacify his teammates early in the game, but then he'll throw up a heat check and if he's got it going, nobody else touches the ball. And then the other team benefits because the other Lakers won't defend as hard and they won't be engaged because they're not a part of the game on the offensive end. Kobe has to trust you, and it looks like he thinks most of his guys aren't trustworthy yet.

"The problem between Kobe and Dwight is that you can't have Dwight on the floor in the fourth quarter, so how can you play through him. In Kobe's mind, that's why he doesn't pass the ball to Dwight. But the Lakers really need to sit down with Kobe and say, 'At this stage, this is what's best for the Lakers. We've got to play through our bigs.'
"Memphis is the best high-low team in the league with Marc Gasol and [Zach] Randolph. The Lakers could play that way with Dwight and Pau, but with Kobe shooting 28 times that's not going to happen. That could definitely work, but the key is getting Kobe to sign off on it. The thing bout this league is that every team is known for something. When you play the Lakers, you don't worry about stopping Kobe. You just make sure those other four guys don't have career nights because you can beat the Lakers with Kobe scoring 34, 35 points. Your biggest worry is if Kobe scores 25 points and has 8 assists and then Dwight has 20 points and 16 rebounds and Pau has 18 and 11 and Nash scores 16 with 10 assists.''

The scout says:

"One thing our coach always says is, 'Kobe's probably going to get his 28 points, but let's make sure it's on 28 shots and not 16 shots.' I would like to look at some box scores in detail to see if the Lakers are down in the fourth quarter and Kobe starts shooting a lot to lift them to a come back, or to see whether he was he getting to the foul line a lot in those other games where he didn't have as many field goal attempts.

"Watching the Lakers play the Knicks this year was hard to watch because the other Lakers were just so bad. It was like Kobe was trying to do all he could just to keep that game close. And hey, if Dwight's not going to try his butt off and if other guys aren't going to try their butts off, then I'm going to give the ball to the guy that's going to go for it, and that's Kobe. I don't think it's that Kobe doesn't trust his teammates; it's just that he trusts himself more. A questionable shot by him still might be better than a good look for one of those other guys. To me, they look disinterested.

"There's no chemistry. They're not pulling for one another. They're just a collection of individual talent that happens to be in the same place wearing the same uniforms. They look listless. Not Kobe, though.''

The general manager says:

"Everyone thinks the problem is everybody else but to me, the problem is Kobe. Take a look at Andrew Bynum's quotes the other day, where he said Kobe stunted his growth. He didn't like playing with Kobe.

"And Pau? Pau's a really nice guy and Kobe just walks all over him. On the one hand, it's good for Pau because it helps make him tougher but overall, I think it hurts his game. Kobe can smack Pau upside the head and Pau will still go back to him and say, 'Yes sir.' He's just too nice of a guy. But Pau can play. They won a few championships with him, so this notion that Kobe doesn't have anyone to play with and that he has to take all these shots is just wrong. Go back to the Oklahoma City series. Everybody blamed it on Pau and Bynum, but to me, it was more Kobe's fault.

And we know what kind of a player Dwight is. He's not at his best because he's coming off the back injury and because of the system D'Antoni's running, but it's obvious to me that Kobe doesn't trust him. And I'm not so sure he likes the way Dwight jokes around so much.''

Another scout says:

"That's been debated a lot -- whether Kobe is shooting too much. It's hard to argue against that if they're 8-3 when he doesn't shoot it 20 times. But I'd have to look at each game and study the game situations to really come to a conclusion. I don't think he's purposely hogging the ball or doing things selfishly to keep the team from winning. He's not trying to do anything to hurt the team. If he is shooting too much, it's only because he thinks that's what he has to do for the Lakers to win.

"My gut reaction is to say that Kobe does not need to shoot less. He's a top 5 player in the league, he's leading the league in scoring and he's shooting a good percentage. That's a big key - he's shooting a high percentage. It'd be one thing if he was forcing up shots and shooting poorly. But I will say this, when you have as much talent as they do, you shouldn't have to shoot it as much as Kobe has been.''


:applause:

[Droid101]

The problem is defense.

/thread

[Heavincent]

Stopped reading at Chris Broussard.

[9erempiree]

My Kobe threads gets deleted for this crap?

[Dictator]

You people don't watch the games and jack-off to box scores and stats.

The reason Kobe takes less shots in wins is because the team is playing well.

The reason he takes more shots in losses is because he's trying to keep the team in the game.

[Heavincent]

I'm so tired of dumb btches who don't watch the games and jack-off to box scores and stats.

The reason Kobe takes less shots in wins is because the team is playing well.

The reason he takes more shots in losses is because he's trying to keep the team in the game.

That's just crazy talk.

[chazzy]

Another victim of that arbitrary stat

The Lakers now have the FIFTH BEST OFFENSE in the league, and are ranked 19TH on defense.

[longtime lurker]

Well the thread title is nice and misleading since the article doesn't come close to anything definative. Great job douchebag.

[tpols]

You people don't watch the games and jack-off to box scores and stats.

The reason Kobe takes less shots in wins is because the team is playing well.

The reason he takes more shots in losses is because he's trying to keep the team in the game.
:eek: It can't be.

[Yao Ming's Foot]

Zach Randolph 22.6 Usage %
Marc Gasol 18.3 Usage %

Dwight Howard 23.0 Usage %
Pau Gasol 19.2 Usage %


Somehow the Memphis bigs are able to do their job and play the best defense in the league even though they are getting demoralized by even fewer offensive scoring opportunities than the Lakers duo.
:facepalm

[scm5]

You people don't watch the games and jack-off to box scores and stats.

The reason Kobe takes less shots in wins is because the team is playing well.

The reason he takes more shots in losses is because he's trying to keep the team in the game.

+1.

Haters will say otherwise, of course.

Watching the games, Kobe at the beginning of the season only took good looks. He never forced anything, scored 30 still, but super efficiently.

Guess what happened? We lost.

Then, we have games like against the Knicks where they just go off because of our shitty defense and we have to catch up. Other players aren't hitting shots... Kobe needs to take over and he tries to and almost gets the Lakers back in the game.

[outbreak]

Saw Chris Broussard, stopped reading.
This guys gotta be the worst sports reporter in history doesn't he? So many stupid trade rumours that he claims are 100% guaranteed that never go through. Every day a new rumour. All his opinions are usually flawed as well.

[DatAsh]

+1.

Haters will say otherwise, of course.

Watching the games, Kobe at the beginning of the season only took good looks. He never forced anything, scored 30 still, but super efficiently.

Guess what happened? We lost.



Not entirely true. They started off 8-8 with him averaging just 18 FGA per game. There 4-6 since then with him averaging 25 FGA per game. He should definitely be the first option, but I do think he needs to tone it down a bit and work a bit harder to get the other guys involved - like he was at the beginning of the season. In my opinion, the Lakers should be aiming for ~18 efficient shots per game from Kobe; 25 is just too much for the talent they have.

[Droid101]

Zach Randolph 22.6 Usage %
Marc Gasol 18.3 Usage %

Dwight Howard 23.0 Usage %
Pau Gasol 19.2 Usage %


Somehow the Memphis bigs are able to do their job and play the best defense in the league even though they are getting demoralized by even fewer offensive scoring opportunities than the Lakers duo.
:facepalm
Headshot.

[Rake2204]

It was interesting to hear the individual takes from various scouts, coaches, and GM's. I liked that some of them had theories, but were very quick to say, "Well, I'd have to take a closer look at each game individually in order to really know" when discussing those win-loss statistics attached to Kobe's numbers. It's nice to know not everyone is susceptible to hearing a stat like Kobe's shot total vs. win total correlation and assume they must absolutely go hand in hand.

Further, it was interesting to hear some coach's gameplans for facing L.A. - i.e. let Kobe sort of get his but concentrate more on limiting everyone else.

Lastly, I obviously don't take this quote as absolute truth in this specific instance, but I do find it to be profound in a general basketball sense:


When you play the Lakers, it's like they don't have a system. It's whatever Kobe chooses it to be. If he wants to take all the shots, he'll do that. He'll pacify his teammates early in the game, but then he'll throw up a heat check and if he's got it going, nobody else touches the ball. And then the other team benefits because the other Lakers won't defend as hard and they won't be engaged because they're not a part of the game on the offensive end.

I think it can be argued that quote is not accurate about the Lakers, but I've certainly observed and been a part of such scenarios throughout my basketball career. I've played with guys who were far and away the #1 option for our team so in one sense, it was hard to argue against him shooting every trip down the floor, but in terms of creating cohesion and bringing about the absolute best from everyone on the floor, that type of play can be counterproductive.

It's easier than many believe for teammates to lose a sense of purpose when they're left out of the offense for a long enough period of time. And even for those who try to stay as keyed in as possible, the flow of their own game often suffers when their offensive opportunities disappear into one guy's pocket.

Again, I'm not saying that's what I see in L.A. (I have not watched enough Lakers games to know), I just meant as a general basketball theme. I think it's also worth noting that it goes beyond shot attempts. I've played with players who shot a lot, but it came within a sort of flow, or out of the offense, or in transition. That's not nearly as difficult to deal (in terms of remaining active) as someone who isolates frequently.

[Yao Ming's Foot]

Not entirely true. They started off 8-8 with him averaging just 18 FGA per game. There 4-6 since then with him averaging 25 FGA per game. He should definitely be the first option, but I do think he needs to tone it down a bit and work a bit harder to get the other guys involved - like he was at the beginning of the season. In my opinion, the Lakers should be aiming for ~18 efficient shots per game from Kobe; 25 is just too much for the talent they have.

How does taking shots away from the most efficient player on the team and giving them to less efficient players make the Lakers a better team?

[Rake2204]

How does taking shots away from the most efficient player on the team and giving them to less efficient players make the Lakers a better team?I think that's a loaded question. But in short, I do not believe basketball is always as simple as finding as many shots as possible for your most efficient player. I think the types of shots matter and I think what's occurring within the offense when trying to find shots for an efficient player matters (even if he doesn't end up shooting on a given possession). I think there's good ways to go about it and bad ways. And again, since I haven't watched a ton of Lakers basketball this year, I can't really weigh in on this specific scenario but generally speaking, I do believe team success goes well beyond statistical numbers, usage rates, and efficiency.

For instance, if an entire offense revolved around finding shots for one single (and efficient) player, with every other option being a "last ditch", providing the rock to teammates late in the shot clock, and/or in areas outside their comfort zone, I think that'd be less effective overall than an efficient player getting their high volume of shots through a well rounded offense that featured many good opportunities for each player capable of scoring. In the latter offensive example, the most efficient player may often (but not always) see a slight reduction in numbers as other teammates are able to make their presence felt in situations for which they're best able to shine, even if they're overall less efficient.

[ZenMaster]

How does taking shots away from the most efficient player on the team and giving them to less efficient players make the Lakers a better team?


How do you expect players to become better at scoring if you don't give them chances to score? You don't become a faster runner by walking around all day.

Also as explained, players will play better defense and better overall if they're a part of the offense and get opportunities.

[Yao Ming's Foot]

How do you expect players to become better at scoring if you don't give them chances to score? You don't become a faster runner by walking around all day.

Also as explained, players will play better defense and better overall if they're a part of the offense and get opportunities.

They have more scoring opportunities than the aforementioned ideal big man duo that the Lakers should be apparently striving to emulate. The entire premise isn't based in reality.

How come we never hear about Tyson Chandler, Ben Wallace, Dennis Rodman, Andrew Bogut, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett or any other great defensive player in NBA history not trying on defense because they are not getting enough shot attempts? Another failed Kobe hater myth :facepalm

[BlackWhiteGreen]

I think the trust thing one of the quoted mentioned is the main reason. He doesn't trust Dwight so he won't pass him the ball. Obviously that's going to hurt a guy who is used to being "the man". Need to see what happens when Nash gets back though, obviously.

[Jacks3]

Dwight has the same FGA/Usage rate now that he got in Orlando as a #1 option.

The Lakers have the 5th best offense in the league.

SMH.

[Spaulding]

Enjoyable read.

[White Mamba]

You people don't watch the games and jack-off to box scores and stats.

The reason Kobe takes less shots in wins is because the team is playing well.

The reason he takes more shots in losses is because he's trying to keep the team in the game.

can't be true:oldlol: its kobe remember?

[Jacks3]

Do people not realize how awful the Lakers have been with Bryant on the bench this season?

ORTG with Kobe on: 113.6
ORTG with Kobe off: 99.7

DRTG with Kobe on: 104.9
DRTG with Kobe off: 113.1

NET: +22.1

#1 in the entire league.

Yeah, it's all Kobe's fault. This is ridiculous.

[TheBigVeto]

My Kobe threads gets deleted for this crap?

To be fair, all your threads are total crap and are a bane to humanity and civilization.

[DatAsh]

How does taking shots away from the most efficient player on the team and giving them to less efficient players make the Lakers a better team?

Is that a serious question? Going by your logic, Kobe should be taking 80 shots a game.

By working to get others more involved and taking smarter more efficient shots, he increases his teammates efficiency, his own efficiency, and the team as a whole's efficiency.

One of the best offenses of all time used their best and most efficient scorer - who put up 25ppg on 67% - as less than a third option. He was 8th on the team in FGA/36.

Just because someone is the most efficient player on the team, that doesn't mean the team's goal should be to get that player as many shots as possible. The team's goal should always be to maximize team efficiency. It's the same reason why the Thunder are better with Westbrook taking more shots than Durant, despite Westbrook being less efficient.

That being said, Kobe should definitely be the focal point of the offense. He's their best offensive player by a pretty decent margin, but I just don't think he should be taking 25 FGA per game. I want what's best for the Lakers, not what's best for Kobe, though it seems as though I'm alone in that want.

[Doctor Rivers]

To be fair, all your threads are total crap and are a bane to humanity and civilization.

Just like all your posts :eek:

[MaxFly]

Post hoc ergo propter hoc... :facepalm

The issue is this... are the Lakers losing these games because Bryant is shooting too much and freezing teammates out, or is he shooting so much because the team isn't playing well and he's trying to make up for the scoring deficiencies. Or is there a mix of the two.

To put it another way, if we found that throughout his career as a starter, Bryant took less than 15 shots in all but a few of the Lakers' 30+ blowout wins, should we conclude that the wins were blowouts because Bryant took less than 15 shots? Or rather, should we conclude that he wasn't able to take more than 15 shots on most occasions because he sat early due to the games being blowouts?

It should be obvious to anyone who has watched basketball for more than a season that Bryant has shot the Lakers out of games on occasion. It should also be obvious that there have been times where he has tried to take over a game due to the way others were playing, shot well, but failed to pull out the win.

It strikes me that this should be evaluated on a game by game basis. Citing stats without context seems to be the favorite pastime of many sports journalists these days, but it falls short in terms of intellectual integrity. Hopefully we're a little smarter than that.

[DatAsh]

Do people not realize how awful the Lakers have been with Bryant on the bench this season?

ORTG with Kobe on: 113.6
ORTG with Kobe off: 99.7

DRTG with Kobe on: 104.9
DRTG with Kobe off: 113.1

NET: +22.1

#1 in the entire league.

Yeah, it's all Kobe's fault. This is ridiculous.

These numbers have more to do with rotations than anything. That in combination with Kobe being the only player capable of creating offense on the team, I'm not surprised that these numbers are as high as they are.

Still, they'd probably be better with him taking ~18 shots than they are right now with him taking 25. Just because you've been playing better than everyone else doesn't mean there isn't room for improvement.

[poido123]

They have more scoring opportunities than the aforementioned ideal big man duo that the Lakers should be apparently striving to emulate. The entire premise isn't based in reality.

How come we never hear about Tyson Chandler, Ben Wallace, Dennis Rodman, Andrew Bogut, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett or any other great defensive player in NBA history not trying on defense because they are not getting enough shot attempts? Another failed Kobe hater myth :facepalm

Probably because they didn't play with "blackhole" Kobe?

[Yao Ming's Foot]

Is that a serious question? Going by your logic, Kobe should be taking 80 shots a game.

By working to get others more involved and taking smarter more efficient shots, he increases his teammates efficiency, his own efficiency, and the team as a whole's efficiency.

One of the best offenses of all time used their best and most efficient scorer - who put up 25ppg on 67% - as less than a third option. He was 8th on the team in FGA/36.

Just because someone is the most efficient player on the team, that doesn't mean the team's goal should be to get that player as many shots as possible. The team's goal should always be to maximize team efficiency. It's the same reason why the Thunder are better with Westbrook taking more shots than Durant.

That being said, Kobe should definitely be the focal point of the offense. He's their best offensive player by a pretty decent margin, but I just don't think he should be taking 25 FGA per game. I want what's best for the Lakers, not what's best for Kobe, though it seems as though I'm alone in that want.

Kobe Bryant's current usage percentage is right in line with his usage percentages on every other of his title winning teams. I don't know why you assume that if that number was lower the Lakers offense would be better. Its unfounded.

[DatAsh]

Kobe Bryant's current usage percentage is right in line with his usage percentages on every other of his title winning teams. I don't know why you assume that if that number was lower the Lakers offense would be better. Its unfounded.

Because he's got a lot more talent around him now than he did in years past. What's the purpose of having all that talent if you don't use it? They need to look at what teams like the Heat and OKC are doing as an example. Lebron and Wade were both 19-20 shot per game players before coming to Miami. Bosh was a 17 shot per game guy in Toronto. They all made sacrifices for the good of the team.

I'm not saying Kobe's responsible for the Lakers struggles, he's not. He's the only player on the team that's played consistently great so far. I just don't think the Lakers should be asking Kobe to shoot 25 times a game with this much talent.

USG% is a horribly misleading stat btw.

[Yao Ming's Foot]

Because he's got a lot more talent around him now than he did in years past. What's the purpose of having all that talent if you don't use it? They need to look at what teams like the Heat and OKC are doing as an example. Lebron and Wade were both 19-20 shot per game players before coming to Miami. Bosh was a 17 shot per game guy in Toronto. They all made sacrifices for the good of the team.

I'm not saying Kobe's responsible for the Lakers struggles, he's not. He's the only player on the team that's played consistently great so far. I just don't think the Lakers should be asking Kobe to shoot 25 times a game with this much talent.

USG% is a horribly misleading stat btw.

The Lakers don't have a big three. They have a big one with a big 2 recovering from a back injury, a third playing like complete garbage and a fourth sporting a nice suit. :confusedshrug:

[Ken_Masters]

To me it's always been obvious that Bryants ball hogging is a huge problem for that team. It doesn't matter how many shots he makes, what matters is how many shots he takes because when people are not touching the ball they become disinterested. Yes they are pros and get paid to stay interested but they are human. Most of us have played pick up ball and most of us know that when the guy on your team takes all the shots (even if he makes most of them) it turns the rest of the team into spectators and they do not have really any impact on the game.

[Jacks3]

Still, they'd probably be better with him taking ~18 shots than they are right now with him taking 25. Just because you've been playing better than everyone else doesn't mean there isn't room for improvement.
They were 4-6 through 10 games with him taking 17 shots per game.

They were 9-11 through 20 games with him taking 19 shots per game.

Their ORTG has actually increased with him shooting more.

All this psychoanalysis around Kobe and his FGA is just silly.

This team has had far greater issues.

Like their bench. Or the 3 different head coaches. Or their starting PG and backup PG being out for months. Or being dead last in the league in both FT% and turnover rate. Or being 19th in DRTG.

But no, all everybody wants to talk about is Bryant's points and attempts.

:facepalm

[dabulls23]

+1.

Haters will say otherwise, of course.

Watching the games, Kobe at the beginning of the season only took good looks. He never forced anything, scored 30 still, but super efficiently.

Guess what happened? We lost.

Then, we have games like against the Knicks where they just go off because of our shitty defense and we have to catch up. Other players aren't hitting shots... Kobe needs to take over and he tries to and almost gets the Lakers back in the game.

+2, watch the game not just stats

[dabulls23]

To me it's always been obvious that Bryants ball hogging is a huge problem for that team. It doesn't matter how many shots he makes, what matters is how many shots he takes because when people are not touching the ball they become disinterested. Yes they are pros and get paid to stay interested but they are human. Most of us have played pick up ball and most of us know that when the guy on your team takes all the shots (even if he makes most of them) it turns the rest of the team into spectators and they do not have really any impact on the game.

watch the game, when Kobe goes iso and everyone just stands, Kobe takes the shot but when someone moves around or is open (Meeks, Gasol, Dwight, Metta whoever it might be) he fucckfng PASSES (he is an underrated playmaker/passer..) there is a reason why he has 5 apg right now.... yes you said it they are pros than they should do their job to work for that millions they earn right? and not just watch Kobe trying to bail them out. But I do admit sometimes he chucks one up when not needed like any other premeir scorer does.. but it's not like he's a huge ball hog just for his own sake/stats..like everyone else he wants to win and he's super talneted..As the season goes on, players are gonna have better understanding of the system and will get that pass from kobe and looks.. we are already seeing some signs in Lakers of players being more comfortable playing their roles

[Rooster]

Is that a serious question? Going by your logic, Kobe should be taking 80 shots a game.

By working to get others more involved and taking smarter more efficient shots, he increases his teammates efficiency, his own efficiency, and the team as a whole's efficiency.

One of the best offenses of all time used their best and most efficient scorer - who put up 25ppg on 67% - as less than a third option. He was 8th on the team in FGA/36.

Just because someone is the most efficient player on the team, that doesn't mean the team's goal should be to get that player as many shots as possible. The team's goal should always be to maximize team efficiency. It's the same reason why the Thunder are better with Westbrook taking more shots than Durant, despite Westbrook being less efficient.

That being said, Kobe should definitely be the focal point of the offense. He's their best offensive player by a pretty decent margin, but I just don't think he should be taking 25 FGA per game. I want what's best for the Lakers, not what's best for Kobe, though it seems as though I'm alone in that want.

I definitely agree with you on this one. Kobe has the petulant for poor shot selection. For a guy with his talent, he should not be taking some of those ill advised shots. He actually has pretty good players around him. how about moving the ball if you can't have a good look. I actually don't mind if the 25 attempts are in the rhythm of offense. Some of them are just bad shots and Kobe is so talented to settle for those. Case in point, long 2 fadeaways with 2 people guarding you are meant for desperation by beating the clock, not when you have 24 seconds to work on it. What I mean is you can always take that shot anytime, how about using your skills to have a better shot. The funny thing is when he goes into that mode, Artest does it too then everyone on the team is just playing one on one.

[jjayfive]

Kobe is a ball hog.. It's difficult to watch when he shoots almost every possesion towards the end of games.. it's not about kobe shooting 50%, it's about ball movement and getting everyone in the flow. I don't care if Dwight is limited on offense or he shoots free throws poorly, he is still a beast. For the best center and top five player in the league, Dwight only averages 11 shots.. Don't be surprised if he doesn't resign. This is a champion contending roster. Lakers actually have good three point shooting and no weakness on the starting five. I blame their lack of defense on the system. A true half court offense will destroy any team in the league and make it easier on defense.

[joeyjoejoe]

Its probably hard for kobe fans to face the facts but yes his quest for scoring record is hurting the team im guessing even he knows it, look at cp3 and griffin theyre stats have gone down because of less minutes and sharing the load with the extra talent they have and look at them rollin, unselfish teamplay makes for a happy locker room

[KenneBell]

For the best center and top five player in the league, Dwight only averages 11 shots.. Don't be surprised if he doesn't resign.
He averaged 12-13 in Orlando. If you think one shot makes that big of a difference...:rolleyes:

[Blue&Orange]

I asked one general manager, an assistant coach and two scouts
I would bet a monthly wage on how those conversations are made up.

[I.R.Beast]

You people don't watch the games and jack-off to box scores and stats.

The reason Kobe takes less shots in wins is because the team is playing well.

The reason he takes more shots in losses is because he's trying to keep the team in the game.
you would think people would be logical enough to conclude such a thing, unfortunately they arent.

[I.R.Beast]

lol......kobe haters are reaching now....you cant knock his fg% now his attempts are the issue????.....smh....lakers suck on defense and at the FT line that is why they are losing not becsuse of kobe....

[chazzy]

In games Kobe shoots more than 20, he plays 42mpg. Less than 20 shots, he's playing 35mpg..

[jjayfive]

He averaged 12-13 in Orlando. If you think one shot makes that big of a difference...:rolleyes:

I never said he should take 12-13 like he did in orlando.. READ!!!! The entire Lakers team will go through stretches without even giving him the ball... It's about touches..

[DatAsh]

They were 4-6 through 10 games with him taking 17 shots per game.

They were 9-11 through 20 games with him taking 19 shots per game.

They were 8-8 through games with averaging 18 FGA, 3-6 with him averaging 25 FGA.



This team has had far greater issues.

Like their bench. Or the 3 different head coaches. Or their starting PG and backup PG being out for months. Or being dead last in the league in both FT% and turnover rate. Or being 19th in DRTG.

Agreed. In another one of these threads, I commented on what I thought were the 5 biggest things the Lakers need to work on going forward.

1. Turnovers - The Lakers are the third worst team in he league when it comes to committing turnovers. Kobe and Dwight are the primary culprits here. Kobe's problem should be alleviated once Nash comes back, but Dwight needs to work on protecting the ball better inside the post.

2. Transition defense - Part of this stems from the turnovers, but the Laker guards need to do a much better job in getting back on defense.

3. Free throws - The Lakers are the 2nd worst team in the league at converting free throws opportunities. This is somewhat mitigated by the fact that there also the second best team at getting to the line, but their % struggles are almost all attributable to Howard. He's looked better the past few games, and Kobe says he's been working on them a lot, so hopefully that will improve.

4. Perimeter defense - Metta's been decent and Meeks' has been serviceable, but other than those two, the Laker perimeter defenders have been downright awful.

5. Lack of good ball movement and poor shot distribution - Kobe and Metta - especially Metta - have been taking too many shots and isoing a bit too much. The Lakers should look to spread the offense out a bit more through Gasol, Dwight, Meeks and Jamison. The Lakers are arguably the most talented team in the league, and this should allow them to orchestrate a more balanced offense that utilizes that talent better. The goal is for everyone's efficiency to rise.

Kobe's shot selection is a minor problem right now. Like you said, their offense is generally great. They've got bigger fish to fry, but that doesn't mean it shouldn't be addressed at all. The same goes for Metta; I think he's taking too many shots as well - even more so than Kobe.



But no, all everybody wants to talk about is Bryant's points and attempts.

:facepalm

The only reason that's what I'm talking about here is because that's what the threads about. Why would I be talking about something else that has little to do with this thread?

[Kblaze8855]

That was a decent read. Id like more articles on what basketball people think. I dont care about a reporters opinion for the most part.