ESPN Insider Request - Can Kobe be good again?

[JT123]

http://espn.go.com/nba/insider/story/_/id/14041215/kobe-bryant-good-again-how

[STATUTORY]

no, because kobe was never good

- Generic Lebron Degenerate

[HurricaneKid]

Here it is:



No.

[Gus Hemmingway]

no, because kobe was never good




co-sign

[DaOldLion]

OP continues his daily goal to read the more articles about Kobe than anybody else :roll: :roll:

[LoneyROY7]

no, because kobe was never good

- Generic Lebron Degenerate

Didn't you say he would be shooting 50 percent by the end of the year?

:yaohappy:

[kennethgriffin]

if he stopped shooting and played that magic johnson type ball he did a few years ago he could be good again


his legs are gone. every shot is off because of it

he can still draw defenders though due to his reputation.


i could see 14ppg/9apg/5rpg on a good percentage from only taking open shots

[KiiiiNG]

Nope, guys like Kobe rely on athleticism and volume shooting. No more legendary big-men inside to protect the paint and collect a lot of those bricks to turn them into points.

Kobe is now without both his athleticism and a legendary big, so we see the results.

Kobe's never been quite skilled or talented enough. Seems like he's always coming up short as an individual compared to other great perimeter players like LeBron, Bird, Magic, and even Jordan.

He just doesn't have the right touch on his shot nor the right anticipation skills or vision to be a good passer.

He got by in his prime because he was bigger and more athletic than most guys and took more shots than anyone else to produce deceptive stats. He never had any team success though unless there was a HOF center and coach leading the charge.

[dubeta]

Nope, guys like Kobe rely on athleticism and volume shooting. No more legendary big-men inside to protect the paint and collect a lot of those bricks to turn them into points.

Kobe is now without both his athleticism and a legendary big, so we see the results.

Kobe's never been quite skilled or talented enough. Seems like he's always coming up short as an individual compared to other great perimeter players like LeBron, Bird, Magic, and even Jordan.

He just doesn't have the right touch on his shot nor the right anticipation skills or vision to be a good passer.

He got by in his prime because he was bigger and more athletic than most guys and took more shots than anyone else to produce deceptive stats. He never had any team success though unless there was a HOF center and coach leading the charge.

Agreed, was going to post the exact same thing

[Dr Hawk]

Agreed, was going to post the exact same thing

Makes sense since you quoted yourself

[JT123]

Nope, guys like Kobe rely on athleticism and volume shooting. No more legendary big-men inside to protect the paint and collect a lot of those bricks to turn them into points.

Kobe is now without both his athleticism and a legendary big, so we see the results.

Kobe's never been quite skilled or talented enough. Seems like he's always coming up short as an individual compared to other great perimeter players like LeBron, Bird, Magic, and even Jordan.

He just doesn't have the right touch on his shot nor the right anticipation skills or vision to be a good passer.

He got by in his prime because he was bigger and more athletic than most guys and took more shots than anyone else to produce deceptive stats. He never had any team success though unless there was a HOF center and coach leading the charge.
Excellent post. People really underrate how much Kobe relied on his athleticism. We've seen Lebron's athleticism dissipate as well, but he has remained the game's best player due to his impeccable bball iq and SKILLS. Unfortunately Kobe doesn't have the same elite skill set to remain a productive player.

[dubeta]

Makes sense since you quoted yourself

#rentfree

[outbreak]

Excellent post. People really underrate how much Kobe relied on his athleticism. We've seen Lebron's athleticism dissipate as well, but he has remained the game's best player due to his impeccable bball iq and SKILLS. Unfortunately Kobe doesn't have the same elite skill set to remain a productive player.

Kobe at 30 put up 27ppg 5apg
Lebron at 30 put up 25ppg 7apg

They were\are both good at 30 the only difference is Kobe won a ring at 30 whereas Lebron lost.

[JT123]

#rentfree
:roll:

[Gus Hemmingway]

#rentfree
:lol :lol :lol

[dubeta]

Kobe at 30 put up 27ppg 5apg
Lebron at 30 put up 25ppg 7apg

They were\are both good at 30 the only difference is Kobe won a ring at 30 whereas Lebron lost.


What was Kobe's playoff averages?


Cause LeBron averaged 31, 11, 8




Kobe never came close to those numbers, let alone at age 30

[STATUTORY]

for real tho I feel bad for ESPN, losing money, staff, websites and sports left and right. resorting to evoking Kobe name for click baits


it's between that and reruns of Chris Moneymaker winning the WSOP i guess

[outbreak]

What was Kobe's playoff averages?


Cause LeBron averaged 31, 11, 8




Kobe never came close to those numbers, let alone at age 30

Empty stats on a losing team.

[rapker]

What was Kobe's playoff averages?


Cause LeBron averaged 31, 11, 8




Kobe never came close to those numbers, let alone at age 30

What was LeBron's final winning average? 2/6, 33%, 1/3, 0.33.

[KiiiiNG]

What was LeBron's final winning average? 2/6, 33%, 1/3, 0.33.
Still better than Kobes *0% FMVP winning rate

*Pau FMVP 2009/2010


LeBron has ZERO asterisk FMVPs. If his team wins he's the automatic FMVP. That's what seperates him from sidekicks like Kobe who have more than double the amount of titles as FMVPs and 5x the titles as regular season MVPs

Kobe was carried. LeBron does the carrying.

/thread

[Showtime2001]

Still better than Kobes *0% FMVP winning rate

*Pau FMVP 2009/2010


LeBron has ZERO asterisk FMVPs. If his team wins he's the automatic FMVP. That's what seperates him from sidekicks like Kobe who have more than double the amount of titles as FMVPs and 5x the titles as regular season MVPs

Kobe was carried. LeBron does the carrying.

/thread
http://s17.postimg.org/c1w8rz7lr/EVERI_Ultra_Mega_Meltdown_Artwork.jpg

[20Four]

Agreed, was going to post the exact same thing
rent free talking to yourself again?

[raprap]

Still better than Kobes *0% FMVP winning rate

*Pau FMVP 2009/2010


LeBron has ZERO asterisk FMVPs. If his team wins he's the automatic FMVP. That's what seperates him from sidekicks like Kobe who have more than double the amount of titles as FMVPs and 5x the titles as regular season MVPs

Kobe was carried. LeBron does the carrying.

/thread
Thick post. :applause:

[24-Inch_Chrome]

rent free talking to yourself again?

Anyone speak minimum wage?

[Cocaine80s]

rent free talking to yourself again?
When yall gonna start selling mighty wings again? Those were fire

[raprap]

When yall gonna start selling mighty wings again? Those were fire
:roll:

[outbreak]

rent free talking to yourself again?
Can you let us know what species Grimace actually is?

[20Four]

Anyone speak minimum wage?
I wouldnt know Im a nurse, maybe you should ask yourself

[20Four]

When yall gonna start selling mighty wings again? Those were fire
When are you going to stop eating fast food and staying home all day posting on ish? Are you that fat you are afraid to go ouside? All those fast food meals must have you weighing at 500lbs huh? No shit when I called you out to fight, you ran to the admins and got me banned for starting fights lmao you ***

[KendrickPerkins]

I wouldnt know Im a nurse, maybe you should ask yourself
Three sausage burritos with picante sauce, thanks

[warriorfan]

When are you going to stop eating fast food and staying home all day posting on ish? Are you that fat you are afraid to go ouside? All those fast food meals must have you weighing at 500lbs huh? No shit when I called you out to fight, you ran to the admins and got me banned for starting fights lmao you ***

http://images.usatoday.com/news/_photos/2006/03/28/snitching-rayco.jpg

[24-Inch_Chrome]

I wouldnt know Im a nurse, maybe you should ask yourself

I'm sorry, I don't speak minimum wage.

[raprap]

When are you going to stop eating fast food and staying home all day posting on ish? Are you that fat you are afraid to go ouside? All those fast food meals must have you weighing at 500lbs huh? No shit when I called you out to fight, you ran to the admins and got me banned for starting fights lmao you ***
Midget meltdown.

[KendrickPerkins]

When are you going to stop eating fast food and staying home all day posting on ish? Are you that fat you are afraid to go ouside? All those fast food meals must have you weighing at 500lbs huh? No shit when I called you out to fight, you ran to the admins and got me banned for starting fights lmao you ***
Is this how you usually talk to customers? :wtf:

Don't forget my napkins either

[Cocaine80s]

When are you going to stop eating fast food and staying home all day posting on ish? Are you that fat you are afraid to go ouside? All those fast food meals must have you weighing at 500lbs huh? No shit when I called you out to fight, you ran to the admins and got me banned for starting fights lmao you ***
lol bitch i didnt say anything to the mods. You still owe me tickets nikka


However i did speak to your shift manager about that attitude

[Cocaine80s]

Is this how you usually talk to customers? :wtf:

Don't forget my napkins either
:roll: :roll: :roll:

[24-Inch_Chrome]

Did anyone else here get a PM from 20Four challenging them to a fight? Dude is such an idiot. :oldlol:

[Vancouver-Grizz]

Here...stop bickering...

This way isn't working for Kobe Bryant, and the Los Angeles Lakers star knows it.

Three games into the 2015-16 season, Bryant is missing nearly 70 percent of his shots and the Lakers have started 0-3, leading to a series of increasingly more frustrated postgame quotes.

"I'm the 200th-best player in the league right now," Bryant said after Sunday's home loss to the Dallas Mavericks. "I freaking suck."

At age 37, and two years removed from a ruptured Achilles, Bryant is never going to regain his MVP form. But he can still contribute to a young Lakers squad if he can make reasonable alterations to his game.

Let's consider how a more efficient, more effective version of Bryant might play.

Become a facilitator

Perhaps the most striking statistic from the first three games of the Lakers' season is that, including fouls he's drawn in the act of shooting, Bryant has shot more often (57 times; 51 shots plus six shooting fouls) than he's passed (56 times) as part of the half-court offense. (Those stats come from SportVU tracking available on NBA.com/Stats and Synergy.)

Bryant's limited involvement as a playmaker is surprising because, before shoulder surgery ended his 2014-15 campaign, he had shifted to become more of a facilitator and less of a scorer.

Per SportVU data captured by Seth Partnow of Nylon Calculus, Bryant averaged 34.2 passes per 36 minutes through Dece. 15, 2014, and an incredible 53.4 per 36 minutes in the last 10 games he played. Bryant's assist chances (passes that would have led to assists had the shot been made) took a corresponding jump from 10.7 per 36 minutes to 16.7. And his shot attempts declined from 22.8 per 36 minutes to 17.8.

Instead of building on that style, Bryant has gone the opposite direction. His ratio of shot attempts to passes, which was less than one to three over the last 10 games of 2014-15, has nearly trebled so far.

In fairness to Bryant, the evidence is mixed as to whether his pass-first style was more effective last season. The Lakers' offense was no better in games where Bryant passed at an above-average rate, and the team's record was actually worse in such games (3-14 in games where Bryant averaged at least 40 passes per 36 minutes, as compared to 5-14 in games with fewer passes per 36 minutes).

Still, there's reason to believe Bryant could be an effective playmaker if he wanted to do so. Last season, Lakers teammates were more accurate shooters off Bryant's passes than those of other teammates. According to SportVU tracking, players posted a 49.2 percent effective field-goal percentage (accounting for the extra value of the 3-point shot by considering it 1.5 field goals) when Bryant passed them the ball. Weighted for shot attempts, those same players had an effective field-goal percentage of 47.4 percent on all shots created by Lakers passes.

Part of Bryant's success as a passer is that opponents have to be wary of him looking for his own shot, causing them to leave teammates open. So Bryant shouldn't shift too far toward the facilitator role. But he certainly should look to distribute more than he has early this season.

Ditch the contested 3-point attempts

As I noted in Monday's Insider 5-on-5 on Bryant, he's actually shooting the ball just fine inside the arc: 45.5 percent, better than last season's 40.1 percent mark. His problems have been entirely from downtown, where Bryant's 20.7 percent shooting (6-of-29) is far worse than last year's 29.3 percent accuracy.

Bryant is attempting 12.7 3s per 36 minutes, more than double last year's rate (5.5), which was already the second-highest of his career. Lakers head coach Byron Scott may be OK with Bryant's shots, as he said Monday, but I'm not. Specifically, Bryant is taking way too many contested 3-point attempts.

To some extent, Bryant is suffering from bad luck beyond the arc. Via SportVU tracking, he's shot 2-of-13 (15.4 percent) on attempts with no defender closer than four feet to him. Bryant made such shots at a healthy 35.8 percent clip last season.

However, Bryant has also attempted 16 3s with a defender within four feet, making four of them (25 percent). And that's actually slightly better than Bryant shot on such attempts last season (24.2 percent).

In fact, only Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors has attempted more 3s with a defender within four feet of him. Curry, who shot 40.6 percent on such attempts last season, can justify taking contested 3s. Bryant cannot.

Get in the post

Brooklyn Nets guard Joe Johnson never approached Bryant's heights as a star, and at 34 he's three years younger than Bryant. Nonetheless, I think Bryant can learn from how Johnson has managed to stay productive as a role player past his prime.

As Johnson's usage rate has dwindled, he's given up the isolation plays for which he was once known (no more "Iso-Joe") in favor of posting up smaller defenders and shooting spot-up 3-pointers.

Just 15.6 percent of his plays were isolations last season, according to Synergy Sports tracking, as compared to 27.5 percent in 2014-15. The gradual shift allowed Johnson to put up the best true shooting percentage of his career in 2013-14 at age 32. (As it happens, Johnson too has struggled early this season.)

Though Bryant isn't the shooter Johnson is in catch-and-shoot situations, a similar recipe could make sense. According to Synergy, Bryant was as efficient last season on post-up plays as isolations. And this year, in part because of pull-up 3s, Bryant is 2-of-13 on isolation plays -- the worst shooting percentage for anyone with at least 10 isos.

Though his quickness has waned, Bryant's size and strength remain advantages in the post, particularly when he's defended by smaller opponents.

There's no way for Bryant to overcome the effects of aging. He'll never be the player he once was. Still, by becoming more of a facilitator, trading isolations for post-ups and cutting contested 3s out of his game Bryant can make the final chapter of his Lakers career a happier one for both him and his team.

[20Four]

I'm sorry, I don't speak minimum wage.
oh my bad you must speak no wage then

[24-Inch_Chrome]

oh my bad you must speak no wage then

I'm sorry, I don't speak minimum wage. :confusedshrug:

[Jameerthefear]

Three sausage burritos with picante sauce, thanks
:roll:

[20Four]

I'm sorry, I don't speak minimum wage. :confusedshrug:
Why you quoting what people tell you everyday? :confusedshrug:

[Jameerthefear]

Why you quoting what people tell you everyday? :confusedshrug:
You're worse than a broken record, put your ****ing helmet back on

[24-Inch_Chrome]

Why you quoting what people tell you everyday? :confusedshrug:

I'm sorry, I don't speak minimum wage.

[20Four]

You're worse than a broken record, put your ****ing helmet back on
typical lebronze fan, have to team up with someone...can't do shit on their own :roll: :roll:

[dreamwarrior]

Honestly, no.