Execs say Kobe has turned Lakers into Titanic

[West-Side]

I don't entirely disagree with you.
However I think Kobe was the guy in charge back then and as he was playing well and probably enjoying it I am not sure Pringles could have forced him to play less minutes even if he wanted that.

Also I take no pleasure in hammering on Kobe and I don't say those 11 & 12 teams would have been better off without him or anything.
I just think you take away all blame from Bryant when he clearly deserves some of it.

Look at this game for example.
http://www.basketball-reference.com/...203310LAL.html

Or this one.
http://www.basketball-reference.com/...203180LAL.html

Kobe : 3-20
Gasol : 8-12
Bynum : 12-14

When you label someone a cancer, you're essentially blaming everything on him.

Sure, in 2012 Kobe is to blame for some of the failure. He didn't have an efficient season at all. But there were a ton of issues with LA from 2011 to 2015. Calling Kobe a cancer essentially means you're saying he was mainly responsible for LA's lack of success those seasons.

Lets ignore:

- Chris Paul trade; which essentially created chemistry issues. Made Lamar demand a trade from LA. Possibly made Pau less motivated to perform well on the team.

- Pau & Bynum's lack of cohesion.

- Aging squad, that lacked depth.

- Kobe's age & miles.

- Terrible coach who never emphasized defense. His style of coaching made absolutely no sense. You want to run and gun with a team consisting of 34 year old Kobe & two bigs as your best players?

- Dwight Howard's back surgery did have an impact on his play. He hasn't been the same since.

- Steve Nash injuries

I mean I can go on and name more but you get the idea. Blaming Kobe for LA's underachieving those seasons is foolish. When you actually look at the context and circumstances surrounding what LA went through and the construction of the team over those years, you'll understand that Kobe was far from a cancer.

[catch24]

Kobe wasn't a cancer in 2011, 2012 or 2013. Dude was still formidable and effective given the injuries he accumulated.

I don't think you can argue he made the Lakers worse in 2015 either. They were already dog shit.

Honestly if you just surround him with capable players, Kobe will adjust accordingly...permitting that he is healthy.

[Foster5k]

Honestly if you just surround him with capable players, he will adjust permitting he is healthy.

Kobe has that Iverson attitude. He's going to get his no matter what.

[Magic 32]

He played less minutes that year.
On a per minute basis he shot more in 2011 then he did in almost any other year.
Was the 3rd highest rate of his career behind 2006 and 2012.

20 shots in 34 minutes is somehow abnornal?

Again, why change your approach after back-to-back championships?

I saw every game that season. He was not in 2003/2012 chuck mode at all.

[ShaqTwizzle]

When you label someone a cancer, you're essentially blaming everything on him.

Fair enough.
Perhaps "cancer" was the wrong term.

I still feel like the potential of those 11 & 12 Laker squads was far from fully realized and a big part of that is because Kobe broke out of the team offense too much and took on a role that was too big for his declined self and a role that he didn't need to take given his roster.

20 shots in 34 minutes is somehow abnornal?
Again, why change your approach after back-to-back championships?

I suppose not I just felt like pointing out that it was the 3rd highest rate of his career.
Just an interesting statistical note if nothing else.

I never really criticized his 2011 reg-season.
His playoffs were the main issue that year.

[West-Side]

Fair enough.
Perhaps "cancer" was the wrong term.

I still feel like the potential of those 11 & 12 Laker squads was far from fully realized and a big part of that is because Kobe broke out of the team offense too much and took on a role that was too big for his declined self and a role that he didn't need to take given his roster.



I suppose not I just felt like pointing out that it was the 3rd highest rate of his career.
Just an interesting statistical note if nothing else.

I never really criticized his 2011 reg-season.
His playoffs were the main issue that year.

Honestly bro, I think it had a lot more to do with subtraction by addition.
The emergence of Bynum made LA worse, IMO.

It made the 2nd most important player on LA change his approach. It made him less efficient and as a result less impactful. It also didn't help that Bynum was a VERY selfish player. Almost, every-time he touched the ball he thought about scoring. It made Gasol take a lot more jumpers, which is why his efficiency dropped.

Lamar created a lot of mismatch problems for opposite teams. With Bynum in the middle, it actually made it far easier for teams to defend LA.

1) Gasol wasn't utilized properly in the paint.
2) Major spacing issues were created.
3) LA lacked outside shooting.
4) LA didn't have a lot of depth.

In reality, LA should have traded Bynum for some depth in 2010/2011. That would have been a very smart strategy to implement. I never understood why they went after Howard either. He create the same spacing issues as Bynum did.

Lamar had one of the best rebounding rates in the league, he could handle the ball and space the floor. He could also drive inside and score in the post.

The 11'-13' Laker team is a perfect example of why talent alone does not win you championships.

[AirFederer]

Breaking: Execs say Titanic has turned into Kobe

[Rooster]

You're underestimating the lack of chemistry between Bynum & Gasol.
Which is why Lamar Odom was the perfect PF for LA during their championships. He was a versatile big who can stretch the floor and allow Gasol to score in the paint.

Bynum essentially made Pau a spot up shooter, which caused Pau to be less efficient and created significant spacing issues for the team.

Nah those guys start together then subbing each other and usually Gasol and Odom finished the game. We needed Bynum to guard big guys like Duncan and anchor the team defensively. He is really a big presence but he can't run the triangle like Gasol. Gasol was more of a spot up shooter when Dwight Howard came to the scene.

[Rooster]

Why would you change your approach after back-to-back championships?

He shot 20.0 shots per game in 2010-11, the lowest number since 2003-04.

He broke down. That's all.

I did not realized his volume was down statiscally. It's not about changing your approach but Kobe had a off season knee surgery. He could have took it slowly but instead played a lot of minutes in that Euro tour. Then the season started and he was basically gunning and mainly looking for his shots.