Kobe, team approach the crossroads
Jerry West has seen it.
So has Tex Winter.
The balance has shifted for the Los Angeles Lakers. In some ways, that shift has been subtle, and in other ways not so subtle.
Everything that seemed to go so well for them at the start of the season has turned brown and dull. Delight has devolved into question marks. Opportunity has become risk. The Lakers’ home game against the Boston Celtics Christmas day could be a measure of just how far that balance has tilted.
Veteran observers, such as West and Winter, are wondering if this shift doesn’t portend the beginning of the downside for Kobe Bryant’s career. If the Lakers aren’t careful with how they use Bryant, the normal aging process of an NBA superstar could be speeded up.
Lakers coach Phil Jackson was oh so aware of this situation as the season began. That’s why he announced that Bryant’s legendary heavy minutes (and thus his scoring burden) would be trimmed back.
It made sense. The process of hauling the Lakers around during their four-year rebuilding process has weighed heavily on the 30-year-old Bryant, who first came into the NBA at 17 fresh out of a Pennsylvania high school.
That rebuilding process culminated in the Lakers advancing to the league championship series last June, where they were first exposed, then smashed by the Celtics. Bryant’s grinding Lakers effort was followed by his prominent and taxing role in the U.S. Olympic victory in China.
As Bryant himself has often said, it’s not the age but the mileage that matters in a playing career. At age 30, his odometer shows a lot of wear and tear. And this season began with questions about Bryant’s legs.
The delight of November was that the Lakers showed a good starting lineup and a deep, energetic bench that allowed Jackson to keep Bryant on the bench for long stretches. He didn’t need to score with the reserves taking apart opponents.
How and why that bench play has declined will be the subject of debate for the rest of the season. This much is clear, however. Bryant’s teammates reached December and found themselves struggling with the mental part of the game.
“They’ve got a pretty good record,” Winter said. “But that could change quickly.”
Now they head into their Christmas day game with Boston, and the Lakers are facing the same ugly issues that stained them after the championship series last June. Are the supporting players mentally tough enough to compete for a championship?
Of late, those players have been revisited by the ghosts of Christmases past, the inconsistency and indecisive play that have eroded the coaches’ and fans’ – and most importantly Bryant’s – confidence in them.
Now, it seems, the team faces huge issues that could go far in determining how successful Bryant will be in the later stages of his career. Just as important, Bryant’s response to his struggling teammates could well shape his options as he plays into his 30s.
West, in particular, has expressed concern about the wear and tear on Bryant and the need for the team to be vigilant about leaning so heavily on him. West has observed that the time that Bryant gets on the bench each game to rejuvenate is critical at this stage of his career.
Unfortunately, the Lakers’ recent road trip would seem to indicate that issue is growing rather than receding. Bryant’s teammates have not played well of late. And the recent knee injury and impending surgery for backup point guard Jordan Farmar only serve to elevate the concern.
Tex Winter, the Lakers consultant and longtime Jackson aide, says it’s not an issue of effort.
“They are a group of guys who really give it their all,” Winter says of the roster.
However, it is a mental issue with the group, Winter said in an interview Monday.
“I think some of the players’ make-ups is that they’re not real confident in their abilities. And I think it does show through.”
Right now, Winter said, Bryant and Pau Gasol appear to be carrying the team.
“It gets to the point where Kobe feels like he has to take over. It gets pretty discouraging when your teammates don’t come through like we’d all want them to.”
When his teammates struggle and Bryant moves to shoulder more of the load, that only serves to send the team into its destructive spiral of the past.
“There’s no support then,” Winter says. “The other players just aren’t involved when he does that.”
In the past Jackson has employed psychologists to strengthen the competitive minds of his players. Winter, though, doesn’t see that as the answer this time around.
“They have to work it out on their own,” said the 86-year-old consultant. “As professionals they should have a strong enough competitive nature to do that.”
Forward Lamar Odom remains at the center of this revolving issue for the Lakers.
“He does a lot of things,” Winter said. “He’s a good floor player, but he’s just not very effective scoring the ball. He’s been very up and down and very erratic.”
After starting Odom for three years, the Lakers coaching staff decided to move him to a reserve spot to anchor the second unit this season. Winter said he and Jackson have discussed moving Odom back into the starting lineup.
That could mean using the versatile Odom at small forward, Winter said, noting that “Phil has been searching at that other forward spot.”
It could also mean moving Andrew Bynum to a reserve role.
“Bynum’s not playing nearly as well as he did early last year,” Winter said. “That’s to be expected. When you’ve been out a year with injury, it’s not easy to come back and have the kind of timing it takes to be successful.”
Expectations play a large role in the mentality of the issue. Bynum has signed a large contract extension. Both the young center himself and Lakers fans are eager to see him excel.
Bynum’s got a big future ahead of him, but it’s going to take time and patience, Winter said, adding that despite his struggles regaining his timing Bynum has shown he’s part of the “crux” of the team, with Bryant and Gasol.
The struggles can have a subtle impact on other confident players, such as forward Trevor Ariza.
“When you run into a little difficulty sometimes that confidence disappears,” Winter said.
Not surprisingly, the answer involves a familiar theme.
“A lot depends on Kobe, on whether he can keep the right attitude and play the right way,” Winter said. “If he becomes discouraged with his teammates as he has been at times and starts to take over all by himself, that wouldn’t be good. But that’s always the difficulty with a player of his abilities.”
It is perhaps where Bryant is most similar to Michael Jordan, Winter said, then added that it’s actually where he’s similar to other greats such as West and Oscar Robertson.
“That’s what separates those great players from all the rest,” Winter said. “They’ve got so much confidence, and they want to be the best and are willing to do whatever it takes to be the best. That’s why they are the best.”
Those players often feel that if they back down too much, if they let the dominance of their team slide, then they themselves cease to be great. Great players can lose status quickly if they don’t maintain that greatness edge, Winter said.
That mindset is what drives them to push themselves, and it’s what sets them apart, Winter said.
It’s often why fans and even coaches don’t understand truly great players.
“One thing about those rare players like Kobe and Michael and West and Oscar,” Winter said, “they want to be the best and they are never satisfied with anything less. That’s what makes them what they are. They’re all very complex.”
The combination of that drive and the circumstances threatens Bryant and the Lakers at this critical moment. Bryant’s competitive nature has always been the motor driving him.
Despite his concerns, Winter holds to optimism, mainly because Jackson remains in charge.
“Phil’s holds up really well,” Winter said. “He’s never too high and never too down. That’s a great characteristic as a coach.”
It’s a characteristic that has allowed Jackson to weather many a storm and find his way to success over the years.
If there’s an answer to be found, Jackson’s usually the one to find it, Winter said.
flip Said,
December 23, 2008 @ 2:19 pm
Usually I agree with Lazenby, but I think he’s a little off here. The issue is defense. It’s fallen off a bit. Defense requires teamwork and trust. You have some unhappy campers in the lakers. Bynum not happy about minutes. Farmar not happy about minues. Sasha not happy about minutes. Sasha and Ariza arguing during a game. Radmanovic disappearing. With Farmar out, this might help everyone get more touches, but they still need to keep Fish’s minutes and Kobe’s minutes down. That will depend on how the second unit plays. The offense will always be there. That’s what got them there last year. But defense is what will get them the ring. I look more at Rambis and Shaw not keeping the team on their toes. Radmanovich played great help defense at the beginning of the year. Since then, he’s been awfully inconsistent on the defensive end, and it’s affecting his offense. If guys trust each other on the defensive side, the offense will come to them.
Mikeandmike Said,
December 23, 2008 @ 2:46 pm
I wish this article was displayed on the other Lakers sites. One of the best and most insightful articles I have read in a very long time.
This article is very sad as well. I only became interested in Basketball period when I first watch the playoffs against the Blazers in 2000. Since then I have not missed a beat. I am now 27 year old man who started watching the lakers when I was 19 years old.
Kobe is my Jordan.
Michael Bennett Said,
December 23, 2008 @ 2:55 pm
The Lakers are best when Kobe plays around 34 minutes and when his numbers are around 24, 4 and 4.
If he’s scoring 28, 29 or more, he MUST shoot a very high percentage or get to the free throw line over 10X in the game for the Lakers to win… especially against good teams.
That’s the problem, though. Kobe wants to be a 30, 5 and 5 player. But, that’s not good for the Lakers. Because he shoots the ball at 45% from the field, it hurts the team when he takes shots away from higher percentage shots/shooters like Gasol, Odom and Bynum.
Kobe needs to be a leader in spirit and on defense. And, on offense, he needs to be patient, take high percentage shots, get to the free throw line and let the game come to him.
What he needs to do is watch LeBron and learn a thing or two about a thing or two.
Chris Said,
December 23, 2008 @ 3:22 pm
First of all there is nothing wrong with Kobe’s game. There is a problem with team chemistry if a team with this much talent is having troubles. There is the case that there is too much talent on this team!
Andrew Bynum, Pau Gasol team has flaws. Pau was brought in to replace Bynum, but together it doesn’t work. Bynum can’t play D, sure he can block shots, but he is not very good at help D. Pau is weak if he plays a stronger centre.
Lamar Odom should be starting, the guy can do anything. The bench is still excellent if he was starting full time (which he is now and it is getting better).
Sasha needs more touches, Ariza is wicked and the both of them should be the focus from the bench, both hard workers.
Kobe needs to go back to Kobe and start taking more shots and averaging 30 a game again to win!
Meraz Said,
December 23, 2008 @ 4:52 pm
Alright people. You’re all making something simple into a complexity. I’ll list out the issues for clarity -
1. Lakers’ defensive scheme is confusing the team. The main culprit is Derek Fisher, he’s just not a good one on one defender when faced with quick gaurds. They are driving right by Fisher and the help defense is not coming quick enough to cover.
2. There’s a certain element of over-confidense, where the Lakers come in every night expecting to win with ease. They need to stop being lazy and actively play defense regardless of who the opponent is.
3. When Kobe sees the team falling behind, he instinctively tries to take the game over. Then the opposition sends everyone at him. This is what happened in the finals last year. Much of this is a result of Kobe’s teammates feeding him the ball in these pressure situations. Everyone else on the team needs to take some of those shots regardless of whether or not they go in because in the long run it’ll build confidence and prevent the defense from crowding Kobe. Gasol especially needs to take a lot of these crucial shots… because he’s a really great player and shoots a great percentage. Lamar just needs to attack the paint regardless of the outcome because with time he’ll get better, he can’t be afraid to go 2 for 10 while trying to drive or getting hit with offensive fouls and fouling out. Just attack that basket man!
And that’s just it…. 3 things.
flip Said,
December 23, 2008 @ 4:54 pm
go to lakernoise.com. that’s lazenby’s site. he has posted a story about the laker’s defense. very good.
Mikeyman949 Said,
December 23, 2008 @ 5:20 pm
It is better that these problems the Lakers are having be exposed now then in the playoffs. Their defense has definitely been the #1 focus of discussion. However, the other issues that need to be addressed are:
2) Free throws. If I remember correctly, they all count.
Rad must become more reliable with he 3 point shot.
3) Point guard position. Too much dribble penetration.
4) Hustle
5) Lack of post game by Bynum. I have not seen a consistent post move by him.
6) Odom not finishing strong. He usally falls away from the basket when driving to the left, which almost is the only direction he drives.
7) Too much focus on what Boston is doing. They have to show and believe that they can win in Boston.
These things are achievable; just require dedication/effort.
Go Lakers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Chris D. Said,
December 23, 2008 @ 6:34 pm
If you want to single out a laker for 3pt shooting, Rad, shouldn’t be the one. He’s hitting them at a 46% to lead the team. Kobe is only at 32% with Odom, Farmer 35%, Vujacic is at 37%. Him and Fisher are head and shoulder above everybody else right now for 3pt shooting.
mike Said,
December 23, 2008 @ 6:56 pm
there defense is just as bad as last years…..there not going anywhere unless they trade odumb or pau….they can go to the finals..but with that defense…there no lock as so many of you guys have predicted them to do
mike Said,
December 23, 2008 @ 6:59 pm
also part of the big start of the season was to poor teams and i believe 11 of there first 15 were at home..which the lakers did what they had to do..win at home and beat the lousy teams..and this XMAS DAY GAME DOESNT MEAN CRAP..I CANT BELIEVE HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE BUYING THE HYPE…WHOEVER WINS..IT DOESNT MEAN MORE THAN ANY OTHER GAME XEPT TO THE HOMERS AND OTHER IDIOT FANS
doyouwantmore Said,
December 23, 2008 @ 7:51 pm
There are a couple of dozen teams and hundreds of players that this story could have written about. I’m sure all the bandwagon Laker fans appreciate yet another article about Kobe and the Lakers and Phil Jackson and blah blah blah but I have literally read 75% of the information in this article in other places SO MANY times.
Imagine if the amazing insight that went into this article were used to write something about a team that hasn’t been covered to death? There are some great untold stories in the league that will probably remain untold while people are still writing the same unimaginative s*** every year.
Todd Said,
December 23, 2008 @ 8:38 pm
I am so tired of people saying Kobe (or any other great player on a team) needs to be a better leader - What can you do better than lead by example? These are professional athletes and that should be enough motivation for them to want to continue to get better and excel. Kobe should line up the team and run down the line slapping all of them until they get it together - their messin’ up his game.
doyouwantmore Said,
December 23, 2008 @ 9:20 pm
^
See what I mean?
chanman Said,
December 24, 2008 @ 1:47 am
I agree with Todd, kobe is still playin like kobe, and he’s still the best closer and offensive player in the game. ppl argue lebron but he still need the midrange j. the problem with the lakers is that the second unit is not playin defense and lack of offensive production, now with farmar out i see kobe playin more with the second unit. he’ll start the offense and get everybody involved. they should move bynum to the second unit so that Pau and the starters can be quicker on both ends. bynum needs to find his game back from last year still so the second unit might be a good start.
Edu - Spanish Lakers Fan Said,
December 24, 2008 @ 4:43 am
Asuming Ariza is reliable (and a proben Dfender) Mihm´s underrated (he could perfectly b/up Bynum) and Radmanovic could hit 3´s as a second unit player, why does not jackson make Odom starter?
LAL could play more balanced with Odom as starting SF or even more with Oom and Ariza (more D and more mobility), Phill use to finish games with this lineup, why does not he start whit them?
As i see it is because The Coach use the regular season to educate his players minds, i have no doubts in critical moments when a playoff game is cooking the lineup is going to be Fish/Kobe/Ariza/Odom/Gasol but till this moment comes he must teach Radmanovic to play little D along with being a consistent shooter and demostrate him that if is necesary he could play as starter, and with Odom and Ariza coming off the bench Jackson gives the second unit more consistent for wining games in the regular season.
So Jackson is making his players learn how to play balanced together adding cofidence and sacrifice to their vocabulary just for using it during playoffs. And that´s wht they´ve lost right now but they have time till the end of the regular season. Record is important to play at home in the playoffs as much games as possible but more important for Phill is that every player play his role a role that they must asume during the regular season.
javaman Said,
December 24, 2008 @ 1:28 pm
If you saw that game against the T-Wolves the other day you can clearly see and pretty much predict how Lamar is going to perform on big games. That HAIL MARY drive to the baseline was pathetic. The LAKERS need to dump this “EMO” yesterday. Showcasing Walton (white stiff) is a waste of time. How about a bringing in a vet with championship experience like UDONIS HASLEM or MALIK ROSE and a box rocks for ODOM? SHANE BATTIER would be a defensive upgrade…
Showtime Said,
December 24, 2008 @ 6:22 pm
Haslem and Malik Rose??? Are you kidding? Am i mistaken, or is this 2008/9? Malik Rose has been over rated and over paid his entire career and Haslem does nothing but foul and get rebounds… last i checked we had a guy named Powell thats just as effective at both of those things. Odom is extremely effective at leading a 2nd unit, as long as he is not relied upon to produce points in bulk. Hes an under rated rebounder (check his stats the last few years) and having a 6′10 forward that can lead the break and pass that well is hard to find in this league.
Lamar is not the issue here. Its finding consistency in the defense of our 2nd unit and supporting cast. Last season the lakers admittedly did not even practice defense, as Phil was looking long term and teaching a young team how to efficiently run the triangle. This year they have shifted that priority to defense, and it will take some time for those results to show up.
Remember how quickly they improved after the allstar break last year offensively? Their chemistry and consistency grew noticably and it surprised everyone so much they found their way to the finals. Their lack of defensive focus then caught up with them, hence the shift in strategy this season.
Have patience. This is THE deepest team in the league the way it is currently built, with the possible exception of needing an additional backup PG. Let them grow the way they did last year, and by next season this will be the best team in the league with one or two minor tweaks.
They are Young. They are deep. And they have the best player in the league and the best coach ever leading them. Let them grow into their roles and you are looking at possible repeated champions.
F**K the haters and bandwagon jumpers. People only spend the energy to hate on the best, and thats why so many people blindly hate the lakers.
Purple and Gold baby!
Lakers fan from Croatia Said,
December 25, 2008 @ 5:49 am
for me the only problem is Fish D when he plays against quick pg….. they are usually kick our asses…. remember jameer nelson 2nd half …. and lots of other….. bring one more vet pg…. and give kobe some pg miutes against teams with quick pg,I’m sure he can handle it… in that situation sasha and ariza can get more minutes on 2 and upgrade their game, specially sasha after missing some games…. and start using Powell, he can be turiaf,but better…..
Purple and Gold baby 4 life….
GO LAKERS !!!!!!!
javaman Said,
December 25, 2008 @ 8:55 am
Obviously you are a stat guy, kind’a like “DULL HARRIS”, who won a lot of games but never got them over the hill. A predictable sentiment from a myopic diehard LAKER fan who, like a lot of newpaper hacks, never played the game at any level but mostly fantasized playing it through EA GAMES. Look, LAMAR will never be a leader, after 12 years of trying to find himself, you think by this time those leadership qualities would be more apparent for the world to see. He needs to “PUT DOWN THE PIPE” to allow his braincells to recover from the trauma of making stupid on court basketball decisions. A skilled player- that he might be. But a leader of grown men? You are funny!
Roland Lazenby Said,
December 25, 2008 @ 11:49 am
Javaman,
I’ve never played EA Games, and I’m pretty sure Tex Winter never has. I’m simply reporting the concerns of Tex Winter and Jerry West with this column. As far as a newspaper hack, well, I’m guilty as charged (and proud to be associated with a lot of great hacks over the years). I don’t see why this has to be a personal attack on my athletics background. I played a year of D 1 college football and three years of college rugby. I’ve coached quite a bit of hoops, including an 11-year-old AAU team that ran the triangle and won a trophy at AAU nationals doing it. I’ve coached high school varsity wrestling (and won a championship doing so). If there’s any fantasy on my part, it’s that I played pickup basketball religiously for 40 years or so. (If you ever saw my game you would understand the fantasy part).
One other thing, Javaman. I’ve noticed there are some smug people on the internet who talk a lot of junk without ever putting their real name behind it. I’m not one of those people. When I have something to say about rich and powerful men, I put my name at the top of the story. There’s no slinking around. They know who I am and where to find me.
I guess these post sites attract people who are too meek to be angry and aggressive when they have to stand behind their words like a man.
Speaking of youth coaching, I observed a lot of coaches who would talk to kids in a way that they would never dream of addressing a grown man. I’d like to see some of these youth coaches try to address NBA players the way they do these little kids. Needless to say, I didn’t have much respect for that brand of youth coach.
I do respect the opinions of others. And I’ve noticed those who provide their names with their opinions (yes, quite a few of them are newspaper hacks) do so with basic civility.
The Internet has done some good things, but at times I wonder if it hasn’t made cowards of us all.
Roland L. Lazenby
Ibti Said,
December 25, 2008 @ 12:49 pm
Roland, I think Javamen was refering to Showtime with his last statement.
And it’s TIME that Phil and Mitch finally gets rid of Odom, I don’t care HOW MUCH VERSATILITY he has, if he does not put them to use with the 2nd unit consistently every night then there’s no point keeping him.
Utah right now is pretty mad with Boozer and will probably let him go, and will probably be forced to re-sign Paul Millsap, and Larry Miller the owner of the Jazz VOWED to never ever go over the Luxury Tax.
so this deal would be PERFECT for both teams
Luke Walton, Lamar Odom, Chris Mihm for AK-47 and Matt Harpring
OR
simply Odom for AK-47.
AK-47 can do similar things like Odom but ONE thing he stands out more then other areas is HIS DEFENSE which the Lakers dyingly needs, this way you can swap Gasol/Bynum out and put in AK-47 and Ariza and have a better defensive unit with Fisher, Kobe and Gasol or Bynum.
For Utah they stay away from luxury tax and still re-signs Millsap without any hassle and probably Odom if they want to for a cheaper price.
Ibti Said,
December 25, 2008 @ 12:52 pm
BTW that move would give Utah more cap room to re-sign Millsap and add other players if they want since Odom’s contract is expiring after this season.
But the main point is get rid of Odom with Vlad/Walton IN ANYWAY, SHAPE, OR FORM.
Some people can work their butt off and play some defense or good defense (like Vujacic who is atleast trying) and others can’t play at all and freelances like Luke and Vlad, the Lakers can’t have that type of player on their team, they need MORE toughness.
Roland Lazenby Said,
December 26, 2008 @ 11:02 am
Ibti,
You may be right. Javaman may have been referring to Showtime, but it didn’t appear that way. Really it doesn’t matter if he was talking about Showtime or me, or both of us. I’m a pretty big stickler for civility. You can debate without getting nasty and personal (making assumptions about people you know nothing about). We all do that by the way. I just happen to think we have to work hard at not doing it. It’s not the same thing as talking smack, by the way. Talking smack is all in fun. When people get nasty and personal, that’s a show killer.
Peace. If you can find it.
javaman Said,
December 26, 2008 @ 11:33 am
Quite perceptive of you Ibti, thank you. Whoa! Roland, we be cool man. I have no quarrel with you. Don’t be too TOUCHY TOUCHY. If you are everything you say you are behind closed doors and remain pristine in the privancy of your own thoughts at all times without fear, then you have my admiration and respect. I was merely highlighting the obvious that for the most part Showtime chooses to ignore. I’ve heard you around radio stations and remember one particular show with JOE McDONNEL. That did not end well. SO, MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
frank B Said,
December 26, 2008 @ 1:26 pm
The Lakers lose two games in a row, and the sky is falling, Michael Bennet is sucking on Lebron’s dirty jock strap again, and suddenly Kobe is leading the team down the “destructive spiral of the past”?
Miami played a great game against the Lakers, and maybe someone else noticed that trying to beat Orlando at home isn’t as easy as getting the usual Kobe bashers to write to hoopshype.
There is a reason that yesterday’s stellar victory against the Celts featured two teams with the best records ever this late in the season; the NBA has a lot of good players and teams and is fantastically entertaining because of it.
The Lakers are really good. The Celtics are really good. The Cavaliers are really good. Orlando and San Antonio are knocking at the door. Detroit, Denver, Portland, New Orleans, Dallas, Phoenix etc., etc. all have to be reckoned with.
I am really enjoying this season, which to me started with a great victory for USA basketball at the Olympics. So much time is spent pitting these fine young men against each other that it made me proud to see Kobe, Lebron, JKidd, Carmelo, DWade, JHoward, CPaul, TPrince, CBosh, CBoozer and MRedd working together as a team. Each individual put aside their ego for the love of the game and it sure looked like they had a good time doing it.
This seems in direct contrast to the tone and tenor of this article about the Lakers that looks to find the dark cloud in the Lakers silver lining of a season so far. Destructive spirals of the past led by Kobe? Three NBA championships, Five NBA Finals, Two Scoring Titles, One MVP Award, 81 points in a game type of spirals or what?
Go Lakers! Go NBA basketball!
Liam McKnight Said,
December 28, 2008 @ 12:38 pm
Great post Frank B, i enjoyed it.
Awesome stuff.
LakerKev Said,
December 28, 2008 @ 2:05 pm
Great piece Roland. I’m a huge fan and I’ve bought all your books on the Lakers. This team was so dominant over the first seven games of the season and they’ve been on a slide ever since despite the fact that they’ve continued to win games (mostly against lessor opponents). I think this team desparately needs another guard or wing player who can create offense for himself and others. This would ease the burden off of Kobe’s shoulders some what. A guy like Joe Johnson would be perfect for this team. He’s a poor man’s LeBron James. He can do it all, score, dish the rock, defend, knock down 3’s. Right now though they need another PG to replace Farmar. Fisher cant continue to log 35-40 minutes a night. They’re running the risk of him breaking down.
javaman Said,
December 28, 2008 @ 8:13 pm
You know what? Let’s forget about Haslem or Rose! How about trading Luke Walton and Chris Mihm for an above average fast rising sleeper like Chris Paul. Nobody would notice, It’l be a stroke of genius! LIghtning can strike twice…
space Said,
December 29, 2008 @ 9:53 am
what the hell?
they lose a couple games and all of a sudden they are on the verge of collapse? the league fears the lakers! —HELLo! there are only 3 other teams in the league in their same win vicinity. a team isn’t entitled to having some off days? where is the column on the celtics collapse? i don’t see it eventhough they lost back-to-back games.
i don’t know what to say.
wait- wasn’t this the same hoopshype.com that made mention that the spurs were about to NOT-make-the playoffs after a few people went down. wha-wha-wha their too old? its the same story: RELAX. even if kobe AND gasol got hurt now, come playoff time the lakers would be in the hunt and still a feared team.
Douglas Persons Said,
December 29, 2008 @ 6:03 pm
Coming a little late to the discussion. After the last two laker wins, I imagine Roland might need to re-think the original premise; the show has their game back. But mostly, I want to just thank Roland for being so insightful over the years and say to the infantile Javaman, please calm down, or step off. There’s nothing ingratiating about coming in to a forum shouting (CAPS) nonsense and then telling people not to be so TOUCHY. If you’re older than 13, it’s time to start acting it. Peace.
Omar Aberilla Said,
January 8, 2009 @ 4:20 am
I’m sorry, Michael Bennett did you say that Kobe could learn a thing or two from LBJ!? It’s not just tenure, but skill-wise, talent-wise, decision-making-wise; Kobe has the upper-hand lest you forget. I still have to see LeBron get his team out of huge holes on a consistent basis. And the jury’s still out on his free throw shooting especially in the clutch. I know his percentages are up, but not good enough if you’re to be the face of the NBA and you’re a guard or a wing player at that. You can even tell this early that the Cavs won’t make it to the finals. LeBron is one of those guys who do a lot of things well, but just couldn’t get their teams over the hump in crucial situations much less win a championship. He’s not winning a championship any time soon. Really, that’s how I feel and he may not win one his whole career. He’s a Charles Barkley, Karl Malone-type of superstar. There’s just too many holes in his game. He’ll garner multiple individual awards though, no doubt about it.