[jmarg25Participant]

 Lakers win, Kobe scores 28 points. However, this is the first game of the season where he has shot over 50%. He is leading the league in scoring, but he is shooting 37% this year. Also, he’s shooting a career low at the line 78%.

[Taylor Gang MikeParticipant]

 4 players in NBA history with 32,000 

Kobe

MJ

Karl Malone

Kareem

 

 

 

 

[Taylor Gang MikeParticipant]

 4 players in NBA history with 32,000 

Kobe

MJ

Karl Malone

Kareem

 

 

 

 

[Mad MaxParticipant]

I mean the dude is close to 40, been in the league for about 2 decades, coming off back to back devasting lower body injuries and the front office has managed to run this team to the ground(yes Kobe’s deal is stupid, but can’t blame him for taking the money, who wouldnt????), have you seen the roster, if I were Kobe I’d take every shot too! I feel confident Kobe could still lead a top tier team to a title.

[Mad MaxParticipant]

I mean the dude is close to 40, been in the league for about 2 decades, coming off back to back devasting lower body injuries and the front office has managed to run this team to the ground(yes Kobe’s deal is stupid, but can’t blame him for taking the money, who wouldnt????), have you seen the roster, if I were Kobe I’d take every shot too! I feel confident Kobe could still lead a top tier team to a title.

[CU.LIONSParticipant]

Now that Swaggy P is back he should take some of the scoring burden off of Kobe. I believe Kobe will start playing better. Not so sure about LA though.

[CU.LIONSParticipant]

Now that Swaggy P is back he should take some of the scoring burden off of Kobe. I believe Kobe will start playing better. Not so sure about LA though.

[OhCanada-Participant]

 Kobe is still an elite player in this league. If you had to make a ranking he would be top 15 maybe top 10, other than James, Durant, Curry, Davis, Westbrook its hard for my to actually say anybody else is a better player. I would have to say ‘maybe’ Paul, Harden, Anthony, Griffin, Aldridge, Wall are better than him but I would still rather have Kobe on the floor.

With that being said if he does decide to play for three more years or so he needs to restructure his role and become a second option if he wants to win a championship. I think his days of dropping 28-32 ppg on a championship team is done.

[OhCanada-Participant]

 Kobe is still an elite player in this league. If you had to make a ranking he would be top 15 maybe top 10, other than James, Durant, Curry, Davis, Westbrook its hard for my to actually say anybody else is a better player. I would have to say ‘maybe’ Paul, Harden, Anthony, Griffin, Aldridge, Wall are better than him but I would still rather have Kobe on the floor.

With that being said if he does decide to play for three more years or so he needs to restructure his role and become a second option if he wants to win a championship. I think his days of dropping 28-32 ppg on a championship team is done.

[King CaluchaParticipant]

 Great game. I figured out Swaggy P was going to spread the floor more effectively. This game made me earn some bucks… who would have guessed!

[King CaluchaParticipant]

 Great game. I figured out Swaggy P was going to spread the floor more effectively. This game made me earn some bucks… who would have guessed!

[RUDEBOY_Participant]

[RUDEBOY_Participant]

[Ahkasi ClayParticipant]

more then shots Lakers have lost.

20 or less shots Lakers have lost.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Ahkasi ClayParticipant]

more then shots Lakers have lost.

20 or less shots Lakers have lost.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Ahkasi ClayParticipant]

more then 20 shots Lakers have lost.

20 or less shots Lakers have lost.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Ahkasi ClayParticipant]

more then 20 shots Lakers have lost.

20 or less shots Lakers have lost.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[dcaseParticipant]

I posted this on a forum yesterday regarding the criticicm for Kobe……….

Kobe’s shooting (both volume and efficiency) has been a topic of debate in recent forums as well as in the media. He leads the league in shot attempts per game and is only shooting ~39% from the field. One can argue he has to shoot that much because the team is depleted of talent and lacks anyone that can create their own shot (either off the dribble or in the post). I feel most of the criticism is fueled by the Lakers being 2-9 and going nowhere fast (and the fact that there are those that simply just dislike Kobe no matter what he does). If they were winning more despite him shooting ~24 times per game and at a career low 39%, would the same level of criticism be there?

I ask this because I haven’t heard any criticism for James Harden this year (who most people on this site would say is currently the best 2 guard in the league). His shot selection has been highly questionable at times and is only shooting 37%. Granted he doesn’t take as many shots as Kobe… but then again he shouldn’t have to, he has much better players around him (which is reflected in his assists/game) and they aren’t usually trailing in games where he needs to try and bring them back. I guess “winning cures all”…..and makes people forget about poor shot selection and shooting %.

[dcaseParticipant]

I posted this on a forum yesterday regarding the criticicm for Kobe……….

Kobe’s shooting (both volume and efficiency) has been a topic of debate in recent forums as well as in the media. He leads the league in shot attempts per game and is only shooting ~39% from the field. One can argue he has to shoot that much because the team is depleted of talent and lacks anyone that can create their own shot (either off the dribble or in the post). I feel most of the criticism is fueled by the Lakers being 2-9 and going nowhere fast (and the fact that there are those that simply just dislike Kobe no matter what he does). If they were winning more despite him shooting ~24 times per game and at a career low 39%, would the same level of criticism be there?

I ask this because I haven’t heard any criticism for James Harden this year (who most people on this site would say is currently the best 2 guard in the league). His shot selection has been highly questionable at times and is only shooting 37%. Granted he doesn’t take as many shots as Kobe… but then again he shouldn’t have to, he has much better players around him (which is reflected in his assists/game) and they aren’t usually trailing in games where he needs to try and bring them back. I guess “winning cures all”…..and makes people forget about poor shot selection and shooting %.

[Dazzling Dunks and Basketball BloopersParticipant]

I don’t think its necessarily the volume of shots that kobe is taking but the types of shots. Harden may be shooting a similar percentage from the field, but he also attacks the basket a lot more and creates fouls and opportunities for other players. To many of Kobe’s shots are nearly impossible fall away jumpers and contested pull up three’s where no other player is really even involved in the offense. Granted, Kobe is one of the few players in the league that make those shots and its always fun to watch him go into “mamba mode” and try to win the game himself but there its clearly not a formula for success and kobe cannot sustain that pace at this stage of his career. Part of the reason his free throw percentage is down is because his legs are obviously tired and defensive effort has been atrocious all season. Scott is in a tough position because its hard to hold players accountable when your best player can basically shoot the ball whenever he wants and only plays defense when he feels like it.

With that being said, I still think that overall spacing has been atrocious and it doesn’t even look like they are running anything on offense half the time. Ironically, I actually think D’Antoni might have been a better coach for the team they have now but whatever. I actually thought Kobe did an excellent job in last night’s game not forcing the action (especially in the third quarter when the Hawks made a run) and allowing other players to step up and make plays instead of jacking shots against double teams. Boozer, Hill, Lin and Young all had good offensive games, and as a result Kobe had more energy to take over in crunch time.

[Dazzling Dunks and Basketball BloopersParticipant]

I don’t think its necessarily the volume of shots that kobe is taking but the types of shots. Harden may be shooting a similar percentage from the field, but he also attacks the basket a lot more and creates fouls and opportunities for other players. To many of Kobe’s shots are nearly impossible fall away jumpers and contested pull up three’s where no other player is really even involved in the offense. Granted, Kobe is one of the few players in the league that make those shots and its always fun to watch him go into “mamba mode” and try to win the game himself but there its clearly not a formula for success and kobe cannot sustain that pace at this stage of his career. Part of the reason his free throw percentage is down is because his legs are obviously tired and defensive effort has been atrocious all season. Scott is in a tough position because its hard to hold players accountable when your best player can basically shoot the ball whenever he wants and only plays defense when he feels like it.

With that being said, I still think that overall spacing has been atrocious and it doesn’t even look like they are running anything on offense half the time. Ironically, I actually think D’Antoni might have been a better coach for the team they have now but whatever. I actually thought Kobe did an excellent job in last night’s game not forcing the action (especially in the third quarter when the Hawks made a run) and allowing other players to step up and make plays instead of jacking shots against double teams. Boozer, Hill, Lin and Young all had good offensive games, and as a result Kobe had more energy to take over in crunch time.

[Author]

Posts