Kobe says Lakers record is just like the rest of the team...

[Citizen-Y]

meaningless unless he himself, the Great Kobe Bryant has graced them with his presence on the starting lineup:

http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/story/_/id/10115418/mike-dantoni-proud-los-angeles-lakers-efforts-kobe-bryant-return

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- After Kobe Bryant downplayed the Los Angeles Lakers' modest success in going 10-9 without him, saying Monday, "It's not like we were gangbusters before," coach Mike D'Antoni came to the defense of Bryant's teammates.

"I have to disagree with that," D'Antoni said after Tuesday's shootaround in advance of the Lakers' game against the Phoenix Suns. "We were 6-2 in the last eight [games before Bryant's return] and I thought we played extremely well, winning three [in a row] on the road. ... So, that's not quite right. I'm really proud of what the guys did."

Whether the difference in opinion has more to do with Bryant's elevated standards as a five-time champion than it does with him disparaging his teammates is open to interpretation. But even D'Antoni had some critical remarks for the team Tuesday.

"Our defense is fairly good," D'Antoni said of the Lakers, who are 19th in defensive efficiency, allowing 102.4 points per 100 possessions. "We can be better, always be better, but in the paint we're awful and we've got to get tougher."

L.A. is second to last in the league in points allowed in the paint, giving up an average of 47.3 per game, which bests only the 4-19 Utah Jazz's 47.7 per-game average.

"We got to get a little more strong there and we got to get back [in transition]," D'Antoni said. "It's a combination of things. It's turning the ball over; we got to quit doing that. We got to run back on defense; we got to do that. And once we're down there, we got to defend the paint better. If we want to be a good team and we want to get better, then that's definitely a point of emphasis."

Despite identifying rim protection as a weak spot, D'Antoni is going with a smaller unit against the Suns, moving Robert Sacre to the bench for Shawne Williams and Wes Johnson to the bench for Jodie Meeks.

"We got to get more speed in there," D'Antoni said of the changes, which will constitute the Lakers' ninth starting combination through 21 games. "Until Kobe gets his legs and everything else, I think we need to spread the floor and make it easier on everybody."

D'Antoni said part of the shuffle was matchup related, with Phoenix starting a stretch 4 in Channing Frye in the frontcourt. Bryant will still play combo guard on offense, but on defense he will be matched up against small forward P.J. Tucker.

"We're back to square one in figuring out the best combinations with Kobe in the lineup, how that works and who plays off of who better," D'Antoni said. "It will take a few games to sort that out, but in the meantime we need to win and we need to play hard, and if we do that, it will take care of itself."

One of the players who struggled to find his rhythm in Bryant's return was Steve Blake, as he failed to register five assists or more for just the fifth time all season (finishing with four) and also scored fewer than five points for just the third time (finishing with three on 1-for-6 shooting) against the Toronto Raptors.

"It will be a little bit of a challenge, but I was [playing off the ball] in the beginning of the year when [Steve] Nash was playing," Blake said. "I'm going to have to try to get comfortable with that situation again, hopefully sooner than later."

Now the Lakers go back about their business of reintegrating Bryant and seeing if they can indeed start playing like gangbusters with him back.

"It's difficult," D'Antoni said. "If it was anybody else it would be kind of tragic if you had to, but it's Kobe Bryant. We're happy to do this. It's just the necessary process that we have to go through."

What a turd.

[Meho]

What did Kobe say?

[Hack Wilson - real]

Lakers are doing great since Kobe came back

[whoisthis]

Imagine how his teammates feel. In the interviews with guys like Blake, Young etc. after the 1st game, they all sounded dejected. Like the fun they were having was gone. These guys were a game over .500, WAY better than anyone expected. I'm sure they knew they weren't in the hunt for the title, but they were exciting to watch and could give people a run for their money. To hear their "leader" giggle at their record and dismiss it like that probably isn't a great feeling. Of course, Kobe knows that he'll only have to deal with some of these guys next season, so he doesn't care about their feelings. He could've worded that differently. Good for D'Antoni for coming to his teams defense though.

[Don Jacob]

i understand both sides..... the lakers team was an awesome team to watch, very entertaining, very cool, very fun, ect, ect. but that was it...... they kind've reminded me of the team that had nick van exel, eddie jones, cedric ceballos, and vlade divac on it. it was all of those things but they weren't serious winners. But that's what a Kobe Bryant lead team is always shooting for... serious wins. So of corse you're going to have growing pains like the last two games.....the system is going to change a lot from what it was to how it needs to be. When you watch those games, it doesn't feel like an injured player trying to get up to speed with his team mates like Carmelo did back in New York .....it feels like his team mates need to get up to speed with him...mentally. I saw a lot of fumbled passes , quick shots , and sluggish D (particularly down low) . But this isn't to say that a rusty Kobe hasn't hurt the team, it has. but i feel once kobe gets into stride and gets these players to play with more a sense of purpose this can be a very dangerous team and these past few games will have been necessary growing pains.

[Sccit]

kobe is not satisfied with being a game over .500.... kobe is a winner and d'antoni is still tryna get there. phil jackson would've agreed with kobe.


kobe's never gunna be satisfied reachin for .500, even if d'antoni is.


either way, any1 talkin shit about kobe is a complete idiot and has no idea about the game of basketball...it's his second game back comin from an achilles injury and 8 months of no basketball. it's obviously guna take some time to get back to game-speed. fall back, cocksuckers.

[Sccit]

Imagine how his teammates feel. In the interviews with guys like Blake, Young etc. after the 1st game, they all sounded dejected. Like the fun they were having was gone. These guys were a game over .500, WAY better than anyone expected. I'm sure they knew they weren't in the hunt for the title, but they were exciting to watch and could give people a run for their money. To hear their "leader" giggle at their record and dismiss it like that probably isn't a great feeling. Of course, Kobe knows that he'll only have to deal with some of these guys next season, so he doesn't care about their feelings. He could've worded that differently. Good for D'Antoni for coming to his teams defense though.

lol, lets dismiss kobe, the understudy of phil jackson, and back d'antoni, who just called our defense "good" when were 19th in the league smfh....

what d'antoni is doing is the opposite of phil jackson. he does not know how to psychologically motivate players. kobe is striving to get better, while d'antoni is telling the players "we're fine where we are"=the anti-phil

quite obvious who's the champ here.......come on, now

[whoisthis]

Right. Kobe isn't satisfied with that record and that's fine. But part of being a leader is knowing how to handle your guys. He knows they played above their head to even get that record. To dismiss what they did like that isn't good for morale. That's the point. This isn't Boxing, MMA or Golf. There's a whole team around you that you need help from. Why not say "the guys played hard, we're not where we want to be but we'll get there." Everyone remains happy. You expressed that the record isn't to your liking. You move on. Phil Jackson may have agrees but he was also tactful in what he had to say and made sure whatever he said had a purpose.

D'Antoni isn't Phil. No way. He was a mistake. But, the organization hired him, not Kobe, to coach. It's his job to figure out how to keep these guys motivated. Kobe crushing their record doesn't help that. D'Antoni doesn't belong coaching pro ball. He'd be better off in College. That's a true fact. But as a head coach what would you want his response to be? "Kobe is right. We weren't good at all. Thank God he's back!" He's got a whole locker room of guys who are unhappy. He's gotta back up the team. Regardless of what Phil taught Kobe. Regardless of the rings Kobe has on his hand. He has to keep these guys motivated.

[Sccit]

Right. Kobe isn't satisfied with that record and that's fine. But part of being a leader is knowing how to handle your guys. He knows they played above their head to even get that record. To dismiss what they did like that isn't good for morale. That's the point. This isn't Boxing, MMA or Golf. There's a whole team around you that you need help from. Why not say "the guys played hard, we're not where we want to be but we'll get there." Everyone remains happy. You expressed that the record isn't to your liking. You move on. Phil Jackson may have agrees but he was also tactful in what he had to say and made sure whatever he said had a purpose.

D'Antoni isn't Phil. No way. He was a mistake. But, the organization hired him, not Kobe, to coach. It's his job to figure out how to keep these guys motivated. Kobe crushing their record doesn't help that. D'Antoni doesn't belong coaching pro ball. He'd be better off in College. That's a true fact. But as a head coach what would you want his response to be? "Kobe is right. We weren't good at all. Thank God he's back!" He's got a whole locker room of guys who are unhappy. He's gotta back up the team. Regardless of what Phil taught Kobe. Regardless of the rings Kobe has on his hand. He has to keep these guys motivated.

the point is, kobe wants them to try harder and get BETTER...it's what phil jackson would've done, as well. trust me. d'antoni is an idiot, why would u even defend him? he's the anti-phil...even if he thought kobe was wrong, he shoulda never said what he said. either way, he's wrong, because he's sending 2 messages "we're fine where we are" and "the team should be upset at kobe for talking like that"....instead of sending a positive message "kobe is right, we need to strive to get better so we can compete" and "the team needs to adjust to Kobe's game so that we can become more than just a .500 team". do like phil and use motivational tools, as opposed to goin against the franchise player by acting content being average....the guy is a moron, and theres not many people out there who will tell u differently. lucky for us, we still have some pretty good assistants.

[whoisthis]

No good leader would that. D'Antoni would lose the locker room if he did that. He has to remind the rest of the team that he's behind them. You have to be real here. If he agrees with Kobe he loses the buy in.

[Sccit]

No good leader would that. D'Antoni would lose the locker room if he did that. He has to remind the rest of the team that he's behind them. You have to be real here. If he agrees with Kobe he loses the buy in.

u dont get it...in order to be successful, they'll have to rally behind their leader. what d'antoni is doing is the opposite of that. he's doing the exact opposite of motivating them to play better and getting them to relate to kobe. we're not talking about wesley johnson here...it's KOBE BRYANT. in order for us to be successful, all of the players must be on the same page as HIM. one again, d'antoni does not know how to psychologically motivate...what he should've said is "i think the players have done a good job without kobe, but now that kobe's back we will need to adjust in order to take that step to reach the next level". somethin to that affect...instead, he throws kobe under the bus like a douchebag and makes it a kobe vs the team thing.....u really dont think he's an idiot?

[whoisthis]

D'Antoni had to respond to Kobe's comments, which is why he responded how he did. That's basic PR. Of course he needs to be honest and realize that his style and Kobe's style will never mesh and Kobe will never play the way D'Antoni wants. But, he has to be able to land more jobs in the future and cannot publicly lay down to Kobe. He has to stand his ground in the media. This is real simple corporate bullshit playing out in front of us.

It's the middle manager trying to fight off the top performer. I've seen it. I've been that top performer and I've been that middle manager. Kobe's job is secure,  D'Antoni could be gone in a second. How does he stick around longer? Keep as many allies in the locker room as possible.

[Sccit]

the way to keep his job would be to keep the team and kobe all on good terms, which was not helped by that retarded comment


bottom line, he's an idiot, and he did the opposite of what phil woulda.....trust me

[whoisthis]

And did Kobe's comment keep the team on the same page? No. That's what you're failing to see. We are talking West Johnson here. Steve Blake. Xavier Henry. Guys who have had lackluster careers or been career back ups. This was probably their first time playing on a team where they were this important. This vital. And for Kobe to step him and completely dismiss what you did? That creates a divide. D'Antoni did the right thing. Phil would not have allowed Kobe to make a comment like that without saying something back. This is a fact. Phil kept everyone honest regardless of who you were.

[Sccit]

And did Kobe's comment keep the team on the same page? No. That's what you're failing to see. We are talking West Johnson here. Steve Blake. Xavier Henry. Guys who have had lackluster careers or been career back ups. This was probably their first time playing on a team where they were this important. This vital. And for Kobe to step him and completely dismiss what you did? That creates a divide. D'Antoni did the right thing. Phil would not have allowed Kobe to make a comment like that without saying something back. This is a fact. Phil kept everyone honest regardless of who you were.

kobe was motivating them to not be content wit a .500 record.....u have no idea what ur talkin about, my dude


when u back d'antoni's coaching strategies, u KNOW ur wrong