KOOOBBBEEE

[TeeRaySix9Teen]

It's kinda sad to me cause i've always thought Pippen was a smart player who actually knew how to defend. But what he said about Kobe's 81 points performance is 100% hate. He have no points at all. He blamed the new rules, but fuck it. Like i said zonal defence is way more deadly that phisical defence for a guard. Toronto defended man-to-man, then they doubled Kobe, then they used big guys against him trying to contest his jumpshots, they even tried zonal defence. But nothing worked. You gotta give Kobe credits for that performance. If you want to blame the new (?) rules, do it in another article. Shit, that's horrible to me. Pippen used to be like a hero for me, cause he was a true defender, and i love defenders. But his comments was straight bullshit. He lost all his credits to me. What's the next step? To diss Tex Winter cause he placed Kobe in his All-Winter Team instead of Jordan? To diss Phil cause he said that that performance was something Jordan has never done in his career in a single match? To diss Buss cause he chosed Bryant over Shaq?

ToNe is gunna come in here and say something along the lines of "No one hates on Kobe! It's all in the Laker fans minds. You guys are paranoid, everyone loves Kobe...I've never seen Kobe getting hated on."...Just watch. LOL.

U act as if theres this huge group of people on here that arent Laker fans...that agree with u lol. You are obviously going to be biased...youre a Kobe fan. Like i said, you would defend this guy if he raped your mom. Like i said, u have this double standard. You cant call anyone who makes a negative comment about Kobe a hater...and at the same time claim you arent a dickrider for acting as if he's perfect. Its one or the other....either the people who say negative things are haters, and you and others like you are dickriders. OR, they arent haters...and you arent a dickrider. One or the other, chose. Ive had a million posts saying something positive about this guy, AND something negative....and all you can come up with is "youre a Kobe hater" LOL. Thats 12 yr old man. Id expect it from that "Wow im really gay cus i have my favorite ball player as my screename" kid....but cmon NIK, you should know better.

I am not biased, at least not completely...When I see flaws in Kobe's game I point 'em out...Just like when he was shooting a low percentage 3ball earlier in the season, I said he should work on it. Not surprisingly, his 3P% has risen since then. I don't think Kobe is perfect, I just think he's the closest thing on the court to perfect. But nobody's really perfect...are they? You guys are haters beause if LeBron scored 81, you'd be the first ones to say "Kobe would've never been able to do this", "LeBron will definitely surpass Jordan", and all sorts of stupid shit like that...Since it's Kobe, you HAVE to find a way to give the accomplishment less credit than it really deserves...It never fails to amaze me, never...PeACe

u act like im really into Lebron lol. i dont see lebron scoring 81 ever....but i also dont see him shooting that much to score 81. he isnt that kind of player, he scores...but still likes to get his teammates involved. I dont know who will surpass Jordan, or if anyone will for decades. But like i said before, Lebron isnt comparible to Jordan....Kobe either. Jordan had the offensive ability of Kobe, but far better defense. And he had the ability to make his teammates better like Lebron. Like ive said, u seen me give kobe props on different aspects of his game a million times....but that doesnt mean i wont say whats wrong with his game also. Obviously, like you agreed, he's not perfect. I dont think he's the closest thing to perfect in the league by ANY means. But i dont think any one player is. They all play slightly different. if you want to say Kobe is the best scorer in the league, u might have an argument. But is he the best leader? Not close. Is he the best defender? Definetely not. So theres noway to say whos "closest to perfect". Ill give u this...he's the closest thing to perfect on the Lakers 

See, this is where you're wrong. If LeBron likes to get his teammates involved, Kobe LOVES to get his teammates involved. It's just that Kobe's teammates DON'T. Kobe gets them touches, shit, even if you watched the 81 point game, he was setting everyone up for easy looks. And as for his defense defenitely not being the best in the league, well, Jordan wasn't even the best defender on his team. He had Pippen for SO MUCH defensive help. Plus, Kobe is the best perimiter defender in the league, so yes, his defense is as good as it has to be... It's obvious to me that you haven't payed close attention to Kobe's growth as a player in the NBA. It's pretty obvious to me that you base your opinion on ESPN highlights and analysts. Oh yea, lets not forget Sir Charles...I know that deep down inside you know exactly what I mean...PeACe

lol ive probably watched as many laker games as you have this year man. Kobe's "growth" isnt evident in his defense at ALL. I dont know where u get this idea that he's a great defender lol. But ive watched this guy on defense probably more then ive watched his offense. Ive seen him quit on so many plays on D man, and he gets burned....ALOT. Its well known around the league that he isnt considered a great defender. Jordan had Pippen, but Jordan himself was regarded as one of the best defenders in the league. there were years where many considered him the best defensive AND best offensive player in the league. So you cant compare the two at all. Plus, other then those two...they never had any amazing defensive stoppers until Rodman came along. The rest of the team was just role players who only shined because of Jordan. Once he was out of the league...they ALL disappeared. Even Pippen was nowhere NEAR the same player. And cmon man...youre going to tell me that Kobe likes to get his teammates involved more then Lebron? LOL Thats possibly the stupidest comment ive ever heard on this board regarding kobe. I cant even imagine Kobe himself saying somethin so stupid lol. Coaches biggest concern about Lebron since he's been in the league was that he would be TOO unselfish. They wanted him to be more selfish and look for his own shot more. Kobe hasnt exactly had any problem with being selfish since he missed those airballs in the playoffs at the beginning of his career lol. The man loves to shoot...he loves to have his name at the top of the boxscore. Unfortunately for LA, they wont win a championship with this lopsided shit. U say his teammates dont come through...but at the beginning of the year you kept arguing how they have all this talent. how Odom is an all star....etc..etc. Ontop of that, Phil was the "greatest coach ever". Kobe is the so called on court leader of this team. So let me get this strait....they had talent around Kobe, they have the greatest coach ever...Kobe "loves" (lol) to get his teammates involved...but it isnt working. So whos fault is that? The talent u said they had? The coach? Kobe? If the players arent making shots...maybe Kobe should be getting them the ball with more of an opportunity to succeed. Thats what a great player does. He can shoot all he wants, but if he doesnt trust his teammates...he will never win, i guarentee u.

First of all, I doubt you've seen as many Laker games as me this year unless you've seen every single one...Shit, I've even been to a few games this season already, 2 of them being road games. I don't worship Kobe like you think, I'm simply a fan, a fan who's proud of having the greatest player in the world on his team. Kobe's D is great, yes, he gets burned sometimes, but WTF? Everyone does, especially guards. Jordan got burned ALL the time, Pippen was just there to bail him out on D. It made Jordan look good...When a guard passes Kobe, we have no one to stop the ball. With that being said, Kobe is still the best perimiter defender in the league. He stops the ball a lot, more than any other shooting guard, especially when playoff time comes...LeBron is a passer, yes, but sometimes I see Sasha hitting a 3 or Bynum dunking on someone, and this great big smile lights up on Kobe's face, like he's the happiest person in the world when his teammates start to fall into place and play like Phil wants them to. He loves it, he loves when the Lakers are balanced. LeBron, of course, is more of a passer, but I still think Kobe loves seeing his players develop together with him more than anyone in the league...We have a strong team here, I said it and I'll say it again, but they aren't very consistant. They tend to forget their places on the floor, they tend to get into these slumps, they tend to defer to Kobe when they're tired...But when they do perform to expectations, this team is great, the offense flows smoothly, the defense looks awesome...I think (and I hope) that that's the Laker team we'll see EVERY night come playoff time. I believe they'll have everything together by then, enough so that they wont get into those slumps they've currently been getting into...Kobe trusts his teammates, it's just that sometimes they don't trust themselves...It will all be balanced come playoff time..."i guarentee u."

i just dont know where u get this "Kobe is the best perimieter defender in the league"? Ive never heard that come out of ONE persons mouth around the league. The players dont think that, the coaches dont think that, the media doesnt think that...nobody does. U honestly think he'll be all defensive first team this year? lol I doubt it.

“I think Kobe is the best perimeter defender in the league…”
-NBA Analyst David DuPree

Probably not 1st....2nd....or 3rd. As for Jordan, youre right Jordan did get burned some. But it wasnt the same as Kobe. I see Kobe quit on defense a LOT. Jordan got burned some, but if u watched those games back in the day youd also see how Jordan played alot of his D. He was the first person i saw to actually allow his player to get by him just a little, so he could swat the ball from behind on a 10 foot jumper. This isnt to say that Lebron has the best D either, he needs to work on his also. He's young, so hopefully he'll figure it out. As far as Kobe's teammates not trusting themselves. That goes both ways. They need confidence....obviously. But part of that confidence comes from Kobe. The opinion around the league has been that in order for this team to win, Kobe will have to learn to trust his teammates. And, at the same time...his teammates will have to come through when he does give them the ball. Right now, u can tell neither of those are happening. We could go back and forth forever on whos to blame. You can say Kobe doesnt have confidence in his teammates cus they dont knock down shots, so thats why he doesnt give up the ball more. I can say that his teammates have no confidence because they get the ball so little, that they have no chance to get into the rhythm of the game. I think both Kobe AND his teammates need to adjust. When their offense looks so stagnant, i dont blame only Kobe...but i also dont blame only his teammates. At some point he needs to just trust them, if they miss shots...they miss shots. But he cant try to do everything on offense or else the rest of team will NEVER grow. Players learn from their own mistakes in the game. Dont u think, that in Kobe's early years when he had those fuckups in the playoffs, and his game looked so immature at times, it actually helped him in the long run? Im guessing he looks at it that way, which means he needs to see that in these players and let them grow. Right now, they all suck man. But remember, no one has confidence in them. The media doesnt, other teams dont respect them, their own teammate (the star of their team) doesnt, and i dont even think the coach does all that much.

LMAO. You've gotta be joking. You HONESTLY don't think Kobe's gunna make AT LEAST All-Defensive 3rd team? LOLOLOL. I'll mark you on that one buddy...And the thing I'm saying is KOBE DOES SET HIS TEAMMATES UP. This is how I know you don't watch Laker games, he ALWAYS dishes it out for open looks, outside AND underneath. I can't believe you can say Kobe doesn't respect his teammates, that's straight up disgusting. It's just that with this team, their confidence is up and down, they're not grounded yet. So sometimes when he gets them those open looks, they don't convert, and it doesn't always show up in Kobe's assist column. Do you only read the box score?...Kobe can easily average 7-10 assists a night if his teammates were more consistant. It's hit-and-miss, shit, the Lakers were lucky they won tonight...But I bet you anything that they're gunna come out firing Sunday in Detroit...PeACe

Ive watched a ton of Laker games this season actually man. More then normal. Mostly since i got that damn league pass shit...and i dont always get home in time to see the early games. Lakers play most of their games at 7:30. But yeah, from what ive seen...its exactly what i say. Its not to say he NEVER passes the ball. But he isnt that great at getting his teammates the ball in situations to succeed. Sometimes yeah, but most the time, no. Like Doug Collins said during one of the Laker games.."the difference between Lebron and Kobe is that Lebron sees the floor a little bit better the Kobe". It isnt about getting assists, its about winning games. I agree, his teammates need to be more dependable. But if i agree on that, u gotta agree with the fact that Kobe needs to trust them more also. Im not sayin im the only one thats right here, im sayin that they go hand in hand. kobe trusting his teammates more, leads to them having more confidence. His teammates knocking down shots, leads to Kobe trusting them more. See? The only reason i put more of it on Kobe is because its his team. He's supposed to be the leader. If u have 7 other guys whos confidence is low, and one other guy who is supposed to be the leader. Why do u blame the 7...and not the 1? they look to him to be the example. Not the example of how to score but the example of how to win. Right now, hes the offense. Thats not how to win. I hate to use Duncan as an example, but why not. He's obviously a superstar in the league, and considered one of the best players in the league. If not the best, depends on who u ask. But he can have a 14 point, 13 reb. night...and its fine. He wont care, as long as they win. He knows he can get his shot off if he wants. He knows he can take almost any forward in the league. But running the offense wins games more then letting Duncan go one on one for 48 minutes. I know, he has better players around him. But those guys are far better for playing with him. U see how unselfish the whole team is. Thats a result of seeing your superstar be the same way.

[acbaylove]

Another proof that Kobe is the MVP: after the 81-points game he had to have a quiet night, sharing the ball, getting his teammates involved, etc.. And he did it! He made just 5 points in the first 3 quarters of the game, but he had 8 assists, and he played good defence. But Lakers were down by 7 with 5 minutes to play in the 4th. So he stepped up, making the clutch shots, forcing the game to OT and winning it with 9 wonderful clutch points. No fucking doubt, he's the MVP.

"Kobe is always a factor in the game," Lakers guard Smush Parker said. "I don't think Golden State stopped him from scoring the ball. He just got other guys involved in the offense. It was a game Kobe didn't have to force the game until late."

"I just tried to minimize him," said Warriors guard Mickael Pietrus, who had the unenviable assignment of guarding Bryant. "I know now he is a great legend. I tried not to get swept up in the game early".

[TeeRaySix9Teen]

Another proof that Kobe is the MVP: after the 81-points game he had to have a quiet night, sharing the ball, getting his teammates involved, etc.. And he did it! He made just 5 points in the first 3 quarters of the game, but he had 8 assists, and he played good defence. But Lakers were down by 7 with 5 minutes to play in the 4th. So he stepped up, making the clutch shots, forcing the game to OT and winning it with 9 wonderful clutch points. No fucking doubt, he's the MVP.

"Kobe is always a factor in the game," Lakers guard Smush Parker said. "I don't think Golden State stopped him from scoring the ball. He just got other guys involved in the offense. It was a game Kobe didn't have to force the game until late."

"I just tried to minimize him," said Warriors guard Mickael Pietrus, who had the unenviable assignment of guarding Bryant. "I know now he is a great legend. I tried not to get swept up in the game early".

yeah he had a good game. this is more the kind of game he should play. not the, shoot everytime i touch the ball whether its a smart shot or not offense. I still dont know about that MVP thing. I say he's in the running for sure. But his teams weakness might hurt his chances. I mean, the Lakers arent exactly burnin it up and its hard to get MVP when youre on an average team. Also...we're only at the halfway point. theres a ton of ball left to play. What if the Lakers end up missing the playoffs...then he wouldnt even be in the running. So wait till the end of the season to worry about MVP.

[acbaylove]

Another proof that Kobe is the MVP: after the 81-points game he had to have a quiet night, sharing the ball, getting his teammates involved, etc.. And he did it! He made just 5 points in the first 3 quarters of the game, but he had 8 assists, and he played good defence. But Lakers were down by 7 with 5 minutes to play in the 4th. So he stepped up, making the clutch shots, forcing the game to OT and winning it with 9 wonderful clutch points. No fucking doubt, he's the MVP.

"Kobe is always a factor in the game," Lakers guard Smush Parker said. "I don't think Golden State stopped him from scoring the ball. He just got other guys involved in the offense. It was a game Kobe didn't have to force the game until late."

"I just tried to minimize him," said Warriors guard Mickael Pietrus, who had the unenviable assignment of guarding Bryant. "I know now he is a great legend. I tried not to get swept up in the game early".

yeah he had a good game. this is more the kind of game he should play. not the, shoot everytime i touch the ball whether its a smart shot or not offense. I still dont know about that MVP thing. I say he's in the running for sure. But his teams weakness might hurt his chances. I mean, the Lakers arent exactly burnin it up and its hard to get MVP when youre on an average team. Also...we're only at the halfway point. theres a ton of ball left to play. What if the Lakers end up missing the playoffs...then he wouldnt even be in the running. So wait till the end of the season to worry about MVP.

Man Lakers were loosing against the Raptors and the Warriors. It's not that Kobe wanted to make an 81-points game in the first place. If he wanted to, he could have attacked the basket from the first minute. But he didn't. He had a "normal" first half of the game. But they were loosing at home against a wack team. So he had to step-up and find a way to win the game. With his performance Lakers outscored the Raptors by almost 40, in the second half of the game. And they won. Same against the Warriors. He shared the ball (8 assists) making just 5 points in the first 3 quarters. But the Lakers were loosing. So he had to step-up again, and he made 25 other points to win the game.

When this team had Horry, Fisher, Shaq, etc, Kobe shared the ball more. Because the other teammates actually were good enought to take some responsabilities and to let him rest. This team ain't good enought. But still Kobe is having an MVP season, imo. Till now, obviously.

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

Ive watched a ton of Laker games this season actually man. More then normal. Mostly since i got that damn league pass shit...and i dont always get home in time to see the early games. Lakers play most of their games at 7:30. But yeah, from what ive seen...its exactly what i say. Its not to say he NEVER passes the ball. But he isnt that great at getting his teammates the ball in situations to succeed. Sometimes yeah, but most the time, no. Like Doug Collins said during one of the Laker games.."the difference between Lebron and Kobe is that Lebron sees the floor a little bit better the Kobe". It isnt about getting assists, its about winning games. I agree, his teammates need to be more dependable. But if i agree on that, u gotta agree with the fact that Kobe needs to trust them more also. Im not sayin im the only one thats right here, im sayin that they go hand in hand. kobe trusting his teammates more, leads to them having more confidence. His teammates knocking down shots, leads to Kobe trusting them more. See? The only reason i put more of it on Kobe is because its his team. He's supposed to be the leader. If u have 7 other guys whos confidence is low, and one other guy who is supposed to be the leader. Why do u blame the 7...and not the 1? they look to him to be the example. Not the example of how to score but the example of how to win. Right now, hes the offense. Thats not how to win. I hate to use Duncan as an example, but why not. He's obviously a superstar in the league, and considered one of the best players in the league. If not the best, depends on who u ask. But he can have a 14 point, 13 reb. night...and its fine. He wont care, as long as they win. He knows he can get his shot off if he wants. He knows he can take almost any forward in the league. But running the offense wins games more then letting Duncan go one on one for 48 minutes. I know, he has better players around him. But those guys are far better for playing with him. U see how unselfish the whole team is. Thats a result of seeing your superstar be the same way.

Wrong...He gets his players the ball...They knock it down, he looks good, they don't, he looks bad...The players play very good for a long stretch, then all of a sudden begin to lag again...It has nothing to do with Kobe, you've completely ignored what I've said in the posts, Kobe can easily average 7-10 assists if his teammates either a.)had the confidence to take the shot or b.)shot a consistant shot to begin with...Remember, they are still currently learning...Kobe will average no less than 5-6 assists in the playoffs, I gaurantee you. Lets take last night vs Golden State for example...Kobe scored 5 points in the first half, and the other Lakers were playing consistant, Kobe was getting them the ball, they were getting involved, hitting shots...They were up at the half. Then the 3rd quarter comes along, the players freeze up and begin playing inconsistant. Kobe's on the bench and nobody's hitting a shot. Kobe comes in, he's still dishing the ball out for good looks, but this time the players aren't hitting...Golden State takes the lead going into the 4th. Beginning of 4th, same thing, everybody's off, inconsistant, trading baskets...Finally, last 6-7 minutes, Kobe single handedly brings them back in the game, knocking the shots ON HIS OWN when it counts, hitting free-throws to send it into OT. Then hits big shots + the game winning shot in the OT...That's why I said it was an ugly win. Kobe had to take over. It shouldn't get to that...By playoff time, it WONT. Lakers will be ready to play how they did in the first half 100% of the time, even better, and this team will be strong, you all will see...

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

Another proof that Kobe is the MVP: after the 81-points game he had to have a quiet night, sharing the ball, getting his teammates involved, etc.. And he did it! He made just 5 points in the first 3 quarters of the game, but he had 8 assists, and he played good defence. But Lakers were down by 7 with 5 minutes to play in the 4th. So he stepped up, making the clutch shots, forcing the game to OT and winning it with 9 wonderful clutch points. No fucking doubt, he's the MVP.

"Kobe is always a factor in the game," Lakers guard Smush Parker said. "I don't think Golden State stopped him from scoring the ball. He just got other guys involved in the offense. It was a game Kobe didn't have to force the game until late."

"I just tried to minimize him," said Warriors guard Mickael Pietrus, who had the unenviable assignment of guarding Bryant. "I know now he is a great legend. I tried not to get swept up in the game early".

yeah he had a good game. this is more the kind of game he should play. not the, shoot everytime i touch the ball whether its a smart shot or not offense. I still dont know about that MVP thing. I say he's in the running for sure. But his teams weakness might hurt his chances. I mean, the Lakers arent exactly burnin it up and its hard to get MVP when youre on an average team. Also...we're only at the halfway point. theres a ton of ball left to play. What if the Lakers end up missing the playoffs...then he wouldnt even be in the running. So wait till the end of the season to worry about MVP.

Well, so far, he is number 1 in the MVP runnings...Almost every analyst and/or announcer I've heard is saying Kobe is currently the MVP. That's what we're basing it on...Who knows what will happen in the future? No one...So we go based on what we see...Speaking of MVP, wow, is LeBron a choke. Weren't you one of the people saying LeBron>Kobe? LMAOOOO. Yea, LeBron airballed a clutch free-throw to put the game away yesterday vs. Indiana...Then on the next play, coach had to bring Ilgauskas in, so he can get the ball and actually MAKE free-throws. What an embarassment...Had this happened to Kobe, it woulda' been a huge story in the media, ESPN would have it as their headlines, everyone would be bashing him...But shit like that goes unheard of because it's "King" James...LOL. Bottom line is, Kobe=MVP so far...PeACe

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

Another proof that Kobe is the MVP: after the 81-points game he had to have a quiet night, sharing the ball, getting his teammates involved, etc.. And he did it! He made just 5 points in the first 3 quarters of the game, but he had 8 assists, and he played good defence. But Lakers were down by 7 with 5 minutes to play in the 4th. So he stepped up, making the clutch shots, forcing the game to OT and winning it with 9 wonderful clutch points. No fucking doubt, he's the MVP.

"Kobe is always a factor in the game," Lakers guard Smush Parker said. "I don't think Golden State stopped him from scoring the ball. He just got other guys involved in the offense. It was a game Kobe didn't have to force the game until late."

"I just tried to minimize him," said Warriors guard Mickael Pietrus, who had the unenviable assignment of guarding Bryant. "I know now he is a great legend. I tried not to get swept up in the game early".

yeah he had a good game. this is more the kind of game he should play. not the, shoot everytime i touch the ball whether its a smart shot or not offense. I still dont know about that MVP thing. I say he's in the running for sure. But his teams weakness might hurt his chances. I mean, the Lakers arent exactly burnin it up and its hard to get MVP when youre on an average team. Also...we're only at the halfway point. theres a ton of ball left to play. What if the Lakers end up missing the playoffs...then he wouldnt even be in the running. So wait till the end of the season to worry about MVP.

Man Lakers were loosing against the Raptors and the Warriors. It's not that Kobe wanted to make an 81-points game in the first place. If he wanted to, he could have attacked the basket from the first minute. But he didn't. He had a "normal" first half of the game. But they were loosing at home against a wack team. So he had to step-up and find a way to win the game. With his performance Lakers outscored the Raptors by almost 40, in the second half of the game. And they won. Same against the Warriors. He shared the ball (8 assists) making just 5 points in the first 3 quarters. But the Lakers were loosing. So he had to step-up again, and he made 25 other points to win the game.

When this team had Horry, Fisher, Shaq, etc, Kobe shared the ball more. Because the other teammates actually were good enought to take some responsabilities and to let him rest. This team ain't good enought. But still Kobe is having an MVP season, imo. Till now, obviously.

Well, I think you're wrong in saying "this team ain't good enough"...I think they're good enough, they have shown flashes of excellence, they just are consistant (<<this is the word you're looking for) enough...yet. You know what I mean?

[TeeRaySix9Teen]

Ive watched a ton of Laker games this season actually man. More then normal. Mostly since i got that damn league pass shit...and i dont always get home in time to see the early games. Lakers play most of their games at 7:30. But yeah, from what ive seen...its exactly what i say. Its not to say he NEVER passes the ball. But he isnt that great at getting his teammates the ball in situations to succeed. Sometimes yeah, but most the time, no. Like Doug Collins said during one of the Laker games.."the difference between Lebron and Kobe is that Lebron sees the floor a little bit better the Kobe". It isnt about getting assists, its about winning games. I agree, his teammates need to be more dependable. But if i agree on that, u gotta agree with the fact that Kobe needs to trust them more also. Im not sayin im the only one thats right here, im sayin that they go hand in hand. kobe trusting his teammates more, leads to them having more confidence. His teammates knocking down shots, leads to Kobe trusting them more. See? The only reason i put more of it on Kobe is because its his team. He's supposed to be the leader. If u have 7 other guys whos confidence is low, and one other guy who is supposed to be the leader. Why do u blame the 7...and not the 1? they look to him to be the example. Not the example of how to score but the example of how to win. Right now, hes the offense. Thats not how to win. I hate to use Duncan as an example, but why not. He's obviously a superstar in the league, and considered one of the best players in the league. If not the best, depends on who u ask. But he can have a 14 point, 13 reb. night...and its fine. He wont care, as long as they win. He knows he can get his shot off if he wants. He knows he can take almost any forward in the league. But running the offense wins games more then letting Duncan go one on one for 48 minutes. I know, he has better players around him. But those guys are far better for playing with him. U see how unselfish the whole team is. Thats a result of seeing your superstar be the same way.

Wrong...He gets his players the ball...They knock it down, he looks good, they don't, he looks bad...The players play very good for a long stretch, then all of a sudden begin to lag again...It has nothing to do with Kobe, you've completely ignored what I've said in the posts, Kobe can easily average 7-10 assists if his teammates either a.)had the confidence to take the shot or b.)shot a consistant shot to begin with...Remember, they are still currently learning...Kobe will average no less than 5-6 assists in the playoffs, I gaurantee you. Lets take last night vs Golden State for example...Kobe scored 5 points in the first half, and the other Lakers were playing consistant, Kobe was getting them the ball, they were getting involved, hitting shots...They were up at the half. Then the 3rd quarter comes along, the players freeze up and begin playing inconsistant. Kobe's on the bench and nobody's hitting a shot. Kobe comes in, he's still dishing the ball out for good looks, but this time the players aren't hitting...Golden State takes the lead going into the 4th. Beginning of 4th, same thing, everybody's off, inconsistant, trading baskets...Finally, last 6-7 minutes, Kobe single handedly brings them back in the game, knocking the shots ON HIS OWN when it counts, hitting free-throws to send it into OT. Then hits big shots + the game winning shot in the OT...That's why I said it was an ugly win. Kobe had to take over. It shouldn't get to that...By playoff time, it WONT. Lakers will be ready to play how they did in the first half 100% of the time, even better, and this team will be strong, you all will see...

My point was reiterated last night by your own Stu Lance. he said that Phil might need to let these guys (the role players) take their lumps and learn from their mistakes. Saying that they will only learn on the court. Thats what it is im saying man. Kobe needs to let these guys grow. Him holding their hand and shooting so much might help them win a game, but it wont help his teammates mature and grow on the court. The result, they will stay an average team. They will win some games just on Kobe carrying them...but they wont get over that hump because the rest of the guys wont learn to take some innitiative. Thats why i was saying it would be a good thing when Kobe was out on suspension. but 2 games wasnt really enough to get these guys to gain confidence in their own game. You say Kobe is the leader...but then u dont agree that he should be LEADING. Part of being a leader is instilling confidence in your teammates. These guys have a real fragile psyche almost. When the teams star shows that he's confident in you, it makes u confident. I dont mean JUST giving them the ball for wideopen jumpers. I also mean, giving it up to them and tellin them..."do your thing". You dont see that here so much. I know what youre gonna say..."kobe hi fives players when they do good...etc". But if you werent a Laker fan, youd see what im saying. Go back to the way Magic really pushed Vlade when he first hit the league. Remember how timid he was? How he had almost no confidence in his game. He really blossomed as a result of Magics help. Thats what Kobe needs to do with these guys if he wants to be considered a great leader. Right now its obvious, his leadership skills are questionable at best. Other then for u Laker fans.

[acbaylove]

Another proof that Kobe is the MVP: after the 81-points game he had to have a quiet night, sharing the ball, getting his teammates involved, etc.. And he did it! He made just 5 points in the first 3 quarters of the game, but he had 8 assists, and he played good defence. But Lakers were down by 7 with 5 minutes to play in the 4th. So he stepped up, making the clutch shots, forcing the game to OT and winning it with 9 wonderful clutch points. No fucking doubt, he's the MVP.

"Kobe is always a factor in the game," Lakers guard Smush Parker said. "I don't think Golden State stopped him from scoring the ball. He just got other guys involved in the offense. It was a game Kobe didn't have to force the game until late."

"I just tried to minimize him," said Warriors guard Mickael Pietrus, who had the unenviable assignment of guarding Bryant. "I know now he is a great legend. I tried not to get swept up in the game early".

yeah he had a good game. this is more the kind of game he should play. not the, shoot everytime i touch the ball whether its a smart shot or not offense. I still dont know about that MVP thing. I say he's in the running for sure. But his teams weakness might hurt his chances. I mean, the Lakers arent exactly burnin it up and its hard to get MVP when youre on an average team. Also...we're only at the halfway point. theres a ton of ball left to play. What if the Lakers end up missing the playoffs...then he wouldnt even be in the running. So wait till the end of the season to worry about MVP.

Man Lakers were loosing against the Raptors and the Warriors. It's not that Kobe wanted to make an 81-points game in the first place. If he wanted to, he could have attacked the basket from the first minute. But he didn't. He had a "normal" first half of the game. But they were loosing at home against a wack team. So he had to step-up and find a way to win the game. With his performance Lakers outscored the Raptors by almost 40, in the second half of the game. And they won. Same against the Warriors. He shared the ball (8 assists) making just 5 points in the first 3 quarters. But the Lakers were loosing. So he had to step-up again, and he made 25 other points to win the game.

When this team had Horry, Fisher, Shaq, etc, Kobe shared the ball more. Because the other teammates actually were good enought to take some responsabilities and to let him rest. This team ain't good enought. But still Kobe is having an MVP season, imo. Till now, obviously.

Well, I think you're wrong in saying "this team ain't good enough"...I think they're good enough, they have shown flashes of excellence, they just are consistant (<<this is the word you're looking for) enough...yet. You know what I mean?

Yeah, the team is good. I mean it's a defensive-minded team, and you win championships with defence. So it's not that bad. But this team lacks a 2nd scorer option. I criticized Odom and Brown because i thought they could have been the 2nd option. Matter of fact they ain't. When it's Mihm (in the last 8-9 games), something is wrong. I've accepted both Odom and Brown because of their defensive effort, but we still miss a scorer. Which ain't that hard to find. It's harder to find big bodies who can defend, and a player like Odom who can do everything then to find just a scorer. I hope we could sign one in the next summer. Cause that way we will really be contenders. In a single game i think we can beat everybody. But it's in a serie i think we will miss that offensive option.

[TeeRaySix9Teen]

Another proof that Kobe is the MVP: after the 81-points game he had to have a quiet night, sharing the ball, getting his teammates involved, etc.. And he did it! He made just 5 points in the first 3 quarters of the game, but he had 8 assists, and he played good defence. But Lakers were down by 7 with 5 minutes to play in the 4th. So he stepped up, making the clutch shots, forcing the game to OT and winning it with 9 wonderful clutch points. No fucking doubt, he's the MVP.

"Kobe is always a factor in the game," Lakers guard Smush Parker said. "I don't think Golden State stopped him from scoring the ball. He just got other guys involved in the offense. It was a game Kobe didn't have to force the game until late."

"I just tried to minimize him," said Warriors guard Mickael Pietrus, who had the unenviable assignment of guarding Bryant. "I know now he is a great legend. I tried not to get swept up in the game early".

yeah he had a good game. this is more the kind of game he should play. not the, shoot everytime i touch the ball whether its a smart shot or not offense. I still dont know about that MVP thing. I say he's in the running for sure. But his teams weakness might hurt his chances. I mean, the Lakers arent exactly burnin it up and its hard to get MVP when youre on an average team. Also...we're only at the halfway point. theres a ton of ball left to play. What if the Lakers end up missing the playoffs...then he wouldnt even be in the running. So wait till the end of the season to worry about MVP.

Well, so far, he is number 1 in the MVP runnings...Almost every analyst and/or announcer I've heard is saying Kobe is currently the MVP. That's what we're basing it on...Who knows what will happen in the future? No one...So we go based on what we see...Speaking of MVP, wow, is LeBron a choke. Weren't you one of the people saying LeBron>Kobe? LMAOOOO. Yea, LeBron airballed a clutch free-throw to put the game away yesterday vs. Indiana...Then on the next play, coach had to bring Ilgauskas in, so he can get the ball and actually MAKE free-throws. What an embarassment...Had this happened to Kobe, it woulda' been a huge story in the media, ESPN would have it as their headlines, everyone would be bashing him...But shit like that goes unheard of because it's "King" James...LOL. Bottom line is, Kobe=MVP so far...PeACe

where do u get "almost every analyst and/or announcer" is taking Kobe right now? LOL ive heard Billups and Dirks name mentioned as much if not more. Most people are saying that Kobe's offensively play over the last month has been amazing, but his team being so weak is going to hurt him. He is the leader of his team...and his team sucks. That usually doesnt win u an MVP.

[h cottie is bac-tive?]

Best Player in the League ---- Kobe Bryant

MVP of the League ----- Chauncey Billups/Steve Nash

[h cottie is bac-tive?]

that is what i've heard from most announcers and i agree with that

[TeeRaySix9Teen]

Another proof that Kobe is the MVP: after the 81-points game he had to have a quiet night, sharing the ball, getting his teammates involved, etc.. And he did it! He made just 5 points in the first 3 quarters of the game, but he had 8 assists, and he played good defence. But Lakers were down by 7 with 5 minutes to play in the 4th. So he stepped up, making the clutch shots, forcing the game to OT and winning it with 9 wonderful clutch points. No fucking doubt, he's the MVP.

"Kobe is always a factor in the game," Lakers guard Smush Parker said. "I don't think Golden State stopped him from scoring the ball. He just got other guys involved in the offense. It was a game Kobe didn't have to force the game until late."

"I just tried to minimize him," said Warriors guard Mickael Pietrus, who had the unenviable assignment of guarding Bryant. "I know now he is a great legend. I tried not to get swept up in the game early".

yeah he had a good game. this is more the kind of game he should play. not the, shoot everytime i touch the ball whether its a smart shot or not offense. I still dont know about that MVP thing. I say he's in the running for sure. But his teams weakness might hurt his chances. I mean, the Lakers arent exactly burnin it up and its hard to get MVP when youre on an average team. Also...we're only at the halfway point. theres a ton of ball left to play. What if the Lakers end up missing the playoffs...then he wouldnt even be in the running. So wait till the end of the season to worry about MVP.

Man Lakers were loosing against the Raptors and the Warriors. It's not that Kobe wanted to make an 81-points game in the first place. If he wanted to, he could have attacked the basket from the first minute. But he didn't. He had a "normal" first half of the game. But they were loosing at home against a wack team. So he had to step-up and find a way to win the game. With his performance Lakers outscored the Raptors by almost 40, in the second half of the game. And they won. Same against the Warriors. He shared the ball (8 assists) making just 5 points in the first 3 quarters. But the Lakers were loosing. So he had to step-up again, and he made 25 other points to win the game.

When this team had Horry, Fisher, Shaq, etc, Kobe shared the ball more. Because the other teammates actually were good enought to take some responsabilities and to let him rest. This team ain't good enought. But still Kobe is having an MVP season, imo. Till now, obviously.

Well, I think you're wrong in saying "this team ain't good enough"...I think they're good enough, they have shown flashes of excellence, they just are consistant (<<this is the word you're looking for) enough...yet. You know what I mean?

Flashes of EXCELLENCE?! LOL! Try flashes of being alive. When they play great, theyre an above average team. When they play bad, theyre terrible. I havent seen any "excellence" out of them man. Not too mention, EVERY team has moments where they look good...and then its back to who they really are. Shit, the Hawks beat us. Does that mean they have all the potential in the world now...no. They had a moment where they played way better then they are. There are only 2 or 3 teams n the league right now u can call consistent. But youre acting like the Lakers are the Heat. As if when the lakers get "consistent" theyll be contenders. Theyll just be consistently knocked out in the first round of the playoffs  

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

Ive watched a ton of Laker games this season actually man. More then normal. Mostly since i got that damn league pass shit...and i dont always get home in time to see the early games. Lakers play most of their games at 7:30. But yeah, from what ive seen...its exactly what i say. Its not to say he NEVER passes the ball. But he isnt that great at getting his teammates the ball in situations to succeed. Sometimes yeah, but most the time, no. Like Doug Collins said during one of the Laker games.."the difference between Lebron and Kobe is that Lebron sees the floor a little bit better the Kobe". It isnt about getting assists, its about winning games. I agree, his teammates need to be more dependable. But if i agree on that, u gotta agree with the fact that Kobe needs to trust them more also. Im not sayin im the only one thats right here, im sayin that they go hand in hand. kobe trusting his teammates more, leads to them having more confidence. His teammates knocking down shots, leads to Kobe trusting them more. See? The only reason i put more of it on Kobe is because its his team. He's supposed to be the leader. If u have 7 other guys whos confidence is low, and one other guy who is supposed to be the leader. Why do u blame the 7...and not the 1? they look to him to be the example. Not the example of how to score but the example of how to win. Right now, hes the offense. Thats not how to win. I hate to use Duncan as an example, but why not. He's obviously a superstar in the league, and considered one of the best players in the league. If not the best, depends on who u ask. But he can have a 14 point, 13 reb. night...and its fine. He wont care, as long as they win. He knows he can get his shot off if he wants. He knows he can take almost any forward in the league. But running the offense wins games more then letting Duncan go one on one for 48 minutes. I know, he has better players around him. But those guys are far better for playing with him. U see how unselfish the whole team is. Thats a result of seeing your superstar be the same way.

Wrong...He gets his players the ball...They knock it down, he looks good, they don't, he looks bad...The players play very good for a long stretch, then all of a sudden begin to lag again...It has nothing to do with Kobe, you've completely ignored what I've said in the posts, Kobe can easily average 7-10 assists if his teammates either a.)had the confidence to take the shot or b.)shot a consistant shot to begin with...Remember, they are still currently learning...Kobe will average no less than 5-6 assists in the playoffs, I gaurantee you. Lets take last night vs Golden State for example...Kobe scored 5 points in the first half, and the other Lakers were playing consistant, Kobe was getting them the ball, they were getting involved, hitting shots...They were up at the half. Then the 3rd quarter comes along, the players freeze up and begin playing inconsistant. Kobe's on the bench and nobody's hitting a shot. Kobe comes in, he's still dishing the ball out for good looks, but this time the players aren't hitting...Golden State takes the lead going into the 4th. Beginning of 4th, same thing, everybody's off, inconsistant, trading baskets...Finally, last 6-7 minutes, Kobe single handedly brings them back in the game, knocking the shots ON HIS OWN when it counts, hitting free-throws to send it into OT. Then hits big shots + the game winning shot in the OT...That's why I said it was an ugly win. Kobe had to take over. It shouldn't get to that...By playoff time, it WONT. Lakers will be ready to play how they did in the first half 100% of the time, even better, and this team will be strong, you all will see...

My point was reiterated last night by your own Stu Lance. he said that Phil might need to let these guys (the role players) take their lumps and learn from their mistakes. Saying that they will only learn on the court. Thats what it is im saying man. Kobe needs to let these guys grow. Him holding their hand and shooting so much might help them win a game, but it wont help his teammates mature and grow on the court. The result, they will stay an average team. They will win some games just on Kobe carrying them...but they wont get over that hump because the rest of the guys wont learn to take some innitiative. Thats why i was saying it would be a good thing when Kobe was out on suspension. but 2 games wasnt really enough to get these guys to gain confidence in their own game. You say Kobe is the leader...but then u dont agree that he should be LEADING. Part of being a leader is instilling confidence in your teammates. These guys have a real fragile psyche almost. When the teams star shows that he's confident in you, it makes u confident. I dont mean JUST giving them the ball for wideopen jumpers. I also mean, giving it up to them and tellin them..."do your thing". You dont see that here so much. I know what youre gonna say..."kobe hi fives players when they do good...etc". But if you werent a Laker fan, youd see what im saying. Go back to the way Magic really pushed Vlade when he first hit the league. Remember how timid he was? How he had almost no confidence in his game. He really blossomed as a result of Magics help. Thats what Kobe needs to do with these guys if he wants to be considered a great leader. Right now its obvious, his leadership skills are questionable at best. Other then for u Laker fans.

Kobe Bryant is a fuckin' basketball player, not God...LMAO. What the hell do you expect of him? He DOES push his players, he DOES get the ball to Mihm (the same way he did to Shaq) and lets Mihm create. Odom DOES get many oppurtunities to attack one-on-one. Smush DOES get his touches. Cook DOES get his mid-range jumpers, etc. etc...Kobe does not control the players consistancy, he can put the ball in situations where they can create, but it's up to THEM to actually create...As for Kobe instilling confidence, how many times has Kobe given players like Sasha chances to hit BIG shots at the end of games?...Even today, Lakers were down by twelve with 4 minutes, they were on like a 8-0 run, Kobe drives it in, and decides to pass it out to Sasha for a wide-open 3. Sasha shoots...CLANK!...I mean, how much can Kobe do? On top of that, isn't it Phil Jackson's job to instill confidence in his players? Come on man, you're reaching WAY too far...Kobe is amazing, I know it, but there's only so much you can expect of him...Remember, this team is STILL learning. It took some players YEARS to really understand the triangle. Phil Jackson teams are usually stronger during the second half of the season when everything falls into perspective...And I believe this Lakers team will easily be stronger for the next 41 games...PeACe

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

Another proof that Kobe is the MVP: after the 81-points game he had to have a quiet night, sharing the ball, getting his teammates involved, etc.. And he did it! He made just 5 points in the first 3 quarters of the game, but he had 8 assists, and he played good defence. But Lakers were down by 7 with 5 minutes to play in the 4th. So he stepped up, making the clutch shots, forcing the game to OT and winning it with 9 wonderful clutch points. No fucking doubt, he's the MVP.

"Kobe is always a factor in the game," Lakers guard Smush Parker said. "I don't think Golden State stopped him from scoring the ball. He just got other guys involved in the offense. It was a game Kobe didn't have to force the game until late."

"I just tried to minimize him," said Warriors guard Mickael Pietrus, who had the unenviable assignment of guarding Bryant. "I know now he is a great legend. I tried not to get swept up in the game early".

yeah he had a good game. this is more the kind of game he should play. not the, shoot everytime i touch the ball whether its a smart shot or not offense. I still dont know about that MVP thing. I say he's in the running for sure. But his teams weakness might hurt his chances. I mean, the Lakers arent exactly burnin it up and its hard to get MVP when youre on an average team. Also...we're only at the halfway point. theres a ton of ball left to play. What if the Lakers end up missing the playoffs...then he wouldnt even be in the running. So wait till the end of the season to worry about MVP.

Man Lakers were loosing against the Raptors and the Warriors. It's not that Kobe wanted to make an 81-points game in the first place. If he wanted to, he could have attacked the basket from the first minute. But he didn't. He had a "normal" first half of the game. But they were loosing at home against a wack team. So he had to step-up and find a way to win the game. With his performance Lakers outscored the Raptors by almost 40, in the second half of the game. And they won. Same against the Warriors. He shared the ball (8 assists) making just 5 points in the first 3 quarters. But the Lakers were loosing. So he had to step-up again, and he made 25 other points to win the game.

When this team had Horry, Fisher, Shaq, etc, Kobe shared the ball more. Because the other teammates actually were good enought to take some responsabilities and to let him rest. This team ain't good enought. But still Kobe is having an MVP season, imo. Till now, obviously.

Well, I think you're wrong in saying "this team ain't good enough"...I think they're good enough, they have shown flashes of excellence, they just are consistant (<<this is the word you're looking for) enough...yet. You know what I mean?

Yeah, the team is good. I mean it's a defensive-minded team, and you win championships with defence. So it's not that bad. But this team lacks a 2nd scorer option. I criticized Odom and Brown because i thought they could have been the 2nd option. Matter of fact they ain't. When it's Mihm (in the last 8-9 games), something is wrong. I've accepted both Odom and Brown because of their defensive effort, but we still miss a scorer. Which ain't that hard to find. It's harder to find big bodies who can defend, and a player like Odom who can do everything then to find just a scorer. I hope we could sign one in the next summer. Cause that way we will really be contenders. In a single game i think we can beat everybody. But it's in a serie i think we will miss that offensive option.

Yup...Lakers were so worried about putting together a team that could play defense this off-season that they forgot about the offense...I mean, last year it was the other way around. We had offense, but just lacked on defense...In the beginning of the season, I thought Smush was gunna be a really good offensive threat. I also thought that Odom would finally understand his need to score after he made that "I'm gunna average 20" comment...Then we got Mihm, who is also a pretty good offensive player. We have players who CAN be offensive weapons, but it seems to me that sometimes they get so lost withing the triangle, that they're not even thinking about scoring or attacking anymore...This very team can do something, they have what it takes, now can they use it to their advantage? We'll see...