Kobe Bryant is arguably the best all around player in the NBA today. His defense is astounding, he has led the league two years in scoring. His ability to create shots and score on anyone is second to none.
But for the Lakers to be succesful this season isn't going to come down to whether Bryant can get others involved in the offense. It isn't going to come down to who can come off the bench and help. What it's going to come down to is whether or not Kobe can keep from turning the ball over so much.
As great of a player as he is, Kobe tends to lead the league in turnovers a game consistantly. Last night in a pre-season lost the the Golden state Warriors 111-110, Kobe's stats looked like this. 17pts- 5ast.- 5reb- 1stl. and 6to. that's half of what the whole Warriors team had for the game.
Now you would say that the rest of his stats look descent for the first pre-season game and I would say you are correct. Thing is if Kobe and the rest of the Lakers do not turn the ball over so much they would actually have beat the Warriors pretty soundly. Even though they only lost by one point with such a high number of turnovers (18 total for the whole team) against such elite teams in the regular season this would mean a blowout and not a one point deficit.
The question here is does Kobe handle the ball to much? Isn't that what a PG's job is? If you ask me I would say yes he does. So until the Lakers get someone in the backcourt to handle this responsibility this will continue to happen to Kobe. When he has the ball teams immediately double up on him. They don't wait for him to make a move then bring help he's to good for that. So when teams do this it's hard for him to find someone to get the ball to because lets face it the Lakers have some of the laziest players I have ever seen.
I'm as big a Kobe fan as anyone, but this is something that has annoyed me for years. Turnovers can kill a team, especialy when after a turnover it's hard to get back and play defense. You are not only physicaly out of position but you are mentaly disturbed when it happens. I still think the Lakers are a good team and will make the playoffs. How far they go well we will not know till that time comes. But you can be assured that if Kobe as an indivdual and the Lakers as a team continue to turn the ball over as much as they did lastnight and have for some years now, it will not be very far.
Its easier said than done, but the lakers need to do with Kobe what the Bulls did with Jordan. Whether or not Kobe and Jordan can be looked at as equals is irrelevant. THey are very similar players. Both are supremely talented and very able offensively. They both play great defense and also have a will to win and a tenacity that is unparalleled by others. What Kobe needs is veteran surrounding cast that know that they are not there to star, rather to play a role. Aside from Kobe, the team needs a sidekick that is good enough offensively and defensively to keep the team in games when Kobe has to leave the game, like Pippen did for Jordan. The Lakers dont need a clone of Scottie, just someone that produces similar end results.
Phil Jackson has coached both the Lakers and Bulls and why he hasnt laid out a blueprint for success similar to how he did things in Chicago is beyond me. Or perhaps he has, and its the ownership and upper administration's fault for not bringing in the role players.
What is great about the Bulls in the 90's is that aside from a few expensive players, the rest of the players were relatively inexpensove due to the fact that they were worth a lot more to the Bulls than they were to everyone else. If the Lakers can bring in an older supporting cast that understands that Kobe is the man and they are there to defend, knock down some threes, rebound, scrape, etc., then the Lakers will get their championship.
Thx for stopping in chitown always good to hear from you. I agree with the fact that the Lakers need some veteran role players. As for Phil and a blue print for success. The problem is Upper management. It starts with Jim Buss. why this guy and not jennie is running the show is beyond me. I know that he has promised both Phil and Kobe that they would get them what they need but if he thinks for a minute that Derrick Fisher is what they needed then he is sadly mistaken. The guy (J. Buss)is an #### just like Kuptcheck is. Both of them have about the same common sense that god gave to dogs who still chase moving cars after being hit by one already. idk chitown just don't see Phil staying after this year and Kobe after next year with the team.
Last edited by gambitxxx on October 10th at 10:55 AM.
chitownsfinest, while I agree with everything you said regarding the Laker needs, you give the ownership and GM way to much credit. The team is being run by Buss Jr., who up until running an NBA franchise, was a horse trainer and showman, follow that up with Mitch Cupcake at GM, who couldn't turn a descent trade if his life depended on it. Little Buss would rather keep "Benoit" Bynum than trade for a legitamate veteran and help out Kobe. He still thinks Benoit will become the next Shaq (Shaq didn't have to become Shaq).
Sad truth is Kobe will opt out after this year, Jackson will leave and the Clippers will become LA's team for the next 10 years or until Buss sells the team to someone who cares.
If things dont end up working out in La for Kobe, i would love to see him suit up in a Bulls uni. I am not sure how that would end up happening, but he would really do well in Chicago. Chicago has a lot of players that would fit perfectly with Kobe. The only problem i would see there is that there would be too much youth on their roster.
Even if Kobe would want to come Chicago, i have no idea how they would afford him. GM Paxson loves his youngsters like as if they were his own kids. He has already wrapped up Hinrich and i dont see him allowing Gordon or Deng to get away either. They also have three more seasons with Ben Wallace.
Kinda getting sidetracked her, but if the Bulls could somehow keep the core of Wallace, Gordon, Hinrich, Deng, Nocioni, Tyrus Thomas, Joakim Noah and Thabo Sefolosha together for the next three or four years, that would be dynamite. By the way, i really think that Thabo Sefolosha could become a star. Hes only 23 years old and already has better one on one defense than 90% of players in the NBA. He has size and a decent set of offensive skills and could really develop. He could easily start for the Bulls, its just that there really is too much talent ahead of him on the depth chart. He cant start at the two unless Gordon goes back to being a sixth man, but i really dont see that happening. He wont start ahead of Luol Deng, perhaps Paxson's and Skiles' favorite player. I could see him starting against smaller teams in the following lineup: Hinrich, Gordon, Sefolosha, Deng and Wallace. But against teams with legitimate big men, Tyrus Thomas or Joa
chitown I do know that chi. is a team Kobe was interested in going to. But as you said Paxson likes his youth. As for the team Chi. has right now man they have a whole bunch of good young players. Look out for them come either this year or next. Paxson has done a really good job as GM of the bulls. There is alot of depth on the bench t go with a really good starting lineup. I just would like to know what they going to do when Wallace who is getting to be up in age now(as far as ball playing age goes) gets to a point that he is no longer a great rebounder and D player as he is.
When the Bulls originally signed Wallace to that bajillion dollar deal i was pretty upset. Wallace is a good player, but he is not fifteen million dollar guy. I view him as a poor mans Rodman without the intimidation and frustration(of opponents) factor. He also isnt as good of a rebounder or defender. Anyhow, i personally believe that the minute the Bulls brought in Wallace, they decided on going with defensive talent in the draft. I belive that Paxson picked Sefolsha and Thomas last season and Noah this season because he believes that Wallace, as a veteran defensive star in the NBA, knows a lot about the game and could be a huge factor in their development. Pax, in my opinion, is confident in the offensive capabilities of his three developing youngsters and wants to solidify his already top five defense. I am almost sure that the Bulls have had the best opponent's field goal percentage over the last few seasons and it will only get better as the team learns to play together. The defense took time to learn how to play with Wallace last season and i hope that by opening day this season, they will have worked out the kinks and be the dominant defensive team that i think they can be.
If I was an Eastern Conf. Team and had to play these youngsters I would be scared. They are probably the biggest up and comeing team in the east if not the NBA. Also I agree with what you said just above me. Sounds like you got a blog in the making chitown, with all you just commented about. All in all the Bulls fans are looking at an exciting season this year and many more to come in the near future.
Last edited by gambitxxx on October 10th at 12:19 PM.
CHITOWNSFINEST: "If the Lakers can bring in an older supporting cast that understands that Kobe is the man and they are there to defend, knock down some threes, rebound, scrape, etc., then the Lakers will get their championship."
What people don't understand is that the supporting cast is already there. They just have to grow on one another to develop the team chemistry needed to be a championship team. And they've been growing the last three years, therefore the "veteran mindset" that is so important in the playoffs continues to develop as well.
It is obvious that this Laker team is patterned like the old Bulls teams.
The similarities are striking...
Fisher is like your Paxson or Steve Kerr, a veteran ball handling guard who hits clutch shots.
Mihm and Bynum are like your Cartwrights and Longleys of the world. Big agile centers who clog the lane and can play respectable post defense.
Radmanovic and Walton is like your Kukoc and Buechler, a veteran outside threat who can provide a spark off the bench and is dangerous when you double Kobe and MJ. They are both good for 10-15 points a game as sixth man.
Brown and Turiaf is like your Horace Grant, defensive stalwarts who do all the hustle plays, garbage buckets, and bring 100% energy 100% of the time.
Odom is like, well, Pippen but not really. But like you said we need Odom to produce the same "end results" when Kobe is out of the game. I have the confidence in LO that he can do it. After all, he has been even better in the playoffs the last two years so the deal with Lamar is his consistency and t
Last edited by J-DIZZLE on October 10th at 1:49 PM.
and tenacity. If he can somehow average a double-double and get his head in the game, then the Lakers have a shot at #3 in the West.
LA has a solid mix of vets and youngsters and the perfect coach to make it all gel. I certainly have more faith than most Laker fans because I see what is going on behind the scenes.
There is a major reason that Los Angeles will not pull the trigger so quickly on any trade proposition.
And that reason is they don't want to tinker with a new nucleus that will have to learn the complexities of the triangle all over again when you've got players on the team who have been learning its intricacies over the last three years. Phil doesn't have the time to start over and neither does Kobe.
Even if they got Jermaine O'Neal or Shawn Marion, they still would have to learn from scratch and there is no guarantee that either of these players would propel the Lakers to elite status. The only exception was KG but he's old news now.
I'm out like Joe Torre.
Last edited by J-DIZZLE on October 10th at 1:54 PM.
YIPPEEEE!!! NBA IS GETTING READY TO START!!! MY LAKERS ARE GETTING READY FOR ANOTHER SEASON!!! YAY!!!
Ok, now lets get back to the real world.
1. Please learn how to spell. You've got so many typos in the blog. Pleaseeeeee, its driving me half crazy.
2. Sorry to say but with the current squad the Lakers have, they'd be lucky to get to 6th place.
Rad a 6th man? Nuh uh. More like 8th man.
3. Odom is a flop. Just simply a flop. Don't get me wrong here, the man has great talent but he doesn't capitalize on it. It's like being given a shot at million dollars but he's settling for just a hundred grand.
4. I really have doubts in Bynum. Really. As much as I would love for him to become the next Wilt or Kareem, he simply doesn't seem to have the "stuff" all great centers possess.
Now I may be wrong and hopefully I am. However I really don't think I am. My 2 cents, hope the Lakers win this year. I'll be tuned it more often now that the long, cold summer of non basketball has ended. Hibernation is over, here comes winter!!!
Sorry Dizzle, but the pieces are absolutely NOT in place. Radmanovic, Parker, Mihm, Bynum, Brown, Fischer and Turiof are very poor editions of their old Bulls counterparts. Mihm, Bynum, Parker and Radmanovic are all soft as hell. Parker is simply not that good of a player.
Oh, and if you think Crittenton will save the day, your hopes will be crushed. It is very rare that a first year player steps up and really is comfortable in today's NBA. YOunger players nowadays are less polished and Crittenton will take time to develop. Dont get me wrong, he could end up being very good, but by the time he makes a name for himself, Kobe will probably be out of LaLa land.
No problem man. Plenty of people have a spelling problem. I just have a big annoyance when I see typos all over the place. Makes me want to stop reading. Anyways, all you gotta do is work on that. The blog was great by the way. I see a great blogger in the future if you can get the spelling under control.
partofla- thx for the compliment and I can spell good enough but was at work while typing that. Like I said befor constructive criticism is always welcomed. I fixed all the ones I seen to help others out when they read it.
CHITOWNSFINEST: Now keep in mind that before Chicago was finally able to surpass the likes of Detroit and Boston, the Bulls role players were also considered "soft" because they couldn't win a playoff series.
Not until Chicago got the experience they needed to get past Cleveland, then Boston, then Detroit were guys like BJ Armstrong, John Paxson, Cartwright, Grant, Pippen, etc considered tough and solid.
This is the same thing that the Lakers role players are going through now.
Everyone keeps saying that the rest of the team is garbage because they are basing their opinion on the past three years.
What you don't realize is that this is a growing and maturing team much like Dallas and Phoenix were in the early 2000's. YOu have to give your nucleus a chance to mature and this is what L.A. has been doing, and we've been getting better every year albeit the first round playoff disappointments. But it's not like LA lost to Denver in the first round. We lost to a legitimate title contender mind you.
And if the role players are really garbage, then why hasn't Jerry Buss dealt any of them?
People miss my point most of the time when I defend the respectability of the Lakers' role players. They really aren't that bad, and if so-called basketball experts cannot see the talent behind Kobe then maybe these experts need to watch more basketball.
I bet these are the same people who used to say the Bulls will never win a title if they kept Cartwright, Grant, Paxson because they were no where near as good as Mark Price, Larry Nance, Brad Daugherty, Isiah Thomas, Joe
Dumars, Laimbeer, Ainge, Bird, Dennis Johnson, etc.
THe Lakers will surprise many people this year, and you can really count on that happening.
Lastly, I am not saying this Lakers team is like the CHicago Bulls of old. I am just saying that the makeup of the current Laker squad seems to pattern or mirror the old Bulls because both teams are led by very similar players in Bryant and Jordan.
The Lakers may be a long way from a championship run, but they are also not that far behind.
And what I don't understand is that Houston, for example, has not gotten farther than the Lakers in the postseason the last two years yet everyone trashes and hates on L.A. saying they should be ranked 20th and the Rockets should be top 10 without question. That's just a bunch of baloney to me.
J-DIZZLE While I agree with you on the part about the Rockets I have to say do the Lakers or better yet Kobe hav the time to wait on these guys to get it together? He's in his prime but an injury to him here or there can ruin that. So maybe a move to trade for something might be in both the Lakers and Kobe's best interest.
GAMBITXX: The reason it won't be in their best interests to trade is because there is in fact the time for these players to get it together.
Yes, Kobe is in his prime, but he is only 29 and has proven time and time again that he is in better shape every year. A lot can change in two years and Laker management is willing to see how this nucleus develops knowing that Kobe will still be well into his prime by the time he's 31. MJ didn't really start peaking til he was over 30.
And Kobe is not injury prone therefore it is not big enough of a concern to warrant a trade wherein you shakeup the entire roster and have to start over again.
Like I've said before, the triangle is a complex system that only certain players can grasp. That's why the Bulls hung onto Pippen, Grant, and co and didn't deal them (despite many trade rumors that circulated around Grant and Pippen before Chicago became champs) and this in turn allowed them to develop into a great team.
The Lakers are patient and that's what it takes to build a dynasty.
Why do you think Boston hasn't won squat since '86? That's because every 3-5 years they have a new coach, they shake up their roster all the time (whatever happened to that Walker/Pierce duo that went to the East Finals?), and they don't develop their players like they should.
The Lakers develop their people, like any successful organization often does, so as to maximize their full potential. This is the difference between a championship winning franchise and the rest of the pack. The Spurs are another perfect example that's why they win so muc
Last edited by J-DIZZLE on October 11th at 7:10 PM.
The article that came out in the Los Angeles Times today was just another attempt by the media to stir up another conversation regarding KOBE.
THe article never said anything about the Lakers continuing to shop KOBE. It talked about things said between owner and employee earlier this summer so as far as I'm concerned it is not relevant to the upcoming season.
Kobe demanded a trade. Buss tried to find a deal but couldn't find equal value. Kobe understood the business decision Buss made by not trading Kobe this summer, and Kobe stayed. That's it, plain and simple.
Of course if they regress this year, then Kobe is likely to again publicly reiterate his trade demand and who knows what happens then.
But if the Lakers win and advance further in the playoffs then Kobe stays. Winning solves everything and that's why this is such a vital year not only for Kobe and the role players but for the entire Lakers organization as well.
Bottom line: If LA wins and contends, Kobe is a Laker for life. If LA disappoints, Kobe bails and Stephen A. Smith looks like a genius.
The perfect breakfast as I see it.
You’re sitting at the table and your son is on the cover of Wheaties, your mistress is on the cover of Playboy, and your wife is on the back of the milk carton.
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