KOBE TALK (Your one-stop shop for everything Kobe!)

thats what some of us have been saying all along, but its no use. people have their own opinions, and i understand where most of it is coming from, so i guess i just have to respect it, though i do agree with all of what you said and then some.

thats what some of us have been saying all along, but its no use. people have their own opinions, and i understand where most of it is coming from, so i guess i just have to respect it, though i do agree with all of what you said and then some.

Exactly Magius, we've been saying the same things EG's said in his post for the past few years, since Kobe has become the "man". Shaq is the reason, the biggest reason, Kobe helped, he helped alot, but don't confuse a role player with the MVP. Shaq is the MVP, Kobe is a helper a.k.a. role player. I know alot of people will get offended, but Kobe is as said by EG, just like AI & McGrady, nothing alone. He is not the next Michael Jordan, not even he did it alone.

Anyways, it's been a dismal series for Kobe, Tayshaun is all over him, he's forcing it. Jackson was all over him too on one of the plays, I think it was when he went to block Rip & Billups hit that huge three. Jackson was pissed, he gave it to Bryant during the time-out and Bryant finally just nodded, as if saying, ok, ok, it's my fault in exasperation.

Shaq is still the MVP, I'm sorry to all Kobe fans, but Shaq is still the MVP. Please don't tell me that if he's the MVP, why arent they winning, they are not winning because the role players are not making their shots, they are getting looks but they just aren't converting. Ofcourse, nothing taken from Detroit's smothering defence. I'm pissed about this win, do they even want to win? How can Shaq be the only one producing, is this the height of patheticness or what, come on, play some team basketball and some team defence. They seem to be most relaxed about whatever is happening.

and if shaqs the only one producing, wake up! give him more touches!!! if he's hitting 15-20 he deserves at least 10 more shots, and even if he misses all 10 (unlikely) he's still at 50%..... better than almost any other percentage any perimiter player can hoist in todays nba. why dont the lakers wake up and give it to the diesel? im not too mad about it because i dont want the lakers to win but any guy with a brain knows give it to shaq. give kobe his 10 shots in the final 5 or whatever, but even then i'd still give it to shaq. the only time i'd give it to kobe is if i needed a desperation shot from 3 point land. who cares if shaq sucks at the free throw line! hack-a-shaq does not work! it destroys the other teams flow and shaq will most times get at least one point..... better than none.

if shaq is doubled, tripled, pass out, rotate, if theres no open shot, give it back to shaq!!!!! give it to shaq! do you get the point? triangle shcmiangle! my strategy? spread the floor and GIVE IT TO SHAQ!!! that's it! simple dimple! the pistons strategy of letting shaq get his is working because the lakers arent smart enough to know that if thats the pistons strategy then give it to shaq and let him get MORE of his.

Agreed, Jackson realises this too. After one of the plays, I think it was after Rasheed's alley oop from Billups, a time out was called and on the next possesion Shaq had a nice dunk, before that he didnt touch the ball. Thus that led to a lost ball and a dunk for the Pistons.

I would take 50 % FG Percentage over anything less than that, any day. Plus the Pistons have said they won't double Shaq, fine, don't.
The Lakers should atleast use this to their advantage.

I've been screaming these "pass it to Shaq chant's for a long long long time, my chants go unheard.

I find it funny now that Kobe is finally starting to show he's human, now people want to point out he's just a role player, just a scorer(Nevermind about his defense huh? Don't even think about all the clutch shooting! If he hadn't been there Shaq would have won for them)In that case Kobe can walk this summer, and the Lakers had darn well better find somebody who can close out games for them in the 4th QTR. T-Mac? Please.

I'll be honest, I expected more from Kobe. But he's human, and maybe this is his learning process. Michael Jordan went through it before he got Pippen. He hogged the ball because his bad teammates weren't good enough, and when he got good teammates he had to learn to trust them. Kobe hasn't had to go through that really because hsi clutch shooting has always saved him in the end. Now that he's facing a great defensive team who's not giving him a chance to close it out he's learning that he does have to allow his teammates to play the game. That's what one would hope for.

If you told me today I could have anyone in the league bar Shaq or Duncan, I'd still take Kobe. Over Garnette? You're crazy! No, because I think Kobe can still be one of the greatest ever. I still see that cometetive fire in Kobe I don't see in T-Mac, Garnette, sometimes I see it in AI, but its not always there. But as someone once said, in order to be the greatest you must beat the greatest, and to win you must first lose. Kobe, if they lose this series is really experiencing failure for two straight years for the first time since before Phil Jackson. His flaws are on the table and he has two choices he can adapt and change, not his game, but how he utilizes his skills, or he can go the way he's going now and continue to hurt himself and his teammates.

i find it funny that kobe lovers find it funny that people only point out kobe's errors when he's playing bad. We've ALWAYS been pointing these out again and again trying to pound it into your heads, the only time YOU listen is when he plays bad, not the other way around.

what do you mean finally? I thought he was human the whole time. The statement would make more sense to me if you said "finally showed he's inhuman", hell, i have never thought he was a perfect player -- far from. Yes, even after good games.

Kobe already is one of the greatest ever, he has 3 championships, no ones taking that away from him, but without a doubt he will never be the greatest shooting guard ever.

kobe over garnett? you are crazy. This is how i would pick if i could pick anyone:

1. duncan
2. shaq
3. garnett
4. kobe

number 4. not bad. i dunno why kobe lovers take insult to this or feel the need to defend him or try to tell me that i'm "hating" on him. He's number four, for fucks sake, and thats where he should be, its not like im saying he's number five million and three or something.

i do feel that kobe certainly would not be number 4 or among the greatest ever IF he hadnt and didnt play with shaq, but thats moot, because he has and did. On that note, i also believe the only reason kobe is considered a "great" defender is because of shaq-- He'd still be a good one dont get me wrong, but all good perimiter defenders need a good presence inside to either funnel into or make the person they're guarding prefer an outside shot. Its that simple.

One of the lakers announcers is retarded as well. Kobe's 8-25 or something like that and this guys raving about "oh, kobe what a wonderful playmaker". Kobe misses 4 shots in a row than finally hits some circus shot "Oh kobe, what a wonderful scorer". What does this guy have a dick in his eye or something? At this rate i hope kobe is "wonderful" all the time.

Last edited by magius on Tue Jun 15, 2004 1:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Well...maybe I misinterpreted it...

It was on LAtimes.com and some guy wrote how insiders believe Kobe will be leaving. At the same time...GM Mitch K. was talking to Jax about getting him a new contract...a few days later negotiations were terminated and Mitch met with Kobe and told him that the reason why they didnt want to bring Phil back was because they want him back as a Laker.

Mitch also said that because Kobe hinted he was tired of Jax's coaching....that was a reson to stop talking about Jackson's contract.

I have heard stories along those lines, but personally I don't believe Kobe has convinced the Lakers to get rid of Phil so that he can the way he wants. There's all kinds of reasons for the talks to stop; focussing on the current season, for example. Jax could be asking for too much money, too big of an extension, or too much power within the club. It could be Phil himself who has stalled the talks with his own demands. Who knows for sure?

With Shaq...I may have exagerrated but Shaq was asking managment to assure him of a contract extention and a bigger one too. But because of his and Kobe's dislike of each oher- the Lakers have decided to stop talking to Shaq about him too...in order to try and assure Kobe that he is the main focus.

I think it's more a case of Kobe being a free agent by opting out of his contract and Shaq being under contract for another couple of years. The Lakers don't really need to convince Kobe he is their main focus this offseason; Shaq isn't going anywhere, and he can't sign another extension until July anyway.

Therefore, Kobe has most influence on the team.

I don't think that's certain, but it might be the case. I'm still inclined to believe Shaq holds the most power of anyone on the roster when it comes to team affairs, but for all we know the inmates may not be running the asylum. Everyone, from the fans and haters to the insiders to the players themselves could be mistaken; maybe neither Shaq nor Kobe have as much pull when it comes to management as everyone believes.

i think with jax its more a case of himself assessing whether or not he wants to return another season. pat riley may be the only other coach in the nba who can command the respect of so many big egos. in any case i think malone will retire and either payton will stay and kobe go or the other way around. of course i may be entirely wrong and they might all stay.

That's true, and perhaps most likely what has happened. I don't know why it didn't occur to me.

Well Jax has stated that he maybe should leave cause he said it's normal that after coaching the same team for 5-6 years...they tend to stop listneing to you

And he said if MJ hadn't taken a 2 year break...he believes thjey wouldnt have won 3 in a row again...or at least not as easily...

And Jackson is all talk...why doesnt he bench Kobe. Someone tell me!

*sigh* I am one of the first to "hate" on Kobe. Please, spare me. If he's done good, I'll say he's done good, if he sucks, he sucks. It's not hating it's saying stuff the way it is. Kobe's stinking it up this series, and I won't not say that. Kobe is a very very good role player on the Lakers team. Imho, a team can only have one real most valuable player, on the Lakers' team, it's Shaq. His presence (sp?) alone is enough to suck 2-3 guys towards him. That, in my eyes makes him more valuable than a player that can make really cool and wowie circus shots.

Again, Kobe is good, no doubt about it, but he's not the most valuable on that team, I cannot understand why you all get so offended by me saying this. It's the truth. You counter this statement I made by saying stuff like Kobe makes awesome game winners etc. etc. Yes, he does, he does that very well, I'm not taking that away from him, you're jsut thinking I am. I'm not, he's good, I just dont scream it out over and over again.

I hope the role player comment is a bit clearer now, I hope what I was trying to say is seen now. According to me a team has one most valuable player + role players. Shaq + his team mates, Jordan + his team mates, Duncan + his team mates, Russell + his team mates.

Pippen was a role player, thus not the leading man, that was obvious. Jordan was "the man". Please, don't get me wrong, Pippen is probably one of the best small forwards the NBA has ever seen but still he was second to Michael. No matter how good he was, there was someone better than him on that team. Again, I'm not taking anything away from Pippen, if I had to choose, I would choose Bird-Pippen-Erving. (Off the top of my head.)

Anyways, if you people are offended at me calling Kobe a really good role player since he's still second to Shaq, I apologise.

Kobe over Garnett, no. I would never do that.

I agree with Magius, Kobe would be my number four option at the moment, never would he be so high all time. Same with Garnett, I doubt he would be number three on Magius' list of all time.

If I had to pick players atm it would be just like Magius' list, no matter how much I like Shaq, I can openly say that Duncan is a better player. It's obvious and in my humble opinion (as if that matters) Garnett > Bryant.

A few years ago Shaq would be ahead of Duncan though.

I'm sorry I said anything about Bryant, oh wait...I've been doing that all along. I'm going to stop talking about Bryant.

When I say good stuff about the good stuff he's done, Kobe Haters dislike me for saying he's done good, but at the same time, since I've developed a reputation of being too harsh on Bryant, Kobe Fans turn around and say I'm just a bandwagonner (does that apply in this situation?), just cuz he did well, I'm all for him. No, he did well, I said it, he does bad, I'll say it.

Same goes for when I say something bad.

Not to rain on you guys parade but Kobe is more than just a role player. What you have to understand is that when you are as good as he is, or as good as he thinks he is, then no shot really looks like a bad shot. The guys who don't pull the trigger are those not confident in their abilities. I know I am far from the greatest but when i am having a good game and feeling confident in my shot I will shoot almost anything because I believe it will go in. Later on you may realize it wasn't the best shot you could have taken but when you are in the moment every shot feels like a good shot. Plus I don't know of any role player that get triple teamed when they drive the lane or can average 30ppg in a season as he did last year.

Plus when you say that he normally only passes after he has dribbled for 15 seconds or after driving the lane did you not think that this is how he contributes? Shaq only passes out of a double team because he can take his player one-on-one and when he passes out of the double the person is wide open. Kobe is normally guarded one-on-one but when he drives the lane he normally will draw in the defense and that is when he can find an open player on the kick out. You don't lead your team in assists by being selfish. What needs to be realized is that Kobe is not on this team for his passing but for his scoring. If he doesn't score the Lakers don't win, its as simple as that. True he takes ill advised shot sometimes but he normally makes up for it when it counts. Just like how Shaq misses freethrows all game long but tends to make up for it when it counts.

I think that Kobe needs to get his team more involved in the first half by looking to pass more and stick to defense and in the second half assert himself more on the offensive end. Thats just my 2 cents though........

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs2004/columns/story?columnist=smith_sam&id=1821993

Read that article. He basically sums up my viewpoints on the matter. Shaq would not be here without Kobe, and vice versa.

And I'm sure Andrew, as one of the older members here remembers those Jordan-Pistons battles when Jordan wasn't making everything.

I hope the role player comment is a bit clearer now, I hope what I was trying to say is seen now. According to me a team has one most valuable player + role players. Shaq + his team mates, Jordan + his team mates, Duncan + his team mates, Russell + his team mates.

All I say is, the main reason Kobe and Shaq have never really got along in the first place is because neither are truly role players. They both have personalities that want to be leaders of the team, and they both have the ability to be the team leader. Thus they clash, and thus also why neither has really backed down. Pippen was clearly 2nd fiddle to MJ. Kobe is not clearly 2nd fiddle.

Nicely said Gamewiz.

Am I the only one that notices that when Kobe accepts to play second fiddle, LA has more success than him trying to be the main option and Shaq being the second fiddle? 50% > anything lower than that.

I've made my point, I rest my case.

LBM, I dont mean role player as in role player like Fisher etc, role player as in second fiddle, that's the words I was looking for, thanks Gamewiz, Kobe should be second fiddle. Especially in this series, don't force, if you have to force, atleast try going to the hoop and forcing instead of jacking up shots forcing.

I agree the offense should be initiated through Shaq and then through Kobe when Shaq is on the floor. But it's not always that easy for Kobe, he has that scorers mindset. I'm that way too when I play, sometimes I know I should pass the ball but I just know I can take my opponent, and then I end up missing the shot and saying to myself, "I should've passed the ball." I think Kobe sometimes allows his competetive juices to take over when if something isn't there and there is still time to get Shaq the ball again he should pass the ball.

Sometimes it's not just Kobe's fault though, and I'm not trying to make excuses for Kobe. I want to ask the question, what happened to one being able to give a good post entry pass?? Luke Walton can do it, Kobe can when he wants to but a lot of the Lakers stand there and double, triple pump fake it and by then Shaq's in the lane 3 seconds so they have to reverse the ball around to the other side where they do it again then they reverse again, get it inside and Shaq has to force up a shot with almost nothing on the shot clock. HESITATION KILLS. Just pass him the ball. Is it that hard? Then sometimes Kobe gets it late in the clock and has to take one of those "crazy" shots because of the above.

Anyway, I get what you're saying Jackal, and I think we both misunderstood each other a little.

Although I think Kobe becomes the first option more in the 4th QTR. But Shaq has to get them there for Kobe to close it.

Anyway, I get what you're saying Jackal, and I think we both misunderstood each other a little.

Agreed. I get what you're saying & I agree with most of your comments.

Although I think Kobe becomes the first option more in the 4th QTR. But Shaq has to get them there for Kobe to close it.

Again, I agree. Kobe = Mr. Fourth Quarter.

About the rest of the Lakers not being able to get the ball to Shaq, I agree again, their futile attempts are embarrassing. But yeah, the spot light is more on Kobe, thus people are inclined to whine about Kobe more than they are to whine about someone like George.

man that george is such a cocksucker.

AUBURN HILLS, Mich.-- I come today to praise Kobe Bryant.


At a time when most are trying to bury him.



Kobe Bryant might shoot too much, but so did Michael Jordan.
It seems last week Bryant, when he saved the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 2 of the NBA Finals with that shocking 3-pointer, as he'd done many times before, namely his twin threes in Portland at the end of the season that changed the entire playoff seeding, Bryant was Michael Jordan hitting that game-winning shot against Cleveland and Craig Ehlo in the playoffs. The shot was played over and over again on TV. And so the last few days Bryant has been Jordan again, as the joke here at the Finals goes, the Jordan in Washington. Like Dorian Gray, Bryant was aging but just his game.


Yeah, yeah, he takes bad shots. And he breaks the Lakers' offense a little too often.


Daring to be great is not just hitting the game-winning shot. It's failing, as well, as Jordan has said many times. And trying. This is what truly separates the great ones. They don't ever expect to miss. Or lose.


Jordan wasn't always smart, and he wasn't always in the offense and wasn't always taking the right shot at the right time. Competition, youth and frustration understand that.


With the Detroit Pistons leading the NBA Finals 3-1, Joe Dumars, who has done a magnificent job in building an unlikely champion, was sitting in the stands as his team practiced on the eve of what could be his greatest moment as an executive. It's one thing to win when you have, well, guys like Joe Dumars. And Isiah Thomas, Shaquille O'Neal, Bryant, Jordan, Bill Russell, Bob Cousy and John Havlicek. But win it all with this Pistons team?


"The biggest statement you can make, without having to say anything, is to win the championship," Dumars said. "Then you don't have to say anything about what you did."


Bryant knows that position. So does O'Neal, Rick Fox and others on the Lakers. There were questions about Bryant's shot selection, which was curious. It's what everyone says when you are 4-for-13 and 8-for-25, as Bryant was the last two games. Fox suggested players should be fined for dribbling more than two or three times. Someone tried to bait O'Neal into a condemnation of Bryant when O'Neal had made 16 of 21 shots in Sunday's 88-80 defeat in Game 4 while Bryant had missed 17 of his 25. "Maybe Shaq should shoot 50 times," Fox wondered.


For his part, O'Neal saw the Kobe slam setup coming and said it was a trick question which he had no trick answer.


"You're not going to get me with that question today, buddy," O'Neal smiled.


So perhaps it was appropriate that it all happened here in The Palace at Auburn Hills, where the Pistons tortured Jordan and the Bulls for so many years until they finally made the Bad Boys go away.


It was 1989, remember that? Dumars does.


Jordan went off for one of those big-shot, bad-shot performances -- 10 for 29 -- in Game 1. But the Bulls won and took a 2-1 series lead before the Pistons laid them out three straight. Jordan was going to do everything he could to win this. Look, the truth is only a few aren't afraid to do it.


It was amusing the other day here to hear Pistons coach Larry Brown talking about Allen Iverson. Brown likes to tweak Iverson now and then, but he admires the competitor in "the little guy." Brown said just about every timeout he had in six years with the 76ers someone would be mumbling about the ridiculous shot Iverson took or all the dribbling he did. And then they'd get to the end of the game and everyone would throw the ball to Iverson and run away.


It was usually that way with the Bulls, especially in the early losing years. So Jordan had one of those 5-for-15 games and the Bulls lost Game 4 to even the series. The frustration of Jordan would boil over from time to time, always in Detroit, where the Pistons shadowed him and collapsed and handed him off from defender to defender in a defensive relay known as the Jordan Rules. Everyone has assignments to defense Jordan. If Sam Vincent beat you, so be it.


It's never worked better than it has in this series. No one on the Lakers but O'Neal and Bryant is averaging even seven points per game in the Finals. No one has scored in double figures in any game but those two. That has to be a dubious record.


So, with Jordan back then, teammates started talking and it got back to Jordan that perhaps some of those shots were ill-advised against Detroit's defense and perhaps a pass or two might've worked. In the next game, Jordan attempted eight shots. Heck, he could've gotten eight shots during a timeout if he wanted. Against Wilt, Russell and Kareem. C'mon. The message was clear: You think it's so easy. Try it.


Yes, Jordan was young then, 26, like Bryant, who will be 26 in August. Sometimes their youth, aggression, ability and desire interferes with their reason. But they are the major reason their teams succeed.


Dumars understands that. Nobody had a better view of Jordan in those years since Dumars was the primary defender, although with plenty of help.


"There are a lot of similarities," Dumars said when asked about the two. "Kobe is a better shooter at 25 than Michael was. Michael became a great shooter as he got older. Those guys are eerily similar to me. When I watch Kobe play, it's as close to Michael as I've ever seen. It's hard to imagine that. I have the utmost respect for his game. He made a play (in Game 4) I shook my head over, a floater away, kissed off the backboard. That's a hard shot to make."


But, Joe, Michael never took shots like that and had games like that!


"Times does a lot of things to people's memory," Dumars said with a knowing smirk. "It makes you think everyone had 40 every night. Mike had some awfully tough ganes in this building, awfully tough games. It's a little unfair to say Michael wouldn't have those games. He wasn't getting 40 in here. He had some good games, but he wasn't getting 40. But he was going to have the ball."


Of course, the argument is Jordan didn't have Shaq. But it's hard to say Bryant does, either. At least that Shaq.


He was that Shaq again on Sunday, having one of those Wilt-like nights when big people bounced away like toys. He had an extra day's rest and the desperation of a great player. It will be interesting to see whether O'Neal can sustain it after playing 47 tough minutes in Game 4. If he can, the Lakers can still be playing after Tuesday.


Sure, Bryant handles the ball too much at times and takes some of the most curious shots. But they often go in. It's what you have to live with sometimes when you have a creative genius of the game.

But it comes and goes now. O'Neal averaged 30 points per game or close every playoffs in his career but his first. He's been barely above 20 per game in these playoffs. Nine times he's failed to score 20 points. He used to average over 30 in the Finals every year. He's still great, but not as he once was. So he needs Bryant. As Bryant needs him.


It's unfortunate how neither seems to fully understand that.


It's not easy for Shaq to put up with Bryant's wicked collection of shots, or for Bryant to put up with O'Neal's diminishing stamina, which was the essential part of the Pistons' game plan. Run the big guy until he couldn't keep up. And then run him some more. It was a track meet to set up in the half court.


But the Lakers are not even here without Bryant. He averaged almost 30 per game after they were down 0-2 to the Spurs. He shot 50 percent and averaged almost six rebounds and six assists. He had 31 points and 10 assists to close out the Rockets. He had 31 points in the big Game 4 win that effectively closed out the Timberwolves.


Yeah, Bryant doesn't always throw the ball to ONeal when it looks like he has the advantage, but O'Neal doesn't always come to get it, work for his position and power up like he did in Game 4. Sure, Bryant handles the ball too much at times and takes some of the most curious shots. But they often go in. It's what you have to live with sometimes when you have a creative genius of the game. Guys like Fox and Fisher don't make many mistakes. But they don't bail the team out either, Fisher's point-oh-four miracle notwithstanding.


Most teams would be dead now if they were in the Lakers' position with injured and ineffective players. They're not because they have players like O'Neal and Bryant. So you have to put up with the unconventional and hope they'll grow up like Jordan did.

Sam Smith, who covers the NBA for the Chicago Tribune, is a regular contributor to ESPN.com.

ESPN Link

story

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs2004/columns/story?columnist=smith_sam&id=1821993

Read that article. He basically sums up my viewpoints on the matter. Shaq would not be here without Kobe, and vice versa.

And I'm sure Andrew, as one of the older members here remembers those Jordan-Pistons battles when Jordan wasn't making everything.

Look a few posts up.

Ow, sorry...didnt see it

eh bit off topic, but when does this Kobe thread goes down? After the whole sexual assualt case is done?

Well...this post won't go down cause I believe it's one of the most popular...even though only a few ppl post here...

Anyway- Some questions:

1) Is this the end of the Kobe/Shaq one-two punch
2) Where is Kobe headed?
3) Will he get better next season
4) Is he playing next season?

And I'm sure Andrew, as one of the older members here remembers those Jordan-Pistons battles when Jordan wasn't making everything.

Absolutely, MJ made the same mistakes when he was much younger. And he didn't always have a great game - can anyone make such a claim, a perfect performance every game of their career? But maturity and experience taught MJ to be a little more patient, knowing when to take over, forcing fewer shots. The same thing should happen with Kobe, perhaps even as a result of this series.

As much as his game might resemble Michael Jordan's right now, I think Kobe still needs to win without Shaq, achieve a few more honours on his own and gain some more experience and maturity before he's up there with not only MJ, but the Magics, Birds, Wilts, Kareems and Russells. He's on course to join that elite class of players, but he's not there yet.

eh bit off topic, but when does this Kobe thread goes down? After the whole sexual assualt case is done?

Good question. I'm guessing it will remain active for a while, since Kobe is a popular topic that does invite flaming and off-topic posts elsewhere...for now I don't see any reason to stop using a Kobe Talk thread.

1) Is this the end of the Kobe/Shaq one-two punch
2) Where is Kobe headed?
3) Will he get better next season
4) Is he playing next season?

1. Quite possibly. As I said in the other thread I'm pretty much 50-50 on this one. At times it looks like he's headed out of town, other times it seems certain he will be back. My opinion seems to swing back and forth with every article on the subject.

2. If he is heading out of town...I can't pick that one either. New York would be a great stage for him to perform on, but that would mean a paycut. I guess it depends how desperate he is to get out of LA (if at all), and whether he wants to go to an established team and be the man who leads them further, or whether he wants to go to a lottery team and take them to the playoffs.

3. He will probably continue to get better in terms of his maturity and knowledge of the game. Perhaps he will develop or improve certain skills as he ages and his athleticism declines, but I think his basketball mind has the most potential for further improvement.

4. With the recent developments in the trial, I'm willing to predict he'll be available to play next season, but I guess you never know. I would say it's fairly likely he'll be found not guilty or the trial dismissed, and he'll be available to play...somewhere.

Who knows...

I would just like to say something about Kobe leaving (if he does). I have read he is leaving because of his ego, he wants "his" team, no shaq around, no phil...you get the point.

What about the challenge A lot of sportsmen need new challenges. Kobe has won 3 titles already and it's not like he left as soon as he became a superstar...no he stayed when others would have walked away (marbury ).

Coming from Kobe it's both reasons that make him want to leave, IMO...but not only his ego.