Kobe Bryant V.2.0

[Micchy_boy]

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=neel/040730

yap that's what lakers need.

[Riot]

is he make breast milk for the team?

[Andrew]

Interesting, but I don't quite see it happening.

It's crazy, right? But is it? I mean, what if he sees this? What if he knows the biggest middle finger he can fling at the world of doubters and critics (myself included) is to finally do what Phil and Shaq were begging him to do all along? What if he shares the ball, because now it's his idea and not theirs?

It shouldn't matter that it isn't his idea. It would have been a better idea when an offensive force like Shaq was his teammate.

The best way for Kobe to reinvent himself is not to drop back to 18 or 20 points per game (though if everything worked as well as the article suggests, it wouldn't be a bad move), but to gain more patience and expand his basketball mind.

Consider one of the chief causes of his poor shooting in the Finals. Tayshaun Prince's defense, yes, but Prince didn't have to do much guessing. So many times, Kobe would get the ball and immediately wheel and shoot. Kobe, like Michael Jordan, is not limited to a couple of moves on offense. He has the ability to keep the defense guessing, but against Detroit he didn't do that enough.

I think the Lakers can be a 50 win team without Kobe reinventing himself. There are just certain moments when a little more patience, a little more strategy rather than physical talents would be to his advantage.

[Fresh8]

I think the writer is CRAZY!

Suggesting such ideas that only many guys can dream of. I doubt any of this can happen...it's possible but nonetheless it's a good idea. He should send his story to Kobe 1.0. See how he likes it.

And I wonder how much it would take to make Kobe 1.0 to upgrade to Kobe 2.0?

[Nel]

Kobe doesnt need to change, its not his style.

[Jackal]

*sigh* All will be alright with LA if Bryant manages to play a team game.

Oh wait, isn't that why he wanted Shaq out? Phil too? Phil made him actually pass the ball. OMG

[Matt]

Kobe sharing is a good idea but he still needs to score 20+ppg. You can share the ball and still get 23-26ppg

[GloveGuy]

The writer brings up a point that every team will be looking to stop Kobe and only Kobe. This is what they did to Jordan in the 80s. They made life hard for him as his teammates would watch. Opponents will think this is what the Lakers will be like. Watch Kobe do his stuff, fight the double and triple teams, as his teammates wait by the basket.

But I also agree that the writer exaggerated a bit. Phil Jackson once thought that for the Buls to be great, MJ couldn't be leading the league in scoring. That was proven wrong as MJ found a way to get his 28-30 points and still make his teammates better.

Kobe can do this. He will get his 30-or-so points but in a much easier fashion if he relies on his teammates to get those points for him. If he recognizes that he's got extremely talented players such as Lamar Odom, Gary Payton, and Caron Butler, life will be much easier for him and his teammates.

The writer was wrong in that it's not about Kobe also getting 9 assists. Jordan once averaged 30, 8, and 8 because he was doing absolutely everything for the Bulls in the 80s. It's about Kobe relying on his teammates, trusting that they will score, that they will set him up. This is how Jordan made players such as John Paxson and Steve Kerr. He recognized when it was their time to have the ball and shoot. If Kobe can do this, the Lakers will be a much better team than expected.

[Jackal]

Meh, we saw what happened once opposing teams focused their defense on Bryant. If you don't know, go watch the NBA Finals.

Bryant needs to stop taking 20-25 shots a game, and making like 7 of them.

If Bryant can play with Butler & Odom, I don't think LA will suck.

[Andrew]

Kobe can take 20-25 shots without hurting the Lakers as long as they're better shots than he was taking in the Finals. As I said before, his offensive arsenal gives him the ability to keep his opponents guessing. If he's simply going to force up quick jumpers, his opponents don't have to work very hard and certainly won't have too much trouble anticipating his move.