A child who has been verbally abused will be extra sensitive to constructive criticism or criticism that has no intent of harming him/her on a personal level.
I am that child.
I just feel as if Kobe's hindering the development of his teammates. If he could bring himself down to earth, and realize that there's four other players on his team who have great skills and abilities of their own, then the Lakers will be much better in the long run.
I look at these ridiculous stats and all I can think of is when Jordan averaged 30, 8, and 8 in a year -- arguably his best year statistically. The key to beating that Bulls team was to put all energy into MJ as he fought through triples teams and his teammates just watched him try and set everything up.
Right now, all teams really need to do is focus on Kobe. If he could play more into the Lakers system instead of trying to be the scorer AND playmaker on this team, then teams will have to alter their defensive strategy, making the Lakers are more dangerous team.
When I originally read this post by Glove I responded with Kobe's numbers and tons of emoticons in an attempt to discredit what I thought I was "haterade." Very foolish of me.
This post he made in the "sick of Kobe thread" was 100% accurate and once I thought about it long and hard it was really solid analysis. Never was it more evident than in the win against the Hornets last night. Kobe DOES try to do too much and dominates the ball to no end. How in the world is Lamar ever going to get comfortable if he doesn't get touches?
We're talking about a solid all around talent here and not some scrub or lame. He's shown the propensity this season to pick up foolish fouls and sometimes seems disengaged to a certain degree, I think that can be directly traced back to not getting enough touches on the offensive end. Sure Kobe has some nice assist numbers, but he needs to let other guys make plays as well.
Before the start of Phil Jackson's first season as the coach of the Chicago Bulls he told this to MJ: "You have to think of the ball as a spotlight Michael, and it is important to share that spotlight if you want to win." Mike took heed and boom, the rest is history.
With Kobe, he's playing like he has an agenda at hand. He wants to show the world that he IS unselfish with his assit totals and to take it a step further, I really think he gets Mihm involved a lot to show folks how he makes life easier on centers. That is a horrible thing to say about one of your players, but the truth is the truth.
Why not let Odom share the playmaking load? Is Kobe even aware how often he was the catalyst for that Miami team during last season's playoff run? No, he wants to score, dish, rebound, coach and sell hot dogs and popcorn at half time too.
I am a lot of things folks, but I'm not too ego driven to admit when I was wrong even though that thread is dead. That game against a bad team pretty much drove the point home, Kobe was and is a selfish player. I've let the defense of the constant sensationalism levied by the media effectively warp my rational thinking and sound basketball acumen.
Gloveguy, this is for you:
I got'cha, but felt you deserved your own post. Say no more, the issue is done with.
