Kobe-1st five years in league = one of my most hated players in the league, a poster boy for everything I hated about everything there was to hate in the NBA at that time......


Kobe-last 5 years = one of my favorite players to watch, a player that really seems to get what I would want a player to get about playing the game



I can't remember any other player in any other sport that I have reversed opinion on so drastically.....

i hate this team - horrible coaching and not a guy beyond the big 3 who can hit an open shot to save his life

Posted by felonius on 2/10/2012 8:36:00 AM (view original):
i hate this team - horrible coaching and not a guy beyond the big 3 who can hit an open shot to save his life

i don't get why the lakers are waiting to try to acquire a PG/SF with their odom TPE- their top 3 are so good and everybody else is so bad that they can definitely get a couple of seeds better by not waiting forever.

Posted by deanod on 2/10/2012 11:39:00 AM (view original):

Posted by felonius on 2/10/2012 8:36:00 AM (view original):
i hate this team - horrible coaching and not a guy beyond the big 3 who can hit an open shot to save his life

i don't get why the lakers are waiting to try to acquire a PG/SF with their odom TPE- their top 3 are so good and everybody else is so bad that they can definitely get a couple of seeds better by not waiting forever.

I am guessing they are waiting to see if they can get Rondo or D. Williams or if Orlando softens up on the demands for Dwight before they use the trade exception because that might alter what they would want to use the trade exception on.

Posted by moranis on 2/10/2012 11:52:00 AM (view original):

Posted by deanod on 2/10/2012 11:39:00 AM (view original):

Posted by felonius on 2/10/2012 8:36:00 AM (view original):
i hate this team - horrible coaching and not a guy beyond the big 3 who can hit an open shot to save his life

i don't get why the lakers are waiting to try to acquire a PG/SF with their odom TPE- their top 3 are so good and everybody else is so bad that they can definitely get a couple of seeds better by not waiting forever.

I am guessing they are waiting to see if they can get Rondo or D. Williams or if Orlando softens up on the demands for Dwight before they use the trade exception because that might alter what they would want to use the trade exception on.

well they can get rondo if they give up pau/bynum but they shouldn't do that and they don't have any alternate methods of doing so.  i imagine the same applies for d-will, although NJ may not be as interested in swapping him for pau.

the dwight howard thing makes sense, i guess.  it sounds like they aren't getting him for bynum + pick straight up though, so unless they're trying to work pau in with a 3 way where they get dwight++ back i don't really see the point, just add ramon sessions for a bag of balls now.

Posted by felonius on 2/10/2012 8:36:00 AM (view original):
i hate this team - horrible coaching and not a guy beyond the big 3 who can hit an open shot to save his life

Dude, you are spoiled! :)    Why?

1.  Kobe- He should be hobbling around with a cane, and instead he's basically the best he's ever been. 

2. I think the coaching is pretty good.  They really shut down BOS late in the game with great defensive positioning.  They are starting to push the ball inside more and it's working.

3.  Kobe.  The guy was obviously obsessed with passing Shaq in points early this year.  Now maybe he can let Bynum and Pau have some more looks.

4.  Bynum.  He's just not a high volume scorer yet because he's never held that role.  He'll be better as the season and his looks grow.


5.  You are correct about the rest of the team.  You used to have the Ariza, Sasha, Jordy guys and now you have squat.

Howard for Pau and Bynum isnt helpful - either or but not both

watching Howard and Kobe surronded by nothing would be even more painful than watching things as they are now

Posted by deanod on 2/10/2012 12:09:00 PM (view original):

Posted by moranis on 2/10/2012 11:52:00 AM (view original):

Posted by deanod on 2/10/2012 11:39:00 AM (view original):

Posted by felonius on 2/10/2012 8:36:00 AM (view original):
i hate this team - horrible coaching and not a guy beyond the big 3 who can hit an open shot to save his life

i don't get why the lakers are waiting to try to acquire a PG/SF with their odom TPE- their top 3 are so good and everybody else is so bad that they can definitely get a couple of seeds better by not waiting forever.

I am guessing they are waiting to see if they can get Rondo or D. Williams or if Orlando softens up on the demands for Dwight before they use the trade exception because that might alter what they would want to use the trade exception on.

well they can get rondo if they give up pau/bynum but they shouldn't do that and they don't have any alternate methods of doing so.  i imagine the same applies for d-will, although NJ may not be as interested in swapping him for pau.

the dwight howard thing makes sense, i guess.  it sounds like they aren't getting him for bynum + pick straight up though, so unless they're trying to work pau in with a 3 way where they get dwight++ back i don't really see the point, just add ramon sessions for a bag of balls now.

I don't disagree they should go after Sessions right now, but I just think they are waiting to see if they can get a bigger name.  There was that rumor the other day that said the Lakers and Celtics had discussed Pau for Rondo.  I don't know if that was just some random rumor or anything truth to it, but that might be in play.  

Something like this might appeal to both teams

Lakers - Rondo, Bass, O'Neal, Dooling
Celtics - Pau, Blake, Walton

It would also work financially without Bass and Walton, but I don't think the Lakers do that, while they might if Bass and Walton are in the trade.

The Lakers could then use the trade exception on a wing or big man since they wouldn't need a guard any more. 

Posted by badja on 2/10/2012 12:13:00 PM (view original):

Posted by felonius on 2/10/2012 8:36:00 AM (view original):
i hate this team - horrible coaching and not a guy beyond the big 3 who can hit an open shot to save his life

Dude, you are spoiled! :)    Why?

1.  Kobe- He should be hobbling around with a cane, and instead he's basically the best he's ever been. 

2. I think the coaching is pretty good.  They really shut down BOS late in the game with great defensive positioning.  They are starting to push the ball inside more and it's working.

3.  Kobe.  The guy was obviously obsessed with passing Shaq in points early this year.  Now maybe he can let Bynum and Pau have some more looks.

4.  Bynum.  He's just not a high volume scorer yet because he's never held that role.  He'll be better as the season and his looks grow.


5.  You are correct about the rest of the team.  You used to have the Ariza, Sasha, Jordy guys and now you have squat.

1) please refer to the phrase 'big 3' in the original post
2) play Goudelock (who only got 8 minutes) some of the minutes you wasted on Fish and get Blake a little bit more of a breather while youre at it (it's his first game back after a month off and it's the first game in a back to back)
 
Brown is infamous for burying guys after good performances - (you can say good bye to goudelock for the foreseeable future) - his rotations are more of a joke than the sim's 

further, offense, any? any at all? I used to hear what people said about his Cavs O and just figure 'whatever' - now that I'm looking at it close up? and they look even worse than they did before they got some practices

get the ball inside? genius idea - why didnt I think of that? it's not about saying 'get the ball inside', it's about figuring out how to go about doing that and Im sorry but 88 points in an OT game is not reason to celebrate Brown as an offensive genius

as for shutting down the Celtics? that game was a contest in sucking and yes the Celtics won but just barely - our defense is actually worse (by the numbers) than it was last year

3)again Kobe is not the problem
4) nor is Drew
5) my point was the rest of the team, again refer to the phrase 'beyond the big 3' in the original post

Brown cant figure out rotations, offense and defense have taken a step back and no one can shoot - Fisher was a joke out there last night, Barnes and Artest did ok but neither should be starting on a contender

but most of all what I said was "I hate this team" (that's not something you can actually mount an argument against (matters of taste etc)) - right now I hate this team

I'm still hoping they keep both Bynum and Pau and just add a "decent" PG (like Sessions, Dragic, Bledsoe/Foye, Jack or maybe Ridnour).  Bynum and Pau together create match-up headaches for teams that have been largely responsible for a couple Championships (and probably another if Bynum doesn't get hurt).  Just using the above, I'll take a Sessions-Kobe-MWP-Pau-Bynum line-up over a Rondo (who still can't make a shot over 10 feet)-Kobe-MWP-Bass-Bynum line-up any day.  Any PG who can handle the ball a little, make an occasional 3, and play D would make this team at least the Western co-favorite.

I gotta dispute that Kobe is better than ever.  He's not.  I shouldn't even need to comment further to end that argument.

That being said, he's a lot better than someone who's played 50k minutes of NBA Basketball has any right being...

Ash if you even think I was serious, well nevermind.  Obviously the guy is on his last legs, but he is logging a higher asst% than ever before and leading the league in scoring.  He is just as deadly as ever and logging a lot of minutes.  More importantly he is way better than anyone was expecting him to be. 

Felon, I get hating the Lakers beyond the big 3, but just being this good is a big bonus given what they looked like at the end of last year + losing Odom.   I'd be questioning the front office more than Mike Brown at this point.

It's hard to tell if someone is serious or not without being able to hear the tone of their voice.  And even now I question whether you were serious or not because you immediately started following it up with evidence to support your argument so...

I'm not impressed by him leading the league in scoring... he's shooting the ball almost 25 times a game at a lower percentage than he's been doing forever and getting to the line less... both of which can be attributed to the fact that he doesn't drive anywhere near as much as he did when he was actually at his best.  In the process he's taking away high percentage shot opportunities from Bynum & Gasol by chucking up a host of poor shots (to compliment some of his actual good shots).  His usage is almost 38% and was at 40% not too long ago... 37% usage with 44% fg% (hey, his 29% 3pt shooting - still launching 5 a game, though - brings his efg% up to 47%!) doesn't impress me.  He's flirting with Pistons-era Jerry Stackhouse when it comes to shooting.  That's far from the best he's ever been.  And it's hurting the Lakers.

So, yeah, Kobe is part of the problem in LA right now IMO.  Mike Brown is a bigger part of the problem.  If the coach can't get Kobe to see that his ego has exploded again and he's hurting the team, then that's where the first fix needs to occur. 

I'd like to see Kobe with around 28% to 30% usage right now, with both Gasol & Bynum up 4-5% each.  I think that immediately turns the Lakers around.  Then they need to acquire somebody other than the big 3 that can generate some offense.

that's the problem - Kobe is the only perimeter player who can do anything with the ball and Kobe is Kobe so what do you think he's going to do with the ball? they desparately need a PG who is competent, not great, just competent

when they have Metta and fisher on the floor at the same time theyre going 3 on 5 on offense and it's brutal - at least with Peace he still can bring something on defense so if you could just have a PG who does even a tiny little bit at the point - night and day

Sessions? how sad is that but you know what? a guy like him would make a huge difference

how bad does Fisher have to play to get yanked?