MVP, But Not Without Weakness
Posted on May 15, 2008
Kobe Bryant is good at most things on the court. He has, without a doubt, the most complete and well-rounded basketball skill set currently in existence. He is, and has been for the last half-decade, the best player in the world, and he is this season’s MVP — and he is completely deserving of that honor. But he is not without weakness, even on the hardwood court that he so thoroughly dominates.
There will be time — very soon, I promise — to celebrate his MVP season. But right now, I want to focus on four of Kobe’s on-court weaknesses: complaining to the referees, “lost ball” turnovers, jumpshooting when cold, and inconsistent assisting.
Filed Under Kobe Bryant, Lakers, LeBron James, MVP, Statistics, Teammate, assists, complaining, officiating, poor shooting, referees, turnovers, weaknesses | 18 Comments
Kobe Bryant: Deliberately Arrogant
Posted on April 25, 2008
Kobe Bryant has done a lot of talking in the first two games of the Lakers’ first round series against the Nuggets. He has also backed it up with his play.
We could talk about everything Kobe Bryant did with the basketball in Game 2. We could talk about the 25 points he had at halftime on .667 shooting, including 10 straight made shots.
We could marvel at his final tally of 49 points and 10 assists while shooting 18-for-27, and the fact that he contributed directly to 71 of the Lakers’ 122 points.
We could compose a veritable highlight reel just from Kobe’s Game 2 performance, including high-flying fast break dunks, off-balance running jumpers, double-crossover drives, and of course, the acrobatic one-handed alley-oop off of Pau Gasol’s beautiful over-the-head lob.
But none of the above is the story of the game. The story of the game — nay, of the series — is, once again, Kobe Bryant’s on-court attitude. He’s confident. He’s cocky. In fact, he’s down right arrogant…
Filed Under J.R. Smith, Kenyon Martin, Kobe Bryant, Lakers, Nuggets, Playoffs, Teammate, arrogance, big games, cockiness, leadership, smack, trash talk | 15 Comments
Kobe Bryant: Better Teammate Than MJ?
Posted on January 26, 2008
MJ is the greatest player to have ever played basketball, to date. Nevertheless, there are many misconceptions people have formulated regarding His Airness, the one and only Michael Jordan. One of these things is what kind of teammate he was.
So I’m going to do the unforgivable: I’m going to compare Kobe Bryant to Michael Jordan.
Here it is: Kobe Bryant is a better teammate than Michael Jordan was.
Filed Under Kobe Bryant, Kwame Brown, Michael Jordan, Teammate, leadership | 41 Comments