Is Kobe Bryant Being Exposed?

[tazb]

Just a few days ago they beat the #1 defensive team without him. Today, nearly 5 players had a double-double and Steve Nash was back to his old self moving the ball like no other.

Earl Clark with 11 points / 8 rebounds.
Metta World Peace with 22 points / 4 assists.
Dwight Howard with 12 points / 17 rebounds / 5 blocks.
Steve Nash with 19 points / 12 assists.
Jamison with 27 points / 9 rebounds.
Steve Blake with 16 points / 8 assists / 5 rebounds.

I know it was only the Kings and it's only been two games but, damn..

[Zedja]

Sure

[mrpibb]

didnt read LOL

[no pun intended]

Kings: #29 best defensive team

[tikay0]

Yep.

[Mr. Jabbar]

read I did not

[longtime lurker]

Kings: #29 best defensive team

Lol this. Kobe goes out you'll have to find a way to replace 27 points

[Noof]

So where is the exposed part again.

[Mrofir]

You're going to get flamed for making this thread, but im sure you know that.

I'll be flamed for this response too, but I know that. Just to be clear, what I do NOT think, first.

I do not think Kobe Bryant has been exposed as a bad player.
I do not think this season erases any of the great things Kobe has accomplished in his career.

I do think that

IF Kobe continues to sit, and the Lakers continue to play cohesive team ball on the way to winning games, and

IF when Kobe returns, he jacks up too many shots and disrupts the flow of the offense, leading to Ls and an early playoff exit

Then I think to some extent Kobe will have been exposed this season for not being able to adjust to the strengths of the excellent teammates he has been surrounded with. I wouldn't expect him to make the same mistakes next season, but time will tell.

And I do think to some extent Kobe can be a selfish player, and it has probably hurt team chemistry this year.

[TheBigVeto]

Yep.

[poido123]

Which is why Kobe rushed to come back the next game. He did not want people to see an extended period of this team without him in case they started playing better and winning.

Attentionwhorebe

[longtime lurker]

You're going to get flamed for making this thread, but im sure you know that.

I'll be flamed for this response too, but I know that. Just to be clear, what I do NOT think, first.

I do not think Kobe Bryant has been exposed as a bad player.
I do not think this season erases any of the great things Kobe has accomplished in his career.

I do think that

IF Kobe continues to sit, and the Lakers continue to play cohesive team ball on the way to winning games, and

IF when Kobe returns, he jacks up too many shots and disrupts the flow of the offense, leading to Ls and an early playoff exit

Then I think to some extent Kobe will have been exposed for not being able to adjust to the strengths of the excellent teammates he has been surrounded with.

And I do think to some extent Kobe can be a selfish player, and it has probably hurt team chemistry this year.

The problem with your argument is that you're basing it on 2 games really? Two fvcking games. And second the way the Lakers play in the regular season has nothing to do with how they play in the playoffs. I don't know why people act like the Lakers were a horrible team with Kobe. If you look at their post all star break record it's actually very good, all of this with Kobe. So the only way Kobe Bryant could be exposed is if this team wins a championship without him and we all know this team will have to fight hard in the playoffs WITH him, never mind they don't have a chance for a championship without him. Last point is that that Lakers have played well since Gasol went out, but I don't see any threads saying that the Lakers are better off without him, even from alleged Kobe stans.

[tikay0]

Lol this. Kobe goes out you'll have to find a way to replace 27 points

You could get it from Dwight when he gets healthy. Which would open up the floor for guys like Nash, Metta, Kobe.

[Mrofir]

The problem with your argument is that you're basing it on 2 games really? Two fvcking games.

Read my post. There are a lot of "ifs" in there. I was cautiously agreeing that the OP might have a point IF xyz.

As for Gasol, it is simply evidence that team chemistry has been an issue all year and roles haven't coalesced the way they should. The team has played better with just one of them most of the season. They had an excellent stretch with just Gasol earlier this season as well, I'm sure you are aware.

[Ancient Legend]

The problem with your argument is that you're basing it on 2 games really? Two fvcking games. .

Kobe Bryant's Regular Season Win Percentage = .662
Lakers Win Percentage Without Kobe Bryant = .604 (95 games)