The Arrogant, Entitltled World Champion Los Angeles Lakers

[Bklyn]

Kobe shot LA out of this Denver game tonight...

[Bklyn]

If Scola was famous enough to warrant a movie, he would be played by Russell Brand.

[Owlman]

heh

[T Dot O Dot]

Kwame Brown on ex-teammate Andrew Bynum: "I taught him everything he knows. I told him if you can score on me, you can score on anyone."

[TheBigMook]

[youtube]VxEGhVVzUgM[/youtube]

[Jungle Rat]

Already posted.

[Bklyn]

A Grantland article had a good point about Kwame. He takes more heat than warranted, considering he has had a decent career, even compared to other #1 picks.

He's no Kandiman or Pervis Ellison...and even Portland would take Kwame over the last 4 years over Oden.

[AugustWest]

hell, I'd take me over Oden. I'd suck, but I'd give you more games.

[Bklyn]

Indeed

[Owlman]

Kwame Brown on ex-teammate Andrew Bynum: "I taught him everything he knows. I told him if you can score on me, you can score on anyone."

Not a true statement. The more accurate statement would be, "I like to think I taught him everything he knows. I told him that just because you score on me, doesn't mean you can score on anyone else"

[Bklyn]

With those torn ligaments in his right wrist – an injury that should’ve required surgery and three months of rehabilitation – Bryant is forever one collision from serious seasonal consequences. When he fails to keep the wrist moving during a game, it will swell significantly. That’s why he’s always making that shooting motion with his wrist on the sidelines in down moments. His personal trainer, Tim Grover, says simply: “I’ve never seen anyone do what Kobe’s doing right now.”

It’s near impossible to play with torn ligaments in your shooting wrist, never mind play well. He has shown he can make easy and tough shots, with the wrist. His baseline fades, his jumpers, still come with his classic form, the proper arc and angles, and they drop. There are good shots and bad shots, and history tells you Bryant’s self-examination distills the difference over the long run.

“I shoot, I shoot,” Bryant said. “You’ve known that for 16 years. I’m not changing my game. If the defense is not doubling, I’m going to score. If I’ve got a good look, I’m going to score. My teammates know that.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=a ... nba_010912

[Kenny-Omo Orunmila]

Wassup Laker Fans...it's been awhile. Hope all of you are well. I saw this article and I concur with the comparison;

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball- ... 02003.html

[Bklyn]

I agree. Kobe is not a better athlete than a large part of the league (past and present). However, he is smarter than 75% of them and works harder than 99%.

[Hizzy III]

Gratuitous. And I think Kobe is (or at least was for the first 2/3 of his career) a better pure athlete than say 65-70% of the league. I do think he works harder than the majority and has a higher BB IQ than the majority, but not more than that much of a majority.

[Bklyn]

Kobe didn't jump out the gym, or run faster than everyone. His handle has always been suspect. He's never been stronger than the average 6'6" guard. I'm trying to think something that, as a natural gift, put him far and away ahead of the majority of his peers, athletically. He has great balance, great footwork and is definitely better than your average lumbering, big man...but he was never a pure athletic specimen. Ray Allen, Allen Iverson were better athletes and Kerry Kittles was probably on par with him, until the knee issues. They were all drafted ahead of him.

Vince Carter was a better athlete. Harold Miner was. I still say a majority of players were more blessed athletically than him. Maybe not by a mile, but still better.

Kobe's bball IQ is probably his strongest attribute. He will make adjustments to his game from play to play depending on his defender. That's just through the volumes of tape he watches every day. If you run 3 different defenders against him throughout the game, he will attack them individually. He doesn't attack based on what he wants to do, but on who's guarding him. I think saying his IQ is higher than 3/4 of the league is conservative. I was gonna go 85% at first.

[Hizzy III]

So ESPN tells me that the Lakers have gone 11 straight games without hitting the century mark. What's the deal? It has to be more than Mike Brown's slower offense.

[Jungle Rat]

Kobe is old

[Simitar]

So ESPN tells me that the Lakers have gone 11 straight games without hitting the century mark. What's the deal? It has to be more than Mike Brown's slower offense.

It looks like 13 to me.

And only once have they hit it this year.

[Kenny-Omo Orunmila]

I think the issue was letting LO go....the team is just not the same without him...yes some of the support cast has picked up some of the slack but clearly not enough.....

[Bklyn]

Brown is a really good defensive coach. Not so good on offensive execution. Obviously, Rat is not watching the NBA, considering his Kobe comment.

Everyone else has been inconsistent at best, though. They only play halfway decent at home.

They would have been dangerous this year if Phil was still coaching and Brown was his assistant. They season is just too compacted to coach up a brand new offensive scheme.