The Goat Pen

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."

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."

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.

Hizzy III wrote: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.