I've got to say he looked better than I thought. Some of those baseline fades had very little lift on them, but whatever gets the job done. He's really conserving energy offensively and he showed good tenacity defensively. He's not going to be the 1st Team All-Defense guy probably, but he's definitely refocused on that end of the floor and that's a good thing.
This guy looked good alright. He was noticeably slower and had diminished lift from what we've come to expect, but still deadly nonetheless. He looked far better than I thought he would. As with Nash, Kobe needs to focus on staying healthy throughout the season. Is it me or did he seem to fade more than usual on his shots?
There have been articles over the summer that speak about Kobe working on his one-legged turnaround fade, as well as learning to play an old-man game ala Paul Pierce. The man knows how to constantly evolve to find every advantage possible.
Definitely, the way Kobe evolves is unbelievable. It makes you wonder how far he'll push the envelope... often times contradicting my own logical outlook on aging stars and appropriate expectations.
One play last night by 24 was very nice. He drove, drew the defense, change hands with the ball in the air then dropped a perfect catchable bounce pass to Hill for the flush.
" Kobe BryantVerified account@kobebryant Players are "encouraged" per new CBA to take less to win or risk being called selfish+ungrateful while nbatv deal goes UP by a BILLION #biz" Preach Kobe!!
Exactly. It's ridiculous. That's why I never begrudged Kobe taking that big contract. That's why I wasn't fawning over Dirk and his contract. Sure Dirk is making/has made plenty of money, but it's the principle of the matter. Why should I keep taking less money if my boss is on paid vacation all the time? No thank you.
Wow! Get em Kobe, you're entirely right. And look what has also happened to the pay scale for multi-year decent (can contribute in regular rotations) "journeyman" players. They're getting it the hardest.
He looked good in that first game. I expected him to be good, after all the reporting on his preparation and the stuff from scrimmages. IMO he's gonna have a solid offensive season. 1 on 1 D will probably be decent too. Gotta keep watching how our team evolves defensively to see if he's still having trouble off the ball on that end. Overall, I expect good stuff from #24. Just happy the Mamba is back on the court! It's good for basketball
Doesn't need to lift much if he can outplay his defender + his fadeaways! Was great to see him in action again and he looked like he was enjoying himself. Can't wait for the game tonight!
Jeezus...."tonight" ? Leaves computer to run to bathroom where L.A. Times sports section was left to check TV schedule. (good laughing guy) I thought it was on Thursday. That would be fabulous! If you're wrong am coming back with a BOO. (wink) Edit: BOO!!
Definitely looked good. The lift isn't there right now and I don't know if he'll ever get that back but he still was really effective and moved great on both ends.
Kobe in the post will be great. He is going to abuse guys. What will be amazing for us is if guys learn to cut to the basket off of him on the block. I am pretty sure I have said this every year for the last 4 or so years. If these guys move without the ball Kobe is going to hurt some folks with both scoring and passing.
Not to mention the chance to draw fouls for possible "and one's" or collapsing the defense. Now 24 can employ the slick footwork he practiced with Olajuwon.
I'm also excited because I think he won't have to carry the whole team on his back. At least during this first preseason game, you could see everyone was really trying and was moving around the court with purpose. Not just throwing 3 balls every second.
That's the Princeton for you. It'll really help this team that they moves around that way. Constant movement means constant work for the defense.
I am pretty sure that this has been mentioned, or at least on everyone's mind, but my hope is that, much like baseball "retirement" for Jordan, these 1.5 years off (essentially) have allowed Kobe to recuperate and actually will prolong his career. Silver Linings!!!
He looked good in his 1st game ... this is definetely time for him to live on the low block all season long . I noticed he brought the ball up to halfcourt several times ... Hopefully he won't (have to) do this a lot
