Wmc 15/16: We are finally at the END! BYE BYRON!!!

Holmes is definitely loving Kobe's struggles.

 

Finally after two decades, his critics are savoring the last few games

 

I don't think he's shooting himself out of this slump. *sigh*

 

We are in complete goodbye tour mode. I was hoping we see a couple more vintage Kobe games before he leaves, but that seems to be less and less of a possibility.

 

We need to break the cycle of: 1)start game horribly and get down big early 2)make a few comebacks to make it semi-interesting 3)make horrible subs and plays to throw the game away in the end.

We still need real offense/defense, we need a real coach. If we lose, we lose. But losing without the aforementioned really makes it hard to stomach.

 

I'll be honest: 64 more games of watching Kobe shoot 30% isn't going to be fun at all. He's just awful at this point. My goodness. He's a net negative. We're not getting anything productive out of him out there right now. I love him, but man, this is going to be tough to watch all season...

 

He's trying to help the franchise one last time........by shooting is to a top 3 pick (potentially)

 

LOL. I'm not even getting emotionally invested in this pick.

 

I'm a Lakers fan 1st; a Kobe fan 2nd. I so appreciate what he's done. We all have. No doubt. Nevertheless, he deserves criticism, and he could play the facilitator role and really help these kids. Instead, as KB24 said, there is about 20-23 possessions that get wasted with Kobe hoisting up shot after shot and we are not a good enough team to overcome that. The lack of accountability, the lack of a plan with Kobe coming into the season is absurd.

It doesn't help that our coach is the biggest Kobe fanboy there is...

 

This is exactly my stance as well. It seems like the coaching staff's (and maybe the FO's) mindset for this season is: "We're not good enough to make the playoffs, so might as well suck and hopefully keep our pick, and while we're at it, let's let Kobe do whatever the F*** he wants...it's the poor guy's last season. We owe him as much." That really pisses me off because it's basically a wasted season of development for the young core.

 

Not sure I agree with that stance. We saw those two games without Kobe and it was the same thing. These young guys aren't gonna develop into what they can and will be until we can Scott. He's the one really holding them back with his rotations, with his system that doesn't fit their skill sets at all, all the isolations, and the flagrant lack of a scheme defensively.

 

Implement things that Kobe teaches? Sure. Implement things that Scott is teaching? ***Pukes***

 

I don't think it's a wasted season. However, everytime Kobe hoist up a shot or to be even more realistic, everytime he shoots there's a 70% chance it's a wasted possession. We're trying to rebuild, develop, in the midst of this legendary figure, which is fine, but like Mitch said yesterday, it's awkward. We'll have to figure it out.

 

As I said, I don't want to imply that I think it's a wasted season. Russell, Clarkson, and Randle have shown flashes already what they could become...My thing is Kobe being the focal point of the offense, hoisting up shots, and wasting possessions. I'm simply talking from a game perspective. 4/20 is not cool, and if Bryant even shoots an average percentage, we win the game yesterday. Byron and Kobe are costing us games, period. In terms of wins/losses, it's a wasted season, but it doesn't have to be a total loss, if we develop our core...

 

I agree. Reign him in, Scott, or Kobe, reign yourself in. The great goodbye poem (and I mean that) should not give you license to continue to stink it up out there. Start f****** playing smart out there, realize the best thing you can do on your farewell tour now ..... is do what's best in each game and for the rest of the season to help all of the guys who are going to be here for the future ..... to WIN now and help them to grow with that mindset. Which was always YOUR mindset. Every bit that Kobe deviates from that plan the rest of this season just chips away at his legacy with the NBA and with more importantly, Lakers FANS everywhere. It's NOT about him now going forward. Sure do his best and take the smart shots that are there. But any more and whatever more of the crap delusional ball he has been playing should not be tolerated, and seriously detracts from who he has always been ..... a "winner" and bleeding Purple and Gold. I have zero faith he will play this way for any majority of games the rest of the season.

He pisses me off enough I will change my damn user image waaaaaaaay too soon.... to a pick between one of our young Big 3 players going forward. That would make me sad and leave a sour taste in my mouth after his career which in my eyes makes him the greatest Laker ever. If he were amazingly to reign in that ego (and at this point, selfishness) I might just keep it another number of years. "Bad Kobe" though has always crashed the party too many times and I certainly don't see it changing now. Especially with f****** Boron having NO sac to tell him to play right and within himself.