Solid game. Played much better in the 2nd half, drove and kicked a few times today, rebounded well, etc...
Kobe did take a lot of shots but most of them were good shots. Lots of shots below the 3 point line and around the paint. Frankly we went flat once Kobe wasn't in the game and he was our lifeblood on offense tonight. I don't think Julius would call Kobe out tonight. There were a ton of other games where Kobe was a lot worse and we lost. Kobe made a lot of nice plays tonight, no reason to call him out. I'm really liking Julius's rebounding. And he's only going to get better.
I heard the interview and he was very appreciative of Kobe's performance. Kobe is his literal hero. I think you guys might be reading the wrong way. I don't think Julius would ever be upset with Kobe shooting a lot, but other guys not passing the ball or moving the ball he finds more upsetting. I'm thinking Lou, D'Angelo, Jordan, Nick, etc.
I didn't say he was upset with Kobe shooting a lot, I said it sounded like he was commenting on how you play through Kobe ISO every time down the floor. He's a player that likes to have the ball and create for himself, and when every single play down the floor for the last 5-7 minutes of the game is Kobe ISO I imagine he and the others can start standing around and watching. He was asked what's going through his head when Kobe is playing like that (meaning when he's vintage Kobe) and he responded that they have to keep moving without the ball and such, meaning he thought the question was "what's going through your head when Kobe is playing like that" as in playing all ISO all the time. Honest mistake, maybe, but it didn't seem like it as he just had said they need to trust the "system" and move the ball. It isn't a big deal, it was just a very odd response to a clearly different question.
Yeah I just read it a different way. To me it felt like a very honest answer to "what do you do when Kobe is dominating possessions?" and he answers with "go get a rebound" you know? That's how I saw it. I didn't see it as some sort of criticism of the play call or Kobe or anything like that. I saw it as him just really saying "go get the ball and be ready to make decisions with it after the defenses adjust to Kobe". There was a play where Kobe makes a move and finds Julius in the key and he makes a gorgeous pass to Bass under the basket for a bucket. That's what I thought he was talking about.
I like that he's chomping at the bit for more opportunity and more responsibility. It's not a bad thing that he is slowly taking on those responsibilities versus having to all at once. Against experienced veterans, he looks very predictable and easy to defend unless he is on the move.
As I mentioned in the GD chat, it took until the 18th game for Randle to start finally rolling to the basket after a pick in roll. 18 freaking games, and even now, he only does it half a**; teaching him how to screen properly and roll hard should have already been corrected by this coaching staff...that would be one of the more efficient ways he could be used and maximized with his skillset right now. This coaching staff is so incompetent, though, so I wouldn't expect anything less; Randle should be farther ahead in his development than he is right now, IMO.
I dunno, it totally came off to me as him tired of guys fishing for sound bites about Kobe. Does everyone's postgame interview have to include questions about Kobe? Every time? I don't think so. If I as a fan at home have thought about it, it's possible someone on the team with Kobe has thought about it once or twice. The fact that he answered the same question in the same way both times he was asked makes me think he knew exactly what the guy was asking but didn't want to give him what he wanted. It's not a big deal in the grand scheme, but I don't think it's as innocuous as everyone seems to think.
Yeah, what exactly is rocket science about P&R? Doesn't it seem like often he sets his picks too far from the "pickee"?
I think you're just misunderstanding what I'm saying. I didn't see it as a criticism on Kobe, I said it was an interesting response. The reporter was clearly looking for a Kobe praise sound bite, and what was on Randle's mind was the style of play or system we ran to close the game. I know he loves Kobe, I know it wasn't a shot at Kobe, it was interesting that was on his mind first above giving the same old "Kobe is a legend" sound bite all these media guys suddenly want. He wasn't interested in repeating how good Kobe was, he wanted to talk about his role, and everyone else's, in continuing to move and be aggressive out there. He could have misunderstood the question, but it seemed like he wasn't interested in giving the same answer about how awesome Kobe was again, and I have no problem with that and again, don't think it was a big deal, just interesting.
Gotcha. I was inferring a different meaning from what you guys were saying. I think he probably IS sick of being asked the question. I mean damn they get asked about Kobe every single day. I'd get sick of it too.
