I’ve generally felt like 2k has been pretty accurate over the past few years in simulating the talent and play style of players. And damn, Dwight is like a cheat code for our team in 2k20. Just feasts on open looks and offensive boards gained from the attention drawn by Bron and AD.
This is theoretically possible. I mean, damn. If he's even 85% of what he was, and can just manage to keep his head on straight, he will get 14 and 12 without having a single play called for him.
Okay, maybe I’m reading too much into things, but this series of interviews has actually reined in some of my optimism. Feels like a media press run that his team has set up to try to earn Dwight some good will, but that makes it counterproductive. He’s putting up this front like he’s learned from all the downs in his life/career and let go of his ego. But to explain that, the interview is bringing up old things that nobody cares about anymore. Which makes it seem like Dwight is actually still passively aggressively complaining about these things. Like nobody remembers a regular season game in 2013. Who cares if Kobe was pressuring you to play through injury? He claims he’s learned from that experience by developing thicker skin. Not that he’s learned from that experience by understanding the mamba mentality. Indicating he’s still hurt about how Kobe acted ... so why bring it up if you’ve matured so much and learned to move on? Another example he uses about how all his negative experiences are growing opportunities that allowed him to get rid off his ego, is about how some of the people around him were manipulating him financially. He says that he wasn’t bothered by it because it made him the man he is today, and so at the time he wasn’t angry but rather trying to think of it from the other persons perspective. Like maybe they needed the money. If that was truly his attitude, more power to him. But it seems like more of a disingenuous way to sell his growth rather than an actual characterization of how he thought about the situation. These aren’t red flags that mean he’s still the same guy necessarily. I think he has matured enough that he’ll be a positive asset as long as he’s healthy and in shape. But I’m skeptical of this image he’s trying to put up like he’s completely changed into this mature beacon of wisdom.
interview didn't bother me really. Seems to have grown up quite a bit, except for mentioning the crowd going wild after his 3. It's like he's thinking: "I know what they REALLY want to see me do LOL"
Dwight always reverts back to Dwight once all is said and done, all we can hope for is he doesn’t annoy this group of teammates and gives us solid minutes, that’s it. To me the “I knew Kobe was about to transition out of the NBA” line was maybe the most felling of their whole dynamic and what went wrong. Kobe was not even close to done yet before the achilles, he was carrying the team, but for Dwight to think that shows his incredible lack of awareness of reality and how he thought the team should be his way sooner than it ever would have. Asking for Kobe to be amnestied is more proof of that. But ugh, yeah, all I want from Dwight is 20 or so solid minutes at center, give us dunks, block some shots, grab some boards, don’t turn the the entire locker room against you by being too Dwight.
i hate to go here, but...there's simply no way this happens, ever. he's too far on the path of life to ever right it towards true wisdom. he can be less facile and stupid, which would be great--for him and for the lakers. but he's not going to be a leader of men or a circumspect voice for others to consider. not even close. not in another ten or twenty years.