How do you think Kobe will do with our young big? I think with all he's gone through he won't have too much problem with sharing the ball, and we've already seen Kobe grow into the mentor role. What about Okafor or Towns personalities as a mix with Kobe though. Even if Kobe is only here for one or two more years, his personality is SO strong that it will have an impact on the rookie. Bynum seemed to rub Kobe the wrong way with his seeming indifference in his first couple of seasons. Randle seems to really soak in the Kobe effect. I don't know anything about Okafor's or Town's personalities other than what I've seen in short interviews. How do you see the possible relationships developing?
agreed on Randle soaking up Kobe'seffect...i think JC has the same desire and work ethic that would earn Kobe's respect...i hope Kobe goes into a full 'mentor' role in his last season
Yeah, I hope you're right. Someone posted an article earlier about how Okafor studies videos of the footwork of the great post players like Olajuwon, Kareem, Duncan, etc. Kobe will love that about him. Hopefully he is chill enough to not wither under the Death Stare though when it does come his way.
I think Kobe will be so giddy to have help during his last run, he'll be welcoming to either. He really wants to set the Lakers on the right path for the post Kobe years, so I think he's going to be more of a teacher this year than he will be a player. None of the three young guys will challenge his alpha male status, so that won't be a problem. I see either big giving effort, so he's not going to have to lay into them as if they were Kwame Brown. I think Okafor's demeanor (that laid back TD approach) might be a little more welcoming to Kobe's personality. Don't have a whole lot to go off of, but I'm just going with the fact that Coach K is a tougher, stricter coach that can get in your face and yell at you and is capable of turning as red as a tomato. He handled that without any problems. And at the same time, he's not aloof and uninterested, you can tell he's engaged in the game. I'm not sure if either will be the pupil that Randle or JC have been. I don't see that from them today. But at the same time, I didn't expect that from either Randle or JC when we drafted them.
Kobe respects hard work. Plain and simple Bynum really didn't show much until Kobe put him on blast. Then the Bynum we all came to love emerged until things went awry. I think this older Kobe is a little more lenient, you kinda got that feeling the last few years with him trying to show the way for Nick and Jordan. At the same time, he's going to expect the most out of these guys. I think between Okafor and Towns, both are guys who WANT to play basketball. Who WANT to become better. I didn't get that from Bynum, as much as I liked him. That's why Kareem gave up on him. I feel Okafor has more of a sense of a "student of the game" feel to him, and I think Kobe would prefer that. However, I think Kobe could also MOLD Towns into becoming and unstoppable force with the tools that he has, and steer Towns into reaching that extreme ceiling everyone is projecting him to have.
Okafor is polished and has played impact minutes. 24 sees that...will push for more. He played under Coach K whom 24 respects highly is already a plus. All that power and mass? He's not slow or plodding either. You don't see that too often. Okafor will collapse the middle, open lanes and free up perimeter shooters. Our 4's will feast on the boards with a free run since whoever is assigned to them will have to help. Okafor has those huge mitts that can snag passes and go up with force. He co-existed with a similar player before...now peddling Gold Bond body spray on the tube. On offense, 24 won't have to be asked to take on too much. I don't know much about Towns. The upside is there but what sort of mentality does he have? Punk-101 compared him to Noah but with better offensive skills. Fair enough... If that is the case, he can be what Pau Gasol was with whom 24 had a great working relationship with. He also will help the defense immensely with Lin and Sloppy D. If we choose Towns, bring on Marc Gasol. Twin Towers Redux 2.0. Either way, 24 will ease either guy in...not Driving Miss Daisy speed mind you. Both choices will make his send-off [?] smoother and likely enjoyable. He is not the petulant, hell bent domineering presence he used to be. The good part is both potential choices are more mature and looking to be better than the last pivot-man to grace the Golden Armor. Who knows, what if success happens and all of a sudden, 24 is having this conversation with himself: "Know what? This could be the start of something special... Don't think I'm ready to be a stay home dad yet. Wait, who's calling me now? Yo, KD what's up? Yeah..."
Honestly, with this pick, and depending on how promising the 2015/16 season turns out to be, I think Kobe will sign for another year or two.
I don't believe Kobe's drive will be able to dictate anything in anyone unless he is back to being a factor on the Court. I am excited that we are in a position to move forward and build a bridge to the future. If Kobe can be a 20 ppg scorer and not a defensive liability I am more than excited to see him back. He knows that his body is breaking down and the game has caught up to him. His desire to win is there (like Big Game in 92-93 or Buck in 1996) but his body is not. This is why it was so frustrating that D12 used the 'excuse' that he wanted to build a team around him and was so upset with Kobe's comments about when (or if) he would retire. I suppose if the truth ever came out - D12 was worried about both his own selfish need to be 'the man' and the highest paid player on the team and cap space. Houston lucked out with Josh Smith and Corey Brewer but the Lakers will have the brighter future when (not if) they draft a big man with the No. 2 pick.
I think Kobe probably gets along best with Okafor for the reasons stated above. Okafor has repeatedly been referred to as a student of the game. He has studied tape of Duncan, Shaq, Olajuwon, etc. etc. and he's incorporated their techniques into his game. Sound familiar? All of his coaches have also called him a very quick learner. He's been able to spend a day on a particular skill set and leave that day significantly better than he was before. Towns' mentality has definitely been more cerebral according to reports. He's eager to learn and to develop, but he's not the perfectionist that Okafor is. He seems more like the Pau Gasol type to me: alpha capable, but more likely to go with the flow. That type of mentality might actually mesh better long-term with a guy who is so alpha like Kobe. Here's the key though: I think Randle and Clarkson have fed off of Kobe's personality a lot. Who do THEY mesh best with? I'd say either one meshes well but again I have to give the edge to Okafor. I think both Clarkson and Randle in their own ways have already gotten on the train of "we want to win more than anything else so if you're not on the same route, then we aren't going to get along". That's the personality I want in my team. Win first, everything else secondary. I honestly wouldn't have cared at all about Howard's smiling attitude as long as he put in work when he had to and won games. He didn't, so his smiles were bull****. I want that from these young kids and I think that's what Kobe can leave them with. To be honest I'm not sure I care too much which guy gets along with Kobe. I want whoever we get to take as much from Kobe as they can this last season. Maybe Kobe comes back, maybe he doesn't, but I want to see a kid who wants it as much as Kobe did when he was 19 years old.
Perhaps belongs in the debate on who we draft section but I think Okafor will mesh better with Kobe. http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/college/acc/duke/article14512424.html Im liking Okafor more than Towns now....
The crux here is that 24 is accused of being hard driving. True, well documented and really necessary. Well, who plays good cop? The one we once had is a coach in Gotham. The one we could have had is nowhere to be found sometimes...the coach can't even get him on the phone. Sure as hell can't be Sloppy D. Lin is too reserved [if he was retained]. Johnson? Nah, he's out of here. Half the time, we don't even know what is happening with him between the ears. If he sticks around, it could be Boozer. P.S. - I wonder if Randle is jockeying for Towns...
reading up on 1984 draft - akeem 1, bowie 2, jordan 3, i learned that akeem was so interested in increasing his minutes while a Cougar that his coach had him go work out with Moses Malone - something that not only improved his game but led him to want to be drafted by Houston. He was quoted as saying (about his training) 'you have to play against the best to be your best...' In the article below, note a young Towns following the same philosophy.... That would mesh well with Kobe and excites me. I don't care who we get as long as he passes the physical and is not harboring any lingering injuries (Sam Bowie, Andrew Bynum). http://www.sportsonearth.com/article/52051696/
Which is why in my comment about who we want to target as FA I said "Butler and a Vet" because we are going to be a very young team and need some vets to stabilize the ship or else I fear we suffer the fate of a team like Portland. Ship with no rudder. Kobe is not the stabilizer at this stage of his career - he won't be around long enough. Someone else was mentioning Jarrett Jack as a possible signing. I don't see him hanging onto any rings or MVP trophies to earn credibility with the young ones. BScott is either going to have to earn his money or perhaps we can find a vet who wants to come back to LA and who has some playoff experience - Paul Pierce?
I like Jack... Fearless. Not sure about Butler will these "alledged" rumors of him causing a rift with Rose. Mo Williams has been mentioned. He could be a good choice. Veteran leadership without the overbearing personality... can hit the perimeter shot too. When he played for the people across the hall, Williams organized the group collectively until they were handed Cliff Paul's bro.
Jack is tough - just cant seem to find himself on a winning NBA team. Scares me. Makes me think he could be a cancer in the locker room.
Never heard that about Jack. He was a victim of the numbers game in both New Orleans and Golden State.
Not saying he is...just wonder why he bounces around so much and cant stay with teams you just mentioned...and why those teams (on verge of better things) always seem to let him go or trade him away.
I know you're not... Jack is probably just the quintessential journeyman. Clarkson can be the "good" cop. Quiet, unassuming and will probably not grate on the three new rooks Okafor/Towns included. He will be much more self assured, confident after the All-Rookie First Team honor.
