The thing that's encouraging to me wasn't his dunking in these shots and in the game day video, but the patented Kobe/Jordan turnaround on the baseline. It looked classic. Also the fake and step through was beautiful as well. The dunk he took pretty mellow/gingerly for good reason probably because of the rotator cuff injury last year.
He still looks very polished and fluid in traffic. He'll still be very effective, but I think he'll still finally pull back some this year and pick his spots. I think we'll see the most efficient Kobe ever.
^I hope you're right. He looked spry last year as well. I hope he's managed a lot better than last year which includes 30 minutes or less, sitting out B2B games, some practices, and takes care of his body. I want him to go out standing. That's the least he deserves...
With the youth we have, the way those guys are looking... the way Kobe is looking. This is not going to be his last year. Number 6 is still burning strong.
That is absolutely what I'm hoping for. Take away the ball handling, manage the minutes, pick his spots....still one of the best. Why retire if the fire is still burning and you are healthy.
Agree completely. Kobe has reiterated time and time again he's not leaving the Lakers. He'll either win his sixth championship in L.A. or he won't. Why people keep forgetting this is beyond me. When people bring up New York as a possibility I can't help, but laugh. Why would he go to a worse situation? The Lakers basically have three lottery picks this season that'll be on the floor.
In a 2 1/2-hour discussion this week, Bryant noted that Russell, Clarkson, Julius Randle, veteran Brandon Bass and other unnamed players peppered him about questions surrounding his journey and longevity over his 19-year NBA career. "It's important they find their own way. I can only provide them some of the knowledge and information that I have," Bryant said. "They're hungry and want to be great. It's a joy to be around them." Bryant remembered "feeling like a kid in a candy store" during his first All-Star appearance in 1998 when he sought feedback from Michael Jordan, Clyde Drexler, Gary Payton, John Stockton and Charles Barkley. Bryant did not sense any teammates having interest in his wisdom until 2008, a year before winning a string of back-to-back NBA championships. http://www.dailynews.com/sports/20151003/kobe-bryant-definitely-playing-in-lakers-preseason-opener A little excerpt. I wanted to share this portion. I thought you guys would enjoy this...
He's going to struggle guarding the SFs, he might have the strength to match up well but not the size.
At this point, he's going to struggle guarding anyone. At least with SF's he doesn't have to chase guys all over and around screens.
League insiders suggest the Lakers should tell Kobe to take a hike after this season http://espn.go.com/losangeles/nba/s...es-lakers-the-kobe-bryant-issue?ex_cid=espnFB
Baxter Holmes is good at his job. But damn that dude hates Kobe and I'm not entirely sure he's really a "fan" of the Lakers at all. I'd say about 95% of what he does is negative and probably half of the stuff he covers is on Kobe.