If Kobe can post up similar stats in his career next year. Maybe he'll play until he's 40 and re-sign to a cheaper contract this time.
depends. if we make it to lets say 4-5 seed next year, i'm sure he will think to himself i give myself 2 more years. sign on a cheaper contract, go for another max player, we will win the title. then he'd stay. if we are even close to making the playoffs next year..goodbye mamba
Sure he wants to win a championship but I don't think even he believes that's likely to happen. The 4th or 5th seed? Well sure of the Lakers are THAT good he'll have to consider it but what are the chances of that? OKC, San Antonio, Dallas, Portland, Sonics, GSW, Houston, Memphis... those are our measuring sticks and I don't see us being better than those teams next season. We MIGHT sneak into the playoffs as an 8th seed if we get super lucky with injuries. Is that enough to convince Kobe to go through another season? I doubt it.
IF he plays no more than 30 minutes a game this year, and no back to backs, I wonder if he'll feel so good that he'll have a hard time walking away. Hope Mitch puts a playoff worth team around him to make it a consideration.
Not sure I put Dallas on that list anymore. As of right now the only two people of note they have under contract are Dirk and Parsons. Dirk definitely started showing his age last season and Parsons may or may not have had microfracture surgery (he's not telling). Monta will opt out and may or may not stay and Tyson would bail if he knew what was good for him. Portland is also gone from that list if Aldridge bolts to the Spurs. But that still leaves the Sonics (I see what you did there), Warriors, Rockets, Grizz, Thunder and Spurs. Without catastrophic injuries to those team's stars, we aren't finishing above 7th next season. But finishing seventh with all that young talent would be enough to at least intrigue Durant. And if Durant comes to town, Kobe is not leaving. Kobe loves KD and might actually relish the opportunity to tutor him for a season (or two) as the next great Laker. Kobe would NOT look at Durant the same way he looked at Dwight.
Even with the Sonics, Warriors, Rockets, Grizzlies, Thunder, Spurs that's not all the problems in the West. We're still looking at the Pelicans who are getting better, the Clippers are a good regular season team, even the Jazz and Suns were close to .500 last season. The West is a GRINDER. It's a straight-up meat grinder. We're going to be hard pressed to break into those ranks with two de facto rookies and a sophomore likely to be in our starting five.
all of this may be true but its only going to enchance and make our core group come together quicker and ultimately play better quicker. They are going to have lots of pressure on them and when enough pressure is there over a given time period diamonds can be formed. I think we'll see this in the Finals this year. A team like the Warriors who have had to fight and claw to get to where they are whereas Lebron and the Cavs are injured and really haven't had a fair tough grind out series.
I wonder how much the shoulder injury affected his offensive efficiency last year... because honestly, the 37 FG% version of Kobe is quite terrible. We can ill-afford 10 for 29 shooting nights when we have so many talented kids on our team. Kobe's effectiveness is dictated by his scoring. If he can't keep the opposing defense on it's heels his efficiency even as a faciliator plummets at an alarming rate. I sure hope he could get his FG% back to the 43-45% range. Otherwise, coupled with his horrific defense, he could become a net negative for us this upcoming season.
I don't disagree. I'm just saying it's a tall order for us to make the playoffs built around such a young cast. Even if we are lucky enough for our young three to become like the Thunder, it took them years to hit their groove and start getting to the playoffs and winning those games. I embrace the challenge. I just want to think as rationally as possible.
I actually remember when the Lakers were on top of the world and OKC was just starting out. They had Harden, Durant, Westbrook and Ibaka, and they were an 8th seed. I miss those days.
I think we are going to see a Kobe who leads us in assist. he is not a "shot only" stubborn anymore. he showed that last year when people around him made baskets.
I'm 36. I have watched sports since I was a young kid. No hyperbole, this is the most lopsided I have ever seen two conferences in ANY sport in my life. Lebron is about to go to the finals with an ex Rugby player at pg, two castaways in JR and Shumpert, a pf who had underachived his entire career in Thompson...You could make a case that the 6th or 7th seed in the west would have won the East outright this season. It's actually the biggest knock I have on Lebron. He spun this going back to Cleveland thing as a tale of him returning home to finish what he started. The reality is he is a straight up mercenary. Jumps ship to play with a couple All NBAers. They get hurt and injured and he jumps back to a team that accumulated draft picks because he decimated them by leaving them. But with both teams, he stays in the East and takes his annual cakewalk to the Finals where he is well rested and focused, and he plays whoever is battered and bruised from the West.
So yea, lets bring this topic back about Kobe. One thing that separated Kobe far and away from others is his work ethic. Earlier in the season, when they asked Phil if Melo should model his game after Kobe, he basically said that's impossible because nobody can do that. He stated that not even Jordan had Kobe's work ethic. Kobe sets an example for others to follow so it's really unfortunate that his body is just not letting him practice the way he used to.
I've had the same thought, His shot was nowhere to be found and then bam, his shoulder injury. At the least he must have had some discomfort in it until it gave out. After it heals up, with the off season to work on his legs I'm predicting his old 45% shooting comes back. His D is another story, that's why they need a real center to protect the paint, and wing that can play strong perimeter D to hide him a bit.
My apologies. Taking the Kobe thread into Lebron talk is unforgivable. I will accept any punishment handed down, no matter how severe.
I feel like Kobe has embraced this leader role, sure he still plays the bad cop but he's more patient. Show him you'll put in the work and he'll be there to help you along the way. Guys that have shown the work ethic like Clarkson and Randle are going to benefit more from him being out there on the court. Hopefully we can bring in a couple more vets, someone that can play nice cop.
Actually his body isn't responding any more in part BECAUSE of the strain he put on it. Where he went wrong though (overtraining) is where the youngsters can learn from his mistakes. Greatness means pushing yourself to the end and often beyond that. Playing in the West and playing for the Lakers means going through hell for the playoffs. Greatness means conquering your body and yourself in order to conquer the West. Still though, taking a month or two off in the summer never hurt anyone. These young guys would do well to remember that. That doesn't mean no training at all, just training with a cap on it.
