No player in modern National Basketball Association history (that is to say, since we landed on the moon) has coupled playing as poorly as Kobe with the amount of minutes, shots, and overall impact (with the Lakers’ two best prospects sitting on the bench and barely playing over half the game in deference to Bryant) that Kobe has.
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PS- Kobe’s 05′-06′ season in which he averaged 35.4 Points, 5.3 Rebounds, and 4.5 Assists a game will go down as one of the best offensive seasons of the all-time. After the game, it was revealed that Kobe himself told head coach Byron Scott to leave them in, effectively benching himself. Even beyond his play on the floor, he’s played as great a role as anyone in the worldwide expansion of the game. “They asked a few questions, he and his agents, and that was that”.
“I have no idea”, Scott said. Though I would of liked to see him shoot the ball more he did well controlling the tempo and getting his teammates involved. And, for the young Lakers who’ll witness his farewell tour first hand he is showing them what they can accomplish with hard work and belief in self. This year his shot selection is more questionable because he hasn’t been able to hit the shots that he usually drains. Lakers fans should enjoy the Kobe show during his final season and not fret too much about the negative effect it may have on the team’s record.
For many years the BBoyz and I would fight over Kobe, me expressing a dislike for his selfish cockiness and them pointing out his greatness, feistiness and singularity of will. My initial disdain grew into appreciation for the plethora of qualities the Black Mamba had without an apparent rival.
Lakers Kobe Bryant greets Spurs Tim Duncan before the start of the game.
I’m a Kobe fan. “I wouldn’t be starting on that team, not with him out there”. Russell and Randle need to develop, and Kobe will have to take a backseat for that to happen. The Lakers landed a second meeting with Aldridge that Scott described as “all basketball”, which also included Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak and player development coach Mark Madsen.
“He’s going to retire as one of the NBA’s greatest players”, Silver continued.
While Bryant’s numbers are hardly worthy of an 18th selection, there’s no denying it would be a great tribute to one of the sport’s biggest ambassadors to see him living it up on the All-Star hardwood one final time.
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“Most of these guys want to know the basketball part of it. We’ll change that part as far as most of the meeting, 75 percent of it of more, will be about the basketball part and then the other part will be a little bit about the business part”, Scott said. They left home at the end of November, and will have been on the road for almost two weeks before finally flying back to Los Angeles following Saturday’s game. “I think he deserves to be there”.
