This may prove to be interesting :)
uwftke26
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Excerpts from ESPN's Charley Rosen:
LOS ANGELES -- The memory of three consecutive NBA championships isn't enough to stave off trouble in paradise.
Sure, the Big Aristotle is still recovering from the offseason toe surgery and won't be ready to play until ... Thanksgiving? Christmas? Valentine's Day? And yes, Rick Fox is serving a six-game suspension for fighting with the Kings' Doug Christie during a preseason game.
But these difficulties will be overcome as the long season slowly unwinds.
The one problem that most disturbs the Lakers coaches is a chronic condition that has flared up in each of the last three seasons before going into remission in time for L.A. to claim back-to-back-to-back titles. This time, however, there is real fear among them that the same-old-same-old problem has reappeared with a renewed virulence that threatens to lay waste to their chance to defend their championship.
Forget about the Kings, the Trail Blazers, the Spurs and all the other pretenders to the NBA crown. If the Lakers do indeed flounder in 2002-03, it will be because the brilliance of Kobe Bryant's game has been dimmed by an incurable disease.
Here are the symptoms:
Without Shaq roaming the lane and attracting double-teaming tactics, defenses can now afford to body-up on Kobe. That means Kobe's every spin, dribble and shot must be executed under maximum duress. The situation piques Kobe's fiercely competitive nature, and he views it as a personal challenge, so much so that he mostly disdains the rare open shot, determined to drive the ball into the teeth of the defense and thereby prove his dominance.
Dribble, dribble, spin and dribble ... follow the endlessly bouncing ball. Kobe is out to show the world that he is The Man, that the uninhibited expansion of his own genius is sufficient to overcome the absence of the Big Toe.
Kobe's me-first attitude in training camp (this was also the case in preseason games) destroyed the value of too many intrasquad scrimmages. Instead of concentrating on reorienting themselves to the triangle's basic geometries, the players' attention was focused on man-to-man competition, bickering over real and imagined fouls, looking to short-cut their way to victory, and ignoring the increasingly caustic scolding of the coaches.
In one preseason game, Kobe missed 20 shots. In another, he committed nine turnovers. Forcing bad shots, hogging the ball, and generally running amok, Kobe unilaterally devolved the Lakers' multidimensional offense into a straight line.
Longtime assistant coach Tex Winter, the gadfly of the coaching staff, was a lot more direct when he confronted Kobe in the locker room after the game. "You played stupidly," he said, bluntly.
Kobe bristled. He believes that the triangle is boring, is stifling. Hey, even M.J. said it was "a white man's offense." Kobe's talents need more room. It's time to win a different way -- Kobe's way.
Or, as Kobe responded to Winter's no-sugar-coating criticism: "You coached stupidly."
Needless to say, this did not go down well with Tex. As he drove me back to my hotel, he proceeded to harangue Kobe all the while. The adjectives came flying out of his long diatribe: "Out of control ... selfish ... stubborn ... uncoachable." And worse.
Now, before someone disputes this with the stunningly intelligent "He's just hating on Kobe" remember Charlie Rosen is a respected member of this field with no apparent need to be biased. The lakers are going though this same old song and dance of problems again, and it will be VERY interesting when Shaq gets back to see what happens.
LOS ANGELES -- The memory of three consecutive NBA championships isn't enough to stave off trouble in paradise.
Sure, the Big Aristotle is still recovering from the offseason toe surgery and won't be ready to play until ... Thanksgiving? Christmas? Valentine's Day? And yes, Rick Fox is serving a six-game suspension for fighting with the Kings' Doug Christie during a preseason game.
But these difficulties will be overcome as the long season slowly unwinds.
The one problem that most disturbs the Lakers coaches is a chronic condition that has flared up in each of the last three seasons before going into remission in time for L.A. to claim back-to-back-to-back titles. This time, however, there is real fear among them that the same-old-same-old problem has reappeared with a renewed virulence that threatens to lay waste to their chance to defend their championship.
Forget about the Kings, the Trail Blazers, the Spurs and all the other pretenders to the NBA crown. If the Lakers do indeed flounder in 2002-03, it will be because the brilliance of Kobe Bryant's game has been dimmed by an incurable disease.
Here are the symptoms:
Without Shaq roaming the lane and attracting double-teaming tactics, defenses can now afford to body-up on Kobe. That means Kobe's every spin, dribble and shot must be executed under maximum duress. The situation piques Kobe's fiercely competitive nature, and he views it as a personal challenge, so much so that he mostly disdains the rare open shot, determined to drive the ball into the teeth of the defense and thereby prove his dominance.
Dribble, dribble, spin and dribble ... follow the endlessly bouncing ball. Kobe is out to show the world that he is The Man, that the uninhibited expansion of his own genius is sufficient to overcome the absence of the Big Toe.
Kobe's me-first attitude in training camp (this was also the case in preseason games) destroyed the value of too many intrasquad scrimmages. Instead of concentrating on reorienting themselves to the triangle's basic geometries, the players' attention was focused on man-to-man competition, bickering over real and imagined fouls, looking to short-cut their way to victory, and ignoring the increasingly caustic scolding of the coaches.
In one preseason game, Kobe missed 20 shots. In another, he committed nine turnovers. Forcing bad shots, hogging the ball, and generally running amok, Kobe unilaterally devolved the Lakers' multidimensional offense into a straight line.
Longtime assistant coach Tex Winter, the gadfly of the coaching staff, was a lot more direct when he confronted Kobe in the locker room after the game. "You played stupidly," he said, bluntly.
Kobe bristled. He believes that the triangle is boring, is stifling. Hey, even M.J. said it was "a white man's offense." Kobe's talents need more room. It's time to win a different way -- Kobe's way.
Or, as Kobe responded to Winter's no-sugar-coating criticism: "You coached stupidly."
Needless to say, this did not go down well with Tex. As he drove me back to my hotel, he proceeded to harangue Kobe all the while. The adjectives came flying out of his long diatribe: "Out of control ... selfish ... stubborn ... uncoachable." And worse.
Now, before someone disputes this with the stunningly intelligent "He's just hating on Kobe" remember Charlie Rosen is a respected member of this field with no apparent need to be biased. The lakers are going though this same old song and dance of problems again, and it will be VERY interesting when Shaq gets back to see what happens.
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Kingdom of Loathing Rocks!
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<< <i>
Here are the symptoms:
Without Shaq roaming the lane and attracting double-teaming tactics, defenses can now afford to body-up on Kobe. That means Kobe's every spin, dribble and shot must be executed under maximum duress. The situation piques Kobe's fiercely competitive nature, and he views it as a personal challenge, so much so that he mostly disdains the rare open shot, determined to drive the ball into the teeth of the defense and thereby prove his dominance.
>>
Sounds familiar? As I said, Shaq creates those open lanes by drawing double team situation which allows Kobe to drive in and get those easy dunks. Now, with Shaq out, those "open" lanes have been road blocked and Kobe is unable to get those easy dunks that MADE him look great. No one gives Shaq all of his respect, but instead only focus on the media star. When Shaq's away, everything comes to the forefront. Now watch... as soon as Shaq comes back, Kobe will look like he's dominating... and that's all because whenever Shaq is near the basket, everyone collapse on him as soon as he touches the ball. When it comes to the Lakers, Shaq is the sun and the other players are the planets... and to Kobe fans, Kobe is Jupiter
<< <i>Gotta give you some props auto...you said that a while ago, and the experts seem to agree with you. >>
A lot of that going on..
HEYYY!!
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