re: Is Kobe a team killer?

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He missed 18 shots. A missed shot hurts your team almost as much as a turnover

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Well he's an old shooting guard on a team with zero other offensive threats. Do you honestly expect him to shoot well on THIS team when he's a career 45% shooter? He's been a long jumpshooter for years, but now he doesn't have any other offensive threats to create easy shots for him.

I love that people are pointing at Kobe as the issue with this team when he's literally the only guy on the roster that is above average at his position. The narrative is that Kobe shoots too much and is hurting his team, but no one wants to focus on Lin's inability to play defense. Or the fact that Boozer, an undersized, jumpshooting big, is your next best offensive option. Or that journeymen like Xavier Henry and Ronnie Price are the guys you rely on for bench production.

I also think the "well anyone could lead the league in scoring with that many shots" argument is incredibly stupid (not to suggest you made the argument). There's very few guys that can consistently get a good look night in and night out without teammates creating for them. Most would consider Harden to be the best SG in the league, but he's shooting under 40% this year IN HIS PRIME. He's averaging 25ppg largely because he gets to the foul line, and he has another legit superstar to free up space for him to operate. He's missed 15 and 16 shots in consecutive games on a really good team. Kobe is averaging 28ppg on 39% shooting; Harden averages 25ppg on 39% shooting.

i have nothing but respect and admiration for kobe's game, and i am a 100% laker-hater. that game they won 2 yrs ago in the arena where they came back from a 20pt deficit was was on the most amazing individual efforts i've ever seen in sports. once it was over i wasnt even upset, just glad to have seen it in person

last night, the only reason the game went to the end is that scott didnt take kobe out. until he did, the game was in jeopardy. kobe has a gravitational pull around him that is utterly rare

anyone who cant appreciate what he has done, and what he is doing now, at his age, on that team, with the injuries he's overcome, is just being obtuse

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You can not quantify his worth through a NBA contract

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It's well documented the obsession Kobe has with getting to Michael's 6 rings. It's what makes him the Black Mamba. There's no way on God's green earth this team has a chance on winning another championship with Kobe making 25 million this year, or next.

Now it's obvious his motivation is to move up in the all time scoring leaders. It's boderline pitiful.

I think some of those players could bring the team to the playoffs. Pippen made the playoffs without Jordan. Kobe doesn't even make the playoffs without an all star big man.

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I think some of those players could bring the team to the playoffs.

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This Lakers team? Jordan isn't bringing this Lakers team to the playoffs in the West.

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Kobe doesn't even make the playoffs without an all star big man.

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Well that's simply not true. Kobe was the only all-star on the Lakers for at least two seasons during the Pau/Bynum/Odom era. He also led the 06 and 07 teams to the playoffs with a bunch of scrubs. It's not his fault that he played with another great player all the other years, and it's certainly not like he squandered the talent. Dude won five titles and played in seven NBA Finals.

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You were one of those figs at the SKC cheering for the Black Mambo, weren't you?

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1. Your dad is a fig

2. You are a fig

3. I cheer for both teams but definitely wanted the Lakers win. I don't wear L.A. colors in friendly confines though as that's a very figgy move.

Carrying Luke Walton, Lamar Odom, Smush Parker and Kwame Brown to the playoffs is no small feat.

Lamar Odom? I was just listing the starting 5.

I know, I was just listing the rest of the starting 5.