Yep I was thinking the same thing. The killer part is its not like Jordan is #1... I've never seen anyone so content with nto being #1 before. Its odd
After the next game when Kobe passes MJ points record, is there more interest in following this losing team for the rest of the season? Maybe the media can call them the LA Charmins and see how many more games they flush down the toilet
I still don't get why it's a big deal passing MJ's scoring. He's not the all time leader. The fanfare of getting #3 is just stupefying. What are we talkin about? We're talkin' 'bout #3, #3, not the real leader... If Kobe passes Kareem's scoring record, then that's another story.
Kobe passing MJ means that each of the NBA's top 3 all time scorers is a Laker at the time they set career scoring mark: Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Karl Malone and Kobe Bryant.
Malone is as much a Laker as Hakeem is a Raptor, or Jordan is a Wizard. No. If Kobe wasn't trying so hard to be like Mike, it wouldn't have been much of a big deal chasing the #3 spot.
Laker nation will never embrace Malone as one of their own. His legacy will always be tied to Utah and John Stockton. Now about Kobe's media exposure in chasing Jordan's scoring mark... it's all meant to drive revenue (from the 2nd largest media market) for ESPN, TNT, Time Warner and the NBA. Without this story, the Lakers would be the Knicks. Once Kobe surpasses MJ, the media will move on to Kobe infighting with his teammates. Oh wait... they've already planted that seed. Coincidence? Not hardly. About the Knicks, well, we're now into episode 2 of season five. Phil Jackson (playing the role of prodigal son) coming in makes it a new season to watch. The story arc is almost complete. Redemption is at the door, but first our protagonists must destroy the Kardashian-like, Melo-drama 'brand' plaguing New Yorkers. It's going to get ugly. Blood will be shed, yet in the end we'll have new hope and a new look... perhaps a unibrow. So why go through all of this trouble? Other teams don't resort to such foolishness. That's true, but other teams don't play in the largest media markets in North America. Let's just say that MSG and the NBA, for the sake of their marketing partners, must maintain relevance by any means necessary. Media whores have shareholders too, so they'll agree to manufacture tabloid storylines about Melo and NYK drama. It's all about maximizing profits. By any means necessary.
Ok i've pissed on Kobe before, but last night he sure handled the post interview well. I was thinking....geesh....after basketball ? Politics ! No brainer ! Poor Lin, yes he had a nice game. But my gawd man, ok the fumble/pass went to a guy who hit the 3....but your teammate was standing solo in the corner ! You've GOT to get better at floor vision. Or....oh forget. he is for sure an off the bench guy. For now.
One thing that confuses me about Byron Scott is why he has this "10 to 15 games" rule about experimenting with lineups. He stuck with the initial starting lineup for that time-- and in fact waited 2 more games after he said he planned on changing the starting lineup-- and said he would stick with this one for 10-15 games. Sure too-frequent switching has its disadvantages, but look at what's going on on the court, man! The results are clear enough that you don't need 10-15 games to collect a big enough sample size. The initial starting lineup struggled and so does the current one. What do you have to lose by switching things up given your team's record? That game winning shot is pure luck. Lin should have immediately passed the ball to Johnson instead of trying to drive-- by the time he took a couple dribbles, Johnson was covered. But then again, Wesley Johnson's FG% on corner 3s is only 34.6% and Nick Young shooting a 30 foot shot might give you better odds given the night he was having.
Scott is just clueless. People think McHale is a bad coach, but Scott is 10x worse. Starting with running the players ragged during training camp, proclaiming that D would be their calling card and saying teams never win rings with 3P shooting. On the personnel side allowing Nash to stay away from the team and letting Kobe "rest" @ home while his teammates practice. They need a big who can play pnr D, but he keeps Hill on the floor for his offense even though he has the worst OffRtg of the starters. Dude is the biggest clown in the Laker 3 ring circus.
This further confirms how overrated coaching can be. This is the same guy that took the Nets to 3 straight Finals and won COY. Now he looks as clueless as ever.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>"There's probably not much of an option... it might make sense" - Kobe Bryant on sitting out a game via <a href="https://twitter.com/TheeCoreyH">@TheeCoreyH</a>. <a href="http://t.co/bK2kvah2pw">http://t.co/bK2kvah2pw</a></p>— Lakers Nation (@LakersNation) <a href="https://twitter.com/LakersNation/status/546859527262326784">December 22, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> Spoiler Kobe lead the way
