Game recognize game. Brings back memories of Kobe on Raja Bell: "He's a good defender, but I can score on him anytime I want to." Go back and watch the final 2 minutes of the game: Kobe's final three shots were a midrange J from the shoulder, a long-2, and an off-balance 3 over a double team... each was attempted while trailing by 3 points or less, and he hit all three.
He also got the ball stolen from him which led to a fast break. Parsons did as good of a job on Kobe as I have seen anyone. There is no way to stay with Kobe going around a pick but Parson recovers really well while keeping his balance.
Everyone seems to get caught up on athleticism, blocks and steals..... none of which are the real hallmark of defense. Parsons is a very good defender, he is very long, moves well, anticipates well and communicates well with his teammates.... guys like that are better defenders than Josh Smith or K Leonard or McGee that have the highlight reel plays but dont limit guys.
Looking at Kobe's shooting this year, this game was about par for a lot of his games. Who guarded him for Utah in the previous game? He was 3-20 shooting with 7 turnovers. I'm not saying Parsons isn't a good defender, but Kobe's had some bad shooting games. Hell, it's his worst shooting season of his career since his first couple of seasons in the league.
Agree, which is why he laughed when asked about Chandler. Wasn't too much praise from Kobe. After laughing, he said some positive things about Parsons to not look like a douche.
i thought it was very rude of Bryant to scoff at the idea of Parsons playing well on defense. because he did play well on defense; exceptionally well; as a rookie. whatever..this is why people don't like Kobe.
Did we watch the same video? He scoffed off the notion that Parsons shut him down.....which is correct because Parsons did not. Kobe gave him credit...but lets not get carried away now.
People don't have their hopes up for Parsons because of what Kobe said. What Kobe said is only validating people's confidence in Parsons.
and where is Aaron Brooks now? What has become of Lowry's game. Lin. A half of a season doesn't make a career. Remember Brandon Jennings? The league will catch up and when it does parson's better have a new wrinkle or he'll just be the next chase budinger.
From the comments of people in this thread one would think that Kobe was being sarcastic or something... are you guys crazy? Kobe did and said absolutely nothing in that video to constitute being called a "douche", even though he very well is. I think some of your guys' unconditional dislike for the guy is affecting your perceptions of his every single little move. That being said, I don't think his "come on now" response was entirely dismissive, either. It seemed like some fun jostling to me; Kobe is obviously a great player, and no defender is ever going to truly totally shut him down. But seriously, Parsons is awesome and has become my favorite player on the team.
My ONLY issue with Parsons is his horrific FT shooting. There's really no excuse, he has to fix it. In a playoff setting where NBA coaching staffs are carefully dissecting your team during a series, it's going to be an issue at the end of games. You need his defense but teams are going to put him on the line when games are close. Next season if its still an issue, teams will start fouling him in crunch time during the season. Still, a nice job by the rookie this year.
though i do feel like the rockets got a steal with parsons. he kinda reminds me of a tom chambers in transition; the way he attacks the basket, his hops. though i doubt he'll ever reach that level of offensive game.
What's wrong with Lowry? He's still as good as ever. A lot of people have already been arguing that Brooks is not as effective as Lowry even during his MIP season. And there is a huge problem with your argument. Every single player you listed are scorers. Budinger, Jennings, Brooks and Mayo. Parsons' strength on the other hand, is his defense. There is a reason he has been snubbed repeatedly from rookie rankings, rising stars game etc. The media doesn't recognize defense, when defense arguably says a lot more about a players' commitment and efforts. It's impossible for Parsons to become another Chase Budinger, unless you are trying to argue that Parsons will all of a sudden stop knowing how to play defense.
Lowry doesn't belong in that thought, much less that sentence. He's been playing great basketball in what minutes he gets since the Rockets acquired him, and at the very least will continue being as good as he currently is. I second this. Solid defense doesn't go out of style. In regards to Kobe, I'd say that's pretty high praise from a guy who regularly bristles any time he's asked for his opinions on guys who beat him/played well against him/pose a threat to him.
He's only shot 48 free throws the whole season, making 22 of them. Even if his FT percentage went up to 75 percent, we are only talking about 13 points spread over 3/4 of a season. I think his terrible free throw shooting has more to do with a small sample size. He's been around 60 percent for his college career so although its not good, its not horrific.
Sorry, but if he shot 60% on FT's, then that is bad FT shooting. It's not the 13 points over the season that's bad, it's the one or two he can't hit when it matters at the end of a game that hurt. They're going to be looking to foul him in close games.
