[Wired] Lakers Offense Could Be Better Without Kobe

I thought people with PHDs were supposed to be smart.

 

There is a good explanation of why Brian Skinner is a physicist and not an NBA coach or GM.

 

If they do not need Kobe then the Rockets would gladly get him. Sometimes just the mere common sense is enough. Things need not have to be complicated.

 

I'm assuming his models cannot calculate the value of having Kobe Bryant on your team when you are down in the fourth quarter or need a big shot...or his defense on the other end

 

His model doesn't account for the fact that Ron Ron would jack up 30 shots if Kobe wasn't there...

Having said that, I do get the feeling that the Lakers don't use Gasol enough, Gasol should have more shots, even at the expense of some of Kobe's shots.

 

I can accept the premise that many times, star players take too many bad shots for their own good. And that the Lakers offense would improve if Kobe tries to pass more rather than look for his own shots all the time.

But the idea that a team without its superstar would perform better offensively is just absurd. Does not pass the common sense rule.

 

Pau Gasol lead teams have not been very good.

 

and the argument isn't to get rid of kobe. the argument is to have him dominate the ball less and distribute to his teammates more. we all know the lakers are better when kobe facilitates the offense for his teammates since he is such an amazingly talented player.

 

Optimal distribution of shot attempts to maximize overall team efficiency is an interesting topic. The article puts it too simply when it says a team's efficiency will always go up if the shots are more evenly distributed. That's not necessarily optimal. And while the assumption that a player's efficiency will decrease with greater involvement sounds reasonable on average (good discussion on this concept in Dean Oliver's book Basketball on Paper), on a player-by-player basis this may not hold consistently and certainly not to the same degree. So I think it would be hard to make strong conclusions on how many shots a particular player should be getting.

As for the Lakers, they've been top 10 in offensive efficiency every year Kobe has been with them. Meanwhile, the Rockets haven't cracked the top 10 in 8 seasons. I don't think offense is a big issue for them.

 

It just seems odd how through the ages science and real life dont always come together cohesively. 6 expert scientists can work on a social study in a lab for days on end and be absolutely CONVINCED their hypotheis is practical to real living conditions. And be full of fail. I'm not discrediting science, nor the point of this topic. Just seems some scientists can't hypothesize and chew gum at the same time.

 

"Kobe Sucks"

 

this thread makes me sad, not because of what the article says, but because it shows that people post without reading the original material first.

it's not saying that the lakers offense would be better without kobe. it's actually saying the opposite. kobe for a given possession may be the most efficient way to score, but if every possession goes through kobe, the efficiency drops drastically.

one of the points that the article makes is that teams seem to overload possessions on a single player, when really that player should only take a few more shots than some other teammates. so kobe should still probably shoot the most out of anyone on his team but probably not as much as he does (esp. with the talent on that roster).

i don't see how this is anything new or different from what most people think. we've all seen instances where kobe takes a bad shot and the lakers would've benefited from that possession going somewhere else. i'd like to hear the logic for you guys blasting this article.

 

Brian Skinner has already commented on this issue.

 

Stars get calls. That's why the team approach will only take you so far.

 

Damn, that was a long way to say, "Good offensive players draw more attention from the defense, and when they do, they should pass."

 

Lets say Kobe takes 30 shots a game, Kobe had an epiphany after reading the article and decides to take 10 shots a game. Where do you suppose those extra 20 shots go? Will they goto the 2nd best player, Pau Gasol? Will they goto high percentage guy in Bynum? Well maybe those guys can split 5 of those shots because Ron Ron is taking the other 15.

The Lakers are also the only team that fits so well into his article, they have some great offensive players that probably don't get enough touches because everyone defers to Kobe. Lets apply his little theory to the Cavs and Heat, do you think those teams are going to get more efficient when Lebron and Wade decide to share the ball?