People arent getting the concept of breaking the game plan. If Peyton Manning calls a inside slant route for Reggie Wayne, and Reggie Wayne decides to run an out route right after the snap, it might get himself open to good results. But Manning might think he's a dumbass for it. Manning and the team can adjust to his tendencies. But it'd be like...why even break the strategy, run the plays. System quarterback vs Gunslinger QB. Vince Young breaks away from a pass play and uses his legs for a 12 yard run. Kerry Collins goes with the play call, throws for an 11 yard gain. Vince Young had the better results, but there stands a chance he's actually not maximizing the system by calling his own number too much.
This is similar to the point I was trying to make earlier, Kobe shouldn't really get dogged for this and Redick shouldn't see such high praise. Kobe goes against the game plan because he sees good results. Redick would not be in the NBA if he went against the game plan. It's a relatively easy choice to make for one player and more difficult for the other. If you want to praise someone don't praise the Redick's, Battier's, and Bowen's of the league (atleast not for making the choice to stick to the gameplan) praise Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan - great talent's that work within the defensive gameplan and have great success even though there is temptation to go rogue.
To extend the analogy, it is obviously good to have a mobile QB and can bail himself out when the receivers are all covered. However, QB running are usually the result of a broken play. If your QB runs by instinct whenever there's a hint of not being able to complete a pass, you aren't going to be very effective. Steve Young liked to run at the beginning of his career, and seemed to be effective. But not until the coaching successfully reined him and kept him in the pocket long enough to complete passes when the team became a truly great team. So, having a player who can create out of a broken play is obviously good. That's what superstars are for. But if your superstar keeps doing his own thing and ignores what the team tries to do, then it's not going to have good results. Think Hakeem. He did not win big until Rudy T convinced him to trust his teammates and pass out from double teams to the 3pt shooters. Obviously you want a guy to be able to beat the double team and score. But if he consistently just go against double team without passing off, you aren't gonna win big.
any creditable sports writer would have supported claims with facts and specifice incidents. charley being charley, he can't back back his blanket assertions. what else is new ? The easy points scored by opponents greatly outnumber Kobe’s occasional steals and blocks. On offense, Kobe is guilty of taking too many too-quick perimeter shots, and conversely of disrupting the flow by massaging the ball at inopportune times. For sure, Kobe is the best player in the league, but he’d be even better if he made a more sincere commitment to the Lakers' game plan. Redick, on the other hand, is certainly not one of the league’s best players. In fact, his relatively inferior athleticism would ordinarily disqualify him from even being in the league. Even so, Redick has become a valuable player on the basis of two qualifications: His unerring jumper and his understanding of the game. Indeed, Redick’s apprenticeship lasted for three seasons, during which he slowly but surely learned his lessons. Watch both of these guys play. Notice how often Kobe’s incredible skills overcome his mistakes. Notice how Redick never tries to do something that he can’t do well. And notice how rarely he makes errors of position and timing. This is certainly not to say that Redick is anywhere close to Kobe in any other possible category. But sometimes intelligence is just as vital as sheer will power. [/rquoter][/QUOTE]
If he tried to back it up with specific incidents, people would say he's cherry picking. To me, its not a stretch at all to suggest that Kobe going off the gameplan on defense will tend to hurt his team more than help it.
Dream changed Rudy plays alot once they broke huddle. In basketball, its important to stay inside you're limits, but there are also times when a player has to be natural and make a play. Basketball is fluid and everything cant be scripted or diagramed. Sometimes, especially in the cluth, players have to make plays. Now one could argue, kobe has the talent and skill to go outside the frame and reddick doesn't, but reddick could be better but doesn't put in the neccessary work. Sometimes guys just accept their limitations or role without attempting to expand their game.
