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How has Kobe changed his game to become a team player?

Discussion in 'NBA Dish' started by pmac, Feb 25, 2009.

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  1. pmac

    pmac Member

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    I see this in the media and I see it in peoples’ posts here but I don’t see it in his game, at all. My brother is as big a Laker fan as a native Houstonian can get and even he is baffled by this. It’s like the media had to find some way to make Kobe be the reason for the Lakers becoming contenders overnight when it was clearly the addition of a big man who fits perfectly in the triangle offense (more so than any big man Phil has ever had). The only differences I’ve noticed in his game (posting more, ft%, playmaking) were there before Pau and all this media hype. Yea, he’s trusting his teammates…because his teammates are better!

    So, for those who say he has become a better team player, could you clarify for me how he has become a better team player?
     
    #1 pmac, Feb 25, 2009
  2. mazyar

    mazyar Member

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    He has always been a team player. I mean saying a player is not a team player is just stupid. 'Cause basketball is a team sport, ok.

    For the past 2 years he's just had much better team mates.
     
    #2 mazyar, Feb 25, 2009
  3. durvasa

    durvasa Member

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    He's improved as a leader. He communicates better on the court and on the bench with teammates. He isn't making disparaging remarks about teammates to the media. He's more efficient this year than he ever has been in the past. And he trusts his teammates more and (just as important) his teammates are confident enough to make plays without deferring to him all the time.

    Oh, and he's winning.
     
    #3 durvasa, Feb 25, 2009
  4. pmac

    pmac Member

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    I know, but I hear this all the time, surely there is some rationale behind it.
     
    #4 pmac, Feb 25, 2009
  5. pmac

    pmac Member

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    You don't think these things have anything to do with a heist for a big man that fits the triangle perfectly, and a certain young center's improvement, and the bench's improvements, Ariza etc.?
     
    #5 pmac, Feb 25, 2009
  6. Shaud

    Shaud Member

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    A lot of times people call players selfish because they don't average a lot of assist.

    I personally think you shouldn't look at it that way. Just because you don't have a lot of assist doesn't mean you don't pass the ball.

    I think he trust his teammates more but he also has teammates that are more trustworthy now.
     
    #6 Shaud, Feb 25, 2009
  7. uci

    uci Member

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    I remember very clearly during one of the games after gasol arrived, kobe was open for a corner 3, he faked it and passed to gasol for a dunk instead, and the announcer said oh, gasol with those good hands, if it was still kwame brown, it would've been a better choice to just shoot it, so yeah, now when kobe drives to the lane, he can look to pass to gasol instead of have to shoot the ball because kwame could not catch a pass in traffic
     
    #7 uci, Feb 25, 2009
  8. francis 4 prez

    francis 4 prez Member

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    same way jordan became more of a "team player" despite still leading the league in scoring and having basically the same assists and still taking all the big shots/possessions at the end of the game. the media pretended he was once his teammates were better and his team started winning.

    just like hakeem was a better team player even though rudy actually ran even more of the offense through him. he got better teammates and we started winning.

    the media likes to believe its own stories and team player=winning player is one of them and thus if a team starts winning, the star must have become a better team player. it can't be because there is more talent on the team.
     
    #8 francis 4 prez, Feb 25, 2009
  9. conquistador#11

    conquistador#11 Member

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    I think it all started as a joke for kobe, when in 2004 he decided to not take a shot and pass the ball to make a statement to all his critics.
    While in the batcave,(as he called the days when he was suspended ) he did a lot of heavy thinking....hey, i can just take all the shots in the 4th quarter, no biggie.




    who are the only two guys that can get under el kobe's skin? Battier and manu.
     
    #9 conquistador#11, Feb 25, 2009
  10. HipHopSince1981

    HipHopSince1981 Member

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    bingo! it's the stronger supporting cast. His first year without Shaq, the lakers were a mess, now he's surrounded with talent and being the or one of the best players in the league = success
     
    #10 HipHopSince1981, Feb 25, 2009
  11. thacabbage

    thacabbage Contributing Member

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    +1

    It's all romanticized cliche garbage. I distinctly recall an ESPN blurb from a few years back where it stated something to the effect of "if you polled NBA players who they would rather play with between mcgady and bryant, nearly all would choose mcgrady."

    but of course if you check out the GARM today, now that kobe has a great team and tmac sucks, the conventional wisdom is that mcgrady has always been selfish. go figure.
     
    #11 thacabbage, Feb 25, 2009
  12. Subliminal012

    Subliminal012 Member

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    So he's not really a laker fan.
     
    #12 Subliminal012, Feb 25, 2009
  13. TheFreak

    TheFreak Member

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    Actually there was a clear change in Hakeem's game b/t '91-'92 and '92-'93 that had little to do with changing personnel.
     
    #13 TheFreak, Feb 25, 2009
  14. Tom Bombadillo

    Tom Bombadillo Member

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    That about sums it up I think.
    Nice post!
     
    #14 Tom Bombadillo, Feb 25, 2009
  15. AstroRocket

    AstroRocket Member

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    Despite whatever reasons Kobe's teammates are better, if the result is as you said, and he is "trusting them more," then he is, by default, a "better team player."

    You're arguing with yourself.
     
    #15 AstroRocket, Feb 25, 2009
  16. blender

    blender Member

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    So then, would you say the main reason that McGrady is being criticized for not being a "team player" is the quality of his teammates? I'm asking for real.
     
    #16 blender, Feb 25, 2009
  17. durvasa

    durvasa Member

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    There's one very clear difference between Kobe and Tracy that can not be disputed. Kobe has the work ethic and drive to be the best basketball in the world, while McGrady does not. Now, that may derive from seflish reasons rather than being "team-oriented", but if you're busting your butt and your team is better as a result people will view that as caring more about the team.
     
    #17 durvasa, Feb 25, 2009
  18. ferrari77

    ferrari77 Member

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    Obviously those players don't want to make it past the 1st round of the playoffs.

    C'est la vie. :D
     
    #18 ferrari77, Feb 25, 2009
  19. pmac

    pmac Member

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    Please, this is not about Tracy Mcgrady.

    Ahh, maybe i have a different view of what a 'better team player' is. I would consider a better team player to be the player that does whatever is necessary to help the team win. Kobe has not changed in that regard, imo. Earlier in his career he deferred to Shaq. When the team was depleted he went through lengths to get guys involved (like driving in and stuffing the ball in Kwame's chest like a half back because he had brick hands) and when needed he took games over offensively. On those teams, with less talent, i think he did the right thing to be aggressive offensively. If Kobe didn't score 81 on the raptors they might have lost that game, it wasn't a blowout win.

    IMO, he trusts his teammates more because they are more capable. I don't consider that being a 'better team player'. If in fact, being a better team player is all about trusting your teammates then i understand this concept more. Otherwise, I am still puzzled.

    Maybe, this is just the biggest stage for his 'team play'. He is the star but it is necessary for him to keep his teammates involved to succeed.
     
    #19 pmac, Feb 25, 2009
  20. blender

    blender Member

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    Yeah, yeah, you're right. I'm pretty tired of discussing him myself.

    BTW in a recent online chat on the Chronicle, Battier was asked which player he would most like to play with. His answer was Kobe Bryant, because "he's all about winning."
     
    #20 blender, Feb 25, 2009
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