Kobe Discussion: shark swimming / #prayforthesharks (664)

Weezy wrote:I'm just gonna throw it out there that I personally like Kobe's leadership style. He is not afraid to be the bad guy publicly in order to win, and I want that guy on my team. Not everyone likes that, but I much prefer it to a guy who cares what the media thinks and holds stuff back to look like a nice guy. Kobe's not a nice guy when it comes to winning and it's gotten us 5 titles, so I say he can say what he wants when it concerns what it takes to win.

therealdeal wrote:Kobe's both right and wrong.

All I hope is that this information went to Dwight first, otherwise Kobe is being a pretty huge hypocrit. But I don't doubt Kobe has been saying this stuff to Dwight in the locker room.

Dwight DOES need to man up. I know it hurts, but if the labrum is legitimately torn from the bone (which is what we've been made to understand) then it's not going to get FURTHER damaged. It's hit the maximum level of damage and it requires surgery to fix. Well since he won't hurt it further, he's got to play through it. I know Kobe would and I also know that's an unfair comparison, but if Dwight is going to win rings he has to realize the level of dedication that you need. Kobe really is putting him through the flames right now and I honestly think Dwight can make it through... I just hope he does it soon. We need him on the court now more than ever. He's GOT to come back.

2013 All-Star Profiles: Kobe Bryant
February 7, 2013 in by Clint Peterson



The longest recorded lifespan of a black mamba was in captivity, 14 years, or one year less than Kobe Bryant’s record consecutive All-Star Games streak of 15 years. In the wild, a black mamba lives only an average of 11 years, but with careful supervision it can live for 12 or more, or in Kobe’s case, including playoffs, an astounding 52,000-plus NBA minutes in 17 years and counting.

Even more remarkable is the level Kobe’s still producing at, one of his best statistical years coming in what would be far beyond twilight for virtually every other player in the NBA. It’s not much of a reach to put him in the MVP conversation even at his geriatric NBA age. Almost 20 years into his career and he’s lifted and carried the Lakers in his talons like an eagle, keeping them in the hunt in the West practically single-handedly, scavenging wins from his lofty perch where few others saw them.

Bryant has a willpower unequaled in the league, the capability to snatch victories from the jaws of defeat from the depths when you least expect it. You can be tromping along merrily on your way to a win when suddenly, like a saltwater crocodile, he bursts forth from the murky darkness and snaps his jaws shut on your neck, dragging you under the surface kicking and mewing wildly with eyes round and dilating in a panicky struggle to find your footing and breath.

But like the croc, Kobe tends to miss more often than hit, and if you can manage to coax his jaws shut by letting him try and take you on in the open one-on-one away from the water, you can keep them that way without much trouble. Solitary hunter Kobe, far from the rim isn’t nearly as deadly, although all it takes is once, and you never forget. The scars from a direct hit can last years.

Wolf pack Kobe is much more dangerous as he cuts in and among the trees, the pack taking turns snapping at you from all angles, sharing duties in a common cause to bring you down and tear your soul from your bloodied body. As the alpha dog, the pack goes as Kobe goes, following his lead, fending off attacks together while taking turns darting in to share in the kill. Bryant is capable of being this beast at will, but has rarely chosen to do so throughout his career. His contract lifespan is one more year, 18, to match the beast in the wild. Will he use this final year as a pack hunter or the lone wolf we’ve become accustomed to seeing so often, especially at the end of games?

Kobe Bryant is an animal, a beast with a legendary tolerance for pain that rivals that of the thick-skinned rhino, king of pain among the wilds. The only question, the only quest left at this point, is can he also not manage be as stubborn as a mule and continue leading this pack back to the promised land before even his time comes, as it inevitably will, to board the ark and sail off into the foam and swells.

trodgers wrote:Asked in GD thread, got no responses.

What could he have done differently? I thought he played a masterful game. His teammates laid an egg.

trodgers wrote:Asked in GD thread, got no responses.

What could he have done differently? I thought he played a masterful game. His teammates laid an egg.

Doc Brown wrote:

trodgers wrote:Asked in GD thread, got no responses.

What could he have done differently? I thought he played a masterful game. His teammates laid an egg.

V.V.V.V.V. wrote:I would like it if Kobe tried to mold his career in the likeness of KAJ, not MJ. Instead of insisting to be the man on every championship run, just be an integral star. It looks like he can be a star in this league for more than another year, and changing his mentality would allow him to extend the window for winning.

Because of the new CBA, the lakers need to cut their losses this season and dump salary so this will be not count as an expensive year for them. Amnesty Pau, let Dwight expire, and try to rebuild next year.

Kobe needs to look more closely at MJ's and Cap's twilight of career. Neither were the best in the league anymore, but they were still clutch enough to help seal the deal at the end of a series. Kobe can still be that 3 or 4 years from now. Of course, MJ was still the man on his team in 98, but Cap wasn't in 88-89. But they were still clutch.

V.V.V.V.V. wrote:I would like it if Kobe tried to mold his career in the likeness of KAJ, not MJ. Instead of insisting to be the man on every championship run, just be an integral star. It looks like he can be a star in this league for more than another year, and changing his mentality would allow him to extend the window for winning.

Because of the new CBA, the lakers need to cut their losses this season and dump salary so this will be not count as an expensive year for them. Amnesty Pau, let Dwight expire, and try to rebuild next year.

Kobe needs to look more closely at MJ's and Cap's twilight of career. Neither were the best in the league anymore, but they were still clutch enough to help seal the deal at the end of a series. Kobe can still be that 3 or 4 years from now. Of course, MJ was still the man on his team in 98, but Cap wasn't in 88-89. But they were still clutch.

odom1year wrote:How long the passing 1st and sharing mode game of Kobe is ? I think Kobe answered your concern.