Post#109 » by milesfides » Thu Feb 28, 2013 9:24 pm
It only has been a detriment because Dwight hasn't been the basket protector that Laker fans (and Kobe himself) are expecting. Whether because of health or attitude, Dwight's been very selective with good help defense. And even when he does get that block, it doesn't deter the other teams from attacking.
Also, D'Antoni hasn't come up with a solid defensive plan - and the front office hasn't supplied the personnel to play solid defense.
Personally, I think it's obvious Kobe's defense will never be that good for 82 games. It's over, deal with it. He can do it for a few possessions a game, maybe even an entire game in the playoffs. But the guy can't even bend down the way he used to; he plays like he's protecting his body and not pushing it to avoid injury.
If you expect Kobe to be a defensive presence night in and night out, wake up. Not going to happen at his age. Especially with our problems on offense, we still rely on Kobe way too much on offense. When you see other teams executing down the stretch, contrast that with our team - Nash still hands the ball off to Kobe at the top of the key. Nice, D'Antoni.
But really, Kobe does get a pass. You can criticize his defense all you want. But the reality is that great offensive players on great teams almost always gets help defensively. Pippen always took the tougher defensive assignment. There's a great video on youtube of a young Kobe burning Jordan. Jordan tells Pippen, you guard him. Lol.
Even young players today. Kevin Durant never really has to play defense unless he finds himself matched up with Lebron or Kobe through happenstance. Sefolosha always takes the tough assignment, and Ibaka and Perkins protects the lane. Of course Durant makes scoring so easy, because all his teammates do their job, and Scottie Brooks does a great job of getting guys to do their roles and dirty work so Durant could do what he does best.
Kobe's 3000 years old and still an offensive genius. He's succeeding despite the fact that D'Antoni's offense stunted all the other "stars" on the team - because of his vision, fundamentals, footwork and unlimited moves.
Get guys who'll do the dirty work. Dwight's a bitch.
Give me guys like Joakim Noah, Tyson Chandler, Serge Ibaka, even Pekovic and Asik.
Guys who are happy to rebound and play defense.
But whatever. You guys can keep complaining about Kobe's defense, but the reality is that when you compare Kobe to Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady, Allen Iverson, Ray Allen, Stephon Marbury, and the rest of his generation, you all need to shut the hell up and just appreciate his game.
I'm glad there are guys like Jordan Hill and Earl Clark who've taken advantage of the fact that they're playing next to Kobe Bryant, playing their asses off, and succeeding where more accomplished players are bitching and whining. Nobody gives a crap about you clowns.
If our team from top to bottom did have players with heart, who sacrificed, who accepted their roles, our season never would have been such a damn struggle.
Also, shout out to Lamar Odom, who never came close to reaching his individual potential, but sacrificed his own game to raise his team's, en route to becoming a champion. That's the heart of a champion.
“OH! Caruso parachutes in! You cannot stop him - you can only hope to contain him!” -Kevin Harlan, LAL-GSW 4/4/19
