GT: Lakers (8-19) vs Warriors (22-3) | 12/23/14 | 7:30 PM

[Kalidogg24]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/jadande/status/547637565457592320[/tweet]

[ChokeFasncists]

@Chokefasncists

I think Kobe is making himself be burdened with too many responsibilities simply by not trusting his teammates.

Well, then Scott's not doing his job.

[dockingsched]

May be it doesn't really matter, but I think labeling the cause of Kobe's "burden" as a lack of trust in his teammates is totally off base.

I think a more accurate description would be a lack of respect for his teammates. I just don't think there's any way a player of Kobe's intelligence actually feels that he can't trust his teammates to do better than he currently is performing himself.

I think he just doesn't care about his teammates and prefers to make the season more about proving to himself or others that he can still carry the load.

I just refuse to believe that kobe actually believes that his current role is giving the lakers the best chance to win. He's smarter than that.

I'm not complaining about it or criticizing him for it, truth is lakers really aren't playing for anything so there's no really reason for kobe to not make this about proving things. I just take issue with the idea that it's due to a lack of trust.

[DEEP3CL]

@Chokefasncists

I think Kobe is making himself be burdened with too many responsibilities simply by not trusting his teammates.

Well, then Scott's not doing his job.

That has absolutely nothing to do with Scott.

[DEEP3CL]

It makes a big difference who has the ball in their hands on offense. Ellington is a shooter and can cut, that leaves the worst shooter in the starting lineup with the ball in his hands rather than trying to space the floor. Kobe must play exactly as Ellington did today or as Wesley Johnson did (cutting through the lane for a pull-up).

It's interesting that Dallas has lost two since Rondo's initial win. Ball-stopping destroys teams.

And who do you suggest is a ball stopper on the Mavs ?

It takes an adjustment period to get use to a guy like Rondo.

Meanwhile I liked Ellington starting, his play was why I wanted Scott to move Kobe to the 3. This is where Kobe is best served to play at this stage of his career. Why chase all these 2's who are more athletic than he is. This is where part of the wear and tear is coming from.

[Slava]

May be it doesn't really matter, but I think labeling the cause of Kobe's "burden" as a lack of trust in his teammates is totally off base.

I think a more accurate description would be a lack of respect for his teammates. I just don't think there's any way a player of Kobe's intelligence actually feels that he can't trust his teammates to do better than he currently is performing himself.

I think he just doesn't care about his teammates and prefers to make the season more about proving to himself or others that he can still carry the load.

I just refuse to believe that kobe actually believes that his current role is giving the lakers the best chance to win. He's smarter than that.

I'm not complaining about it or criticizing him for it, truth is lakers really aren't playing for anything so there's no really reason for kobe to not make this about proving things. I just take issue with the idea that it's due to a lack of trust.

Kind of what I think as well. Kobe is a gifted passer, someone who has the ability to see a play develop 2 steps ahead and sense double teams coming at him before they do. He used this sometimes during the title runs but he went through so any years of his career just suppressing that aspect of his game to go glory hunting. In a way he's done injustice to his own self by not showcasing that part of his game and often passing as a last option instead of an integral aspect. I guess that's the benefit and trouble with playing in FU mode every second he's on the court.

[Mamba Mentality]

Yeh, yeh, yeh I made a fool of myself last night but I still stand by what I said. Last night was nothing more than a fluke victory. For those of you who are dumb enough to think that last night's win was for real....well the joke is on you. This sort of thing is nothing new...star sits out, and the role players go out full of adrenaline and motivated to prove that they're more than just that.

This game was an anomaly, and nothing more.

One thing is for sure though,the entire team played more relaxed when Kobe wasn't there. And the ball movement was really crisp. I'm just as sick as all you guys of watching the same Kobe post up bull....However, at the end of the day the lack of talent on this roster isn't going to translate to wins on a majority of nights. We've got too many wild cards to make any sort of noise.

I hope Kobe sits out next game, just so we can get our asses handed to us....not to prove that this team is incompetent without him, but to prove that we're no better off without him. I'm sick of all the people who think that Kobe is holding this team back. From what? A lower pick? We're a lottery team with or without Kobe.

[Jajwanda]

It makes a big difference who has the ball in their hands on offense. Ellington is a shooter and can cut, that leaves the worst shooter in the starting lineup with the ball in his hands rather than trying to space the floor. Kobe must play exactly as Ellington did today or as Wesley Johnson did (cutting through the lane for a pull-up).

It's interesting that Dallas has lost two since Rondo's initial win. Ball-stopping destroys teams.

And who do you suggest is a ball stopper on the Mavs ?

It takes an adjustment period to get use to a guy like Rondo.

Meanwhile I liked Ellington starting, his play was why I wanted Scott to move Kobe to the 3. This is where Kobe is best served to play at this stage of his career. Why chase all these 2's who are more athletic than he is. This is where part of the wear and tear is coming from.

Rondo is a ball-stopper. He has the ball in his hands on most possessions and holds it to get a guy open for an assist. That's why top PGs often don't win in the Finals or when they do their stats are reduced. It takes two to three passes to get those open shots San Antonio enjoys, not just one guy creating. That was the difference in that series. For those saying that this is a fluke, the Lakers did several things correctly last night:

1- Spacing was there with Price hitting those 3s (Price's shooting is the one fluke)
2- Rebounding
3- Shot-blocking was enough
4- Defensive speed was good or enough
5- There were multiple ways to score
6- The ball moved
7- Athleticism provided extra points

If the Lakers do all of those things every single time out they will win a whole lot of ball games.

[ChokeFasncists]

@Chokefasncists

I think Kobe is making himself be burdened with too many responsibilities simply by not trusting his teammates.

Well, then Scott's not doing his job.

That has absolutely nothing to do with Scott.

I guess it's true in this case; but it should have something to do with him.

[ChokeFasncists]

Ellington always had talent, he was black balled for a while because he was a bit of an idiot towards a lot of coaches and teams while he was in the league. Not a bad guy but he needed that bit of humbling process to get where he is and understand his role in the league. He came out thinking he was a star SG.

The guy really does has some real nice, elite looking moves, it's just that the shots are not falling with enough frequency, he still has a chance to improve it seems.