Whats Wrong W/ Mamba?

[Mamba Venom]

My rant

Message to Mamba:
Shut it down for 7 more games Kobe. Or at least for a couple. You will still play in 70 games and this team can maintain w/o you. Thats what that 5 and a 1/2 game lead in the West is for. Just get back to being yourself. You looked like a 35 year old Ray Allen today. You cut so good in the 1st half of the season this year. Today you looked like you were wearing those Hudson river shoes in the 4th today.

You said you feel 80%. Why not come back when you feel 95%? You said you feel like a gazelle. Sorry Kobe-s but you looked like a charging rhino out there today. There are only 22 games until the play-offs. If you need to sit out 7 games, now is the time. Do it for the Lakers and for your legacy. Your career will be defined on winning a few more championships. Every other player is a success if they win just 1 championship. People want 5,6 or 7 chips from you. Thats because deep down they know you want that too. Give the people and yourself what they want.

We want to see you in full form when it counts for the play-offs. We want to see you win it all.

Do you guys agree that Kobe needs some rest???

[laka4life]

Not really to be honest. His shot was off. That was clear. But what wasn't noticed was that his D was great this afternoon (it's clearly going to go unnoticed with the beastly D of RonRon this afternoon) but Kobe exerted himself on D this afternoon like we need. Kobe's shot will be fine come playoffs.

One thing I noticed: That wrap on his finger looked MUCH thicker than usual. Interesting.

[kobesmyhomie]

Not really to be honest. His shot was off. That was clear. But what wasn't noticed was that his D was great this afternoon (it's clearly going to go unnoticed with the beastly D of RonRon this afternoon) but Kobe exerted himself on D this afternoon like we need. Kobe's shot will be fine come playoffs.

One thing I noticed: That wrap on his finger looked MUCH thicker than usual. Interesting.

I noticed that too. I think that's why his shot was sooo off.

[stunnar0b]

his broken finger maybe? he seems to shoot better with that black splint, ever since he changed it to that white one his shot is off

[Slava]

That's what not having a reliable enough back up does to you. Kobe shouldn't have been playing major minutes against sub .500 teams, yet he ends up averaging close to 38 mins.

[Tee212]

Nothing really, what did went unotice was that he didnt jack up 30+ shots he took what ever the double team gave him....that + artest D and odoms play.

[magic1fan]

That's what not having a reliable enough back up does to you. Kobe shouldn't have been playing major minutes against sub .500 teams, yet he ends up averaging close to 38 mins.

this...

[JimMurray]

My honest opinion of this, as I also posted last season during the playoffs, is that he's on his farewell tour as a dominant player. I figure he has 2 or 3 more seasons as a dominate player before he turns into 40 year old Michael Jordan. He's a 35 year old in a 31 year old's body. It's time we as Laker fans start preparing ourselves for the inevitable, and fully appreciate the flashes we get of the old bean...i.e. the Grizzlies game.

[LBJ]

He IS in his 14th season.

You gotta be happy as a Lakers fan if he has 3 more dominant seasons, which is pretty likely and that will take him to the age of 35 and 17 total seasons. Only the Lakers can win a game against an elite team with their superstar going 3-17.

[joe.linnen]

Bryant
-12 dimes
-his defence stepped up to a level that I haven't seen since the Redeem team

Artest
-his defence on Anthony
-hitting open shots

Odom
-was our best player today hands down
-he attacked the basket at will, this it the Odom I like to see


Overall
-the team did great

[Mamba Venom]

It was the cuts (or lack of) when he was one on one during a break away at the end of the game. He just muscled through like a down hill running back. If it were in December he would have cut and got the easy basket and the and 1.

Kobe looked gassed. This LA team is so prime they can compete for a long long time. Kobe is the only one in his 30s (31 and a half). Artest, Gasol and LO are in their late 20s. Bynum is the 2nd best center in the NBA and he is getting ready to bust out even more. I think this team can be elite until 2016.

I really do. But part of that is shutting down our best player for another week.

Also Kobe needs to retire a Laker no matter what. Even if he gets D-Fish slow when he is 37. Magic is special because he never played in another uni. If we get some break out stud let him come off the bench. I hope this happens are fear it wont, but you never know.

[Dr Aki]

i wouldnt mind seeing kobe shoot this badly, if he avgs 12 dimes for the remainder of the season

kobe needs to let others do the work for him, the 4th quarter will always be his

[snaquille oatmeal]

my 2 cents say that it is his ankle that is not 100%.

[Sofa King]

"God knows I love the triangle [offense], but I kind of had to get into a playoff mode a little bit today -- just put the ball in my hands and let me make the decisions. But I missed a lot of shots," Bryant said. "My jumper was off. So I've got to get back in and work on it so it's consistent again, after being off for a long time."

[semi-sentient]

Kobe has looked like this all season, and it's just a natural part of aging in addition to that funky splint he's wearing on his finger. He's losing his athleticism and turning into much more of a perimeter oriented player (moreso than before), and the result is that when his shot is off it's going to be real, real ugly. While he did miss a few easy ones, credit Afflalo for playing good defense on him as well. He didn't give him any easy looks (everything was from the perimeter). I don't think we're going to see Kobe going 3-17 all that often, so no biggie. At least he contributed everywhere else (defense/playmaking was excellent), which is just as important.

That finger is not going to heal up anytime soon, so we'll just have to hope for the best in the post season and pray to Lord Sauron that he's making his shots.

[BallAboveAll]

I guess I need to rewatch. I don't think he really looked gas. He's lost some of his speed and jumping ability a while ago. I did see him go into the lane and get hammered a couple of times. His shot was just off and Denver did a good job on him period. Yes his minutes should be down but I didn't see Kobe hobbling around looking like an old man.

And he did what great players do, he contributed in other aspects of the game. He took JR out of the game in the 2nd half and got his teammates invovled.

[TonyMontana]

Ya I think he should pull a SHAQ and go and get his surgery on his finger and take 6 to 8 weeks off and then come back when we get to the playoffs............. Good old Shaq and HIS COMPANY TIME BREAKS.

One of the reasons Buss loves Kobe and had to let Shaq go. No matter what happens to this guy he still plays and contributes to his team. Im not a Kobe homer and never was and never will be, but this guy will play with a bullet in his back and with one arm if he can win and contribute to his teams success. Thats what makes him a great player.

[what would jack bauer do?]

Kobe hasn't looked like this all season, he was fresh in november and december. He looks like he's still protecting his ankle. He's not going at 100% yet, you can tell he's trying to avoid an injury as that's what happens when you're conditioning isn't where it should be after a few weeks off.