ESPN First Take: Kobe and Nash

[Ckay]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LHpZc2y8XY&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

[Kilroy]

I'd be lying if I said I didn't worry about the very things Skip brings up.

And I don't expect this offense to be working very smoothly until all-star break. But if it hasn't at least shown signs it's got a shot a working, I expect a coaching shakeup...

The reason I say that, is that no matter how 'selfish' Kobe is, no matter how ball-dominant Nash is, no matter how awkward a fit Nash and Kobe are... The pieces this team has are just insane and I bet there may even be a few guys on Real GM that could coach this team deep into the post season... It just shouldn't be that difficult.

Yes it's on Kobe... Yes it's on Nash to a certain extent... But it's the coaching staff that is really on the clock to make the offense flow like a team with Nash, Gasol, Dwight, Kobe, Meeks and Jamison should.

[what would jack bauer do?]

Yeah I'm interested to see how this is gonna play out. But yeah, Kobe's fg% is gonna be at least above 45% this year. That's pretty great for a guy that's out of his prime and primarily a jump shooter. I wonder where the happy medium is gonna be and just how many points Kobe will average.

Because yeah Skip brings up valid points even though they are "hater" biased. Because obviously Kobe didn't have the triangle for a couple of those years and even during the recent championship runs we still didn't have great shooters, yeah we had great talent but we didn't have a balanced roster. Lamar Odom and Trevor Ariza shot the 3ball well above their normal production during that first championship.

But you gotta agree wholeheartedly with Stephen A. Smith, Kobe has 5 rings and Nash has zero. Nash had stacked teams for a few years and couldn't get past San Antonio. Kobe knows how to share the rock, to think he could get 5 championships without being able to do that is foolish.

[BEazy]

How can you call Kobe the most selfish player there ever was and not even think about Allen Iverson? It puzzles me how Skip even has a job. Then Skip talks about LeBron and that's when I turned off the video....

[IGSaint]

I don't see how you can worry about how kobe will operate with nash. i expect him to operate like he did in the olympics with ball dominant players like chris paul and lebron. People seem to overlook that when trying to find how he will work with a ball dominant guard like nash.

Guess what? He already has, and he was still able to get his shots and assist shots for his teammates also. This is one of the most overblown topics of this upcoming season. Kobe will work fine along nash just like he worked fine with chris paul and lebron.

[leeprettyp]

How can you call Kobe the most selfish player there ever was and not even think about Allen Iverson? It puzzles me how Skip even has a job. Then Skip talks about LeBron and that's when I turned off the video....

ESPN isn't about the integrity of the game but more for entertainment and buzz. Whatever story/topic gets attention. Sad this is the direction sports and media are going. I saw First take the other day and Skipp Bayless told Eric Mangini that he'd be a better coach than him and its a reason why he's been fired 2 times.

[The Prodigy]

Whether the Kobe-Nash backcourt works depends mostly on Kobe. You don't recruit a PG like Nash without handing him over the reigns to the offense. I'm not entirely convinced Kobe is ready to do that. Hopefully he proves me wrong.

[IGSaint]

Whether the Kobe-Nash backcourt works depends mostly on Kobe. You don't recruit a PG like Nash without handing him over the reigns to the offense. I'm not entirely convinced Kobe is ready to do that. Hopefully he proves me wrong.

As I posted already he did it in the olympics with chris paul and lebron.

[The Prodigy]

Whether the Kobe-Nash backcourt works depends mostly on Kobe. You don't recruit a PG like Nash without handing him over the reigns to the offense. I'm not entirely convinced Kobe is ready to do that. Hopefully he proves me wrong.

As I posted already he did it in the olympics with chris paul and lebron.

The Olympics is a completely different thing than the NBA season. For these players the Olympics are little more than an exhibition game. I wouldn't take what a player does in the Olympics as an indication of what he'll do in the NBA season.

[IGSaint]

Whether the Kobe-Nash backcourt works depends mostly on Kobe. You don't recruit a PG like Nash without handing him over the reigns to the offense. I'm not entirely convinced Kobe is ready to do that. Hopefully he proves me wrong.

As I posted already he did it in the olympics with chris paul and lebron.

The Olympics is a completely different thing than the NBA season. For these players the Olympics are little more than an exhibition game. I wouldn't take what a player does in the Olympics as an indication of what he'll do in the NBA season.

I think you are the one underestimating the olympics a little. Kobe and that entire team usa took the olympics very seriously. We almost lost against spain, with the amount of pride and ego that goes into being apart of team usa and the history of the dream team. They don't take it as just an "exhibition game", just look at the way kobe operated in that game against spain. He performed very well and was able to operate very efficiently while being the third leading scorer without having to dominate the ball.

Don't underestimate those olympic games.

As I said before kobe will work well with nash, kobe has already said nash is the quarterback of the team. Nash will be having the ball in his hand just like chris paul and lebron had it in their hands. Kobe will still call for it in certain situations of course but nash will still get the majority of the ball handling possesions.

[frozt]

There has been a lot of speculation about how the Lakers will mesh this season. Specifically Steve Nash and Kobe Bryant.

These are both guys used to having the ball in their hands. Both guys used to making decisions. The leaders. There are people convinced Kobe can’t put his ego and scoring mentality aside to let Nash have some control. Some people think this pairing will not work.

Kobe thinks those people are dumb.

Here is what Kobe said on the Mason and Ireland Show on ESPN 710 radio in Los Angeles (via Sports Radio Interviews).

“Here’s the thing: Some people are just very, very dumb. I keep hearing it from some people that I just want to score and that other stuff. Nobody has won more championships than me in my entire generation. I’ve got five of them. You can’t be selfish and win one championship, let alone five. That argument should be in the coffin by now. I don’t like having the ball.”

I think this Lakers pairing — and blending in Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol — will work because they all play different positions and roles on the court, and because these are veteran, high basketball IQ players. This is not overlapping skill sets or guys who will not share the rock, these are guys willing to share.

It’s not going to be instantaneous, that’s the kind of sports talk radio pronouncements that make that format unlistenable at times. But it should mesh. The Lakers team you see around the All-Star break will be different than November. And they likely will look like fully formed title contenders.

http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/10/02/you-think-kobe-is-selfish-cant-mesh-with-nash-he-thinks-youre-dumb/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

[Dr Aki]

there's always going to be the natural problem when two guards play together and both guards have been used to (as won MVP trophies) being the lead guards that do the primary ball-handling throughout their careers

but the thing is, both players are in their twilight of their careers, both players understand that they need to sacrifice their game for the greater good, both of those players have played off-ball, (kobe to a much larger degree) and both players are versatile and intelligent enough to understand all of the above.

having the seven seconds or princeton might seem like a compromise but if it is indeed the best of two worlds, then we're going to be unstoppable

[DEEP3CL]

Leave it to Stephen A to say what I've always said about Kobe. When he has weapons he can trust, he'll relent and do the right thing basketball wise. Not worried at all on all this media driven drama they're trying to make up and we're not even a week into camp.

[MoLakers]

It's gonna work out. Nash should have the ball in his hands but he hasn't had a solid wing player that can handle the ball and score since joe Johnson. We all know Kobe is miles ahead of jj so Nash will defer more and Kobe's gonna do his thing. Plus Kobe will play many more minutes than Nash. No worries. We need Nashty to have the ball a lot so we can get high % looks from gasol and d12 but Kobe will have plenty of opportunities.

[tugs]

Kobe isn't stupid. if I was playing with Nash, he'll, I'd give him the ball to set me up for easy baskets, I'd give him the ball for his outside sniping to rack up my assist numbers, I'd give him the ball to create opportunities for others to be threats so I wouldn't be pressured to take the offensive load on my own.

Kobe will keep on shooting, no doubt. but it won't be from contested jumpers, contested lay-ups, and forced, bail-out shots. It'll be from open looks from basket cuts, off screens, and drops provided by Nash's passing.

[tugs]

and Skip is annoying. brought up valid points but still is annoying.

[TruSkool]

for those talking about the olympics, let me just say that NBA players care much more about their persona on their own NBA teams more than the olympics.

and for those players who say they would rather win an olympic gold medal over an NBA championship, they lie

[Edrees]

kobe was starting to defer to sessions just a week after we got him (in terms of who runs the offense/ brings up the ball) . you dont think he'd do it for nash skip? lol

[The Skyhook]

I don't think Kobe will go away from his team mates as much as he used to. I can't imagine Steve Nash allowing it. Nash is one of those guys that will sit down and talk to Kobe if he sees something that he doesn't like and there is something that can be done about it. The guy has been a great leader himself throughout his career. Then you have Dwight Howard who has been a leader throughout his entire career. Sure he isn't the leader that Kobe and Nash are but that doesn't mean he isn't going to sit back the way Pau Gasol did and not say anything while Kobe is breaking the flow of the offense game after game.

This team will find a way for this whole thing to work. There is an immense amount of pressure on these guys to win it all and after being bounced out of the playoffs 2 years in a row you know Kobe is going to be hungrier than ever to win another championship. Nash and Dwight have never won a championship in their careers and with a team like this you know they aren't going to let an opportunity like this just slip away.

[lakerz12]

Skip is an idiot.

He is equating taking a lot of shots with being selfish.

Kobe doesn't take a lot of shots because he is selfish - he takes a lot of shots when he believes that is what his team needs in order to win

He has said this numerous times.

And, just like Kobe says. . he has 5 rings as option 1 or 1a. .say what you want about him but his record speaks for itself

Kobe will not shoot as much this year because now he doesn't have to.