I agree with you, Kobe was more easier to plugin to a system. Kawhi Leonard is similiar. But I'm not posting aboit Kobe vs LeBron. I'm merely posting about Lakers having to do what gives LeBron the best chance to win it for the Lakerskblo247 wrote:NippySudz wrote:kblo247 wrote:Some is construction of team some is him stepping back. Lebron has had this argument dating back to Larry Hughes who got neutered and didn’t know what to do when he handled the ball so much less with Bron than he did even sharing it with Gilbert and Jamison. Wade and Bron had fit issues. And we know what Love and Bosh said about being the third guy. Now he and Kyrie vibed but couldn’t get along, and honestly it would have been best for both of them if they pressed Kyrie to come to la tbh.
I’m looking at bron team and I’m looking and saying why can’t he groom Kuzma and KCP into starters and what he needs?
It may sound crazy to you but the fact is Fish wasn’t this grand playmaker even at his peak in 01. KCP could do everything a fisher or Harper does if he’s groomed that way. There is no point guard he can’t chase, he’s a knock down shooter, and he boards pretty good too. Bron should be advocating for him starting games and playing 30mins a night.
I’m looking at you saying but Kobe had ARIZA. And I’ll say but Kobe made him too. Trevor was a good out the league, not known for offense or defense, he was just the guy that got Mitch off that terrible cook deal like Shannon was the guy who got him off the Radmanovic deal. Kobe gave TREVOR what he called a bible on how to defend this guy, worked on his shot, watched film and made him relevant as a role player. Here we are and people say well Kuzma is lost and doesn’t get his role, he’s not holding down the sixth man spot, despite not getting the time. But we have seen Kuzma defend much better this year. And in times of trouble we have seen Kuz reach out to Kobe or worthy who said he talked with him, but that’s the problem. Kuzma is swingman size, shown he can challenge a Westbrook, shown he can understand some concepts one on one, but I don’t see Bron leading him that way and teaching him. To me there’s no reason he can’t be the Green replacement in the lineup and be tasked with defending the best wing of Bron is willing to teach him how and Vogel to live with the mistakes that Trevor, George, etc all made as they developed on that end.
I mean I’m looking at KCP and Kuzma and saying they should be the starting back court for this team and Bron should be in their ear everyday with their age, athletic ability, and talent.
Fisher didn't need to be a play maker. The Lakers ran the triangle offense. It wasn't predicated on a primary playmaker.
And I agree to disagree about LeBron not making his teammates better.
Trevor ariza is still good lol. He put in that work to be good. Playing with Kobe helped him but ariza put in the work... KCP was garbage for like a year and a half. He's now playing decent. There has been plenty of guys that LeBron James have gotten paid or that played well with him but don't play well when he leaves.
He elevates their talents to an unsustainable level. When you hear teammates and former teammates talk about LeBron, they speak very highly of him. You make it sound like LeBron punched in and play basketball and goes home.
I doubt that's the case.
Every player has a ceiling..Kobe has had teammates he couldn't make decent players. I don't expect LeBron to make kuzma into tje role he needs. Fits exist. You need the right fit for championship teams.
Nick young isn't someone Kobe could transform into a piece he needs so I don't expect LeBron to do the same with kuzma.
It's up to the guy(s) to put in the work.
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I think Lebron likes his niche player. The shooter that works hard and he will ride for and support them. You give him a Korver, Battier, Miller, Frye, Daniels, Gibson, Mo etc and I think he vibes with that on a different level than anything else. I know I’ve never seen a Bron team and thought damn that swing player really developed his game or that big guy really got to dominate inside before AD.
Kobe made Ariza a starter, Ariza worked for it but Kobe pushes him there and he learned some tricks on both ends. Kobe helped make Bynum an all star. Kobe would sit back and let Luke Walton run the offense and call post up plays for him and work off of him when we had the smush teams because Waldron was his third option.
I’ve always felt Kobe was more adaptable to the prices around him. Kobe was clay for instance and he would give up his spots and areas if it meant he could get the most from a Odom, Walton, Bynum, Pau, or Shaq type and had tone out his sweet spots. My biggest criticism of Bron has always been that I felt he didn’t do the same because I thought he could be greater off the ball in Miami with Wade, that he could use Bosh or Love as post up options and attack but he’s really not that dude. He’s an I got it at the top of the floor I set the table for you, the 3 point corner fling pass while going down hill, and here take your turn I’ll stand away from the ball Kyrie/Wade/AD guy.
I see Kuzma as having put in some work that’s the difference. He’s literally hitting over 50% from corner 3s and he’s playing solid D. He just doesn’t know what is expected of him or when he will play fully. I mean if you bring in Bogdanovic for instance the problems still arise as he’s not handling the ball, he’s not getting 30mins, and he’s not defending a swing.
I think the phrase they have enough is true, but some of it is going to be teaching guys who haven’t been in this spot and won before how to win. Lebron likes older players, always has, even before going to Miami he asked for the Wally, Shaq, Jamison, etc types because he doesn’t have to teach. There still comes a point though where he has to teach is my point. We have seen Kobe teach before and take the youngest team 08-10 at the time of the past twenty years to the finals with no one but Fisher and Luke having really experience or knowing about winning. I think there comes a teaching moment on his end with Kuzma and KCP both this year if he accepts it and he pays the ultimate benefits for it with a title. That’s me though, i said last summer that kcp and Kuzma should start so I’m sticking with it. I think they have the talent but need the instruction and hey maybe that’s not something Lebron teaches them and I’m wrong, but the playoffs itself actually teaches them game to game with a guy like Handy helping them
The kobe-lebron comparisons are redherrings.
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