[SGworks]

Shoot, Kobe, shoot! Shoot again!

What, the Lakers are contending for a title? They couldn't beat the Pistons two years ago with Shaq. Now they're going all the way with Andrew Bynum?

As a basketball fan (and not a Laker-lover), I want him to fire away. I want to see something i've never seen before. Would you really rather watch Smush Parker miss open 20-footers?

[mcclainbabygirl]

Yes I would than see a ballhog and a baby on a team with mature men. i would rather have Lebron James b/c he is more of a man than Kobe. I don't think they ever taught him how to share.

[unc_06]

I agree with mcclain. I just wish they would spread the ball around you can't just win a championship with one man. Michael Jordan need Scottie.

[Gotham Dark Knight]

Personally I saw the man play in person this year against the Orlando Magic (no great team I know), and I believe he scored 21 points and had 9 assists. He can do both when he needs to...but as a fan, I wanted to see a night of 81 points...not a 21/9 performance...I left rather disappointed...

[josh]

I would rather him have 25-30 pts a night and share the ball with his team. I men we all know he is a good player so share the love come on.

[rmjvol]

Welcome, Josh. Do you think that Kobe and the other 4 guys can take them into the NBA Playoffs this year? How far?

[wedge]

Even if the Lakers manage to hand on to the 8th they would most likely face the Mavericks. They have split the series with them this year, but their defense is terrible. No way they get out of the first round. Even with the incredible ballhog on their side.

[mcclainbabygirl]

I don't think the Lakers will do well at all even if they make it to the playoffs! Just a one man team.

[anthony]

Kobe is a great player, but I would rather have someone who acts more mature. I would take Lebron over him any day. Or any young player like Wade.

[becca]

Kobe is the best thing to ever happen to NBA. He has brought controversy and a lot of more watchers. So I like him even if he is a ballhog or immature.

[GigEmAgs]

Welcome, Becca. It's good to see a contrary opinion on this. I guess that's really what it comes down to, isn't it -- how many points the team makes, ultimately. As I've said before, genius doesn't match with any particular type of personality, and KB is proof that physical genius and a bad personality can go together.

[Lefty Noob]

Well, love him or hate, him, he just became the youngest guy in NBA history to put up 16,000 points.

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- Kobe Bryant knew he would need a clear head to overcome his clogged sinuses. So while everybody else butted heads, he calmly rose to another historic performance of the NBA's best one-man show.

Bryant became the youngest player to score 16,000 points, finishing with 42 in the Los Angeles Lakers' 106-94 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Friday night.

Chris Mihm added 16 points, but Bryant's stellar play with a sinus infection was just about the only beautiful thing in the Lakers' third straight victory over the Warriors. Bryant scored 40 points for the 16th time this season while conserving his energy and playing with thoughtful caution.

"I've played sick before," Bryant said, recalling his 2002 playoff performance against the Sacramento Kings after apparently getting food poisoning from a room-service cheeseburger. "I've played sicker than this. It's kind of old hat for me. You've just got to use your energy more wisely, play a more cerebral game. You have to pick your spots."

[Gotham Dark Knight]

Originally Posted by becca

Kobe is the best thing to ever happen to NBA. He has brought controversy and a lot of more watchers. So I like him even if he is a ballhog or immature.

Hey Becca, I am with you sister...who really goes to a game to see a bunch of stiff's that can't make it onto ESPN or even ET for that matter...give me an immature guy scoring at a 35 points a night clip any day!...I mean I live in Orlando...I have to watch the Magic play...don't you think O-twon would embrace a ball hogging superstar?...and sure we had Steve-O for a while...but I said "Superstar"...not a run of the mill ball hog...there is a difference...

[Wizard of Os]

Cheers, all.

You guys think Kobe is a ballhog...anyone remember Vinnie Johnson? He never saw a shot he didn't like...

(A bit of a non-sequitur, i know, but recalling Vinnie is always a treat.)

[cjg11582]

You can only truly appreciate Kobe if you drafted him for your fantasy team. What a catalyst this guy is! I know fantasy production and reality production are two separate entities, but if you drafted him and have a history of antipathy for The Lakers, you probably don't want anything to change either.