[Lefty Noob]

I'm not sure what to make of Kobe Bryant's performance this season.

No doubt he's been scoring like crazy and tearing it up on the court this year. He leads the league in scoring right now with 35.4 points per game. Of course, on the other hand he's only good for 4.4 assists per game. No other L.A. player averages 15.0 points per contest, and the Lakers are just barely floating above .500.

For a while, I bought into the media hype that he's just doing what he needs to do to help his team win. But look at the numbers. Bryant's tied for 7th on his team in field goal percentage, with Lamar Odom, Kwame Brown and Chris Mihm all boasting better numbers in this category while averaging at least 25 minutes of playtime each game.

Would it hurt the Lakers to let these guys take a few more shots?

[wvuauthor]

I think that Kobe definitely needs to spread the love!! Like you mentioned, he is getting his 35 a game, but what is he doing for the rest of the team.

I agree that he needs to score to help the team win, but would the Lakers be better off if Kobe got 25 and looked for his teammates more? This may cause the defense to not focus in on him as much.

Look at what Jordan always did for the Bulls; getting guys like Kukoc, Kerr, Longley, etc. involved in the game. Not to compare the two, but Kobe needs to get his other guys involved. They are solid players who can contribute.

[Joshua Kaufman]

Kobe is an electrifying player - no doubt about that.

But I think the comparisons to Jordan have to end. He isn't a team player. Imagine if Jordan had a chance to play with Shaq - do you think he would have run the big fella out of town?

No, instead, Jordan would have put up 10 assists a game at least.

Kobe is an elite player - but I would rather have LeBron James any day of the week. Not just because of the age difference - but because James is the consummate basketball pro - and he's a baby. His teammates love him. He gets everyone involved. And with crappy supporting cast he brings out the best in his teammates..

I'm freaking sick of Kobe. Yes, his single game effort was ridiculous but I would rather have a team-oriented player rather than selfish Kobe Bryant. Furthermore, unless he gets another SUPERSTAR - he will never win anything ever again.

[wvuauthor]

I know exactly what you are saying, and I was not trying to compare him to Jordan as a player. I was attempting to get at what you said; Kobe ran Shaq out of town, where as Jordan always kept everyone happy.

There is only one Jordan, that is for sure!

[GigEmAgs]

Originally Posted by Joshua Kaufman

I would rather have LeBron James any day of the week. Not just because of the age difference - but because James is the consummate basketball pro - and he's a baby.

I completely agree here. It's just another reminder that maturity isn't necessarily tied to age. Here's a kid who, like Kobe no doubt, got feted and treated like royalty for years before he was even ready to play in the NBA, and yet he's shown that he has a good head on his shoulders by being a team player. Players like Bryant forget that basketball is a team sport, and make it all about "this city isn't big enough for the both of us." It's sad when a "baby" is more mature than a grown man.

Yet they'll probably both end up in the Hall of Fame. It's odd how talent's such a wildcard -- it pops up in just about any personality type, from boor to saint.

[wvuauthor]

Its true! They are both great players but that just goes to show you that you can do whatever you want with your talent. If Kobe wanted to, he could not get his 35 and try to spread the ball around; at the same time Lebron is more than capable of getting 35 a night.

It is all a matter of what you want, and it appears that Kobe will always be about himself.

[Lefty Noob]

And apparently, the commissioner likes it that way.

"I think it's fun to have the discussions about Kobe," Stern told the AP in an interview during All-Star Weekend. "I think it's a terrific water cooler subject. Can he go for 100? Can he outscore a team by himself?"

I guess you can't blame Stern. Love him or hate him, people are interested in Kobe. Interest in Kobe creates interest in the league, and thus the NBA makes money, gets ratings, and Stern looks good in the process. Shame that the game's a shell of its former self these days, though...

[mcclainbabygirl]

This lakers team needs to be a team not just Kobe. Last night I watched them play the celtics. The finally play Lamar Odom was open but they get the ball to Kobe he shoots he misses he was being double teamed come one guys. That means someone is open and Odom was he was there for a dunk! They need to spread the love to other players not just Bryant.

[cjg11582]

In addition, Kobe more or less cost his team the game in the waning seconds when he reached around Pierce going for the steal and was called for the foul. I am not sure if Kobe thought they had one to give, but of course Pierce hit both free throws and thwarted the possibility of overtime.

[cjg11582]

I have never seen such complaisance from an NBA team as when it comes to Kobe Bryant and the Lakers. Odom seems to be the only one distraught by Kobe's overbearing presence, and even he seems unwilling to confront Bryant about it. Of course I am unkown to what takes place behind the scenes. But from my perspective, it is kind of funny.

[Wizard of Os]

Cheers everyone.

Ah, a forum on the most compelling player in the NBA. Firstly, i'd like to say this. Love him or hate him (and who loves him these days?), Kobe is the prettiest ball player in the NBA. When he's hitting a three, then driving the lane a couple of times once for a dunk, maybe popping another couple outside and finally getting fouled for a grand total of 14 or 15 points plus maybe a steal, Kobe is a basketball god up there with His Airness or Dr. J. Seriously. And i can say this after Kobe really broke my heart on so many levels as a Laker fan.

It doesn't matter who is on the Lakers right now. (A crying shame for Lamar Odom, but great for Smush.) The team is Kobe's, the result of gradual evolution and devolution of the team from the time that it was Shaq's. The challenge for everyone, mostly Dr. Phil, is to find the way to allow Kobe to score forty or forty-five points a night while playing proper defense. Come to think of it, though, that wasn't enough against the C's...

[Wizard of Os]

I've heard that the advice from Jellybean Bryant to his son which stuck the moment Kobe heard it was "Never let them take your game."

It is obvious in general that Jellybean, let us say, fostered his gifted son's early career. Thus, young Kobe became another Guy Born To Be A Star. The result is basketball's Barry Bonds, a brilliant athlete no one adores and no peer can stand. This is not to say that all Guys Born To Be A Star turned out socially stunted: Ken Griffey Jr. seems normal enough, as does maybe-starish someday Luke Walton.

The concept extends outside sports. Look at, o, say, Michael Jackson. Or his older siblings. You think recording at age six will do weird things to your head? How about going NBA at seventeen?

Kobe will never let them take his game. They took Jellybean's game as he rode the bench behind Dr. J for years. Kobe has been programmed to destroy, to exterminate and resistance is futile.

And when Kobe's game loses a step? Who will play with him then?

[brianp]

Kobe is spoiled its all about him all the time. Its hard to win with a one man team they need to spread the ball around. When something happens to Kobe the team won't know what to do b/c there not allowed to shoot. Soon someone will step up.

[rmjvol]

Welcome to GoTeamsGo, brinap.

So who do you think steps up?

[mcclainbabygirl]

Odom will step up to be the player I think or maybe Smush. I just wish he would get over himself.