Comments on: Kobe Even Better in 2010

By: Travis

Travis — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 19:08:22 +0000

"I was so impressed that he took the time to pick Hakeem's brain." Not to nitpick, as Kobe is a great player and probably does have a great work ethic, but Kobe spent all of two hours with Hakeem in the offseason. It's not as if he lived at the guy's house and practiced with him eight hours a day all summer.

By: matuldi klinsmann

matuldi klinsmann — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:44:36 +0000

Neil :))

This can't be you now can it?BR has been hacked I guess :)

Kobe is the most consistently complete package since MJ.As a topping to the cake he has been doing this with MJ like grace,fundamental,flair and finesse which explains the hatred he has been getting from anywhere and everywhere..I have been reading guys here trying to compare him Manu/Pierce etc whom I think really outstanding players as well.But come on people don't be jealous and try to juxtapose too much advanced metrics please..

Anyways an objective Kobe piece is always appreciated.

Thank you:)

By: P Middy

P Middy — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 02:10:40 +0000

The difference in MPG is pretty severe from 08-09 to 09-00 so far. Not a good thing if you're the Lakers. You need Gasol back in there before too long. It's impressive that Kobe can do this, but not a great sign that he has to.

By: Kirk C

Kirk C — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 23:13:15 +0000

Neil, all we need now is your admission that Kobe is the best player in the league! I saw Matt Moore's mea culpa earlier! That made make my day!

GO LAKERS!

By: Jason J

Jason J — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 22:32:48 +0000

This is a nice article and speaks to the greatness of Bryant. He's been the best guard in the league for just about a decade now, and he works tirelessly on his game in the off-season. I was so impressed that he took the time to pick Hakeem's brain. The guy's work ethic is just unbelievable.

By: Walter

Walter — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:06:37 +0000

Great article Neil. As a Lakers fan I feel blessed to be able to watch a player like Kobe the last 10+ years. However, once Gasol and Bynum come back Kobe's numbers will fall back down to his consistent levels of the past. I am not taking a shot at Kobe for it as it does speak to his willingness to take on whatever is needed of him. I recall an article (I wish I had the link to it), in which someone analyzed a large sample of Kobe's games to see if he was necessarily a "ball hog". The results were interesting in that Kobe usually picked up his aggressiveness when the other team went on a run and/or his team seemed stagnant. However, when his teammates were contributing and playing well Kobe took far fewer shots and deferred to them. I think we are seeing that again right now as Kobe is taking a ton of shots (albeit hitting them efficiently) because without Bynum and Gasol the Lakers offense isn't nearly as potent and thus needs the "Mamba's" best strike. On a side note, while Kobe will never be what Jordan was in his peak (Jordan was ridiculous!), Kobe's career may be just as impressive as Jordan's when all is said and done due to the length of years in which Kobe consistently played at a top 5 (if not top 3) level.

By: Neil Paine

Neil Paine — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:26:02 +0000

A Neil impostor, eh? You mean like this guy?

By: Anon

Anon — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:16:32 +0000

Whoa, hold on Neil...I thought you were nothing but a "Kobe hater"! No way!!! You ALWAYS diss Kobe! What are you doing writing THIS article??? This CAN'T be you, are you some kind of a Neil impostor??? Lol :) Great read.

By: Vic De Zen

Vic De Zen — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:14:13 +0000

"How many 31-year-old guards coming off of a championship they had worked single-mindedly towards for the better part of 5 years would come out the following year and be even better?" Just Kobe, really. I'm loving his game so far. He's going to the post! He's going to the post! Hoping he keeps that up when Pau and Bynum returns, he can DOMINATE down there. This team could be amazing, especially if Artest is kept in check on offense.