I knew that was coming when I hit submit.
You just didn't know WHO.I knew that was coming when I hit submit.
You just didn't know WHO.
Bryant's teammates respect what he says because Bryant puts in the time to understand the nuances of the game--and that leads us straight to the leadership that Bryant demonstrated before the game. It was no accident that Bynum blocked O'Neal's shot twice in rapid succession; Bynum explained after the game, "Working with Kobe before the game, he told me how to play Jermaine; he likes to go to his right shoulder a lot and then he spins back. I was just trying to be ready to bother his shot and I got a couple of them." Some people might assume that a shooting guard can't help a post player's development but clearly this is not true, at least in Bryant's case. This kind of leadership may not earn any p.r. points--unless the media chooses to report it--but it builds team chemistry and helps to win games.
When Bryant emerged from the training room for his postgame standup, I mentioned what Bynum had said and asked Bryant to describe his mentoring relationship with the young center. Bryant replied, "It's just trying to help us win a ball game. He's very bright, so the information that I pass on to him he can quickly process, register and then go out and execute it. He did a great job of it tonight. I just try to continue to guide him. He has a lot of promise and I am trying to help him along as much as I can." Later, Bryant said of Bynum, "He's very competitive. He's quiet but he has a lot of fire inside. When he has matchups like this (against former All-Star O'Neal) or matchups with Yao Ming, he really steps forward and takes the challenge personally and I like to see that. I take a lot of pride in my defense. I've spent many nights studying players, so when he has a big matchup against Jermaine--a person who I've known since I was 16--I have to help him out as much as I can and pass along the little nuances about defense and how he should view playing certain players so he is not just playing with his physical ability but he's using his head as well."
As the other reporters drifted away to file their stories, I asked Bryant this follow-up: "At one point, you were in Andrew's position on the team--you were the young guy out of high school on a veteran team and now this is almost a role reversal. What did you learn from your experience of being the young player on a veteran team that helps you know what to say, when to say it and how to say it to Andrew?
"It's not just giving the right information; how you present it to him affects how open he will be, as a young person, to receiving it." Bryant answered, "I understand how to communicate to him a little bit more because I was in that position and a lot of times I felt like people really talked down to me, you know what I mean? 'This kid this' and 'this kid that,' that sort of thing, and it just rubbed me the wrong way. So, from my experience of going through that I understand now that I don't want to put him in that position. I want him to feel like he can come in and contribute, that he is valued on this ball club and that all I am trying to do is help him out to be the best that he can be."
I then asked Bryant, "Do you give him advice about how to relate to other players, from your own experience as a young player that maybe you did things, not intentionally, that rubbed veterans the wrong way in some sense?"
Bryant replied, "It's funny, because when I came into the league the age range was completely different. If I came into the league nowadays out of high school I never would have had that problem (because there would be plenty of other young players to interact with). People don't understand that's how young kids behave. This team is different (than the Lakers team that Kobe first joined). We have a lot of young guys here and also I'm here to help him out a lot. We bring him into the group; if we go out to dinner or whatever we do, we include him in it and that is part of it."
Next, I asked, "Do you feel like you weren't included as much when you were a young player? Was that partially because the age difference was much greater?"
Bryant answered, "It's all about age difference. Those guys were 28, 29, 30 years old, married--and I was 17, 18 years old, couldn't go anywhere. A lot of times I felt like I was a burden to a lot of guys and they didn't want to deal with that burden. I don't want Andrew to feel that way."
Let it be known, I've loved Bynum since we drafted him.
Now that Mo and Cook are gone, poor Coby Karl is at the bottom of my favorite Lakers list and I actually like him.
2. Lamar (despite the Sacramento game...love this Dementor)
Let it be known that I made it three seconds into the highlights. That music was retardinous.
LOL. I cant wait until you and I are in our 70s, sitting on a beach somewhere with our wives and you say "A-Bomb, I am FINALLY over the Sacramento game!".
0:32 102-98 Brad Miller makes free throw 2 of 2
0:22 Lamar Odom offensive foul (Kenny Thomas draws the foul) 102-98
0:22 Lamar Odom turnover 102-98
0:22 Sacramento full timeout
0:18 102-101 Mike Bibby makes 27-foot three point jumper (Peja Stojakovic assists)
0:13 102-101 Francisco Garcia personal foul (Kobe Bryant draws the foul)
0:13 Kobe Bryant makes free throw 1 of 2 103-101
0:13 Kobe Bryant makes free throw 2 of 2 104-101
0:13 Sacramento 20 Sec. timeout
0:04 104-104 Brad Miller makes three point jumper (Kenny Thomas assists)
0:04 Los Angeles full timeout
0:04 Luke Walton enters the game for Kwame Brown 104-104
0:04 104-104 Jason Hart enters the game for Brad Miller
0:00 Lamar Odom misses 25-foot three point jumper 104-104
0:00 End of the 4th Quarter
0:00 Los Angeles offensive rebound 104-104
"I'll take the blame for that," said Odom, who was called for a charging foul with 22 seconds left in regulation. "I should have let the clock run down more. It was a flop call on a team that was dead. I gave them life. He drew the charge, that's what Mr. Crawford saw. It gave them momentum."
LOL. I cant wait until you and I are in our 70s, sitting on a beach somewhere with our wives and you say "A-Bomb, I am FINALLY over the Sacramento game!".
Nah, I gotta ***** for local guys who play at a local college and then go to their local team (Farmar, Ariza, etc).
Like it'd be cool if Richard Jefferson was on the Suns.
Some Ariza highlights from his knicks days (mostly dunks...sick dunks)
Didn't get to see it though, but Kobe apparently had a bad 4th quarter.
ftfy
Farmar Turnover:Traveling (2 TO) 10:42
Bryant 3pt Shot: Missed 10:07
Odom Layup Shot: Missed 9:30
Mihm Free Throw 2 of 2 missed 9:16
Farmar Foulersonal (2 PF) 9:05
Walton 3pt Shot: Missed 8:44
Walton Jump Shot: Missed 8:12
Odom Foul:Shooting (2 PF) 7:58
Farmar Foulffensive (3 PF) 7:50
Bryant 3pt Shot: Missed 7:12
Odom Layup Shot: Missed Block: Bogut (2 BLK) 6:33
Odom Free Throw 2 of 2 missed 6:04
Bryant Jump Shot: Missed 5:30
Bynum Foul:Technical (4 PF) 4:49
Bynum Free Throw 1 of 2 missed 4:49
[LAL 87-91] 4:28
Odom 3pt Shot: Missed 3:36
Farmar Turnoverffensive Foul Turnover (4 TO) 7:58
Odom 3pt Shot: Missed 1:56
Bryant 3pt Shot: Missed 1:15
At this point we are fouling to get possessions..
Walton Foulersonal (1 PF) 0:51
Fisher Foulersonal (2 PF) 0:44
Radmanovic Foulersonal (3 PF) 0:36
Bryant 3pt Shot: Missed 0:31
Walton Foulersonal (2 PF) 0:25
Radmanovic Foul:Shooting (4 PF) 0:16
Odom Foulersonal (3 PF) 0:11
Bryant Jump Shot: Missed 0:02
Farmar Tip Shot: Missed 0:00
wow D-Dogg, and you guys lose that crap-ass Nets team AT HOME? This is a bad sports day for you.