For God's Sake, Kobe Bryant, PASS THE BALL!
By Rob Perez
Kobe Bryant is supposed to be the mentor of the 2015-2016 Los Angeles Lakers.
It even says it on the damn cover of Sports Illustrated.
“Prepare to Get Schooled” … “The Education of the Game’s Next Generation Begins” … These are excerpts from Lee Jenkins’ piece on Kobe/D’Angelo Russell in the October 26th issue of SI — alluding to what was supposed to be Bryant’s transition from ‘perennial superstar’ to ‘mentor’ this 2015-2016 campaign.
5 championship rings, an immortal/heroic legacy already etched in stone, twenty years into his illustrious career, several major injuries later: nobody is expecting him to go out and win MVP and/or single-handily carry this irrelevant Lakers team to an NBA championship this year — father time is undefeated for a reason. But, Kobe, when you say things like:
"For a long time, I’ve been this ‘Black Mamba’ character. It’s how people needed to know me. But when I go full bore into my second act, I think they will know me for something else."
and…
"The Student is always a teacher, and the teacher is always a student … What I’m going to do [this season] … is share my story"
…your fans, coaches, and most importantly fellow players are anticipating you taking the franchise’s core (D’Angelo Russell, Julius Randle, Larry Nance Jr., Jordan Clarkson) under your wing.
Now, there’s two sides to Kobe’s mentorship:
- ‘The Classroom’
- ‘The Hardwood’
As for ‘The Classroom’ side of it, the media/fans/you/me/anyone who’s not directly associated with the team’s player personnel will never truly know what goes on between the Mamba and the other Laker players behind closed doors or in the sanctuary of the Lakers’ locker room. Kobe could be holding a Q&A session with the rookies right now as I speak and we will never know it. He might be providing them with priceless guidance, he might not be … it’s not my place to speculate or comment.
However, we do have access to ‘The Hardwood’ session — which will be televised 82 times this season. When I say ‘The Hardwood’, I’m referring to Kobe’s actions on the court; he can say anything he wants to these guys, but, ultimately the Lakers’ young stars are going to learn the most from Bryant through hands-on experience — just like any other job in America.
So, four games in: Kobe is shooting an abysmal 33% from the field, the Lakers are 0-4 for the second straight season, got embarrassed on national television last night by a rebuilding Denver Nuggets team, and have conceded an average of 116.8 points to the likely-to-miss-the-playoffs Minnesota Timberwolves, Sacramento Kings, Dallas Mavericks, and obviously the Nuggets. That’s ok, though … this team had zero championship aspirations AND if they somehow finish with the league’s worst record, they’ll likely keep their top-3 protected first round draft pick in 2016. Despite how desperate the fan base is for a winning product, I feel safe saying losing games this year will ultimately benefit this franchise in the long run.
What this “no lose” situation enables is Kobe Bryant to use the 2015-2016 regular season as a platform for this ‘hardwood’ mentorship that he continuously pledges to committing to…
…and what I saw from him last night (and the three games before) leads me to believe he either has a separate agenda, or, is genuinely clueless in regards to what his actions look like to everyone but him.
Let me provide some examples from the contest vs. the Nuggets:
What we have here is a brick the size of the Berlin Wall and an airball — both of which were the result of a contested jump shot. Honestly, I don’t even care about the results of these two attempts; Kobe has always been a volume shooter and had some ugly misses, even in his prime, and I could very easily show you two awesome swishes of his to balance out the ineptitude of these two scoring opportunities.
The reason why I illustrated these to you is because they are collateral damage of Bryant’s current mentality on the court — which is nothing short of selfish.
How exactly is D'Angelo Russell supposed to learn what made you such a great scorer when you’re doing things like this on offense?
How exactly is Jordan Clarkson supposed to replicate your “ruthlessness” and “never-die” attitude when you exert this type of effort…
How is Julius Randle supposed to learn to be a better passer out of the post when he sees…
Before rabid fans storm my apartment with torches and pitchforks, I want to reiterate that Kobe is more than likely doing a lot behind the scenes to help these guys. Actually, you know what? I guarantee he is. He’s not doing it because he wants to be BFFs with Russell, Randle, Clarkson, etc… forever — it’s because he genuinely cares for and loves the Los Angeles Lakers franchise. When he retires, whether that’s this year … next year … whenever, one way or another: Bryant will not step away from the game of basketball until he knows the purple & gold will succeed when he’s gone.
I may not be a Lakers fan, but, I am a fan of basketball … and any basketball fan can tell you that the NBA product, brand, and business is healthier when the Lakers are relevant. The fate of the franchise for the next decade is in his hands … not as a performer, but, a teacher.
Because of this, four games into the season: I’m upset with you, Kobe. The Lakers have absolutely BRILLIANT young basketball talents, and they proved it last night:
I’m upset with you because even if you don’t mean it — it looks like you’re turning this season into your personalized victory lap. Every time you launch one of those 30-foot airballs or try to dribble through a triple team in the corner, it is a set back for the development of the players you won’t stop promising to help … and in my opinion: no “words” in ‘The Classroom’ will ever outweigh “actions” on ‘The Hardwood’.
Thus, Kobe, I think I speak for all Lakers fans when I say: we don’t want you to “pass the ball” just so it appeases the fans — we want YOU … the leader, face, and now ‘mentor’ of the franchise … to want to pass the ball.