A few years ago Kobe didn’t have a team, so when he took ridiculous shots, hogged the ball for entire possessions, or threw his teammates under the bus in interviews you could understand. No one blamed him...not really.
The second best player on his team was an unmotivated Lamar Odom and his third and fourth options were guys named Smush Parker and Kwame Brown—not exactly a pair of NBA legends.
But now in the midst of the Lakers current three-game winning streak, they’re playing the best basketball we’ve seen from them since the start of the New Year, and they’re doing it with Kobe riding the pine.
Why?
Kobe’s been dealing with injury after injury since mid-December, but until very recently, he’s refused to allow himself any rest. There were reports that Coach Phil Jackson had talked to Kobe about resting, but that Kobe had convinced Phil that sitting him would do more harm than good.
But what came of allowing Kobe to play?
Kobe hoisted shot after shot after shot regardless of what kind of playing condition he was in or whether the shots were dropping or not. The extent of his selfishness was on full display against Memphis where he succeeded in passing Jerry West as the Lakers’ all-time leading scorer, a feat he only needed 29 points to accomplish, but even after passing West, Kobe refused to involve his teammates in the game.
Although he finished with 44 points, the Lakers lost the game and Kobe finished 28 shot attempts while the rest of the starters finished with 26.
Pau Gasol, who isn’t known for being vocal, vented his frustrations after Kobe became the Lakers’ No. 1 scorer saying, “I’m proud of him; I congratulate him. Now we can focus on winning ga...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
