If Kobe Bryant Passed the Ball Last Season, Mike Brown Would Still Have a Job

Kobe Bryant is a playmaker, one of the top NBA players of all time and the guy you want to have with the ball when the game is on the line.  Kobe Bryant is also proving to the world this season that he is a very skilled passer.

Kobe isn’t primarily known for his ability to pass the ball, but with the trials and tribulations of the Los Angeles Lakers' underperforming season, he has had to adapt his game.  Currently, Kobe is averaging 5.6 assists per game, his highest total since he averaged 6.0 APG during the rebuilding season of 2004-05. 



Here is a prime example of what he has been doing lately.  In this highlight, Kobe sets up in the low post and draws two Boston Celtics defenders.  Instead of making a move for the basket, he waits for the driving Earl Clark to show up for an easy conversion.

The results of the pass-happy Kobe have resulted in more involvement from his teammates and a better team record of late.  If this style of play was happening from the get-go, Mike Brown might still have a job.

Last season, the team had similar problems, but because of the better win-loss record, those problems were masked.  The bench was not as thin, but overall, the Lakers could not play sound defense.  But wasn't Mike Brown, the defensive specialist, their coach?

That is true, but the Lakers managed to finish 15th in the league by giving up 95.9 points per game.  This season, the defensive holes have gotten bigger, and the Lakers are currently 24th in the league (101.3 PPG).

Yes, injuries occurred from the start of the season, and the Princeton offense was widely criticized even before it was implemented.  The Lakers got off to the horrible 1-4 start, and Brown was relieved of his duties.

Kobe should have realized that the only win during the first five games came when he scored less and had distributed the ball more (eight...

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