After 5 straight wins and 2 straight losses, it was nice to see the Lakers down the defending champs for the third time this season. But at the same time, Kobe had a distinct advantage tonight that he didn't have the past two times versus the Mavs; Shawn Marion, the Black Mamba's kryptonite, was out with a sore knee. And as a result, Kobe made more points tonight than his past two games against Dallas combined.
Everything seems to be gung-ho in Laker land now. Ramon is (forgive me, it's the first and last time) now in session, going 17 and 9 on 5/6 shooting, against Dallas tonight. Pau is no longer marred by trade rumors, and can (hopefully) consistently produce as well as he did tonight (27 points on 13/16 shooting and 9 boards). And Andrew Bynum is playing magnificently. He's finally proving to Lakers fans that taking the final prep-to-pro player in league history is paying off.
But amidst all of this, something needs to be fixed. And I hate to say it, but it's the Black Mamba.
No, I'm not saying that he regress dramatically. After 16 years of Hall of Fame playing, it's just stupid for me to say that he become a second or third option. Kobe is, and will still be, the face of the Lakers. I'm just saying that he doesn't need to prove that he can score the highest ppg in the league, he needs to prove that he can win a 6th championship. And he has the big men to do such a thing, if he just lowers the amount of shots that he takes.
Kobe's shooting a low .428, the lowest since his rookie and sophomore years. Kobe's never been above .500, and while annoying, it's something we have to accept: Kobe wants the ball. But with the rise of Bynum, the stress-free Pau Gasol, and the new and improved point guard Sessions (seriously, this guy is good-- watch this and this), Kobe doesn't HAVE to do all of the work. The place where he can cut down most is his three point shooting--he's shooting a 2nd career-worst .292 from downtown.
We're talking about a team with a center averaging 18 and 13. Sure, Dwight is number 1, but going down a couple posts on this very site, it's clear that Dwight doesn't know what he's doing with his career. Andrew Bynum is ok being the number 2 option; he's thriving in that position. He doesn't want the attention Howard does, and that's why he is the most consistent center in the West right now. At the same time, taking more shots would not hurt him like it does Kobe; the other night against the Jazz, Kobe was having an off day with 15 points and an abysmal FG%; Bynum though picked up the pace and was 12 of 14 with 33 points. He has the potential to do great things, especially with a speedy point guard and Pau as another option.
Kobe just needs to step out of the mentality that he is the only option. Yeah, this isn't 2006 with Smush and Kwame as his options, he has 2 All Star big men flanking him. And these players can bring Los Angeles to championship contention against all odds. If Kobe trusted his teammates and shared the ball a little, we would really have a threatening team on our hands.
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