#24 KryBaby

Let's talk about Kobe Bryant.

At some point I'm going to have to anyway, you may have noticed my anti-Lakers' sentiment running through my previous articles. Kobe has a lot to do with that.

I respect Kobe, I really do. He's an amazing scorer, he's got a pure shot, and he's got ice in his veins. But he's exactly what has been wrong with the NBA for the past decade, and instead of him being an example of it, I'm going to push the nail in deeper and place the blame on him. After all, he's been at the head of it all.

The league has heralded Kobe as it's golden boy since he first won a title, but what has he really earned? He has 5 rings, sure... Want to know who's got 6? Robert Horry. Now tell me how much rings matter. And let's break down those 5. He won three straight with the Lakers, right? Everybody remembers that. Shaq and Kobe puttin' it down, Phil Jackson at the helm, what could go wrong? Of course they'd win three in a row. But what did Kobe do after Shaq left? Nothing. For three long years the Lakers were flat-out dismal, even with the great Kobe Bryant. I personally loved it, but that's a different story

What was it that brought the Lakers back to glory? Some would say - myself included - that it was Pau Gasol being brought into the system. After getting Gasol, the Lakers made three straight Finals appearances, winning twice. Kobe and Pau played great. In fact, Kobe played amazingly. 

And those are Kobe's five rings.

But why is it that in those three in-between years, Kobe couldn't will his team to win, the way he's always seemed to be able to do? Probably because between Shaq's and Pau's reign in the middle of the Lakers' offense, their most notable centers were Vlade Divac and Kwame Brown.

So why can't Kobe win without a center? Well, let's look at his skill set. He's an amazing shooter, and is able to score off the dribble, we know all of that. But when a team has a dependable center, the opposing team has to watch out for him the most. After all, he's the closest to the rim, he gets the easiest buckets, and he gets offensive rebounds, giving second and third chances after bad possessions, or even just misfires on good shots. A good center is key to forming a winning team.

When a team doesn't have that big man in the middle, their opposing defenses can spread themselves out a bit more, can breathe a little easier. More importantly, they can focus more on the scoring guards, like Kobe Bryant.

Some of you might (rightly) say "well Michael Jordan didn't have a great center, he was still able to win". That's very true, but not only did Michael Jordan have an amazing rebounding hustle forward named Dennis Rodman, but he was also a more complete player than is Kobe. He defended, and passed the ball. As cliche as it sounds, he made his teammates better. Who the hell is Scottie Pippin anyway? Without Jordan he's nobody. With him, he's a hall of famer. - That's not my opinion, by the way... it's a fact. Scottie Pippin is in the hall of fame.

The Kobe has been in the NBA Spotlight practically his entire career because he does exactly what people want to see. He scores, plays individual defense, and says "fuck passing, I'm Kobe Bryant." Him scoring 82 that night was just a night where he couldn't miss, he didn't play it differently than any other game. But basketball isn't all about scoring, there's a lot more at play, and a player who understands that is going to be a better help to his team.

That's all well and good though, it's an entertainment industry anyway. I just wish that we wouldn't coddle him too much, honestly. Especially with this recent injury situation. In case you haven't heard, which you probably have, Kobe recently suffered a life-threatening ankle sprain, the Lakers are yet to issue a statement as to whether Bryant will ever be able to play basketball again.

Anyway, he's blaming it on the Hawks' Dahntay Jones, saying that Jones stepped underneath him before he landed, causing Kobe to land on his foot and subsequently sprain his ankle. I'm not going to act like what Jones did was fair, that's a harsh move in basketball, but it happens. To stars like Bryant especially. It's a little rough, but you get used to it and you do it back, and you keep on taking it to them. What you don't do is cry to the audience that they're not playing fair.

And what we shouldn't do is act like he's so different from everybody else, and treat him like a player, not a star. Kobe called out the refs' decision in that game, saying that it should have been a flagrant foul, which is very strictly punished in the NBA. As Fascist as it seems, the NBA really suppresses any and all negative criticism. The Raptors coach Whatever-his-name-is got fined 25 grand for saying he's "tired of losing games because of missed calls at the end of the game." 25 Grand! Just for suggesting that NBA referees are imperfect. It makes me feel pretty good that I'm constantly writing about people being imperfect and I don't pay a damn cent.

But instead of being consistent and slapping a similar fine on Bryant for saying that the refs missed a call. In fact, the NBA issued a statement conceding to Bryant, essentially saying 'you're right, we're sorry, good job on that one buddy'. Why should he be treated differently? Next time don't kick your leg out - a move you made especially famous.