Bill Simmons chimes in on Kobe
Bill Simmons isn’t too keen on all the talk about how Kobe Bryant went through a metamorphosis this season.
They had the second-best player in the league (Kobe), the second-best center (Pau Gasol), a talented forward with a unique set of skills (Lamar Odom), a breakout swingman (Trevor Ariza), a terrific leader and character guy at point (Derek Fisher), and that’s about it. They caught three breaks from February on — Kevin Garnett’s knee injury killing Boston’s season, Cleveland stupidly opting not to move Wally Szczerbiak’s expiring contract for one more piece, and Yao Ming breaking his foot in Round 2 — and cruised from there. You would not call them great, just very good. I would compare them to the 2003 Spurs, 2005 Spurs or 2006 Heat — the cream of a flawed crop of contenders.
Did they deserve to win the title? Of course. But they didn’t win because Kobe “really wanted this” and “trusted his teammates” and “finally figured it out” and all that revisionist crap.
If you’re playing the “Shut up, Kobe was better this spring!” card, your only real evidence is two signature Kick-Butt Kobe Finals Games (Games 1 and 5). But if you’re selling the “Kobe finally gets it” angle, then why was he gunning for 40 points at the tail end of a Game 1 blowout when he had already taken 30-plus shots? In Game 2, why did he go one-on-four for the winning basket (and miss) and ignore three wide-open teammates? Why did everyone so willingly gloss over the fact that, from the second quarter of Game 3 through overtime of Game 4, he missed 31 of 46 shots and kept shooting, anyway? Or that, near the tail end of Game 5, Kobe was so desperate to drain the clinching dagger that he clanged two 27-footers and allowed Orlando to climb within 12? Or that he didn’t have a single clutch moment in the Finals other than his sweet dish to Gasol during their frantic Game 4 comeback.
The entire piece is worth a read, especially for all of the Kobe apologists and Kobe haters out there. Simmons is quite complimentary towards the end.
I think Bryant altered his game somewhat, but it had as much (or more) to do with a much improved supporting cast as it did with any substantive changes to his mentality as the Lakers’ best player. He still took a number of bad shots, but he passed the ball more. The mentality to take over is still there and he doesn’t have complete trust in his teammates, but I’d say he has an appropriate trust in his teammates.
Simmons focuses on the change between last year and this year and, honestly, I don’t think Kobe changed much in that span. In the instant the Lakers acquired Pau Gasol, Kobe went from unhappy to happy. It was that acquisition that made Kobe believe that the Lakers really had the roster that could go the distance. His outlook was more positive and it (usually) translated to his on-court demeanor.
Posted in: NBA, NBA Finals
Tags: 2009 NBA Finals, Bill Simmons, Bill Simmons Kobe, Bill Smmons on Kobe, Kobe, Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
Bill simmoms is a douche bag
That article was excellent. I never read him, I don’t know, maybe because I’m not into longwinded basketball discussion as much as I am baseball, but since you and I have discussed Kobe lately I decided to read the entire thing on ESPN’s page.
I never thought about Kobe’s recent success in the span of 2 years from the 2008 NBA season to the 2008 Olympics to the 2009 NBA season. As Simmons points, what Kobe did in these past two years is one of the best athletic performances not even in the history of basketball, but in the history of sport. The fact that the guy did it while turning 30 is even more astonishing.
But we all know, it’s not Kobe’s talent that makes him a polarizing figure. At this point, I wouldn’t even say it’s his personality (because Kobe might not even know anymore), but it’s the way he has handled pivotal situations.
Simmons makes a point that I have made in our discussions: Kobe was thrust into the limelight at way too young an age, winning championships, and consequently being labeled at around age 20 that he was already the best player in the NBA. What that must create in the young mind and ego is something I’ll never know.
Though my memory may be a little hazy, by the time Kobe was 21 or so, the media had already labeled him (and given him the arduous task) of becoming the next Jordan. Think about it this way: for the young 20-something, that title must immediately go to one’s head. Not only that, but it must make everyone around the league slightly despise you — putting an invisible blockade over friendships you might want to form with other players.
It’s with this last point that Simmons really shines, by exposing the humanism in Bryant: he’s never really had anyone but himself. It’s sad, true, and although it’s a schmaltzy statement, it’s something I think “Kobe Haters” never consider when thinking about the guy.
Jordan had a much easier and storybook path. He was able to prove himself against worthy competion (Isiah, Bird, Barkley, Malone, Magic), and earned respect from his peers over the years. Jordan won a championship in his 6th season I believe. Kobe, was a bench player for three seasons, then won the his first championship in his first starting year in his fourth season. Everything happened so fast and consequently, I think, other players did not want to respect this young kid.
The Colorado scandal happened, further distancing himself from fans and fellow NBA players. He had to deal with Shaq, one of the game’s premier and most beloved stars, in the wake of NBA/hip-hop/thug ball taking not just the U.S.A., but the world by storm. Nobody wanted to like this guy. And as Simmons points out, he really had nobody to support him. Nobody to support him but himself, and therein lies the “it’s all about Kobe” complex. But really, the media, other players, and unfortunate/unavoidable situations are to play JUST AS MUCH as Kobe himself. That’s what I’ve been trying to express, but Simmons found the perfect angle to voice my views. It’s all about Kobe because the guy had no other choice.
For Jordan, nobody was ever as good as him so there was no precedent. Kobe will always have to live up to what Jordan did. Jordan earned respect from his peers over a fair amount of time before being recognized and respected in the league. Kobe was quickly thrust into this “greatness” and these “expectations” after quickly winning titles — as a result pressured by the media and scorned by other players. Furthermore (and I am really, really, stressing right now that I do not mean to sound disrespectful or insensitive), the death of Jordan’s father made the entire league and sports world care for him by leaps of bounds. That unfortunate incident would forever be locked into people’s minds and usher and unending support for His Airness. What personal incident does Kobe have? Colorado, a situation Kobe will forever be faulted for because he put himself in that situation. Unfortunately, this is the one incident that people will remember when citing Kobe’s personality. You can already see the contrast between him and Jordan. There’s every reason to love Jordan (as a fan or player) and every reason to hate Kobe (as a fan or player).
Great article by Simmons. One of the best I’ve read this year.
Apparently the “Colorado scandall” happened…
Oh, it happened alright and he paid to make that go away..Go ahead and make him your hero…He’s not mine.
Haha, did you even read what I wrote? The whole thing is about how I understand why Kobe is seen in this negative light.
I used “The Colorado scandal happened” as a segue-way, not as a means to lessen what happened there. There’s nothing in here that paints this guy as my hero, you dork. “Go ahead and make him your hero, he’s not mine.” I’ve never seen such a misguided and self-righteous statement, and what made it all the better is that it was posted on a sports blog. Do you really know people who’s heroes are basketball players? Please tell me you don’t. I think Kobe’s situation is a pitiful one indeed, and one I would never look up to it as I would a “hero.” The dude from the Dos Equis commercials is more of a hero of mine than Kobe Bryant.
Yeah, and he paid to make that scandal “go away” because we all know everyone forgot about it and walked away unharmed. Money has truly bought happiness for Kobe Bryant.