With NBA-GAF being grounded by the powers that be(NOT INTENDED TO BE A REPLACEMENT THREAD, JUST WANT TO DISCUSS KOBE BRYANT), I wanted to start a conversation about the world's most popular basketball player, Kobe Bryant. I've been a fan for as long as I can remember, but I am concerned about how his deterioration and unwillingness to put the team first will affect the Lakers future. Sure he has helped bring the Lakers 5 titles, and racked up countless individual awards, but this season has illustrated 5 reasons why the Lakers should trade him this offseason.
1. No longer clutch
Despite the mythical assertions that Kobe Bryant has the clutch gene and is the most dangerous player with the ball in his hand in the 4th, the stats show otherwise. According to 82games, Bryant is only shooting 27% in total FGs, 20% from beyond the arc, and 71% from the free throw line in crunch time when the game is in the balance. This season alone, it's been frustrating watch him repeatedly take horrible, contested jump shots when there's other guys that are wide open. For every game winner Kobe has recently hit, there seems to be 7-8 that he has missed.
2. Kobe is now a volume scorer
Besides Kobe's rookie year where he shot 41% from the field, this is the poorest Kobe has ever shot. Compounding the issue is that he's averaging almost 24 shots a game. By comparison, when he was in Eff-U mode in the 05-06 season with scrubs like Smush Parker and Brain Cook, he was averaging 27 shots per game. Considering he's on a team with Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol, that's inexcusable. Despite his widely reported trips to Hakeem, Kobe is not efficient and continues to love chucking up shots from 18-22 ft.
3. Andrew Bynum has arrived
By all statistical analyses, Andrew Bynum should be getting the most shots of anyone on the 2012 Lakers squad. With higher minutes, he's getting career averages across the board and he'd be even better if Kobe wasn't busy shooting 24 times a game. Additionally, Bynum is showing he has the clutch gene. Bynum is more than capable of being a 4th quarter closer. His 82 Games clutch stats show a 83% field goal clip, and he's shooting 75% from the stripe. Bynum's defensive effort has taken a big jump too. He's rebounding more and blocking/altering more shots than ever. Kobe's insistence on being "the guy" is serving as a progress stopper. The Lakers would be a more efficient and tougher opponent if Kobe would embrace the sidekick role like he did with Shaq, but that's not happening. Can you see Kobe pulling a Tim Duncan and letting Tony Parker take over as the scoring leader? Exactly...
4.Money
Kobe is slated to earn over 58 million in the next two seasons effectively killing the Lakers capability to get young talent in free agency. Father time will also be catching up to Kobe in a more noticeable way, and the Lakers shouldn't waste the prime years of Andrew Bynum by paring him with a fading star with a big ego and diminishing skills. By freeing themselves of Kobe's contract, the Lakers would have greater flexibility to retool and position themselves to land the next franchise wing player to carry on the Lakers championship aspirations.
5. Kobe Still Has Value
Kobe is widely considered to be an asshole teammate, much like Jordan was. You don't really get respect from Kobe unless you take it. Throughout his career, I've never seen Kobe go out of his way to have his teammates shine, especially when it would take the spotlight off of him. At age 35-36, it's hard to imagine Kobe stepping into the background to let others gradually take on leadership of the club. By trading Kobe while his stock is high or amnestying his contract, the Lakers can accelerate the rebuilding process with young, talented and cheap assets from other clubs. Sure Kobe would designate the trade partners since he has a no-trade clause, but if the right deal doesn't present itself, the Lakers could amnesty his bloated contract. Either would be a better scenario than a 36 year old Kobe chasing records at the expense of team chemistry and winning.
As much as I appreciate what Kobe has done for the team over the last 16 years, my allegiance to the Lakers supplants any one individual. Kobe's time is almost up, and he's the only one that doesn't seem to recognize it. When you put up 10-27, 3-20, 9-20, 10-23, and 11-25 performances over the past five games...c'mon son.
Time to turn the page and do the unthinkable, what say you?
