Comments on: Lakers defensive issues start at the top, lead to 117-110 Jazz win

By: paulhargis53

paulhargis53 — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 14:08:20 +0000

Bozo/lakerluver: Glad to see you waste all of your time posting to and about me.

It’s ok, I know you have a crush on me. I’m sorry though, I like women not men.
You will find that special guy for you, he’s out there. You just have to quit giving out the oral treats on your 1st dates.

I’m glad, at least that you’ve come to grips with who you are and are fully exploring your alternative lifestyle.

It’s just PBT is not the forum for that. People want to talk basketball, not about your homoerotic fantasies and little nicknames for guys you like on here.

I’m sure its rough for you and its a new and scary world to “come out” in, but you will get it figured out.

By: bozosforall

bozosforall — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 04:35:29 +0000

Phil Jackson…almost as bitter as Pudhummer53.

By: bozosforall

bozosforall — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 04:33:34 +0000

If that is true, then Kevin Garnett is also living off of his reputation and getting recognition solely based on his past reputation. It really sucks to be Pudhummer53, where his words continually bite him in the ass.

By: bozosforall

bozosforall — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 04:28:47 +0000

Zacksdad, great observation. Particularly since Pudhummer53 is easily the biggest wannabe on here. Also the stupidest.

By: bozosforall

bozosforall — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 04:26:16 +0000

Your team isn’t winning a title, idiot boy. The recent gap between the two teams is FIVE titles to ONE. Sounds like you are merely a jealous loser.

By: bozosforall

bozosforall — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 04:22:17 +0000

The team of the biggest crybaby fans on the planet. Pudhummer53 being the biggest crybaby of all.

By: limonadamas

limonadamas — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 01:51:26 +0000

“Kobe has really never been an all world defender.”

You don’t really believe that, do you? He’s certainly dropped off a lot over the past 4 years or so, but prior to that, he was definitely top 5 on that end.

And if you’re gonna make the requisite Jordan comparison (which no one asked you to do), it would be unfair to compare the current Kobe with the memory you have of Jordan in his prime. I’d say the current Kobe plays much better defense than Wizards Jordan.

But I do agree with the notion that Kobe’s defense has been overrated for several years. I don’t think you’ll find anyone arguing against that.

By: spthegr8

spthegr8 — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 22:50:41 +0000

@wsuperman4445
Somehow I am not surprised, too find a BITTER magic fan “TROLLING” on a Laker post. I can’t blame you guy’s, for resenting us Laker fans. I mean look @ our history together. Shaq left that JOKE of a franchise, too come too LA and become a champion. Then we KICK ur A$$ in the Final’s a couple of years ago. Then Dwight force’s his way outta there and come’s too LA, too become a champion. Do you see my point??? See what I am getting @ ??? In case you are slow, which I presume you are being that you are a magic fan in all. I’ll just be a nice guy and tell you. We are SUPERIOR too you LOSER in EVERYWAY.!!! That’s the REALITY here. We ALWAYS have been and I think it’s safe too say, we ALWAYS will be. You should just accept it, because it will help you move forward and try too get over ALL that we have done too your PATHETIC lil franchise. You should thank me for enlightening or giving you a REALITY CHECK!!!!!!

By: paulhargis53

paulhargis53 — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 22:22:50 +0000

unex: I will take Phil Jackson’s opinion over yours or any othe poster any day of the week and twice on Sunday.

Just type in Phil Jackson Kobe overrated defense.

Kobe hasn’t been elite defensively for a long time. Saying he has been throughout his career is blatant homerism.

I think PJ would know better than anyone.

By: unxpexted1

unxpexted1 — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 20:49:09 +0000

Kobe has been a top tier defender throughout his career and even in his “ballhog” days was guarded the best player on the other team throughout the year. The problem obviousy is age when it comes to his defense. The biggest thing i notice is he cant get around pick and rolls like he used to. That body is older, he cant fight through this screens quick enough. The other is not his fault, people talk about how he struggles defensively againt a Rondo or a Russell Westbrook. Kobe is 6’6, asking him to guard younger and shorter(quicker) players is just ridiculous. He doesnt stand a chance, thats just an indictment against Laker PG’s throughout the year. you’d call artest a defensive stopper? You notice they dont ask him to guard russell westbrook and all these smaller players. So number one the fact that Kobe is willing to guard these players shows his defensive mindset, unfortunately they are just bad matchups for him at this stage in his career, yet there seems to be nobody else on the team who stands a chance.

If i had to critique Kobe’s defense on one other thing is that I feel like he cheats in the paint too much and doesnt have the speed to close out on shooters like he once did i.e. Danny Green play

By: barkley4life

barkley4life — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 19:28:19 +0000

You saw the most telling sign that Kobe could no longer be the ballstopper that he once was during the Shaq run, in the second tussle with the Celtics for the championship. Much of that series he was switching and playing Rondo for long stretches and although Rondo’s perimeter game was virtually nonexistent he was making Kobe work immensely in transition and pick and roll. Big reason for Kobe being 7 for 23 in Game 7 was that he had to expend so much energy on both ends and no longer had the athleticism etc to do that like he once did.

Fast foward that to last year and the OKC matchup and when Kobe had to guard RW there just wasn’t any way he could keep up. His best defense was wearing out James Harden on offense which was the key to Harden having a terrible series.

However Mamba is still Mamba(BEAST) doesn’t take away hes still a great player even if he’s declining a bit. However Father Time always wins.

By: paulhargis53

paulhargis53 — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 19:12:06 +0000

I take nothing away from his offensive game.
He is not in the same stratosphere as Jordan defensively though.

No, I don’t trust the coaches balloting on this award. It’s a reputation vote.
Kobe hasn’t been a top tier defender for years, yet he still makes 1st or 2nd team all defense.
How do you explain that? It was by design that he doesn’t play defense, he would expend to much
Energy to be able to hoist up his20-30 shots per game.

Look, just because you’re a laker fan and I’m not, doesnt mean
You can’t admit he isn’t a top flight defensive player. I’m being a realist a out it.

Also, I apologize for the double posting.

By: wsuperman4445

wsuperman4445 — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 18:39:59 +0000

To Spthegr8 Well, you Laker Groupies had it all figured out.. Remember you have now the Defensive Player of the NBA on your team.. so what’s the Problem? or could it be.. that Dwight looked so good because the team ( The Magic) was designed around him? and now he is exposed, he is just another over paid better than average player? as this season wears on.. the Magic are looking more like Prophets and less like the laughing stock that some thought them to be for letting Howard Go and not taking Bynum.in return. . by the way hows that guy working out in Philly? anyone seen him? oh yea hurt his knee again bowling.. this from a guy that suppose to be rehab his Knees for a Start in Philly.. Lake fans its only going to get worse for you.. I am waiting on Dwight to get Frustrated enough and pull a ” My Back hurts” line on the lakers like he did the Magic and sit out the rest of the season until trade time… you heard it here first.. .

By: wsuperman4445

wsuperman4445 — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 18:21:22 +0000

nbascreed, what makes this worse ( and interesting) is now the Lakers have whiner 1 Kobe and Whiner 2 Dwight. I am betting this team simply Implodes at before the end of the year.. to many head cases like I predicted .. the whiner Brothers, ( Kobe, Dwight) the Head case ( Metta) and Mr Insecure (Gasol)

By: zacksdad

zacksdad — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 18:05:24 +0000

I trust the coaches opinions that actually coach against him than any of us wanna be bloggers. For all the awards voting, what do do think is the most reliable? Writers have grudges against players that will not talk to them and fans are team blind. I would say he two best reliable voters are coaches and other players. Now the coaches poll in college football is bad because they do not play or watch the teams they actually vote on.

I know Kobe has faults, but he wants to win more than almost anyone else. There are very few you can put in the same boat with him, Jordan is one also. I believe Shaq and LeBron are much better natural athletes than Kobe or Jordan, but Kobe’s and Jordan’s desire to win makes them much better players.

By: lmoneyfresh

lmoneyfresh — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 18:01:28 +0000

Who would have thought that getting your teammates involved could be beneficial.

By: paulhargis53

paulhargis53 — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 17:34:40 +0000

zacksdad: It’s presumed to be done by the coaches. Anyway, a lot of players are voted in by reputation alone. Kobe has really never been an all world defender.
He’s usually matched up against the worst offensive player. He’s more about offense than anything. As he ages, its more noticeable that he isn’t defending at a top 10 level.
I don’t think coaches take the balloting quite as serious as you think. If they did, Kobe wouldn’t be 1st team 9 times.

He’s not even worth 2nd or 3rd team.

I’m not saying he can’t play defense, its just that he’s not top 15 defense. wise let one top 5.

By: zacksdad

zacksdad — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 17:03:10 +0000

The defensive team is voted in by the coaches, so why would they vote for the big name players? I understand the all star voting by the fans is a popularity vote, but coaches do it also?

By: paulhargis53

paulhargis53 — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 16:48:32 +0000

Too bad its a well known fact that Phil kept journals of each season he coached, huh lounge?
These were his thought DURING the season He’s never been known to pull punches because of ego either.
I feel sorry for you and fans like you. Your inability to accept that your team is flawed and to admit players/teams deficiencies is why yo can’t understand 9-12.

By: paulhargis53

paulhargis53 — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 16:18:47 +0000

lounge: Too bad its a well known fact that Phil Jackson kept a journal of each f his NBA seasons as coach.
That book wasn’t ” a scorned man” as you make it out to be. It was an honest personal assessment of a team HE COACHED. He’s never been one to pull punches for the sake of egos.

fan. If you are referring to me, yes I am a Celtics fan. So what? There are no rules saying I can’t comment on other teams. You just don’t want to hear the truth about your team.

By: mogogo1

mogogo1 — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 15:38:22 +0000

The bigger question is what would they do in the playoffs? Defense wins in the playoffs and right now they simply aren’t playing it. I like D’Antonio but I still don’t see how this roster fits his style outside of Nash. (And Nash isn’t as young (or healthy) as he was when he excelled in this system, either.) To expect a shot within 7 seconds means you’re going to be rushing back on defense A LOT over the course of a game. That’s tough on old and tired legs and tougher still if you’re not fully committed to the process, which it appears Kobe is not at the moment.

By: spthegr8

spthegr8 — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 15:34:52 +0000

Our D is F**KIN PATHETIC!!! It was with brown & now it is with D’antoni. Which tells me it’s the PLAYERS!!!! Everybody STOP blaming EVERYTHING on the coaches!! @ some point we gta look @ the players!! Playing D is a want, a desire. That we don’t have right now & our record shows it!! It’s really quite simple. Better effort on D = more W’s!! It’s not rocket science. I don’t care WHO your coach is, he can’t guard your man for you or make you rotate & help your teammate. That is the PLAYERS!!!

By: klownboy

klownboy — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 15:08:19 +0000

This is why I thought the Lakers should have brought back Phil Jackson. You can’t tell me that the Lakers would have been rolling under a familiar and respected face. Jim Buss is obviously intent on running this franchise into the ground.
http://wp.me/p1gCK6-vV

By: fanofevilempire

fanofevilempire — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 14:59:54 +0000

isn’t your team the Celtics……………

By: jammer73

jammer73 — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 14:40:49 +0000

Lakers are going nowhere this year. They are old and washed up and DH will leave after the season as well. Welcome to the lottery…HA, HA, HA!!!!

By: loungefly74

loungefly74 — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 14:38:11 +0000

oh yeah…that book. a book equivalent of a scorned chick ripping her ex in every way possible…or a dude involved in nefarious activities himself and writing a tell-all to cash in.
yeah..Kobe may have been an All-Pro defender back in the day…but not anymore. the last few awards were on name-sake alone. kinda like when Jeter was getting Allstar votes during a horrible 1st half.

By: tomdrec42

tomdrec42 — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 14:20:55 +0000

Is it obvious yet that dantoni was a bad hire? The lakers just out there shooting a lot then giving up a lot of wide open shots. On top of that their offense despite the number isn’t very fluent or efficient. It’s also pretty ridiculous that the lakers pretty much lose every game Kobe scores a lot but the fool still out there shooting 25 times a game. As bad as Howard is in the post, the lakers are a much better team running the offense through him and featuring him. Our best games were when he was the focus through out the game n Kobe needs to pass da damn ball

By: omniusprime

omniusprime — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 14:09:50 +0000

After wasting a quarter of the season it is too late for the Lakers to find their groove Kurt Helin. As long as Dumbtoni is coaching the Lakers they will never find a winning groove. Their lack of effort on defense is a sure sign that they are not being coached properly. Dumbtoni is clueless on defense so why expect the Lakers to be rotating to help their mates?

Yes the rot starts at the top, the little idiot buss boy is to blame for the Laker’s woes. If Jerky Boy Jimmy wasn’t so arrogant and ignorant we’d be enjoying another round of Phil Jackson championship Showtime, even with injured players riding the pine. Kupcake seems unable to talk any sense into the billionaire trust fund baby trash, so we end up with Dumbtoni.

Dumbtoni is on a seek and destroy mission, he has been sought out by the little idiot buss boy and now he’s destroying the premier franchise of the NBA. Dumbtoni is the problem and only his firing will give the Lakers a chance to bring back Phil. When are you going to get over your bromance with Dumbtoni Kurt Helin and start calling for his firing?

Fire Dumbtoni!!! Fire the little idiot buss boy!!! We Want Phil!!! We Want Jeanie!!!

By: barkley4life

barkley4life — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 14:02:27 +0000

Kobe will drag this team to the playoffs on his own. However your dead on with everything else. Perimeter and transition are not the areas you can struggle in the Western Conference.

If they are to trade Pau its to get more athletic on the wings…this team has no problem scoring points…even without Nash.

By: paulhargis53

paulhargis53 — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 13:45:54 +0000

Check out what Phil Jackson is quoted as saying about Kobes defense and his being named to the all defense team.

The quote is taken from the book he wrote while coaching the lakers.
Hint: It’s not complimentary.