The Idea of A Kobe-less Lakers: The Good, the Bad and the Fugly

"[Monday] showed that he’s [Kobe] one of the top-five point guards in the league," said Lakers guard Nick Young. We needed him.” (sic)

"We're all so used to him being there in the last couple minutes of the game." 

Stop the presses! Nick Young is starting to realize what many already know: the Lakers still need Kobe Bean Bryant.  He’s still relevant to Lakers fans worldwide and to the NBA in general. But would this particular team benefit if Kobe was no longer sporting the purple and gold? 

Is Kobe the savior that can prevent this team from bottoming out in the standings, or is he a burden for the team to carry over the next two seasons? Let’s break it down and see if we can’t figure this out shall we?

The Good:

“We need him.”

A few weeks ago, Swaggy was asking Kobe for the rock. 

Nick hit one game winner, and some in Lakerdom were ready to hoist his jersey up in to the rafters with all the other greats like Magic, Mr. Clutch, and Wilt the Stilt to name a few. If Swaggy is ever to attain this honor, and I don’t think he will, he’ll have to hit a lot more game winners. He’d have to put up Kobe-like numbers (25+ game winners, an MVP trophy, numerous All-Star appearances and a few rings for starters) before they considered placing number 0 into the heavens.

So after a few games of not being able to perform in the clutch (with the team, not with Iggy), Nick realized the inevitable: Kobe is still the man: slightly withered, somewhat aged, and not quite as bouncy as he used to be…but still the man. Kobe is the guy you want shooting the ball as the clock winds down. Nick is a good 2^nd choice, but until Kobe is dragging one broken leg behind him, I’m passing him the ball for the winning shot (well…not really me…the Lakers never returned my call to join the squad; a minor oversight on their part I’m sure).

The Bad:

If Kobe is double or tripled-teamed, he’s still taking shots. The last five or six games notwithstanding, Kobe was not trusting anybody with the rock but himself. With his voice and stoic stares, he has shown his disgust with his teammate’s shortcomings. We’ve all seen “Angry Kobe”. But recently, I think Bryon Scott may have broken through the Kobe-Shield. He’s convinced Bryant to trust in his teammates, and now #24 is feeding them the ball. So we now have “Passing Kobe”. But is it a temporary fling? If his teammates don’t live up to his superstar expectations, will Kobe start firing 35 shots a game again? That, without a doubt, would be bad.

The Fugly:

The Lakers aren’t the worst team in the league, but if they don’t all get on the same page, they could bottom out. As previously mentioned, I like what Kobe has been doing the past few weeks. He involving everyone with his passing, and encouraging them to shoot. We all realize that this particular squad is not adding any hardware to the trophy case. But if they are close at the end of games, and they steal a few victories, that should satiate most of us (for this season anyway). If the tide turns, and Kobe becomes “Angry Non-passing Kobe”, we could be in for some real ugly games. I’ll take a losing, but hard fought, season over a split locker room any day.

So can we please dispense with the “Lakers would be better off without Kobe” chatter? He’s still our best chance of being competitive night in, and night out…period. The man has proven he can play with others (6000+ career assists, nearly 5 assists per game average over 19 years, oh, and five rings if that’s not proof enough), so let’s not get crazy with the predictions of how this squad would do sans Mr. Bryant. He may be older, but who else on this team is going fill those shoes?

And what exactly do people pay to see anyway? Jordan Hill throwing up a jump hook? Nick Young’s hair, or his girlfriend texting during the game? Robert Sacre’s latest tattoo? Steve Nash showing up to sit with his teammates on the bench? I think not. Everyone still wants to see the magic of Kobe Bean Bryant. Just look at the road games. The Lakers fans in the crowd are all wearing Kobe jerseys!

Kobe is still the face of this franchise. At least until his jersey is hoisted up there in the rafters with the other greats.

Till next time…