Erick Blasco Posted April 1, 2010 Report Share Posted April 1, 2010 If Kobe Bryant is first-team All Defense, then so am I. The guy does nothing but roam on defense and allow his man to shoot wide-open 3s. Why do you and other professional NBA-watchers consider Kobe to be a great defender? – AI, Washington, DC You are absolutely correct in taking Kobe to task for devoting too much time and effort to chasing the ball on defense. But he is guilty of this only when he’s defending a “lesser” player, i.e., one who isn’t one of the top two scorers on his team and therefore hasn’t earned Kobe’s full measure of respect. On the other hand, Kobe will always buckle down and play aggressive straight-up defense when he’s matched up against a superstar of equivalent magnitude. Even though he’s routinely overpowered by the likes of LeBron or ‘Melo, Kobe will never back down. It’s an ego thing for Kobe as he desperately wants to prove that he’s the most accomplished two-way player in the NBA. Against players who can challenge his competitive spirit and who lack a significant edge in size and/or strength — guys like Dwyane Wade, Vince Carter, Kevin Durant, Brandon Roy, Manu Ginobilihttp://images.intellitxt.com/ast/adTypes/2_11pxw.gif and Joe Johnson — Kobe can be a stopper. But this occurs only if Kobe’s interest is thoroughly engaged. Or, if the game on the line is of critical importance. So, track Kobe’s defense throughout the playoffs to discover his true excellence. http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/rosen-analysis-033110 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kobe24 Posted April 1, 2010 Report Share Posted April 1, 2010 I agree I would definitely say his defense is mediocre unless he is motivated and buckles down. But when he is he is definitely all 1st team. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChosenOne Posted April 1, 2010 Report Share Posted April 1, 2010 Hopefully he is just resting till the playoffs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warren2ThaG Posted April 1, 2010 Report Share Posted April 1, 2010 I can contest shots better then him, plus I'm quicker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owner Real Deal Posted April 1, 2010 Owner Report Share Posted April 1, 2010 I can contest shots better then him, plus I'm quicker. People that say his defense is bad...they don't understand what he has to do, and they apparently don't see how bad Farmar and Fisher are. There are times where Gasol has to come out and defend a guard on the perimeter, even without a switch on a screen, because Fisher loses him (and I have no idea how, it just happens). Kobe sacrifices the three to deflect penetrating guards. He's been doing it forever. It doesn't help that we have two soft bigs in the middle, who those guards aren't scared of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Regime Posted April 1, 2010 Report Share Posted April 1, 2010 (edited) As Brandon said it doesnt help that we have two soft big men and pg's who allow any opposing guard to penetrate with ease. Kobe is forced to help because other guys arent doing their jobs. I'll admit that Kobe is "lazy" a few times but then again who goes all out for the full time. All in all Kobe and Artest have done a solid job defensively. Edited April 1, 2010 by Confidence Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemon Posted April 1, 2010 Report Share Posted April 1, 2010 I understand that he's one of the best defenders on the team, but there are a few things that annoy me some of which were explained in the article. One thing is that he'll give a lot of space to people behind the three point line. This is one is getting pretty obvious. Now yesterday against Atlanta was a good reason that he should've been roaming more towards the paint because, well, we gave up a [expletive] ton of layups/dunks. But when Bynum comes back I think he should make that less of a habit. The twin towers are soft but they aren't the worst defenders, and they have to learn. Another thing is that Kobe himself thinks he's playing safety, roaming and ignoring his man. Dont get me wrong tho, if there's any man who should be roaming, it's Kobe. However, there doesn't even have to be a free safety. I feel that if Kobe actually plays his man, team defense can establish better so that there isn't any defensive lapses. Maybe it's confirmation bias, but many times I see that it's Kobe's or Farmar's man who gets the open shot. Also the thing that annoys me the most is that Kobe will almost never attempt to block a dunk, not even with his offhand. He just refuses to be a on the bad end of a poster. Overall though, our defense is a lot more consistent than last season and i couldn't be happier about it. We regressed a little bit this month, but ultimately we're still identified as a strong defensive team. Now we just gotta figure out the offense... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YugoRocketsFan Posted April 1, 2010 Report Share Posted April 1, 2010 I understand that he's one of the best defenders on the team, but there are a few things that annoy me some of which were explained in the article. One thing is that he'll give a lot of space to people behind the three point line. This is one is getting pretty obvious. Now yesterday against Atlanta was a good reason that he should've been roaming more towards the paint because, well, we gave up a [expletive] ton of layups/dunks. But when Bynum comes back I think he should make that less of a habit. The twin towers are soft but they aren't the worst defenders, and they have to learn. Another thing is that Kobe himself thinks he's playing safety, roaming and ignoring his man. Dont get me wrong tho, if there's any man who should be roaming, it's Kobe. However, there doesn't even have to be a free safety. I feel that if Kobe actually plays his man, team defense can establish better so that there isn't any defensive lapses. Maybe it's confirmation bias, but many times I see that it's Kobe's or Farmar's man who gets the open shot. Also the thing that annoys me the most is that Kobe will almost never attempt to block a dunk, not even with his offhand. He just refuses to be a on the bad end of a poster. Overall though, our defense is a lot more consistent than last season and i couldn't be happier about it. We regressed a little bit this month, but ultimately we're still identified as a strong defensive team. Now we just gotta figure out the offense... Post more seriously, you have very good knowledge for a Lakers fan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kobe24 Posted April 1, 2010 Report Share Posted April 1, 2010 Only reason he has goood knowledge in your eyes is cause he bashed kobe somewhat. Lol Slaven your so funny. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YugoRocketsFan Posted April 1, 2010 Report Share Posted April 1, 2010 Only reason he has goood knowledge in your eyes is cause he bashed kobe somewhat. Lol Slaven your so funny. No its because he actually knows his stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owner Real Deal Posted April 1, 2010 Owner Report Share Posted April 1, 2010 Overall though, our defense is a lot more consistent than last season and i couldn't be happier about it. We regressed a little bit this month, but ultimately we're still identified as a strong defensive team. Now we just gotta figure out the offense...Our defense is a lot more inconsistent than it was last season. Just because we're ranked in the top five doesn't make us consistent. We play excellent, outstanding defense for most of the game, but we falter and give up a lot of points when we can't afford to, and that's one of two of the biggest reasons why we are on the losing end of games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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