Kobe Bryant Born Again

Down on South Figeuora street in South Central L.A. there used be the Mark Twain branch of the L.A. County Public Library system. As a seventh grader, I stopped there each day on my way home from school. One Indian Summer September afternoon, I found a book entitled, " They call me, Mr. Clutch." It was the story of Jerry West. I must've read the book fifty times. I listened to every Laker game on the radio and watched Chick Hearn and Lynn Shackelford broadcast the games on Channel 9. That was a long time ago.  Conservatively, I would estimate that I've watched Jerry West play 300 times. Although I admired Big O's game, I didn't see him as often because he was off in Cincinnati (and later, Milwaukee). No NBA TV or Sports Center in those days, my friends.

Jerry West , in my eyes, was the finest guard to every step on a court-- I would have argued this with any fan, coach or broadcaster. There were many great ones, but Jerry West soared above all others. Until now. Jerry West has been replaced by Kobe Bryant.

What Leonardo did for Christian iconography, Kobe has done for basketball. He is, at once, the finest player alive today.

This recent scoring surge (65, 50, 62 and 50) has brought the "Kobe haters' out in full effect. "Yeah, he is selfish and he just shoots all the time," is some of oddball commentary I've heard.

Isn't scoring the highest level skill in basketball? Isn't that the nature of the game...to 'score' the basketball? I have said in my essays on basketball that 'passing' is an overrated skill. The salient, most valuable skill in passing is learning when not to. Passes very easily become turnovers--and turnovers are substantively de-moralizing.  My study of the game has led to this conclusion: "Knowing when to pass--and when not to-- is a high level cognitive skill that few players possess. Passing, for the sake of passing-- that is with no purposefulness-- creates more problems than it solves." Knowing 'how' to pass is a skill that can be taught-- knowing "when," and 'to whom' are, to quote Mark Twain, 'the difference between being struck by lightning or a lightning bug." What Kobe is doing epitomizes the quiescent elegance of the game-- he is scoring with the jump shot and from the foul line. Against the New Orleans people (coached by former Laker great Byron Scott), Kobe went 18-for-18 from the line. He was, from the field, 16-for-29. And that's on jump shots. Who, in the history of the game, has done this? No disrespect meant to Wilt-- what he did for the game cannot be quantified. But remember, Wilt averaged 50.1 PPG on shots taken from five feet away from the basket. Kobe is averaging over fifty on jump shots under duress. How can this be? Because the guy is fundamentally sound--obsessively so!  Consider this as you're studying him:

• 1. Pristine footwork
• 2. Use of the 'shot fake'
• 3. Pull-up jump shots
• 4. Use of the spin dribble to create space, avoid contact and negate the 'help'
• 5. The two-foot jump stop.

Bryant's commitment to fundamentals and the sanctity of his execution sets him apart. Every aspect of his offensive game is enriched through fundamentals and sound basketball principles. His approach to offensive basketball is practical, realistic and effective. What, then, defines, offensive basketball execution in one-on-one situations-- what commonalities exist amongst great offensive players? Here are three common aspects: -

They unbalance the defender (with a job, shot fake or ball fake) to create an advantage - Once the advantage is created, they exploit it cleverly and concisely - They initiate the contact with defenders-- think: first strike capability.

Bryant's dribble attack sequences emanate from a precise ability to move defenders-- to bring them either upright in their stance-- or, encourage them to shift their body weight. The moves may be 'flashy' at times,. but they are founded on solid basketball pedagogy. Which brings me to Jerry West (career scoring average: 27.1 PPG.) The Lakers, during the West/Baylor years had two primary scorers: West and Baylor. And, when Baylor retired, that responsibility fell to the underrated Gail Goodrich. (I've always been a Goodrich fan; aside from the fact we have the UCLA connection, he was one of the best high school players to ever come out of Los Angeles.) Stopping West/Baylor was always the key to beating the Lakers-- this was no secret. But, who ever stopped them? And West, who had but one move, only went to his left with the same frequency that Limbaugh is actually right. Laker broadcaster Chick Hearn: "...ball in to Wilt, he swings it left side to West...two bounce dribble, jumper...GOOD..Mister Clutch." Hearn coined the metaphor, "frozen rope' to immortalize West's 'lack of arc' jump shot. Baylor and West are the spiritual antecedents of Bryant-- and he has tapped into "Zoë' of their basketball energy. They are his basketball fathers. His game combines the fine-tuned elements of both. Bryant's mid-range and pull-up jump shot is pure Jerry West. His shot fake, spin and 'step-through' is pure Elgin Baylor.

He isn't part of some new generation of basketball player that's turning the game into a 'hip-hop' club; but instead, his game is a sacred homage to men who bask on the pantheon of basketball greatness. West, nor Baylor were ever called selfish--and, they shot the ball all the time. Scoring, in basketball, is not democratic-- it is meritocratic.

Comments

[Cameron]

Excellent article....some people seem to have forgotten, to win the game you have to score more points than the other team

[Terrance]

Amen....Hate him or love him Kobe is without doubt the best basketball player in the world.

[j0mai_0ng]

well to WIN, u can also stop the other team from scoring more (to cameron).... it should be both, defense and offense (",) Well.. and he can't win it by scoring alone.. he needs to make his teammates be involved more... so that their confidence as a team grows more... which they were doing more now than the past season... wish they can do it more, and every game... i was almost a Kobe fan... until the Lakers got rid of Shaq... yup! superb offense and defense Kobe has... lol... but what can he do without Shaq?... They got good players now, hope they really become a good team... might become a laker fan again... Jordan is still the best player... i am a Magic Johnson fan though... well. its just my opnion... cool article.....

[Ed]

Kobe's game is pure.. pure imitation of MJ's. One does not need to "study" him to know that.

[Joel]

Kobe's game is not pure imitation of MJ's. Only an ignorant fool will say that.

Kobe's game has some similarities with MJ. What kid growing up in the late 80's and early 90's was not copying MJ's moves? However, Kobe has a better jump shot and longer range than MJ. Overall, and with MJ's spectacular accomplishments in mind, I would rate Kobe's offensive skills higher than MJ.

[Dennis]

I agree with you Ed. Kobe is better dribbler and has longer range than MJ. I used seeing MJ always going for a dunk or lay up when he is younger.

[terry bethea]

good, insightful article.
this is sports writing the way it should be.
most fundamentally sound players have a common thread among them, as your article suggests.
what KB has done shows that a talented player, with the mentality and desire to grow a complete game....can develop one.

there are some talented young players in the league who need to "develop"....or they will suffer the fate of "failed promise'.

the gift of talent coupled with the desire to steward that talent and develop it.....
can create greatness.

that may be what created the gulf between Shaq and Kobe.....KB wanted to work, develop
and accepted no limits or restrictions on his growth...he still wants that today.
for someone who does not possess that desire
it can be an irritation. it irritated most
of MJ's teammates early on....as it did KB's
early on. i do not hear that about Lebron,
DWade or Carmelo or Bosh......for their sakes i hope they are working on their game.

thanks.....

jtb

[Steve]

Great article; never thought to make the comparisons to Elgin and Jerry (too young to have ever watched them play). But to compare MJ to Kobe is silly; to compare anyone to MJ is silly. Interesting tidbit I heard on the 4 letter's little brother the other day between Skip Bayless and Greg Anthony...Michael is the greatest ever, but Kobe is the greatest scorer ever. Works good for me, as a Lakers fan and a basketball fan. You can't help but be mesmerized at how he plays the game, it's ridiculous.

[Kayode]

Tremendous article. I'd have to agree; in the last fortnight Kobe has exhibited the finest offensive arsenal in the world today. Why?
F-U-N-D-A-M-E-N-T-A-L-S.

This talk of comparisons however, is tiring. No two athletes are the same, and Kobe is doing what will no doubt cause future players to be compared to him. He needs to be appreciated as just what he is, and that is the best basketball player in the world right now.

Those who say Kobe doesn't pass should take note of what the article says about passing and note that he is averaging 5+ apg along with 30+ points (and just under 6 rpg).

As for players working on their game, I honestly don't know if Melo, DWade and LeBron are on Kobe's level in terms of work ethic. One player who is however, is Gilbert Arenas.

Also, keep a close eye on Luol Deng. He also has an unquestionable work ethic, and a very mature approach to the game. He will use this off-season to work on his speed, strength and handle, and will likely add a reliable 3 point shot and a couple of post moves to his repertoire.

As for Kobe, the haters will come, but he'll continue to dominate until he retires because he's not relying on his athleticism (unlike LeBron and DWade) to score all these points. He is a fantastic shooter with rock solid fundamentals.