[RunItUpTheGut]

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Lakers trudged off the Staples Center floor late Saturday, a single loss now separating them from season's end, another fourth-quarter collapse once again causing their undoing. They didn't show much poise in the locker room, either, with Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum pointing blame at others for allowing the Oklahoma City Thunder to steal their second victory in three games.

Bryant missed eight of his 10 shots in the final quarter, but shrugged off his struggles by saying his teammates' lack of aggressiveness "forced" him to take tough shots. He also left no question which teammate deserved the most blame for the 103-100 loss in Game 4.

Pau Gasol.

Bryant faulted Gasol for not playing aggressive enough. It was also Gasol's turnover that led to Kevin Durant making the winning 3-pointer with 13.7 seconds left.

"Pau's got to be more assertive," Bryant said. "He's the guy they're leaving [open]. When he's catching the ball, he's looking to pass. He's got to be aggressive. He's got to shoot the ball or drive the ball to the basket. He will be next game."
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nba--kobe-b...lapse.html

[RunItUpTheGut]

I know one things for sure.....Id want this guy on my team :hilarious:

Kobe continues to be the biggest cry baby in the league.
Whether it was Gasols fault or not, you dont call out your most valuable teammate when your one game away from elimination.
Please do us all a favor and retire Kobe...

[K_Mac]

I watched his interview. People on here just look for anything to twist and cry about to hate on Kobe. Just like its ALWAYS his fault if they lose, but he is never the reason they won? I dont get some people.

[RunItUpTheGut]

Kobes done.

[ekff]

I watched his interview. People on here just look for anything to twist and cry about to hate on Kobe. Just like its ALWAYS his fault if they lose, but he is never the reason they won? I dont get some people.

Just like they do with Lebron....

[TidesHoss32]

Im with Kobe, lol..I dont like the Lakers, but for the most part, those guys are soft. Pau plays like he's afraid to sweat.

[WideRight05]

I do agree with Kobe because Pau Gasol should have taken that shot with 34 seconds left, but I don't agree with Kobe calling him out for it. For one thing, Kobe has messed up quite a bit in this series...so he is to talk. At the end of the day, it is a team effort.

[Spud6]

I'm sorry. But I agree with Kobe. He spoke up and said Pau has to be more aggressive and stop looking to pass the ball. I see nothing wrong with that? When you all were in HS and your teammate wasn't playing as good as you know he could. Did you not call him out and tell him to pick it up? He's just trying to light a fire under Pau to help the Lakers win.

[Ballers]

For once I agree with Kobe.
The year they won against Orlando a few years back, Pau played like a man among boys.
I don't know what's happened to him since..
Maybe he's not eating his steroids for breakfast? IDK.

While I agree with him, Kobe still sucks.

[RunItUpTheGut]

How many years does kobe have left?

[Ballers]

How many years does kobe have left?

Left? lol...
Well to answer your question, he's been playing on an empty tank for the past 2 years - so none. He will probably be playing with a cane next year.

[zaga_fan]

How many years does kobe have left?

This year was his best statistical year since 2007-2008.
Keep in mind it was a shortened season...
but I honestly think the procedure on his knee has given him at least 2 years and at most 3 years of top-5 scoring production left - and from then on out it will be based on how long he wants to play.

[LWC]

^How long will the Lakers hold on to him though? They have shown that they can and will release/trade superstars.

[Hoot Gibson]

This year was his best statistical year since 2007-2008.
Keep in mind it was a shortened season...
but I honestly think the procedure on his knee has given him at least 2 years and at most 3 years of top-5 scoring production left - and from then on out it will be based on how long he wants to play.

This is an amazing statement. Kobe Bryant hit only 43 percent of his field goal attempts and this was his best year statistically since 2007-2008? I wonder how long the Lakers will allow Kobe to hoist so many shots to keep his scoring average from declining as his skills slip away.

[zaga_fan]

This is an amazing statement. Kobe Bryant hit only 43 percent of his field goal attempts and this was his best year statistically since 2007-2008? I wonder how long the Lakers will allow Kobe to hoist so many shots to keep his scoring average from declining as his skills slip away.

More PPG, more RBs, comparable ASTs, more minutes...
Shot % isn't amazing but either way you look at it this is his best year in a while.

[Hoot Gibson]

More PPG, more RBs, comparable ASTs, more minutes...
Shot % isn't amazing but either way you look at it this is his best year in a while.

There is no way to defend the number of shots that Kobe shoots. He is a selfish player now and he will be a selfish player up until the moment he retires. The Lakers will not win another title unless they figure out a way to throttle him. LA has a chemistry problem and his name is Kobe.

[zaga_fan]

There is no way to defend the number of shots that Kobe shoots. He is a selfish player now and he will be a selfish player up until the moment he retires. The Lakers will not win another title unless they figure out a way to throttle him. LA has a chemistry problem and his name is Kobe.

I'm sorry...
I missed the part where defended the number of shots he took.
You must have imagined it when you saw someone say something good about Kobe and had to come in attempt to bust some balls and set the record straight.

I've come to realize that you can't say anything positive about Kobe on here without someone coming out of the woodwork and going in another direction.

Kobe is a career .453 shooter and this year he shot .430 from the field.
I don't see that as a huge dip in production and the only thing that I said was that he has had his best statistical year since 07-08. If he would have played in the last game of the season he would have been the scoring champ. He has two or three good seasons left in him and when the Lakers won championships he has always taken a lot of shots.

2000 - 18.0 FGA
2001 - 22.2 FGA
2002 - 20.0 FGA
2009 - 20.9 FGA
2010 - 21.5 FGA

This year and last year he was at 20.0 and 23.0.
Those numbers are very comparable to the ones put up in seasons that ended with LA winning a title.

So I know you have everything figured out and there is no way that anyone else can be right....

but let it be known that you said Kobe takes too many shots, is selfish, and the Lakers won't win another title with him playing like that - even though they have 5 rings in which he has shot the ball just as much and at a similar clip.

[Hoot Gibson]

I'm sorry...
I missed the part where defended the number of shots he took.
You must have imagined it when you saw someone say something good about Kobe and had to come in attempt to bust some balls and set the record straight.

I've come to realize that you can't say anything positive about Kobe on here without someone coming out of the woodwork and going in another direction.

Kobe is a career .453 shooter and this year he shot .430 from the field.
I don't see that as a huge dip in production and the only thing that I said was that he has had his best statistical year since 07-08. If he would have played in the last game of the season he would have been the scoring champ. He has two or three good seasons left in him and when the Lakers won championships he has always taken a lot of shots.

2000 - 18.0 FGA
2001 - 22.2 FGA
2002 - 20.0 FGA
2009 - 20.9 FGA
2010 - 21.5 FGA

This year and last year he was at 20.0 and 23.0.
Those numbers are very comparable to the ones put up in seasons that ended with LA winning a title.

So I know you have everything figured out and there is no way that anyone else can be right....

but let it be known that you said Kobe takes too many shots, is selfish, and the Lakers won't win another title with him playing like that - even though they have 5 rings in which he has shot the ball just as much and at a similar clip.

Kobe took more shots per game, 23, this season than he had taken in any season since 2005-06 and his shooting percentage was his lowest since the 1997-98 season. Only a true Kobe believer could think that this was a good season for him statistically when compared against his previous seasons. He is no longer a player that young players want to join in LA.

Kobe has proven beyond all reasonable doubt that he is not a team player and if Bynum and Gasol are smart, they will demand to be traded while they still have some good years left in them. But don't worry, wherever Kobe plays, he will shoot often enough to continue to compensate for his declining field goal percentage and continue padding his career scoring stats.

[WideRight05]

I'm sorry...
I missed the part where defended the number of shots he took.
You must have imagined it when you saw someone say something good about Kobe and had to come in attempt to bust some balls and set the record straight.

I've come to realize that you can't say anything positive about Kobe on here without someone coming out of the woodwork and going in another direction.

Kobe is a career .453 shooter and this year he shot .430 from the field.
I don't see that as a huge dip in production and the only thing that I said was that he has had his best statistical year since 07-08. If he would have played in the last game of the season he would have been the scoring champ. He has two or three good seasons left in him and when the Lakers won championships he has always taken a lot of shots.

2000 - 18.0 FGA
2001 - 22.2 FGA
2002 - 20.0 FGA
2009 - 20.9 FGA
2010 - 21.5 FGA

This year and last year he was at 20.0 and 23.0.
Those numbers are very comparable to the ones put up in seasons that ended with LA winning a title.

So I know you have everything figured out and there is no way that anyone else can be right....

but let it be known that you said Kobe takes too many shots, is selfish, and the Lakers won't win another title with him playing like that - even though they have 5 rings in which he has shot the ball just as much and at a similar clip.

Kobe may have five rings, but with the talent that has come through the organization he should have seven or eight. Kobe wants to be "the guy," and that has hurt him and his team during his time in L.A. He didn't want to have to share the role of being "the man" on the team with Shaq. Gasol and Bynum are both superstars, but they are not a threat to Kobe like Shaq was. I would love to see Bynum and Gasol demand a trade, as a previous poster mentioned. Kobe takes a lot of difficult shots that he doesn't need to. If the Lakers ran the offense through Gasol and Bynum, the Lakers would do better as a team and Kobe would probably make up for taking fewer shots with a higher field goal percentage.