Kobe Bryant has always told us that he is all about winning, but his recent actions and play tell a different story.
Kobe Bryant’s mantra has always been that he is all about winning.
He wanted to win more rings than Jordan. He wanted to be the best of all time — to do that he had to win more than Jordan. But, that mindset was when those goals were attainable.
Last year, after two major injuries and watching his future teammates post a measly 27 wins, it appears that Kobe has changed his perspective completely.
He accepted a salary cap-crippling two-year, $48.5 million contract. There was enough cap space for Lakers to sign another max player over the summer, but even if they had landed someone, their role players would have been limited at best.
This was the first inkling that Kobe had changed his mindset.
If he truly was all about rings, he would’ve taken a cap-friendly extension that showed other players he welcomed assistance and would possibly even be willing to accept a somewhat subservient role secondary to a player in their prime.
But the mamba in Kobe wouldn’t allow it.
LeBron and Melo knew that playing with the aging, stubborn mamba was not exactly something they would find to be a seamless transition, so they stayed away.
That brings us to this year.
Kobe is shooting at a 39 percent rate, which stands at his lowest career number in that category.
Every time I watch a Lakers game, there is a minimum of five contested fadeaway jumpers by Kobe that make me pull my hair out, when I see a wide open Wes Johnson/Jeremy Lin/Swaggy P in the corner.
Kobe has to know he can’t dominate double teams like he used to in his prime. He has to know that at age 36, shooting contested jumpers and overlooking open teammates isn’t what’s best for the team.
But does he even care?
People say his teammates can’t score, although Young and Boozer can while others can produce with Kobe’s facilitation.
But, is he trying to pass MJ on the scoring list? If so, he’s going to beat him out shooting under 40 percent, playing five more years and winning under 30 games during his last two seasons. The fact has become that Kobe has put himself over the team for his final two years and it makes me sad and, quite honestly, embarrassed for him.
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