Kobe Bryant; “I’ll kick everybody’s ass in this locker room” to turn team around Kobe Bryant is a little frustrated.
Okay, a lot frustrated. He’s pissed off.
And he should be after the Lakers Swiss-cheese defense was picked apart by the struggling Magic as they beat the Lakers Sunday night. The Lakers problems are not simple — it’s not just
Pau Gasol not being comfortable, it’s not just
Dwight Howard’s free throws, it’s not just
Steve Nash being injured, it’s not just the bench, it’s not just the defense. It’s all of it together.
Kobe’s answer to any challenge is to work harder. That has been the modus operandi of his career and it has worked pretty well. And that is at the core of his rant after the Lakers ugly loss Sunday night,
via Joe McDonald at Fox Sports West.
“I’ll kick everybody’s ass in this locker room if it doesn’t happen,” Bryant said after a 113-103 loss to the Orlando Magic at Staples Center. Yes, the 6-10 Orlando Magic. “It’s the attitude you have to have. Metta (World Peace) is the same way. Dwight (Howard) has it in him as well. Even though he smiles a lot, he cares a lot about this. Come hell or high water, this has to get done.”
Howard cares, but he still seems unsure of himself in this setting with this pressure. Insecurity was never Kobe’s problem. Howard needs to pick up that lesson from Kobe.
Bryant’s rant eventually moved on to Gasol and his struggles, with Gasol not feeling comfortable in Mike D’Antoni’s offense and not getting touches in the post. Kobe said he had to put on his “big boy pants.”
“Pau has to make some adjustments, obviously, to his game. He might not be posting up as much as he likes, but he just has to adjust.
“The reality is, I’ve adjusted. I’ve never run this many screen-and-rolls in my entire life. But I’ve worked on it. I’ve worked on handling the ball; worked on coming off screens and making plays. I’m used to being in the post much, much more. You have to adjust; you have to master what it is we’re trying to do here. Pau’s talented enough and good enough to be able to do that.”
Pau is talented enough, but he also was benched the final six minutes of the game (his second fourth-quarter benching under D’Antoni). Which is just going to fuel trade speculation. But the Lakers aren’t moving on that front yet, wanting to see if Gasol adjusts and how things look when Steve Nash returns (which is more than a week away).
Kobe wants that sixth ring. Badly. And with this roster he thinks he has a shot at it. His leadership style is tough love, but with the Lakers struggling expect a lot more tough and a lot less love in the short term.
Related link:
Magic get ultimate revenge on Dwight Howard, beating the Lakers and humiliating him in the process | ProBasketballTalk