Kobe Bryant and the season's first 48

Through a bum wrist, a bad knee, and years of mileage, Kobe Bryant slapped the Phoenix Suns with 48 points. The general reaction is praise for Bryant, his work ethic, and his killer instinct. Although, upon second look, those vintage scoring binges by Kobe may not be as great as we think.

The stats have been pounded into the ground concerning the Lakers success when Kobe limits himself to 21 or fewer shots (they play VERY well). Now with Andrew Bynum establishing himself as a top 2 center in the league, the focus (now more than ever) should be for everyone to feed the young fella. Yet, Kobe continues to take a high number of shots, even with teammates very capable of helping him in that department.

Throughout each of his books, Phil Jackson stressed that the triangle offense and his entire philosophy was about making each player feel worthwhile and part of the team's whole. Only at the end of games and in rough stretches should creative scorers (Jordan, Kobe, etc.) force the action.

Don't think that him scoring at this rate is good for the team. More than anything, it seems to be that despite age, Bryant refuses to give up his love for shooting the ball. This was the same guy that forced shots when he had an in-his-prime-Shaq on his team. After Tuesday's display Bryant exclaimed "not bad for the 7th best player in the league". That shows me that he's trying to prove himself almost as much as he's trying to win.

Good run by Bryant, but I'd like to see where his team is in April if he tries to keep this up.

For Christmas' Sake



KG can't keep quiet.

Upon first listening to Kevin Garnett's rant about the shortened NBA training camps, it could sound much like a an older player begging for more rest. As much as that may be true, the outspoken forward actually raises a great point about the upcoming season: play will suffer!

"We're a rushed league right now" states Garnett while claiming "timing is everything" The season has already been condensed with every team playing 66 games over a 120-day span. Now training camps will last roughly two weeks, with only two preseason games to prepare for the ones that count.

Sure, these are some of the best athletes in the world, but this shortened preparation period will certainly show on the court when the season begins.

Note that the New Orleans Hornets only have six players under contract at the moment; the minimum is 12. While Stern vetoes offers for Chris Paul, that squad will have to find a way to build a complete roster just to be eligible to play. On the west coast, the Lakers are bringing in new head coach, Mike Brown, who is sure to change the offensive system that the team was accustomed to for over 10 years. He will also have to teach that to Kobe Bryant, who hardly practiced last year due to knee issues. The clock is ticking.



Worst case scenario avoided

It can't be forgotten that with so many games in so little time, star players will be rested, injuries will increase, and practice time will be limited. We're headed for a replay of the 98-99 season, where injury and inconsistency played a large role in playoff seeding. Welcome to the NBA's version of the NFL!



Christmas is always an important date on the NBA calendar as it marks the first set of marquee matchups that are viewed nationwide. But this year, because of the lockout and the foolish negotiating, the league is essentially sacrificing a good season for the joy of Christmas games.

Expect this: A few young teams will emerge to surprise us (Indiana, Clippers, Blazers?), older teams may suffer (I'm looking at you Spurs and Celtics), and the deepest squads shall prosper. It'll be a sloppy year, but at least David Stern didn't reprise the role of the Grinch.