Kobe a Laker for life

[Ridders]

http://sports.espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/news/story?id=5050933

Lakers sign Bryant to extension


ESPNLosAngeles.com

Kobe Bryant has signed a three-year contract extension with the Los Angeles Lakers, the team announced Friday.

Bryant

The deal will keep Bryant a Laker through the 2013-14 season.
"We are extremely pleased that we were able to reach an agreement and come to terms on the extension at this time," said Lakers general manger Mitch Kupchak. "Kobe has been a cornerstone of the Lakers for well over a decade, helping to lead us to four NBA championships and in the process developing into one of the greatest players in basketball history."
Bryant has spent his entire 14-year career in a Lakers uniform. The extension coincides with the length of the deals signed by teammates Pau Gasol and Ron Artest.
Bryant is averaging 27.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.1 assists this season. He's helped the Lakers win four NBA titles, including last season.
Earlier this season Bryant moved past Jerry West to become the Lakers all-time leading scorer and currently ranks 12th on the NBA's all-time scoring list.

Great news.

This is the just the spark we needed to take us to another title.

Momentus day.

 

[Tiger Hawk]

Good news for Laker fans, not sure there was ever a lot of doubt. Always good to see guys sacrifice a few dollars to stay with their team, needs to be more of it. Of course, if Phil doesn't re-sign then your stuck paying $70m to 5 veterans that might take a while getting used to a new coach....

 

[attamarrap]

yea i didn't thin he was gonna go anywhere yes tiger it will be very interesting to see what happens with phill

 

[andrew057]

Agreed with above. Couldnt see him going anywhere with the team theyve got now. Maybe he'll be able to shot 47%+ from the field before in one of these 3 seasons

 

[Ridders]

Maybe he'll be able to shot 47%+ from the field before in one of these 3 seasons

:-({|=

I'm not biting on that one.

 

[Ridders]

Kobe's 3 year deal is worth $83.5 million :shock:

$25.2 million in 2011/2012
$27.8 million in 2012/2013
$30.4 million in 2013/2014

Epic contract. Worthy every penny

http://sports.espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/news/story?id=5058487

 

[Tiger Hawk]

Really? His athleticism is clearly declining (look at his shot mix, his free throw rate, rebound rate, steal rate, block rate etc) and you're happy to be paying him $30m when he's 35? Wow.

Don't think I'm knocking Kobe - great player - but gee the list is short when it comes to mid-30 year old guards that are still performing at a high level and justify that sort of money.....really the list is kind of one player in history short...

 

[Ridders]

Is he worth $30 million to the Lakers = Yes
Is he worth $30 million to any other team = No

He just means too much to the franchise. Yes he is declining, but he's still one of the best guards in the league and will be so for a while still. Don't forget that he was on his way to shooting 50% from the field this season before his fingers became mangled.

Plus he's not really hurting our cap situation as we're going to be over the cap for the next 3 years anyways. He's also going to be one helluva EC in his final year. Not that the Lakers would ever look at him in such a way..

 

[Ridders]

MJ earning 30 mill in his final years...Kobe earning 30 mill in his final years...

Nice

 

[Tiger Hawk]

FMD - get your hand off it.

 

[Ridders]

It's just nice to see people earning their due. Thats all...

 

[Ridders]

FMD - get your hand off it.

Just curiously did you think that I, in some way, was trying to use player salaries to make a Kobe vs MJ comparison?

 

[Tiger Hawk]

Just curiously did you think that I, in some way, was trying to use player salaries to make a Kobe vs MJ comparison?

Compare - to examine (two or more objects, ideas, people, etc.) in order to note similarities and differences.

MJ earning 30 mill in his final years...Kobe earning 30 mill in his final years...

Nice

Looks like you examined two players and noted similarities so yes, you made a comparison, intentionally or not.

Beside any of that, Kobe injured his hand months ago - so after a month of play or whatever it was, you're happy to state categorically that he was on his way to shooting 50% from the field.....when he's never done it before over a full season? Incredible. I presume you thought Odom and/or Ariza were going to continue shooting 40%+ from three into this year as they did that through the playoffs last year?

 

[Ridders]

Beside any of that, Kobe injured his hand months ago - so after a month of play or whatever it was, you're happy to state categorically that he was on his way to shooting 50% from the field.....when he's never done it before over a full season? Incredible. I presume you thought Odom and/or Ariza were going to continue shooting 40%+ from three into this year as they did that through the playoffs last year?

Lets see.

November - 14 games - 50.6%

December - 15 games - 48%

*December is when he fractured his finger**

January - 17 games - 41%

February - 7 games (also injured his ankle here - finally succumbed to his injuries and missed 5 games here) - 44.5%

March - 15 games - 48.5%

You fail to note that the major difference between Kobe's previous season and this season is that he's spent significantly more time working in the post, hence getting better % looks.

Btw lets not forget that Kobe is still hurt, it's not like his finger problems have healed.

 

[Tiger Hawk]

Lets see.

November - 14 games - 50.6%

December - 15 games - 48%

*December is when he fractured his finger**

January - 17 games - 41%

February - 7 games (also injured his ankle here - finally succumbed to his injuries and missed 5 games here) - 44.5%

March - 15 games - 48.5%

You fail to note that the major difference between Kobe's previous season and this season is that he's spent significantly more time working in the post, hence getting better % looks.

Btw lets not forget that Kobe is still hurt, it's not like his finger problems have healed.

I haven't failed to note anything. I've called you out on a ridiculous hypothetical statement - "Don't forget that he was on his way to shooting 50% from the field this season before his fingers became mangled". There's absolutely no evidence to suggest he was going to shoot 50% from the field over the course of a season. He's shot 50% or more for an entire month a few times before, but over his 14 year career he's never done it for a whole season. You can take a ridiculously small sample size and use it if you like, but I'll go with the established trend over a 14 year period.

To expand on an earlier comment, it's like saying Trevor Ariza would have continued to shoot 48% from three like he did during last year's playoffs (23 games) had he stayed with the Lakers this year. Of course to believe that, you'd have to forget his 323 other career games to that point that suggested he was around a 30% shooter from deep.

Getting back to Kobe and his extension. I'd be hard pressed to consider him among the top 5 players in the NBA right now (in no particular order - LeBron, Wade, Paul, Howard, Durant) and the simple fact is he's been steadily declining the last 4 years. His extension doesn't kick in until after NEXT season. Why the rush to re-sign him to such a high contract? You even say that no team would consider him for that price - would it be fair then to state that the Lakers have dramatically overpaid for a fading star?

 

[Ridders]

I haven't failed to note anything. I've called you out on a ridiculous hypothetical statement - "Don't forget that he was on his way to shooting 50% from the field this season before his fingers became mangled". There's absolutely no evidence to suggest he was going to shoot 50% from the field over the course of a season. He's shot 50% or more for an entire month a few times before, but over his 14 year career he's never done it for a whole season. You can take a ridiculously small sample size and use it if you like, but I'll go with the established trend over a 14 year period.

Yes you have failed to notice something. If you can't even understand the possibility that playing more in the post and closer to the basket may elevate your FG%, than there's no point in even having this argument. This is the first season where Kobe has made a concerted effort to play a alot more back-to-the basket on offense, which is why I think it would be fair to deduce that his first two months of the season were no fluke.

He shot above 49% for the first two months of the season and from then on he's been dogged by injuries.

His shooting in January was woeful, which has plummeted his season FG%. This is the stretch where he was playing hurt every game with his fractured finger. He wasn't helped by Pau getting hurt in January, meaning he had to carry more of a burden while playing hurt. Of course you'd probably think this was just Kobe coming back down to Earth. I mean, why should a fractured finger have any affect on a players shooting :crazy:

Getting some much needed rest seemed to do him some good as his shooting in March (15 games) was pretty good - 48.5%.

Getting back to Kobe and his extension. I'd be hard pressed to consider him among the top 5 players in the NBA right now (in no particular order - LeBron, Wade, Paul, Howard, Durant) and the simple fact is he's been steadily declining the last 4 years. His extension doesn't kick in until after NEXT season. Why the rush to re-sign him to such a high contract? You even say that no team would consider him for that price - would it be fair then to state that the Lakers have dramatically overpaid for a fading star?

Durant above Kobe...Kobe's better than Durant at so many facets of the game. Better ball handler, better creator, better defender, more clutch etc. Sure a time will come when Durant will surpass Kobe, but until his deficiencies are sorted out, he's not on Kobe's level.

Yes we probably over-paid him, but then again, he means alot more to our franchise than he would to another, hence his value to us is higher.

 

[Tiger Hawk]

Yes you have failed to notice something. If you can't even understand the possibility that playing more in the post and closer to the basket may elevate your FG%, than there's no point in even having this argument. This is the first season where Kobe has made a concerted effort to play a alot more back-to-the basket on offense, which is why I think it would be fair to deduce that his first two months of the season were no fluke.

He shot above 49% for the first two months of the season and from then on he's been dogged by injuries.

His shooting in January was woeful, which has plummeted his season FG%. This is the stretch where he was playing hurt every game with his fractured finger. He wasn't helped by Pau getting hurt in January, meaning he had to carry more of a burden while playing hurt. Of course you'd probably think this was just Kobe coming back down to Earth. I mean, why should a fractured finger have any affect on a players shooting :crazy:

Getting some much needed rest seemed to do him some good as his shooting in March (15 games) was pretty good - 48.5%.

:lol:

This is hilarious. I can't be bothered going into a long winded response, suffice to say your argument only has merit if he shot 100% of the time from the post. He doesn't.

As I said, you stick to your 20 game sample size to deduce he would have shot 50% for the season and I'll stick to the 1,000 plus that indicates something else.

Durant above Kobe...Kobe's better than Durant at so many facets of the game. Better ball handler, better creator, better defender, more clutch etc. Sure a time will come when Durant will surpass Kobe, but until his deficiencies are sorted out, he's not on Kobe's level.

Yes we probably over-paid him, but then again, he means alot more to our franchise than he would to another, hence his value to us is higher.

If you were starting a franchise right now, you'd take Kobe over Durant? I suppose Laker fans have to stick by their Kobe but wow. Durant is 20 and is playing at a higher level, with lesser teammates, than Kobe is now, let alone when Kobe was 20.

 

[Ridders]

:lol:

This is hilarious. I can't be bothered going into a long winded response, suffice to say your argument only has merit if he shot 100% of the time from the post. He doesn't.

As I said, you stick to your 20 game sample size to deduce he would have shot 50% for the season and I'll stick to the 1,000 plus that indicates something else.

Why does it have to be 100%? What a dumb thing to say. Fact is THIS SEASON Kobe has looked to score from the post alot more than he has done in previous seasons, mainly due to his physical decline.

Btw I never said Kobe WOULD HAVE shot 50% from the field, I said he was ON HIS WAY to shooting 50% from the field. We'll never know for sure because of the injuries setting in. There is a difference between the two, although going by your responses you have failed to comprehend this.

If you were starting a franchise right now, you'd take Kobe over Durant? I suppose Laker fans have to stick by their Kobe but wow. Durant is 20 and is playing at a higher level, with lesser teammates, than Kobe is now, let alone when Kobe was 20.

He's 21. Small thing but I thought you'd know that.

Who said anything about starting franchises with?

Getting back to Kobe and his extension. I'd be hard pressed to consider him among the top 5 players in the NBA right now (in no particular order - LeBron, Wade, Paul, Howard, Durant

That has nothing to do with the future. You clearly said that Durant is better than Kobe "right now" which I think is plain wrong. He still has some glaring flaws that need to be addressed before he's on Kobe's level imo.

 

[ByRd]

I love it how people still find ways of bagging Kobe, the guy has done it all and to put Durant ahead of him is just laughable, seriously come playoff time well see who is better.

Also, Kobe in the next 3-4 years is what the Lakers need and we will be contesting foir titles each season, the guy deserved the contract after everything he had done and will be a one team player.

Others can say what they want but us Laker fans appreciate him and people that think his decline is going to be major will have another thing coming, obviously he will decline but not to the extent that people think.

 

[Tiger Hawk]

Why does it have to be 100%? What a dumb thing to say. Fact is THIS SEASON Kobe has looked to score from the post alot more than he has done in previous seasons, mainly due to his physical decline.

Btw I never said Kobe WOULD HAVE shot 50% from the field, I said he was ON HIS WAY to shooting 50% from the field. We'll never know for sure because of the injuries setting in. There is a difference between the two, although going by your responses you have failed to comprehend this.

You've left out the most crucial part of your earlier post, which was:

Don't forget that he was on his way to shooting 50% from the field this season before his fingers became mangled.

By including that caveat in your initial comment, you've effectively said but for his injuries, he would have shot 50% from the field this season. All I've done is highlight the absurdity of that statement. If you didn't mean the original statement, why have you spent the last few posts defending it? I'm not going to waste anymore time on this, you can keep back-tracking all you like but enough's enough.

He's 21. Small thing but I thought you'd know that.

Who said anything about starting franchises with?



That has nothing to do with the future. You clearly said that Durant is better than Kobe "right now" which I think is plain wrong. He still has some glaring flaws that need to be addressed before he's on Kobe's level imo.

Right now - Durant is better. Ever measurable statistic I know of (Advanced +/-; John Hollinger's PER to name two) indicates this. Again this is right now. Not 2007 Kobe or 2004 Kobe - right now. As for the future part - we're not living in a time capsule, I'd rather have the 21 year old (thanks for the correction ;-)) who is sure to continue improving than the soon to be 32 year old for the next 4 years.

As for the other numpty in this thread - where have I bagged Kobe?? Or found ways to bag him??