The Starting Five for 1/11/12: Kobe Bryant Puts Up 48 and Stars As Kool Moe Dee
Do you remember hearing the shovel hitting dirt? Scraping and digging deeper into hard wintertime ground? Do you remember the haters trying to pick up the shovel and excitingly attempt to shower Kobe’s grave with that gossipin’ dirt and more he’s done dirt? This was around the time his divorce went public. “Kobe’s taking too many shots. He needs to become the Olympic Kobe. When the hell is he going to pass to the open man? Why doesn’t he trust his teammates? He sucks. He’s old. Get him the hell out of here. No more Kobe…please…just no. More. Kobe!” Yeah all that crazy nonsense. He’s still one of the best in the game and trust, if you were to poll players in the NBA, most would say Kobe Bryant is still the best in the game. Last night he showed it…
Beans went off for 48 points. His 108th 40 point game. He’s leading the league in scoring. The Lakers are 7-4, lead the Pacific Division and sit third in the conference…despite all the turnover. LO is gone. Phil Jackson is gone. LO is gone. Shannon Brown is on the Suns that got lit up by Kobe. He’s supposed to be struggling with the condensed season right? Wrong. Kobe will be fine. With that team’s makeup, don’t be surprised if Kobe has a few 50 burgers left. I can’t wait to see…
Top freestyle skier Sarah Burke in coma after crash. Let’s hope she pulls through. (USA Today)
Jaguars hire Mike Mularkey as head coach. (SI)
RG3 to the NFL. (Boston.com)
Dwyane Wade’s return spoiled as Miami Heat loses to Warriors in overtime. (Miami Herald)
Schottenheimer tells Jets he won’t be back. (USA Today)
The turnstile continues: Hue Jackson fired as Raiders coach after one season. (LA Times)
Jets players rip Sanchez as ‘lazy’ amid dreams of Manning. (NFL.com)
Crennel good for Chiefs — if Pioli changes his ways. (KC Star)
Remember the cat who threw a banana at the Flyers’ Wayne Simmonds? Dude got a 200 dollar fine. (USA Today)
Baylor barely scrapes by K-State. (KC Star)
“Sucker emcees I make ya girl say ow…she’s jockin’…how ya like me now?”
I wouldn’t say he’s (still) the best in the game.
It’s kinda like Jordan in ’98. You know, one last go’round while he’s still at the top of his game – and Kobe is definitely on top of his jab-steppin, jump shootin, and post-curlin game.
But Jordan was still clearly the best player in the league in ’98. Only Shaq came close in terms of raw dominance. Meanwhile, I think there are just too many young lions in the L today to say, with certainty, that Kobe is still best.
What does it mean to be the best? Can we really ever say there is a singular great player? He is clearly is playing lights out and relishing his ability to silence the critics
You’re right, but still I think it’s kind of ridiculous to draw one’s motivation from some muffin-topped middle-aged and jealous-as-hell whitefolk (blackfolk too!) who had the audacity to rank him 7th best in some silly internet poll.
I mean, if one is relishing that – and clearly he is because he said as much – then one has a bit more relishing to do, nah mean?