Friday, January 14, 2005
Time for Heart
Kobe Bryant went down early last night against Cleveland with a severe ankle sprain. Irony: Last year, in January, against Cleveland, Bryant's should was injured and he missed six games. This injury looks to be worse as he was carried out last night unable to put any weight on the ankle.
Am I worried? Well, tough games will be tougher now. But this is an opportunity for several players on the team to strut their stuff. Last night, Lamar Odom became the aggressor he should have been all season as did Caron Butler. There was an energy emanating from the players about the opportunity to show their skills. I think a lot of times, players get caught up in watching Kobe but now they can get to playing basketball. I also think it will be helpful to Kobe in the long run to see how the team performs without him. That's the way he can learn what these other guys can do, help build his trust in them a little bit more.
The Lakers spirited effort last night produced a 98 - 94 win improving our record to something like 18 - 3 when holding opponents below the century mark. Currently, we are on a 46 -36 pace for the season.
Am I worried? Well, tough games will be tougher now. But this is an opportunity for several players on the team to strut their stuff. Last night, Lamar Odom became the aggressor he should have been all season as did Caron Butler. There was an energy emanating from the players about the opportunity to show their skills. I think a lot of times, players get caught up in watching Kobe but now they can get to playing basketball. I also think it will be helpful to Kobe in the long run to see how the team performs without him. That's the way he can learn what these other guys can do, help build his trust in them a little bit more.
The Lakers spirited effort last night produced a 98 - 94 win improving our record to something like 18 - 3 when holding opponents below the century mark. Currently, we are on a 46 -36 pace for the season.
