Archive for the ‘Kobe Watch’ Category
Being a fan of Modern Family, this makes me VERY happy.
O.C. Register: The final score of the Lakers-Pacers game might have been laughable, but the real funny stuff came afterward when Kobe Bryant filmed a segment of “Modern Family,” the ABC comedy.
Bryant, who has appeared on, among others, “Sesame Street,” “Moesha,” “In the House” and “Sister, Sister,” will be playing himself on an upcoming episode of the new comedy that centers on three unique families.
“I’m just winging it,” Bryant said of his acting. “I’m playing myself, so I can be myself. I can be a smart (expletive.)”
Modern Family stars Sofia Vergara and Ty Burrell filmed a segment for the upcoming show during the Lakers’ popular in-game “Kiss Cam,” with Vergara planting a kiss on Burrell, whose character has a not-so-subtle crush on Vergara’s Gloria.
Stay tuned.
Post-injury slump continues…
L.A. Times: So, Kobe Bryant, what’s going on with your jump shot these days?
“Well, three for 17, I’d say it’s a little [messed] up,” Bryant said, laughing.
He was referring to his performance Sunday against the Nuggets.
One reason for the concern is that Bryant sat out 18 days — and five games — recovering from a sprained left ankle. Then he came back against the Memphis Grizzlies last week and looked as if he hadn’t missed a game.
Bryant was 13 for 19 from the field, including the game-winning three-pointer with 4.3 seconds left. He also made a three-pointer with 54 seconds left to tie the score.
But since that game, Bryant has shot 19 for 56 (33.9%) from the field. He has missed all six of his three-point attempts.
“I had a lot of time off where I wasn’t able to shoot the basketball, so that’s why it’s inconsistent,” Bryant said. “Now I’ve got a chance to get in and kind of work on it a little bit. I did a little bit today and I’ll do a little more tomorrow and get it back to that level of consistency that it needs to.”
Continue reading ‘Kobe searches for his shot’
So which animal is Kobe?
L.A. Times: Beyond the usual, “I’m fine,” “It’s OK,” and “It is what it is,” statements Lakers guard Kobe Bryant typically makes regarding his injuries, he recently added an extra wrinkle. “I feel like a gazelle,” he said Monday when he knew for sure he was going to return to the lineup after missing the previous five games because of a left ankle sprain and sore tendon.
He’ll still be known as the Black Mamba in the minds of Lakers fans, but Bryant’s “gazelle” comment raised questions (at least in my mind) as to what other animals could rightfully be associated with Bryant.
I’m by no means an animal expert, and the grades in my biology classes prove it. But I figured I’d contact people who are to lend their insight. Los Angeles Zoo spokesperson Jason Jacobs provided me a rundown on the different behaviors of certain animals and Dana Brown, director of human resources at the L.A. Zoo and a Lakers fan, explained how they are comparable to Bryant’s play.
Tiger: Tigers have to be self sufficient. They have their own territory and they hunt for themselves. They have to be dependent on themselves. They’re camouflaged. No two Tigers striped patterns are alike.
How Bryant is like a tiger: You don’t find a lot of Tigers and you don’t find a lot of Kobes. For the solitary animals that Tigers are, Kobe, while popular and widely recognizable, he’s not really all that social. You don’t see him on the social scene. He’s not the most social person there is. He is sort of predatory. He’s slow and calculating and then he jumps at it.
Mambas: Mambas are venomous species of snakes found in Africa. There’s two types. The green mamba and the black mamba. They are very fast snakes and very deadly. When you deal with them in a zoo situation, you take every safety precaution to transfer them. Black mambas are the largest venomous snakes in Africa and their average length is around eight to nine feet. Some can exceed 12 feet.
How Bryant is like a mamba: He is definitely one of the most deadly players out there. When Kobe is in the game, somebody is going down.
Continue reading ‘Los Angeles Zoo employees compare Kobe’s play to several animal behaviors’
The finger needs to heal up to help Kobe’s shooting woes come to an end.
O.C. Register: “I rested it; it calmed down a lot,” Bryant said. “But it’s broken. So there’s nothing really I can do. The rest helped it, but it kind of is what it is.”
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“The finger gets stronger,” he said. “I work it a lot and try to strengthen the hand again, try to see if I can’t palm a ball again, but it still gets sore.”
With Kobe’s hanging jumper over Jason Kidd, Kobe passed Reggie Miller for 13th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.
It came late in the 2nd quarter where Kobe drove towards the rim, stopped and elevated for a one legged hanging jumper.
Reggie Miller had 25,270 career points.
The next stop for Kobe is surpassing Alex English’s 25,613 career points.
Kobe continues to climb up on the all-time scoring list.
Bryant is just 2 points shy of passing Reggie Miller (25,279) for 13th all-time in scoring.
- 12: Alex English – 25,613
- 13: Reggie Miller – 25,279
- 14: Kobe Bryant – 25,278
A great piece on Caron Butler and Kobe.
Mavericks Blog: Caron Butler spent a year in Los Angeles as Kobe Bryant’s Laker teammate thanks to the Shaquille O’Neal trade that sent the big fella to Miami.
“I say that’s the best thing that ever could have happened for me personally for my career,” Butler said. “To play alongside a guy like that, see his preparation, see what it takes to get to that level, that’s why I was able to be so good in Washington because I took everything I learned from him under his wing.”
Butler played in 77 games in 2004-05 with the Lakers. He averaged a then career-high (by a tick) 15.5 points and then career-high 5.8 rebounds. His free throw shooting improved, too.
“Work ethic,” Butler said. “He comes to the gym 6:30, 7 in the morning, gets shots every day, a rhythm. Afterward hits the weight room, works out in the summer, studying film, critiquing guys, watching their tendencies, picking things up … Just studying the game with him taught me a lot.”
Butler and Bryant talk every couple of weeks and when Butler was traded to Dallas Bryant was quick with a call.
“He told me he was happy for me and happy to see me in a situation to be able to legitimately compete for a title,” Butler said.
But Wednesday will be a different conversation.
“You always hear that he’s ready to compete,” Butler said. “He’s happy but at the same time once we get on the court all bets are off with Kobe. He’s going to bring it, then hug me afterwards. That’s how it is. It’s business.”
Continue reading ‘ Caron Grateful He Was Kobe’s Teammate’
The Mamba is back!
L.A. Times: Kobe Bryant made a point of finding every teammate after the game and embracing them, even thanking them.
He was indisputably back, making another mark on another 48 minutes of Lakers basketball.
He hadn’t played a game in 18 days, but there he was Tuesday, the ball in his hands and the game clock almost drained to zeros.
So he did it again, drilling a three-pointer with 4.3 seconds left that ultimately dropped the Memphis Grizzlies, 99-98, at FedEx Forum.
It was met with sarcasm.
“He’s lucky,” Lakers Coach Phil Jackson said dryly. “Very, very lucky.”
It was greeted with wonderment.
“He really stepped up at the end of the game,” Pau Gasol said, “like he was never out.”
And it was surrounded by questions.
“I lost it a little bit,” he said, leading to a few confused looks from media members.
He didn’t look like he had lost anything in his return, other than a couple of bad passes.
“My off hand lost the ball a little bit and I had to gather it a little bit,” he said.
Continue reading ‘Kobe is back, and it shows!’
So Kobe returns healthy. Thats good news!
L.A. Times: Lakers guard Kobe Bryant said he will play Tuesday against Memphis, ending a five-game absence because of a sore ankle.
“I feel good, like a gazelle,” he said after practicing Monday.
Bryant acknowledged that the ankle wasn’t fully healthy but wasn’t concerned about further damaging it.
“Where I’m at now, I feel confident about playing and, while I play, getting to 100%,” Bryant said. “It’s about 80, 85 [percent] right now. The rest of the percentage is just made up just from strength.”
The Lakers went 4-1 without Bryant, who was sidelined by a sprain in the ankle and a sore peroneal tendon, which runs vertically behind the ankle bone.
The Lakers have a back-to-back set this week, playing in Dallas a night after playing in Memphis.
Continue reading ‘Kobe says he will play Tuesday against Memphis’
Kobe feeling like a gazelle? It took long, yet it was worth the recovery.
L.A. Times: Kobe Bryant said he would play Tuesday against Memphis, 18 days after his last game with the Lakers, bolstered by a four-day weekend and a Monday morning practice that didn’t produce any pain in his left ankle.
“I feel good, like a gazelle,” he said. “As always, the ultimate test is to see how it develops and how it holds up to stress and the pressure of traveling and playing in back-to-backs.”
The Lakers play an increasingly intriguing game Wednesday in Dallas, a day after Bryant’s expected return against the Grizzlies. He acknowledged that the ankle didn’t feel entirely healed but said it was close enough.
“Where I’m at now, I feel confident about playing and, while I play, getting to 100%,” he said. “It’s about 80-85 right now. The rest of the percentage is made up just from strength.”
Bryant is averaging 28 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.6 assists, but the Lakers went 4-1 in a series of well-balanced efforts without him. They are half a game behind Cleveland (43-14) for the NBA’s best record.
“It’ll be a little bit of an adjustment for us, but we’re all excited to have him back,” forward Pau Gasol said. “He looked good. With this little break that we just had after the Boston game, everybody’s energized and ready to go. I think it’s going to translate to the games.
“We have to make sure we continue to move the ball. I think that’s a big part of our success.”
Bryant’s return would come against the same Grizzlies team he lit up for 44 points on 16-for-28 shooting this month, but the Lakers lost, 95-93, when Ron Artest missed a three-point attempt as time expired.
After that game, during which Bryant broke Jerry West’s career franchise scoring record, Gasol said the Lakers were “not making a conscious effort on pounding the ball inside.”
Gasol had only 10 points on four-for-seven shooting that night and said Monday that returning to Memphis, the franchise that dealt him to the Lakers two years ago and employs his younger brother,Marc, at center, always represented a personally charged night.
“There’s a lot going on emotionally,” he said. “I want to play well, especially in that game. Last time I was a little bit upset because I wasn’t able to do that.”
Continue reading ‘Kobe feels ‘good’, like a gazelle and expects to play against Memphis’
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