Kobe Bryant rips teammates; Urges them to get going – NBA Update
The Los Angeles Lakers have been struggling to make an impact this season and after 17 games, their leader Kobe Bryant has finally had enough.
Should the Lakers continue to put in inconsistent performances, the Black Mamba is going kick some asses.
"I'll kick everybody's a*s in this locker room if that doesn't happen. That's the attitude that you have to have. Metta (World Peace) is the same way. Dwight (Howard) has that in him as well. Even though he smiles a lot, he still
cares a lot about this thing. Like I said, come h**l or high water, it has to get done."
The 8-9 Lakers have had a patchy stretch. Their head coach Mike Brown got fired after just five games into the season, and after going 4-1 with interim head coach Bernie Bickerstaff, they have struggling to find their groove under
Mike D’Antoni. Their struggles have been aggravated by the injury to star point guard Steve Nash, who has been out with a fractured fibula in the left foot, and a return date soon seems improbable.
However despite all these hindrances, it is the lack of intensity that is upsetting Kobe, who has seen it all and been through all in his illustrious career. He wants his teammates to adjust under D’Antoni, none more so than Pau
Gasol;
"Pau has got to make some adjustments, obviously, to his game," Bryant said. "He might not be posting up as much as he likes, but he just has to adjust.”
Gasol has been struggling to find touches on the ball under D’Antoni. Part of it has to do with the planar tendinitis in both his knees, but it is quite evident that Gasol has never been the same ever since the departure of Phil
Jackson. The Spaniard has been benched in the fourth quarter twice now, once in the game against the Memphis Grizzlies last week and then last night, midway through the last period against Orlando Magic.
However apart from the Gasol issue, it is the poor defence which has put a lot of heat on the Lakers. The side has made it a habit of being sloppy at crucial junctures this season and that fact became prominent in the late slip
up against Magic, one of the weakest offensive sides in the league.
For Kobe, that trend has to change once and for all. He works hard day in and day out and is now demanding nothing less out of his team.
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