It has been 19 days and nine games since Pau Gasol arrived in Lakerland.
Since trading for Gasol the Lakers have been on their longest winning streak of the season, and notched their most consecutive road victories since the 2000-2001 season.
The wins have been racking up, and everyone on the Lakers roster has been performing at a higher level since the trade. But who has benefited the most form the trade?
Most would say that Lamar Odom has benefited the most because he longer has to shoulder the pressure of being LA's second option.
Others would argue that role players such as Vladimir Radmanovic and Sasha Vujacic have gained the most because Gasol is the only one, other than Kobe, that demands a double team.
However, I say that another man has improved his game since the Lakers' acquisition Gasol—Kobe Bryant.
It is true; Kobe Bryant's game has been at a higher level now than it has been in the past three years. Bryant is playing his best and for the first time since the departure of Shaquille O’Neal seems to truly enjoy playing basketball.
Kobe no longer has to work as hard, or for that matter, against triple teams to score. Byrant’s defense has also increased due to the fact that he no longer has to carry the offence by himself.
The best trade this season has made the best player in the game even better. Kobe is no longer forcing the offence and is now getter quality shots, at least quality shots in Kobe's standards.
No. 24 has now shed the myth that he "ball-hogs" and is a selfish player with increases in assists. Byrant’s averages might be down compared to that of last years, but it goes to show that averages are not everything, especially when players have to take over the game from start to finish to do so.
Funny how having another star player to play with can make the best even better.
Oh, and before every Lakers fan cry in rage I also need to add one last note. Kobe is now a better player and can be considered as the best in the league today and challenge Michael Jordan because of Gasol.
Gasol is having a career year, and the misconception that Kobe Bryant dose not make his teammates better can be put to rest.
After all, even if Gasol made Kobe better, Kobe has made Gasol equally better.
Funny how that is a two way street.
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7 months ago
This "article" is worse than most on-line blogs. Amateurish and devoid of talent this writer is.
7 months ago
great write-up. kobe is by far the best player in the league, and the lakers will now challenge the spurs for western conference supremacy.
from 2 months ago
The lakers prove their better this year but but it takes a team to win championships and even tho they have gasol kobe still didnt get help in game 6.
7 months ago
Michael Jordan is the most overrated guy in the history of the league. He was averaging 30 points, 5 assists and 5 rebounds against people like Jeff Hornacek and Matt Geiger. The league was watered down then, and there were no truly elite wing man. Remember, basketball players in the early 90's were still taught that the big man was the most important player on the floor, and as a result there weren't that many good wing players. If Jordan were playing today, he'd be an average athlete, have an average jump shot, and be just another good player surrounded by the likes of Kobe, Lebron, Carmelo, D-Wade, and Chris Paul. Get off your knees fans, Jordan was good, but the only elite wingman back then were Clyde Drexler, maybe LJ and Penny Hardaway, the rest of the guys were second rate stiffs that were taught the pass the ball to the big man.
Jordan was overrated. Get off your knee fans, cuz Jordan wasn't that good.
from 7 months ago
my sentiments exactly
7 months ago
Amen. I don't understand why people always compare Kobe and Jordan. They are from different era. People can say whatever they want to say, but they keep ignoring the fact that players nowadays have more talents and more physical. Who were Jordan's competitors? He didn't have to face these days' Spurs, Pistons or Shaq's Lakers. Heck, 90s NBA was just a joke. It's all about image. Jordan was more reserved. Kobe is more vocal, that's why people see him arrogant.
I'm not saying MJ was not a great player, but at least people should play fair in comparing Kobe and MJ. Kobe is not the next MJ. He is Kobe Bryant!
7 months ago
MJ even said that the best defender he ever faced was Mitch Richmond? Are you kidding me? Kobe faces double teams and guys like Bruce Bowen, Tayshaun Prince, and other defenders who are a good 4 inches taller than Richmond. Kobe's faced tougher competition as well as more dominant scorers at the wing position. And he's still excelled. MJ was amazing...Kobe's better.
7 months ago
yea, mitch richmond was a good defender, but no where near the type of defensive players kobe has to go through in todays league. bowen, battier, prince, artest are all better defenders then mitch richmond
7 months ago
I am just wondering if everyone in BleacherReports Kobe fanclub is under 18...
How quickly people forget the greatness of Michael Jordan...
The league was so watered down with David Robinson, Patrick Ewing, Charles Barkley, Hakeem Olajuwan, and others...
Great teams like the early 90s Pistons, mid 90s Rockets and Knicks, obvioulsy where pushovers...
AS good as Kobe is, he could never come close to Michael Jordan, multiple MVP winner, Defensive Player of the year, and Champion
7 months ago
I didn't realize that I was comparing Kobe Bryant to Micheal Jordan. What I wrote was that Pau Gasol improved Kobe's game as well as Lamar's and everyone elses. I did not mean to compare Kobe to Jordan in anyway. I only mentioned Micheal Jordan because most are old enough to remember Jordan's game and how great he was. It is funny to note that one cannot mention Kobe and Micheal in the same breath without everyone getting into a heat arguement about who is better.
from 7 months ago
RALEK,
Kobe is making everyone better, not Pao Gasol. Last 3 seasons were very tough for Kobe, cause no one else was contributing. You had smush parker, who did not know how the game is even played. Then you had Kwame Brown, who could not catch a ball for shit. He had butterfingers every time he touched the ball.. Do u remember before he go traded, when he was booed by his own fans, whenever he touched the ball...U cant make players like that better. Kobe is making Sasha, jordan farmar, luke walton, pao gasol, Vlade(i thought he would never get better, but he proved me wrong), Andrew Bynum. etc....He has made this team better, no doubt. If any one says now that Kobe is not making his team better, they are just plain blind. Jordan was amazing no doubt, I love jordan. I think Kobe will be better than jordan, he still has 6-7 years left of juice in his blood. Kobe is the best!!
from 7 months ago
I agree completely. Kobe is making people better. Like you said the past three years Kobe had a hard time because, lets face it, his team was not ready to step up and perform to Kobe's standards. Kobe is making everybody look good this year and Pau Gasol proves it. Gasol is averaging over sixty percent for the field when playing next to Kobe. But the thing is people seem to forget that Kobe is also averaging over sixty percent form the field as well with the new line up. Plus he's also finally enjoying baskeball and its no longer a choir for Kobe to carry the team. Not just one player makes the team better. Its a combination of players making each other better, and Kobe Bryant, at least form my view, is playing his basketball and playing up the lable of "best player in the league."
7 months ago
Lebron ain't Michael Jordan!
Kobe owns Lebron. Lebron fears Kobe.
Lebron will not surpass MJ and Lebron will not surpass Kobe.
Kobe is 29 years old, yet he still dominates Lebron in every aspect of the game!
7 months ago
I can't take an article seriously when Kobe "Bryant's" name is spelled wrong twice (especially in the title). Not well constructed, and a lot of spelling and grammar errors.
I don't know why an MJ and Kobe debate came up, but Kobe simply is the most talented player in the NBA, but Jordan by far has been the best player for his team.
It amazes me that so-called basketball fans think Kobe is the best player when they hardly understand the history of the NBA. In the post-Jordan era, the NBA rules were changed to make scoring easier for the offensive player. During Jordan's era, it was OK for defenders to make contact with forearms and hands, use shoulders and hips to change an offensive players position, grab or wrap the offensive player, etc etc. Not to say Kobe wouldn't have been great with the same rules, but what Jordan and the Bulls did is incomparable.
about 1 month ago
no defensive 3-sec, defensive hand-checking was legal, harder contact before fouls were called...all in Jordan's era.
The "zone defense" of today is pathetic and not even a true zone because of the defensive 3-sec rule. It's a watered-down man-to-man and you can't find one NBA team who does it or who even wants to do it to master it. Good call, because of the defensive 3-sec rule in place. I can't imagine Kobe taking too many shots from hard-nosed teams like the Celtics and Pistons, on a nighly basis when he couldn't handle the 05' Pistons or 08' Celtics and nobody can tell me those teams are better than their counterparts from Jordan's first year in the league to Jordan's first championship (and Jordan's stats against those teams were better as well) It's also sad to see the NBA resort to a zone'defense when players are supposed to be bigger, faster, and more athletical.
Like it's already been said. It's easier to create stars when scoring is as high as ever. 90-100+ points a night is a norm for 2 teams in the Western Conference unless the Spurs are involved (who are the only ones guilty of [as well as the Shaq-led Lakers] playing some defense. The Spurs are the Lakers only true competition and that the Spurs actually have NBA rings to proove that
Jordan went against the best defensive teams and the best players of all time and was still putting up higher numbers than Kobe. Jordan's playoff numbers are even better than his regular season numbers, while Kobe's stats dip, so Jordan gets better and better as the games get more and more meaningful.
The Celtics and Pistons of old stopped the Bulls, but they didn't stop Mike. Mike averaged 29.95 PPG against the Bad Boy Pistons all 4 years they faced off. He averaged about 28 against the Celtics.
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