Kobe Bryant says U.S. team needs chemistry ahead of 2008 Olympics

[NoBonus]

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/09/07/sports/AS_SPT_BKB_Taiwan_Kobe_Bryant.php

Kobe Bryant says U.S. team needs chemistry ahead of 2008 Olympics

The Associated Press

Published: September 7, 2006

TAIPEI, Taiwan The United States basketball team will have to work on its internal chemistry if it wants to perform well at the 2008 Olympics, Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant said Thursday.
The NBA All-Star, visiting Taiwan as part of a five-leg tour of Asia to meet with fans, told a news conference in Taipei that a newly assembled team always needed some time together before starting to play with consistency.
The United States returned home Sunday from the world championship in Japan with bronze medals — mirroring its performance at the 2004 Olympics in Athens.
Both results were widely seen as disappointments in the United States, home of the talent-rich NBA.
"Years playing together will jell us as a unit, (but) if there is no chemistry, it's going to be tough to beat all those talented teams," Bryant said, adding he was confident the two years lead up to the Beijing Olympics would be enough to find that chemistry.
Bryant's Asian tour has already taken him to Japan and Hong Kong. On Friday he was scheduled to leave Taiwan for South Korea, en route to China.


My Comment: Who is Kobe Bryant to comment on team chemistry?

 

[mcsluggo]

He is a team member, and he's stating the obvious. The team needs to play together to gell. That was the whole purpose of the big deal of putting together the team for the next olympics THIS early, give 'em a chance to gell.

 

[NoBonus]

I am just giving old Kobe a hard time, but, seriously, what does he know about team chemistry... even on the most basic level?

 

[reyes13]

Lemme guess...w/ Kobe we would have won the gold, right?

 

[piksi]

Lemme guess...w/ Kobe we would have won the gold, right?

we will never know

 

[NoBonus]

Lemme guess...w/ Kobe we would have won the gold, right?

I don't know... let me coin a phrase... There is no "Kobe" in "Team".

 

[TheJoker]

I am just giving old Kobe a hard time, but, seriously, what does he know about team chemistry... even on the most basic level?

Okay we all hate Kobe, but let's not act like we know what he knows or what he does. he can very well have a point and alot of his teammates stated Kobe was a true leader this past year so he might know a little chemistry then most know and most think he doesn't know.

 

[Kev.in]

and recently Shaq admitted he was hard on Penny and Kobe and could've been a better teammate like how he's been with Wade.

Anyways, Kobe is right even if you don't like him. He's probably going to be on the team in '08, so it's good to see that his mind is pointed towards success. A player of his talent level could easily be of the mindstate that the missing ingredient was his presence and the ball in his hands.

 

[Freakout]

Not only Kobe but Marion and Amare will have to be meshed in with this seasons group as well. It definately will require even more chemistry.

 

[acisking]

I don't see the problem with his comments as they are entirely true as of this point.

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

The only problem (if you can call it that) that I have with his comments is that I have the strong suspiscion that, when Kobe Bryant says that the USAB Men's team needs more chemistry, that what he really means is, "all those guys need to give me the ball, and then everything will work out just fine."

 

[reyes13]

agreed.

 

[Gargamel]

I am just giving old Kobe a hard time, but, seriously, what does he know about team chemistry... even on the most basic level?

"Basic level" is too harsh. Basic level is Steve Francis. Kobe has proven capable of playing team ball during LA's title years (if not for every year before or since). He's not special in that regard, as every other key teammate did too, but he if he acted like 98 Kobe in the 00 Blazers series or the 02 Kings series, no three peat. It took flawless team chemistry to go 15-1 in 01 and to sweep SA by 22.3 ppg.

Let's put it this way, even if you totally dismiss Kobe's knowledge about chemistry, he would still have more experience and poise than any of the leaders of this year's WC team.

 

[vladetomiller]

The only problem (if you can call it that) that I have with his comments is that I have the strong suspiscion that, when Kobe Bryant says that the USAB Men's team needs more chemistry, that what he really means is, "all those guys need to give me the ball, and then everything will work out just fine."

When Dirk calls him the best player in thw world and so many other players (like Zo, etc etc) call him the best then they better give him the damn ball.

Now seriously, the kobe hatred here knows no bound Much better to be on that side than to be a fan of a team whose player did not see any action in the WC at all

 

[BMiller52]

When Dirk calls him the best player in thw world and so many other players (like Zo, etc etc) call him the best then they better give him the damn ball.

Now seriously, the kobe hatred here knows no bound Much better to be on that side than to be a fan of a team whose player did not see any action in the WC at all

Just a question, if you dislike the Kings why is your SN vladetomiller? Why not Kobefanconspiracytheorist?

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

When Dirk calls him the best player in thw world and so many other players (like Zo, etc etc) call him the best then they better give him the damn ball.

The USAB team will not win, or even be competitive, in the Olympics by just giving Kobe Bryant "the damned ball."

Now seriously, the kobe hatred here knows no bound Much better to be on that side than to be a fan of a team whose player did not see any action in the WC at all

You mean, like the Lakers? Or the Hornets? Or the Knicks?

 

[hoopsfan]

Did Brad miller even play in the WC??

 

[6th]

Did Brad miller even play in the WC??

hoopsie, what the hell does that have to do with Kobe and team chemistry? Don't be using Brad to take the attention off Kobe. Besides, Kobe loves attention.

BTW - the answer is yes, but not much.

 

[hoopsfan]

hoopsie, what the hell does that have to do with Kobe and team chemistry? Don't be using Brad to take the attention off Kobe. Besides, Kobe loves attention.

BTW - the answer is yes, but not much.

I was responding to this quote:

"Now seriously, the kobe hatred here knows no bound Much better to be on that side than to be a fan of a team whose player did not see any action in the WC at all"

It was a serious question...I didn't watch any games.

 

[vladetomiller]

Well sometimes its better to be out of the playing roster than to be in the playing roster and that too be the only one in that position and not get to see any action

 

[6th]

Well sometimes its better to be out of the playing roster than to be in the playing roster and that too be the only one in that position and not get to see any action

Brad Miller...50 min, avg 12.5...6-16 FG...1-5 3 pt...8-9 FT...15 reb...5 asst.

I got that info off of the FIBA site. Men's 2006 WC stats.

 

[Gargamel]

Did Brad miller even play in the WC??

Miller: "No, I wasn't a part of that mess. Where are you getting this from?"

 

[BigSong]

well there's no denying that when Miller did play, the US team won.

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

Miller: "No, I wasn't a part of that mess. Where are you getting this from?"

I didn't know that 8-1 qualified as a "mess."

 

[Gargamel]

I didn't know that 8-1 qualified as a "mess."

We don't look at the record. We look at the element species of the metal.

8+1 = bronze

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

Fine, I'll rephrase:

I didn't know that the bronze medal qualified as a "mess."

 

[vladetomiller]

based on US standards bronze qualifies as a mess, anything less than a gold in basketball is a mess for the US

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

based on US standards bronze qualifies as a mess, anything less than a gold in basketball is a mess for the US

Everything is relative. And besides which, the US "standard" for the WC is not the same as the US standard for the Olympics (as I have previously pointed out) since , for whatever reason, the US doesn't value the WC as much as they do the Olympics, as evidenced by the fact that, while the US has only lost four out of sixteen Olympic tournaments in the history of the Olympics, they've only won three out of fifteen WC tournaments. Whether the rest of the world agrees with our point of view or not, we have historically treated the WC as a "warmup" for the Olympics.

Besides which, simple math shows that 8-1 >>>>> 6-3, and that 3rd place >>>>> 6th place, and therefore not a mess.

 

[Sac.Kings]

Whether its a mess or not depends on your opinion of what makes the US team a "mess". It wasn't a mess, but the WC CLEARLY showed they have a long way to go if they want to compete. The days are gone when talent alone would win games.

 

[Gargamel]

Everything is relative. And besides which, the US "standard" for the WC is not the same as the US standard for the Olympics (as I have previously pointed out) since , for whatever reason, the US doesn't value the WC as much as they do the Olympics, as evidenced by the fact that, while the US has only lost four out of sixteen Olympic tournaments in the history of the Olympics, they've only won three out of fifteen WC tournaments. Whether the rest of the world agrees with our point of view or not, we have historically treated the WC as a "warmup" for the Olympics.

This is unrealistic. The US standard is to BE the standard. The fact that they have lost in the past doesn't change that. The whole point to this year's WC was to field a collection of pros that better resembled a team so we could take the gold. They weren't goin into the tourney for bronze by any stretch. I'd wager that more than one of them felt that they wasted some of their offseason all the way in Japan for 3rd place and an embarrassing loss to Greece of all countries.