Link:Kobe, right? Kobe Bryant? Mr. 81? You know, gimme the ball and get out of my way? The guy who never met a shot he wouldn't take?
Wrong guy?
"I go out and play the game," Bryant said. "I don't just try to score. The challenge is elevating my teammates to be able to win a championship. That's what people say we can't do. Now I'm more of a facilitator. I'm more the weapon we can go to when things aren't going right and guys are struggling.
"But everyone has a role to play. My role is to make sure we're moving in the right direction, getting points, rebounds, steals, assists and providing leadership, whatever it is."
Seeing is believing. The Bulls will get a chance to do that Sunday night when they hit Los Angeles to face the Lakers.
Bryant had one of the biggest scoring seasons in NBA history last season when he averaged 35.4 points and had games of 81 and 61 points. The 61 came in a remarkable three quarters against the Western Conference champion Dallas Mavericks, whom he personally outscored. Now he is averaging a pedestrian (for him) 22.6 points per game, his fewest since 22.5 in the 1999-2000 season.
More significantly, Bryant is shooting 52 percent and averaging 14 shots per game, nearly half of the 27.2 he averaged last season.
Got to be someone else, right?
Well, he is wearing a new number, 24, after discarding his No. 8.
That suggests a new Bryant. Apparently in a Zen moment, he said the 24 reminds him of the 24 hours in each day, and we have to enjoy and appreciate each one.
There are plenty of doubters and "we'll see" responses. Bryant is recovering from off-season knee surgery and admittedly doesn't have the drive and explosiveness of previous seasons. He'll probably need another month to get it back, the Lakers believe.
Still, there seems to be a transition going on with Bryant, in some ways not unlike what occurred with Michael Jordan when he returned from his first retirement with the Bulls in 1995.
At 32, Jordan wasn't the startling dunker and electrifying driver anymore, often preferring to settle for an uncanny jumper combined with quickness in surges. He deferred more often, saving his best for the pivotal moments of the game.
It seems to be a road map to excellence that Phil Jackson has devised for Bryant.
"He's moved into the second phase in his career," Jackson said, noting that Bryant, despite being only 28, has played more than 30,000 minutes in his 11 NBA seasons, the most in NBA history for a player that age. "Right now he knows he can't do it for a sustained period of time."
So Bryant picks his spots, which suits the Lakers as well. In fact, Jackson planned this for Bryant last summer. He occasionally has Bryant switch positions with Lamar Odom, who moves to the attacking wing position in the offense with Bryant back at guard with the ball in his hands to ignite the offense.
It has worked well for the Lakers thus far. Despite injuries, they are 6-3 after beating the Raptors on Friday night, in part because of the surprising development of second-year center Andrew Bynum, who turned 19 last month.
Kobe has definetly changed, It seems like it's for the better but I can't help but miss his more aggressive offensive style. Still alot of games left in the season so he will probably show us that he still has that old self of his here and there.
