[MR_BIGGS]

How do the Lakers lose to the Grizz?

Apparently Kobe's individual stat of becoming the highest scoring player in Lakers franchise was a distraction for the team.

Pau Gasol Not Thrilled With Kobe Bryant's Shot Selection
Author: Patrick Hayes
Published: February 02, 2010 at 3:09 pm
Share After a few seasons filled with drama related to Kobe Bryant and tension with his teammates — namely, his feeling that they sucked — a more talented supporting cast including Pau Gasol and an improving Andrew Bynum, culminating in a championship last season, seemed to put to rest the whole "Kobe hates his teammates" meme.

Not so fast. Gasol didn't seem overly thrilled with Bryant, who passed Jerry West to become the Lakers' career leading scorer last night. Here's what Gasol told the OC Register:


Gasol has on several occasions offered passive-aggressive comments about not getting the ball enough after Lakers losses in the past. This time, the comments leaned a little harder toward aggressive, particularly when it came to Bryant.

Gasol was asked about Bryant’s new record and offered politically correct – and believably authentic – commentary (“I’m proud of him; I congratulate him”) before adding the kicker: “Now we can focus on winning games again.”


Big secret: by about every advanced statistical measure there is, Gasol is the Lakers' most efficient offensive player. Now, Bryant is blessed with some of the most loyal and sensitive fans of any superstar in NBA history, so to suggest that anyone other than No. 24 is the key to the Lakers' success is generally met with derision, but Gasol is onto something — the Lakers are much better with Gasol and, to a lesser extent, Andrew Bynum, getting the ball in the paint where both get very good shots.

Bryant and Ron Artest on the perimeter both have a tendency at times to turn into volume shooters. As the season goes on, finding a balance between the alpha dogs on the perimeter and the scoring machines down low is going to be a big key in whether or not the Lakers can win a second NBA title.