It absolutely was only fitting that, on an evening once the La Lakers recognized Shaquille O'Neal by going his No. 34 jersey to the rafters at Staples Center, the group reflected, in a few little way, an that made the change of the 21st century this kind of success for the Purple and Gold. That is, Kobe Bryant dishing the ball to his big men. Okay, therefore maybeAracking up 11 helps (included in a triple-double, no less) was not specifically standard for the Black Mamba in the day. Nor is it so now. But if the Lakers are going to parlay a huge 101-81 win over the Dallas Mavericks into some thing more when compared to a late-season smackdown of an old rival, they can certainly use more of Kobe the Point Guard. Initially glance, that may seem such as a foolish request to produce of Bryant. Between rating, shooting and...ummm...what was that next thing? The EPA? Oops. Anyway, with all the rating Kobe does/feels he's to do because of this team, you had think the guy already has enough on his plate with which to concern himself. And given that Bryant shares a with Steve Nash, should not he let another Hall of Famer handle the bulk of the passing and dribbling duties? Harry How/Getty Photos Most certainly not with Nash sidelined by way of a hamstring injury. That problem is just the latest in an extended line that is derailed his inaugural season since taking a Arnold on the Phoenix Suns. Nash missed 24 games between November and December after fracturing a in his left leg and often struggled to locate any sort of flow or movement to his sport even after returning. Which can be not totally all that surprising when you consider that: A) Nash is 39 years old, B) He's adjusting to a new team and a new area after spending the last seven years in Phoenix, and... C) Maybe not since his first stint with the Suns had Steve experienced a scenario whereby he was not often his team's principal ball-handler. That's a for a routine-oriented person like Nash to manage, especially in the aftermath of his most devastating damage in over 10 years. After he is had a full summer to work himself back to proper playing design and modify his expectations to better fit his role with the Lakers, he will not likely be anything close to his old self until next year. Even then, it'd not specifically behoove the Lakers to have Kobe surrender the reins of the offense, at the least not fully. For better or worse, he is the player around whom L.A.'s baseball galaxy will revolve until he chooses to hold 'em up. And, as Shaq can certainly attest, Kobe knows something or two about using great big mena'even significantly more than does Nash. Beyond the most obvious personal friction between the Big Diesel and his No. 8-wearing sidekick, the partnership between O'Neal and Bryant proved plenty effective, to say the smallest amount of. You may say that those Lakers teams "underachieved," considering they carried two of the game's three most readily useful players for the higher element of a decade. But three brands in four trips to the NBA Finals ain't bad, I s'pose. It's that acumen for involving world-class leaders that was most brilliantly on screen from Kobe against the Mavs. Whether he was dishing down to Dwight Howard inside, creating Pau Gasol in the post or throwing the ball into the Spaniard as a conduit to Dwight, Bryant did some of his best work adding the Lakers' two All-Star centers into what seemed to be a far more natural tandem. Not that Nash is a slouch in this regard at all. David just so is actually one of the game's foremost proprietors of the pick-and-roll, and Howard and Gasol just so are actually two of the greater "roll men" about. But, again, Nash been all season and has isn't healthier. Bryant isn't precisely fit either, though he is certainly significantly more than fit enough to handle the Lakers offense all by herself, thanks quite definitely. Actually, the win against Dallas moved L.A. to 13-6 in games by which Kobe adds nine or more aids. Rather than 26-30 when he doesn't. Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Spor It's too much to question of Kobe, he of the bone-spur'd base and the sprained ankle and the 34-year-old body that is signed significantly more than 53,000 minutes over the length of 1,454 games across 17 times. But, for eight more regular season games and (hopefully) at the least some more in the playoffs, it may be feasible. Beyond that, it's what the Lakers will need to save a lost season. More than even probably the most sentimental of jacket retirements might.
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