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Now he's getting criticized by one anonymous NBA assistant coach for his play on the court.
ESPN's Chris Broussard asked a bunch of unnamed NBA executives and coaches about the biggest storylines of the upcoming NBA season. In talking about Kobe and the Lakers, an assistant coach for an Eastern Conference team basically told Broussard that Kobe is washed up.
He compared Kobe to Wizards-era Michael Jordan. It's pretty brutal:
"I'm in total agreement with those who say Kobe's done. Look, you could put any high-level 2-guard on a bad team, let him jack up shots and get 20 points a night. So Kobe will be able to do that. But they ain't going to win. We don't judge Kobe off scoring 20 points a game. We judge him off dominance, off: 'Will they win 50 games, will they make the playoffs?' But now, we're not even talking about any of that. I'm not saying he can't play anymore. That's not what we're talking about.
"It's like Michael Jordan in Washington. I, for one, didn't want to see Michael's last tour with Washington. Nobody did. When the Lakers play Philly and other low-level teams, Kobe will do whatever he wants. But when he plays good teams and gets doubled? That's when we'll see that he's not the same player."
Yeesh.
Jordan averaged 21 points per game in his two seasons in Washington, which is pretty impressive for a 39-year-old. But his numbers in every major statistical category dipped from his Chicago days.
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Kobe has suffered two major injuries in the last 18 months. At age 36, it'd be remarkable if his performance didn't fall off from where it was two years ago.
With Steve Nash injured, a roster full of middling role players, and a coach who wants to stop his team from taking one of the most efficient shots in basketball, the Lakers are expected to be one of the 10 worst teams in the NBA this year.