Dear Kobe,
Welcome back! Missed you at the World Championships this summer. I wasn't sure if you got the memo I sent out a few days ago after your team's first two games, so just in case, I'll attach it here:
Lamar Odom is VERY good. Kobe, I don't know if you noticed this while you were sidelined, but Lamar can do a little more than stand around and wait for you to score. This guy is arguably among the top five most talented players in the league. He's 6'10", can play all five positions, and doesn't hog the ball. In other words, you might want to give him the rock once in a while.
See, here's the thing: when Lamar plays without you and can operate within the triangle offense, he's a double-double waiting to happen. But as soon as you walk onto the floor, he becomes a deferral machine. In fact, your whole team does. But we'll get to that later.
Andrew Bynum is also very good. Bynum's certainly not an Odom-like player. Yet. But under Kareem's tutelage, it's only a matter of time before this guy becomes the next great Lakers center. Bynum's another guy that you might want to look for come crunch time. Remember when you used to get open looks because guys would double Shaq? Let Bynum develop for half a season, and you'll be able to drop 28 points a night the easy way.
Not everyone hates you. Back when you were Shaq's sidekick and America's golden boy, you were angry because you weren't the number one scoring option. Once you drove Shaq out, you felt the need to average 35 points a game last season because, supposedly, everyone hated you.
Kobe, look. Colorado is a long way from the Staples Center, both physically and mentally. L.A. really wants to love you again. But averaging 35 points by taking an Iversonian 26 shots per game WILL NOT WIN CHAMPIONSHIPS!
Remember in "The Return of the Jedi," when Emperor Palpatine assumed control of the entire Imperial Fleet for a battle? That worked out great, until he died and no one knew what to do. That's essentially what happened in last year's playoffs against the Suns. You got them to a Game 7, but when the Suns shut you down, the other Lakers had no clue what to do. After all, they had deferred to you for an entire season. What was Odom supposed to do, drop 50?
The league has moved on. I hate to say it, but you're no longer the future of the NBA. Kobe, you're not even the present. LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and potentially Carmelo Anthony are the media darlings. Your days of doing McDonald's commercials are long over. There is, however, one way for you to return to prominence - win another title. Win a few of them.
There's only one way to do that though. Lamar Odom must become your Scottie Pippen. Ronny Turiaf must become your Dennis Rodman. Andrew Bynum ... hell, he's already better than Luc Longley.
Kobe, I really want to like you. But every time you step on the court, the Lakers become The Kobe Show. Just like most Hollywood blockbusters, The Kobe Show is exciting and sells a lot of tickets, but it takes home little hardware when it comes to quality over flash. I'm sick of seeing other Lakers standing around waiting for you to score. I'm sick of hearing you complain about the triangle offense.
Michael Jordan was the best because he fixed every hole in his game. When critics called him a dunker, he developed one of the NBA's best jump shots. When they said he couldn't play defense, he earned his way onto the NBA All-Defense team. And when they said he wasn't a team player, he played team basketball on his way to six titles.
You know why you never were the heir to his Airness? It's simple. Because regardless of what number you wear, you still haven't proven to anyone that it's not all about Kobe. And I don't believe you ever will.
Will Herberich is a freshman. He can be reached at Willian.Herberich@tufts.edu.
