Daily NBA Fix: Kobe Bryant’s Slow Slide Into Retirement

Kobe Bryant had another rough night in the Los Angeles Lakers’ loss to the New York Knicks as he shot 6-of-19 for 18 points.

On the season he’s shooting 32.1 percent from the field and 21.1 percent from beyond the arc while posting a -13.5 net rating. After an encouraging start to the year things have gone down hill quickly.

Admit it, you are enjoying it. It’s OK, so are many others on Twitter and around the NBA world.

Kobe’s continual pushing of himself and denying that anyone or anything could stop him was always one of his greatest attributes. He always worked harder than everyone to prove doubters wrong. That drive that pushed him higher and higher and to five NBA championships. That drive was supposed to take him through recovery and into a memorable swan song to his eventual Hall of Fame career. The arrogance had served him well throughout most of his career but toward the end as his skills diminished, it has become a problem.

More from NBA

• Meet Cooper Flagg: The best American prospect since LeBron James
• Are the Miami Heat laying the groundwork for their next super team?
• Sophomore Jump: 5 second-year NBA players bound to breakout
• Constructing the NBA’s perfect all-under-25 starting five
• Grading every NBA team’s highest draft pick in the last five years

The very things that made Kobe great are now betraying him in his final hours. Many fans are not so quietly taking delight in one of the game’s most ego driven stars, one who didn’t care about anything but winning and proving he was best the best, falling apart as his career comes to an end. Maybe if he came off the bench as took a different role with the team he wouldn’t look so washed up, but as long as

Bryon Scott

he is calling the shots he’s not going to take a back seat to anyone.

During his career Kobe never minded being the bad guy. If this were wrestling, Kobe Bryant would be a villainous heel trying to stop the heroes. If you were a fan of a team in his way during the Lakers’ championship runs he certainly seemed like one. He never cared about who did or didn’t want to play with him, because the Lakers have always deferred to their franchise star.

So keeping with the wrestling idea, when it is time for bad guy’s comeuppance, the crowd takes delight in it. The schadenfreude grows more and more each day and with every missed shot.

Kobe wanted to prove that the injuries of the past few season weren’t going to stop him and that he was still one of the game’s best. But whether it is his body or being out of sync after multiple years of injuries it doesn’t matter how much drive and determination Kobe was right now.

Thanks to social media, each sign that the game is leaving him is put on display seconds after it happens. None of this can diminish his legacy or multiple championships, but so far it looks like his career will end with either a sad whimper or a beautiful thud depending on how you feel about him.

Did Kobe “deserve” to go out like this? Eh, depends on if you see him as a good guy or bad guy in the terms of the NBA. But it was almost inevitable it was going to end this way as he was never going to walk away until he knew he couldn’t play anymore.

Maybe he gets his game back at some point and can coast out this season with more respectable numbers, but right now it looks like injuries and time are going to win out.

PG vs LBJ

The Indiana Pacers’ Paul George had another spectacular game with 36 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and three steals against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. James finished the night with 29 points, six rebounds and four assists as Cleveland held off the Pacers, 101-97.

It was PG’s second straight game with 30+ points and the third in a row with 20+ points. After his leg injury and a rather pedestrian six games last season, there were fears that he may never get his confidence back or his body would be unable to handle being what he was two seasons ago. But after a slow start it appears that George is beginning to get back to the player he once was.

Shark In The Water

Markieff Morris thought it was safe to go in the water, but Russell Westbrook was lurking behind him as he put his back to the basket midway through the first quarter of the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 124-103 victory over the Phoenix Suns.

Smelling blood, Westbrook poked the ball out Morris’ hands and quickly found himself with nothing but open water between him and the hoop and viciously attacked the rim.

Russell ended the game with 21 points but it was Kevin Durrant that led the way with 32 points in the victory.

Shhh…The Detroit Pistons Are Kinda Scary

The Detroit Pistons needed all 40 of Reggie Jackson‘s points on Saturday, as well as Andre Drummond‘s 29 points and 27 rebounds, to come back late for the 120-103 win over the Portland Trail Blazers.

The win moves the Pistons to 5-1 on the season thanks to that 41-point fourth quarter.

"”The funny thing is, when I was scoring I felt like we were scoring. I saw the ball going in the basket but I didn’t necessarily know it was myself putting the ball in there a lot,” Jackson said. ”The team was just moving the ball, great screens which allowed me to get open, and I tried to be aggressive.”It was the Pistons’ first win in Portland since 2007 and snapped a six-game overall losing streak to the Blazers.”I’ve coached a long time and have never been part of a fourth quarter like that,” Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy said."

Next: NBA Power Rankings: Week 2

The Pistons held the Trail Blazers to 11 points in the final period as the Eastern Conference looks to be much more competive than it has been the last few seasons.