Los Angeles Lakers: Kobe Bryant’s Trash Talk is a Great Sign
By Shane Young
The old Kobe Bryant is back. In this case, take “old” however you choose. He’s old in basketball age and that number only continues to rise. But, he’s also reverting to his old personality for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Since the opening of Byron Scott’s training camp, there’s been numerous stories brewing for this mismatched bunch.
First, it was Bryant’s returning practice, in which reporters hoped to see all they could, or as much as media availability allowed them to. That’s always a hassle, since majority of the practices are typically held in private, with no public eye. From what some people could see, including Yahoo! Sports’ Marc Spears, Bryant had the same pop in his jumpshot and energy in his legs as he had before the string of injuries.
From what Bryant has told everyone, Scott has made it a first priority to get these guys in shape. Is the main goal just to get the team’s endurance up? Well, yeah, but there’s a reason why it will be helpful. There was too many occurrences last season of opponent’s big men beating the Lakers up the floor. Too many times did we witness opposing centers and forwards out-running Los Angeles in the fastbreak, partly due to lack of effort and then lack of agility.
Nonetheless, rising above all the other riveting stories from practice was Bryant’s trash talking.
Trash talk — insulting or boastful speech intended to demoralize, intimidate, or humiliate someone, especially an opponent in an athletic contest.
Now, for Bryant’s likely definition of trash talk: A quick, insightful reminder of who I am, where I’ve been, and what I’ve done. Used as helpful motivation for young rookies to improve their game and strive to be on my level. If you want to be great as a Laker, aim to shut me up. When you do, respect will be earned.
Or, something like that, right?
He doesn’t use trash talking just to boast on his skills, although it may seem that way. With Kobe, there’s always a message behind it. Think it’s digging too deep and putting too much thought into it? It’s not, as it can be attributed to why Bryant was able to repeat as a champion in 2009 and 2010. With winning, comes a lot of character building, determination, and a bit of nastiness. Gregg Popovich is smiling, as he knows how valuable “nasty” could be in the postseason.
Some people are believers that your teammates should only teach you by being gracious and having the “Mr. Nice Guy” personality. But, in reality, it’s all about personal preference, and dependent upon one’s attitude.
On Thursday, Bryant let loose some of the trash talk we’ve been accustomed to seeing since his early beginnings in Hollywood. He usually only gets vocal after doing something on the offensive end. This time, it was younger guys guarding him, trying to stick with Kobe and attack his tendencies. Perhaps they think since he’s been out of action for nearly a calendar year, they’d have a chance at stopping him in his favorite spots.
With the L.A. Times’ Mike Bresnahan watching the action unfold, matters got rather eye-popping on the court this week.
The Lakers’ second-round draft pick, Jordan Clarkson, couldn’t stay in stride with Bryant as he got to his baseline jumper, and he slipped while trying to contest the shot. Once it fell through the bottom of the net, Bryant shouted “Don’t hurt yourself!” in the direction of Clarkson.
Second-year Laker, Nick Young, is probably the only other L.A. guard that has the guts to go toe-to-toe with Kobe when it comes to trash talking. He’s been the most vocal about trying to poke the bear when they’re practicing with each other, and Young even initiates the conversations in scrimmages.
On the same day, Young was attempting to banter back and forth with Bryant when Kobe was at the free throw line. After he sank the foul shot, he snapped back at Young by saying “Not to me you don’t.”
Bryant is making it clear that you don’t start the talking to him unless you can back it up with your performance, and elevate your game to his historical level.
“I mean, [Young] playfully does it,” Bryant said after practice on Thursday. “But then, you know, I really take it to another level. Then, I just stay on him.”
The funny part about the situation is that Swaggy P actually enjoys the strong competition, and he’s not going to get “turned off” by playing with a guy this feisty and villain-like. He’ll learn to adopt the same disposition, which only helps to increase his productivity and workout habits. It helps guys become more steadfast on getting better, so that they can impress the old bull and gain individual success on the court.
Rookie Julius Randle isn’t the type to engage in heated banter, but for someone that loves to play aggressively in the paint, it’s good medicine for him to be around Kobe. He idolized Bryant growing up, so obviously he enjoyed the egotistical, vain approach Kobe put into each game. Randle is finding out firsthand … the five-time champion does that for every practice as well. People mix Bryant’s tactics into a bowl of disaster and make him out to be a bad teammate, but there’s many more good intentions to his methods than bad.
Just as Phil Jackson — Bryant’s former head coach — pointed out in a recent interview, Kobe’s trained harder than even the greatest player to lace up Nike’s (Michael Jordan). If there’s someone you would choose to replicate in terms of their techniques and strategies toward practicing and getting into someone’s head, take Bryant.
There’s more optimism that should come from Bryant’s recent trash talking. Yes, it’s even more than the effect it will have on his teammates.
It’s about how Bryant feels emotionally and mentally, entering his 19th season as a pro.
Since hitting the floor with the Achilles tear in April 2013, Bryant hasn’t had the same confidence he’s had his whole career. Now, he wouldn’t dare go public and say that, but you can just tell the difference. He’s not oblivious of his career coming to an end. He’s not unaware that he may be a tad slower, might jump a tad lower, or may be a bit less capable on defense.
Immediately after the Achilles tear (and even the knee fracture), there was a level of concern that set in. Bryant wasn’t as cocky, wasn’t as sure that he could rebound from a career-threatening event. It had been months since you heard the vintage trash talking from Kobe, and rightfully so. He wasn’t healthy enough to do so.
Now, with him going full-force against teammates in practice, letting everyone know who’s back in town and ready to silence writers, only great thoughts can come from his jawing.
It means he’s ready, and isn’t shying away from being the motor mouth on the court. The last season in which he had the same demeanor? His 2012-13 campaign, where he set the NBA record for the highest scoring average of anyone in their 17th season (27.3 points per game). During that year, Bryant recorded an astounding eight games of scoring at least 40 points.
In NBA history, there’s only been one other guard to score 40+ points in more games, while being at least 34 years old. Michael Jordan has 20 career games (at age 34 or greater) of scoring at least 40, and he was doing it all the way up to ages 38, 39, and 40. It’s unclear if Bryant is going to play that long, but being 12 games shy of that record is something he’ll look to close in on this season.
Trash talking has always been both Kobe and Jordan’s cup of tea. It’s nice to see the Black Mamba drinking from that same glass again. We see the results on October 28, in Staples Center.
**Statistical support credited to Basketball-Reference**
Shane Young is an NBA credentialed writer for 8 Points, 9 Seconds and HoopsHabit.com. For all Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Lakers, or general NBA coverage, follow @YoungNBA and @HoopsHabit on Twitter.