Los Angeles Lakers: A Guide To Enjoying The End Of Kobe Bryant’s Career

4. Setting New Expectations

However, just because we should try to remember vintage Kobe Bryant doesn’t mean we should expect him to return any time soon. Kobe’s longevity has been impressive, but over the last three seasons, Vino has aged less like fine wine and more like three-week old milk.

There will be nights (or, more accurately, halves, quarters and plays) where Kobe turns back the clock, like he did in the Lakers’ season opener. But those nights are going to be the rare exception from now on, not the norm. Kobe himself admitted as much after a 3-for-15 performance against the Dallas Mavericks:

And yet, even as Laker Nation and Kobe Bryant himself come to terms with the fact that he’s no longer that same player, there has been zero accountability. As one of the game’s all-time greats, Kobe’s drive is what set him apart once upon a time. Now it’s helped complete an ugly morphing process into downright obstinance that refuses to admit it’s time to change the way he plays.

It has to start with Kobe Bryant looking himself in the mirror and acknowledging that his time as an elite player is done. There’s no reason he should be leading the Lakers’ rotation players in usage rate (27.2 percent) and field goal attempts (15.5 per game)…even if everyone knows head coach Byron Scott certainly isn’t going to confront him anytime soon.

Considering THESE are the shots in question, the accountability is going to have to come from a 37-year-old Kobe doing something he’s never done in his career: admit he’s not the best, and play accordingly.

Kobe is combatting a lot of internal knowledge right now. He knows there are nuggets of truth to his self-abrasive criticism. He’s played it off with smirks and carried on chucking up shots, but deep down it’s starting to sink in that his body is failing him. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak, and this league-wide assumption that Kobe will “go back to being Kobe” doesn’t help.

Even LeBron James, the guy who grabbed the title of “best player in the league” from the Black Mamba, has been unrealistic about Kobe’s current standing in the league. Not that anyone should be flat-out telling Kobe he sucks, or that anyone would even dare to dream of doing so, but Kobe has become the NBA’s version of Peyton Manning — only 10 times worse.

For most of his 30s, Kobe has picked and chosen his spots on the defensive end, but even when he tries to lock down his man on defense now, he’s a step slow. Danilo Gallinari is a crafty player, but come on. He’s not THAT quick off the bounce:

At this point in his career, Kobe Bryant — and fans’ expectations of Kobe Bryant — can no longer rest on his laurels. There’s no question about his place among the greatest players to ever lace up a pair of sneakers, but he’s just not that guy any more. Sorry Byron Scott, but it most certainly IS time to worry about Kobe.

From the fans to his head coach to Kobe himself, the end of his Hall of Fame career will be a lot easier to tolerate if everyone could finally come to terms with the fact that his days of playing the hero are over.

Next: No. 3