Kobe Bryant Instructs His Teammates To 'Get The F*** Out of The Way', Clarifies Chemistry With Jeremy Lin Is Just Fine [VIDEO]
The Los Angeles Lakers are on the losing side again. After seeing some sunlight with gunner Nick Young's return and coincidentally a 2-0 spurt, the Lakers lost on Sunday to the Denver Nuggets in overtime due to poor shooting and shaky defence, 101-94.
The Lakers had a chance to put the game away with the game tied at 86-all with 15 seconds left and the ball in the Lakers' court. During the timeout, Kobe Bryant was caught on camera mouthing off some words to his teammates in the huddle which resembled the words, "Get the f*** out of the way."
What transpired in the last play was indeed a clear out for the number four ranked all-time player in scoring. Bryant launched a fade away shot over the defender on the left corner with the ball bouncing off the carom and the game going to an extra period. Eventually the Lakers were outscored 15-8 in overtime and pushed them further down the Western Conference standings, 3-11.
During practice Monday, the mood was a bit sombre due to the recent overtime loss coupled with the news that reserve Xavier Henry will be out indefinitely due to a ruptured Achilles. The Lakers also addressed the issue of too much dependence on the five-time NBA champion with coach Byron Scott saying that he will try to limit the minutes played by the Black Mamba to 30 to 40 minutes per outing and run the offence more through Jeremy Lin and the other Lakers players. Bryant for his part quelled all rumours that there is friction between him and the other players in the team such as Lin.
Kobe said chemistry with J. Lin is "fine." "He & I are playing two-man action a lot & trying to take advantage of the defense that way."
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) November 24, 2014
While Lin was automatically handed the point guard duties mainly due to the psuedo-retirement of Steve Nash, Bryant still dominates much of the ball with a usage rate of 35% per possession. The criticism of Bryant has been centred on his low percentages and the style of play that cultures a habit of standing and watching around. Scott wants to change all that as he is encouraged by the Harvard standout's play in the overtime loss against the Nuggets by seeking out opportunities for his teammates and constantly moving the ball.
Really make quick decisions, move the ball. If you got a shot, take your shot. If you got a drive, take your drive," Scott discussed how Lin should play in the future. "First half was a little bit more trying to search for me, second half was searching for his teammates."
Watch the video of Kobe Bryant yelling instructions to his teammates before the final shot in regulation against the Nuggets:
(Youtube/TheCuriousMind)