No Deal Hurts Black Mamba

     Kobe Bryant has five championship rings, one NBA MVP, two NBA Finals MVP's, thirteen all-star appearances, two scoring titles, nine first team ALL-NBA selections, nine all-defensive first team selections, four NBA all-star game MVP's, one NBA slam dunk contest championship, the second highest single game scoring record (81 points), and was the Naismith Prep Player of the Year in 1996. The Black Mamba is one of few to draw comparisons to Michael Jordan, the greatest ever. In my opinion, he is the second most prolific guard ever to play the game next to M.J. He is still the best closer the National Basketball Association has to offer. With all that being said, however, the clock is ticking on the world's greatest ball player.
     Number 24 is aging, as is his knee. Kobe has now played fifteen seasons in the league. He needs that sixteenth season to commence as soon as possible. If the lockout does not come to an end, Kobe will suffer the consequences. He will miss a full 82 game schedule and continue to both age and migrate from his prime simultaneously.
     Now, Mr. Bryant is ready to play overseas if David Stern's owners don't chill and his players don't sacrifice. Having personally seen professionals play in Italy, I know for a fact that European ball is not NBA ball. It is far from the same. As Lil Wayne says, it is far from the usual. It will not benefit Kobe much like another season in his comfort zone (the NBA) would. That comfort zone is beginning to dwindle, and if the Black Mamba wants a shot to at least match Jordan's six rings, he needs to find himself in the NBA playoffs pronto before his knee decides to retire.
     The Los Angeles Lakers are built to win now. The Lakers are not Hollywood's team. They are Kobe's team, and until he retires, will always have a shot at winning some bling (regardless of who the coach is). The superstar claims he has had more time this off-season to get in the weight room and get his body stronger  than he has in years past. If there is no season, then it has been nearly a wasted off-season for a man who doesn't believe in off-seasons. It removes one more year of Kobe eligibility and makes the culmination of the decline of his career more evident.
     I believe Kobe can pull out one more championship from his bag of tricks. He has a few years left of superstardom within. He just needs the NBA to return to form sooner than later so he can perform while he still has some sort of youth. If David Stern announces the cancellation of the season, it will be a sad day for Kobe Bryant.

Can it get any worse??

     The Indianapolis Colts need our prayers! It is as bad as it has ever been in Colts country. The Manning-less Colts are 0-9. They are on pace to match the win-less record of the 2008 Detroit Lions. Without future Hall-Of-Fame quarterback Peyton Manning running the show, the Colts are looking dazed and confused. Their best solution to Manning's injury, Curtis Painter, has thrown as many interceptions as touchdowns. If they choose to divert from that plan, they could go with the 72 year-old Kerry Collins, or Dan Orlovsky, the same guy who ran out of the back of the end zone while dropping back for the Lions a few years ago. The Colts' best offensive statistic might be that they are 10 for 13 on field goals for the season. Their opponents have 20 more touchdowns, nearly 70 more first downs, and over 1,100 total yards than they do. In nine games, the offense has only seven receiving touchdowns. Reggie Wayne, who was supposed to become the big kahuna once Marvin Harrison departed, has only one touchdown to his record this season. The offense is not the only side of the ball in disarray, however.
     Indy's defense is ranked 32nd in the league. There are 32 teams in the National Football League. Yes, this means they are dead last, and have shown very few signs of improving. What might be the team's best defensive statistic is that they have more tackles than their opponents. This, however, is because the offense cannot move the ball, so the defense is constantly on the field (getting more opportunities to make tackles). Their defense is undersized and is being outperformed by opponents each week.
     Only time will tell if Indianapolis can gut out a victory like the previous win-less Miami Dolphins did yesterday. There have been reports that Peyton Manning may make a return toward the season's conclusion. Many loyal Colts fans are hoping this is true in order to receive reassurance that the former MVP is still their franchise player. Others, moreover, are ready for the Andrew Luck sweepstakes. These are the Colts fans who want Peyton to stay comfortable in the press box so the team can continue losing in order to obtain the first overall draft pick for next season.
     As an unbiased football fan on the matter, I simply hope the Colts continue to look like a respectable football team (out of respect for the sport, and the dignity of the organization). For the sake of no other reason but feeling bad for them, I hope the Indianapolis Colts can find it in them to win a game this year. I may have been wrong in my last post about the Wisconsin Badgers rolling through the Big Ten, but I don't thing I'm wrong when I say the Colts are flat out awful.