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Kobe And Dwight Partnership: Unsteady At First, But Built To Last

Suki Thind

One of the storylines as of late has been the supposed “feud” between Dwight Howard and Kobe Bryant.

It all started during the game in New Orleans–in which Kobe Bryant punched in his 30,000th point–where Kobe appeared to miss a defensive rotation twice when Dwight went over to help, which resulted in an easy basket on both occasions.

Dwight called Kobe out over it, and Kobe fired back. It was best caught and tweeted by Kevin Ding of the OC Register, who witnessed it all first hand:

It appeared to resolve on the court, as the Lakers went on to defeat the Hornets, 103-87.

After the game, however, both superstars had something to say about the incident. According to Terrance Harris of NOLA.com, Dwight Howard had quite a bit to say, but it was mostly positive:

“We have to be able to do that, talk to each other. We are a team, we are a family so we have to feel comfortable enough saying something.

You can say whatever you need to say and the other person doesn’t need to take it as a personal attack. That’s where we stand. There is no need to have a big discussion about it. At the end of the day it got us a win.

It’s going to continue to get better. We are still learning each other’s games so it’s going to continue to get better. I don’t have a problem saying anything to anybody. It should be that way. We’ve got to talk to each other, we are a team. We are a family. The more chemistry we develop the better we will be as a team.”

Many took this as the beginning of a feud between the two, but Bryant also had his own interpretation of it:

“We were very active defensively, communicated very well and we created some turnovers and got some easy points.  From there we broke the game open.”

According to Mark Medina of insidesocal.com, Bryant explained his personality and brutally honest, pushing-buttons type of leadership style:

“That’s just how I lead. It’s no different. I was that way when I was 18 and I’m the same way. That’s how I lead. That’s what I’ve found to be successful, at least for me, in my style of leadership in winning championships. That’s just how it’s going to be.”

Additionally, when asked about it in an interview with ESPN which was aired during the Lakers/Thunder game, Bryant added that he warned Howard of the demanding leadership style Bryant possesses, and how he’s going to be tough on Howard. Kobe said Dwight welcomed it, but Kobe had to reiterate how tough it would be.

Apparently, Howard has absorbed some of Bryant’s leadership style and is dishing it back out to him, in a sense.

Next Page: What Will Come From This?

First of all, this will not be the last time the two yell at each other over a disagreement on the court.

Secondly, I actually see this whole debacle as a good thing; a very good thing.

Bryant has all the qualifications in the world as an offensive player, and has earned several NBA All-Defensive First Team mentions (nine to be exact).

Howard, on the other hand, is a solid offensive force, but is still raw and lacks a polished post game and struggles at the free throw line. However, Howard is one of the greatest defenders of all time, and has earned three NBA Defensive Player of the Year awards.

Therefore, Bryant has the right to critique Howard on the offensive end, and even look him off if he feels that Howard won’t be able to make a solid move in the post–or if he feels that Howard will get fouled on an attempt that isn’t going to inevitably result in a dunk.

At the same time, Howard is one of few players who can critique Bryant on the defensive end. Where Bryant is an offensive juggernaut, Howard is a defensive beast. Howard has been the Lakers’ defensive anchor all season, and has pretty much called out anyone who’s missed a rotation–most visibly Pau Gasol on numerous occasions.

The most important thing here, though, is that Howard called out Kobe Bryant. Almost nobody calls out Kobe Bryant. Not teammates, and many times, not even coaches. The fact that Bryant boasts five championship rings gives him the right to tell anyone else with less rings what to do, and usually makes him immune from criticism among his teammates.

I can’t remember the last time anybody called out Bryant, to be quite honest. Maybe Derek Fisher might have pulled Bryant to the side or given him a suggestion, but I’ve never seen anybody point a finger and yell at Bryant the way Howard did.

Howard had the guts to call Bryant out about a mistake, and although Bryant initially scoffed back at him, he realized it was his mistake and likely appreciated the passion and commitment to defense and winning that Howard displayed. In that sense, Howard was doing the most respectful and humbling thing to Bryant–letting him know when he’s at fault and hurting the team.

According to Ding, this opened an avenue for open discussion, namely with Metta World Peace, who put it all into perspective:

“Dwight misses free throws. Sometimes Kobe shoots too much. I do things. The key is to stay together. Talk about it and stick together.”

That appears to be exactly what these Lakers–and especially these two superstars–are doing.

Next Page: Will This Become “Shaq & Kobe” Part II?

For those who think this is just another instance of two alpha-males going at it and being unable to coexist a la Shaq and Kobe, they’re dead wrong.

These two are actually communicating on the court, and not in the media. Additionally, neither can question the other’s work ethic. Bryant may have missed a defensive assignment, and Howard may miss free throws, but both work relentlessly on every part of their game. The mutual respect is definitely there.

Similarly, Bryant likely realizes that Howard’s criticism comes out of a desire to be a great defensive team, and out of competitiveness to win ballgames and eventually a championship. Both are something Bryant can highly relate to. He’s not used to having someone close to as passionate and competitive around him, so it’s something he should appreciate.

An Added Leader

Kobe’s last two championships came with guys he led; guys who he had the right to criticize about anything and who didn’t have the right to say anything to him other than maybe Metta World Peace, who has a Defensive Player of the Year award under his belt as well. 

Now, he has a dominant defensive big man who appears to be willing to keep him in check on the defensive end. Combined with Bryant’s continual pushing of his teammates to get better, this could be the recipe to make the team better as a whole.

Bryant is still “The Man” on this team and a living legend, but he’s now learning that there’s another vocal leader on the team not afraid to call his teammates out. After all, Howard did lead his team to the NBA Finals in 2009 (in which his Orlando Magic eventually lost to Bryant’s Lakers), so his leadership should be welcomed by Bryant, the coaches, and the rest of the team.

This can only have a positive affect on the rest of the players as well, as they now may feel a sense of open dialogue as well as a sense of accountability; as now if they make a mistake they’ll likely have two guys in their face about it.

Once the team starts winning ballgames, the so-called feud will be looked at simply as great communication and accountability.

Kobe warned Dwight of the tight ship in which he’s captain of, but perhaps he didn’t expect to get a dose of his own medicine in the process.

In either event, it should be something Bryant appreciates and respects–and I think it is, even if it appeared to be just the opposite at first.

 

 

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