Jeremy Lin News: Are Lin, Kobe Bryant Getting Along? Los Angeles Lakers Star Wants Lin to "Run the Offense"
It did not take long for Los Angeles guard Kobe Bryant to get frustrated with his team.
Despite putting up 31 points Wednesday night, the Lakers got blown out for a second consecutive game in a row, going down 99-119 on the road at the U.S. Airways Center to the Phoenix Suns.
The 20-point loss to the Suns came on the heels of Los Angeles' opening night disaster, losing to the Houston Rockets 108-90 in front of their star-studded home crowd.
"We're not as bad as these two games. We're not," Bryant said after the Phoenix game, going 11-of-25 for the night.
Los Angeles played sloppy on Wednesday night, with power forward Carlos Boozer turning the ball over eight times and going 2-for-6 from the field, scoring only four points. Lakers point guard Jeremy Lin, who was in the starting lineup, was not much help, going 2-for-5 from the field, scoring six points and earning only one assist in 21 minutes.
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Bryant said he believes that Lin needs to be more assertive on offense.
"I talked to him a on the bench a little bit [Wednesday night]," Bryant said. "I said, 'You've got to run the offense. Like, I'm telling you to run the offense. You've got to do it.'"
Bryant explained to reporters that Lin is still learning the game and that they don't not always see eye-to-eye. Bryant said he believes that young players in the league seem to have a misconception that teammates are suppose to get along, saying, "That's no championship team that I've been on."
"Me and [Derek Fisher] used to bicker and snipe at each other all the time, and I couldn't love a teammate more," Bryant said after the Phoenix game. "These guys are young, man. It takes a little time to understand that -- that teams become really great by challenging each other. I want it to be [Lin's] role to orchestrate the offense, call the right things, get guys in the right spots. It's going to take a little getting used to for him, because it's different in the past. But that's what I want from him."
While Lin has played with scorers like New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony and Houston Rocket shooting guard James Harden, Bryant told reporters that he is a "different breed" of scorer, with both Harden and Anthony owning a style of play in which they need to control the ball.
"I told [Lin] that's a big urban legend with me," Bryant said. "I want to score. That means coming off picks, catching and shooting, right? So you handle the ball, you run the show."
The Lakers hope to turn their fortunes at the expense of their Staple Center neighbors the Los Angeles Clippers Friday night.
"I told them we have to hang in there and stay together as a team," Los Angeles head coach Byron Scott said. "It is only two games."
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