Mike DeCourcy On Kobe Bryant's AAU Criticisms

We don't always agree with Mike DeCourcy on stuff like this, but he does have some very valid points in this critique of Kobe's critique of AAU basketball.

Kobe is correct in that AAU basketball, to an extent, focuses on the wrong things, or at least doesn't focus on fundamentals, and a lot of American kids really don't get instructed in the way that Europeans do.

On the other hand, DeCourcy is quite correct to point out that Americans dominate international basketball as never before (thanks to Jerry Colangelo and Coach K), and that American players dominate the highest level of the game, the NBA.

We're surprised though that neither guy - well at least not DeCourcy - thought to mention how ill prepared Kobe Bryant was in his first few years in the NBA.

Could he shoot? Always. Could he dribble? Yes. Did he understand team play?

Not really.

We remember watching one of his first Finals run with the Lakers. With the series on the line, and a lot of really young players on both teams, we were just amazed to see how many mistakes happened at the end, not least of all by Kobe.

That title was decided not by greatness but by mistakes. It took him several years to harden into the great player he became.

We wouldn't expect him to cop to that now, least of all given the comments in this story, but we thought the young, less certain Kobe might be remembered by others.