Kobe Bryant’s Lakers faced the Cavs for the last time on Thursday night, and while Cleveland came away the win, Kobe saw the Cavs still lacking a critical way.
In Bean’s diagnosis, the Cavs appear to be missing a “lightning rod,” someone who stirs up internal conflict to drive the team.
And while Kobe thinks LeBron’s nature is to bring a team together, James might indeed be trying to create some unease with his recent string of cryptic tweets.
From ESPN:
[Kobe] says he thinks LeBron, who desperately wants to get another ring, needs an ornery amigo in his locker room.
“You have to be true to who you are, and authentic,” Kobe said. “And I think every team should have that lightning rod. Because the happy-go-lucky stuff doesn’t work. I don’t care what anybody says or people’s perception of the team. You have to have that inner conflict. You have to have that person that’s really driving these things.
“From the Cavs’ perspective, it’s hard for me to tell from afar who should be that person. LeBron’s not that person. LeBron, he’s a … he brings people together. That’s what he does naturally. He’s phenomenal at it. But you have to have somebody else who’s going to create that tension. Maybe it’s Kyrie [Irving].”
