Battier effect on Kobe Bryant examined

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Kobe Bryant‘s struggles in Game 1 of the Lakers’ second-round NBA playoff series against the Houston Rockets might have been caused by the lingering effects of illness.

But after reading this piece by Michael Lewis that ran in February in The New York Times Magazine, you might strongly consider the Shane Battier effect. This is a lengthy story, but one well worth reading by the author of the bestselling books ‘Moneyball’ and ‘The Blind Side.’

The excerpt below is from the middle of the story:

The reason the Rockets insist that Battier guard Bryant is his gift for encouraging him into his zones of lowest efficiency. The effect of doing this is astonishing: Bryant doesn’t merely help his team less when Battier guards him than when someone else does. When Bryant is in the game and Battier is on him, the Lakers’ offense is worse than if the NBA’s best player had taken the night off. “The Lakers’ offense should obviously be better with Kobe in,” [Rockets General Manager Daryl] Morey says. “But if Shane is on him, it isn’t.” A player whom Morey describes as “a marginal NBA athlete” not only guards one of the greatest — and smartest — offensive threats ever to play the game. He renders him a detriment to his team.

Lakers fans are strongly advised to read to the conclusion of the story.

-- Gary Klein