By David Haugh (Chicago Tribune)For Rose to become an elite point guard, he must force the issue as he did against Bryant's Lakers in scoring 21 points on 22 shots, even if it occasionally alienates teammates.
Bryant referred to his favorite marketing campaign when recalling how he counseled Rose about that dilemma.
"Just do it," Bryant said, parroting the Nike slogan. "Leave it all out on the floor ... It's tough for a younger player to have that confidence in himself but he has the skills to do it."
Bryant always had his Type A personality urging him to shoot first and answer questions later. Rose still has a tendency to be too unselfish for his own good.
"My personality is totally different than Kobe that way," Rose said.
Being a top-10 player means risking being unpopular. It never mattered to Bryant if teammates couldn't stand him if opponents couldn't stop him.
"I just did it," Bryant said. "I felt I wanted to win more than some of my teammates at times, which made me kind of upset but however they took it, they took it."
When Bryant broached that subject in September, Rose admits he didn't fully understand. One-fourth of the way into a lousy season, Rose finds out what Bryant meant a little more every night.
An attacking floor game like Tuesday's suggests he's learning.
"I'm starting to see it now, definitely," Rose said. "It's hard. But some way, I have to find a way."
Finding it will be easier following Bryant's direction.
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