You know, I was never a Kobe guy. I didn't like that we dealt a top 10 center, Vlade Divac, for some unknown high school kid at a position where we already had a potential all-star, Eddie Jones. Then I cringed when he took all those crunchtime shots and airballed four times in Utah. And I hated how his emergence as a superstar caused Jones to be traded to Charlotte. And I didn't really like his stupid afro, or his atrocious rap album with Tyra Banks, or how he never seemed deferential enough to Shaq. I hated how he tossed Shaq under the bus in that police interview, and I couldn't believe it when Jerry Buss chose Kobe over Shaq and Phil Jackson. I started referring to him as "that bitch" in conversation, which was impressive of me. So even though I'm a Laker fan, believe me when I say that I have zero preconceived bias towards Kobe Bryant.What Kobe Bryant is, though, is the best player in the NBA, and it's not even all that close. Not as a Laker fan - as a BASKETBALL fan - it pains me to hear people say that Dwayne Wade or LeBron James are better players. Numbers can tell whatever story you want them to, so I'll avoid that for now, even though Kobe compares quite favorably on a numbers basis. All three players are fantastic - but saying Dwayne Wade is sick is not an appropriate point here. Wade and LeBron both have glaring holes in their game. Wade cannot shoot from long distance and thus would not be MVP-caliber if he weren't ridiculously protected by the refs. LeBron is a streaky shooter who drifts during games. Neither plays particularly good defense - Wade gambles for steals (at least he gets some), but LeBron is just flat out awful. And, if you've been watching the NBA this season, you'll know that for all the hype about how great it would be to play alongside Wade or LeBron, Kobe Bryant is easily the best passer of the three.
The best perimeter player in a decade isn't in a T-Mobile commercial and doesn't have a family sitcom-themed commercial campaign. He won't be this good for that many more years - so if you get a chance, watch a Lakers game this season - you'll see something incredible.
8 comments:
kobe rapes white girls
Oh yeah, that reminds me - Shin saw a group on facebook called "I'd let Kobe Bryant rape me" - he messaged the group admin to explain that if you let Kobe Bryant rape you, it isn't rape. Apparently this logic was too much for the group head to follow, and all Shin got back as a response was "?"
I lucked into tickets to see the Lakers play the Warriors up here this weekend because my friend was stuck in Tahoe and couldn't get out. The buzz in the arena every time Kobe touched the ball was incredible, and his fade-aways are even more impossible in person. Three favorite moments of an otherwise uninteresting blowout:
1) Laker fans starting an M-V-P chant, followed by Warriors fans booing Kobe every time he touched the ball (most passion Warriors fans have shown in a decade)
2) Kobe getting hammered on drives without a foul call - you can hear the impact sometimes of 300lb bodies - followed by his bitching (he is still a bitch) to Steve Javie, and a quick tech. The next time down the floor, Javie calls a touch foul on Kobe, then stares him down. Refs shouldn't do that, but it was strangely riveting...
3) The next play, Kobe is furious and for the first time all game slices HARD to the basket. You can't appreciate how fast these guys are until you see it.
Haha, that admin is an idiot.
Anyways, everything is based on winning the championship. Nowitzki is arguably one of the best power forwards to ever play the game, but he's not going to get any respect until he wins one. Wade was a one man machine in the Finals so he deserves his props this year. I don't get why Lebron is even in the running. He's sometimes a no show on offense.
Kobe is a better defender, but he has to win. He has to make it happen somehow even if he's got to go to battle with Smush Parker.
Kobe has three rings, and was the go-to guy down the stretch in each of those three seasons, particularly the later two. People forget that, because the Lakers played hopelessly small teams (which compounded the problem by not double teaming) in the finals, causing Shaq to have enormous games and win the MVP. But in crunch time, Kobe ran the show. Wade navigated an easy Eastern Conference last season (plus he had a 70% Shaq and a generally superior supporting cast - I'd take Walker, Mourning, Posey, Haslem, Williams over Horry, Fox, Fisher, George and Samaki Walker by a wide margin - there were only two consistently meaningful players on those Laker teams - Glen Rice during the first 2/3 of the first title season, and Derek Fisher during the playoffs of the second title season). While you surely must discount Kobe's titles because he played with a healthy-ish Shaq, I think you also have to credit him for having 3 titles to Wade's 1. If it's "winner" credibility we're after, Kobe has at least as much (and I think far more) than Wade.
It's hard to say that Kobe is the better player now because he's won 3 rings, the latest of which was 5 years ago. Anyways, Wade is hurt, so it's between Kobe, Dirk, and Nash.
Anyone take these Lenovo stats seriously?
http://www.nba.com/statistics/lenovo/lenovo.jsp
Also, Dirk is probably the frontrunner for MVP. Does MVP = best player?
I really don't have an opinion since I haven't seen many games this year. We'll see what happens during playoff time.
You must be out of your mind. Did you not see me put up SIXTY against Kobe? Did you not see me make 73 out of 100 college threes with one hand? They call me the "Golden One Arm." I am the assassin, my swag is phenomenal, and I will remember this. HIBACHI!!!
not only is he a rapist, but hes also a cheap player. i think you should add a kobe paragraph in your bruce bowen blog.
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