I know a few months ago it was absurd to ask this question but i think with the way Durant is playing, and his team continuing to beat up the West it might be time to debate.....
Too early, but I'll say Kobe for now. Could very well be Durant down the line, though. Durant is just barely into his prime.
What do u mean too early? We all know Durant hasn't reached his prime...i get that the question is a bit confusing but my point is that would u take prime kobe of current durant?
This is so false. Kobe's prime was about 5 years imo, and most of it was when he was alone. Part was with Shaq and part with Gasol and Bynum. He was Shaq's sidekick and I really believe the combo of Gasol/Bynum's sidekick for most of the finals. Kobe got the MVPs on name in the Gasol/Bynum era, but if you look at his playoff stats, especially in the finals, he was much closer in stats to any old chucker than actually a superstar carrying his team. Kobe was a great player, but KD can do so much more with so much less. Basically the question is switch out KD for Kobe and vise versa. I believe KD would have won AT LEAST 5 titles in Kobe's shoes (same or more than Kobe), and I think the Thunder would've been worse off trading Durant for Kobe.
the Kobe hate is strong with this one. KD has so much less??? Dude is 6'9 with a 7'4 wingspan. And if KD can do "so much more" than the 2nd best SG in NBA history, then that would put him on MJ's level, no? I like KD. But stop the Kobe hate when you make arguments; otherwise, you just look stupid.
No one knows that. This could very well be his prime...which is STILL good for 2nd best or 1st best in the NBA btw. We can't just assume that he's young and all, remember when Dwight took the Magic to the finals? People were saying the same things. "This is not his prime." he can still get better offensively etc etc...well that just might have been his prime, which at the time was a top 3 NBA player. Rose might have also just pass his prime. Durant could just remain playing at this level (which would still make him a 1st ballot HOFamer...) or he could decline for whatever reason (sometimes it is odd, some stars can just fall off suddenly, doubt it happens with Durant.) or he could have a major injury that stagnates progress. Therefore it's too early to say if he's in his prime or not. As for the question of Current Durant or Kobe I don't know, Prime Kobe was really amazing but also was a huge ballhog and had a huge ego.
25 yrs old was not Kobe's prime, nor MJs, nor Lebrons, nor Magics, nor Birds, nor Duncans, nor Nowitzki Not getting your semantic argument. All players get better with more experience, that has nothing to do with scoring ability...or they are revealed as not superstar, but just in the right place at the right time. Are you comparing KD to Howard, because you think KD is in the right place at the right time, so will fall back when revealed.
Kobe's prime was wasted on a shetty team where he got to chuck up however many shots he wanted while getting eliminated every year in the first round he was arguably on the decline athletically when he wont his first chip with Gasol
Howard and Rose have already reached their primes. My argument is anything can happen, you can't say with certainty that this is his prime. That's just a prediction like any other. He could very well tear his ACL tonight and never be the same again...or this could very well be as good as it is going to get with him. I'm not comparing KD to anyone, every player has their own path and road. All I'm saying is, he may be the MVP this season...it's not unbelievable that this could be as good as it gets...which is still good for 2nd best in the NBA. Melo reached his prime years ago...yet people kept saying "He's going to get better..." just assuming that he would...it never happened. He's the same Melo he was in Denver.
Kobe's prime was in 2001-2003 when he actually played defense and his athleticism was at an all time high. His numbers are "better" in 2006 because he was chucking at an all-time rate. Anyway, Durant now is better than either version by a substantial margin.
So, would you say Melo is still in his prime? You make it sound like he regressed. He morphed into a PF. I think he is definitely better, and at worst, still in his prime. Best seasons are not dictated by stats alone. This is not baseball.
KD is pretty much leading a team to the 1st seed in the toughest WC ever. I was inclined to say Kobe but I would build a team around Durant. The scary thing is , Acne still hasn't even reached his prime yet.
"Substantial" What is your definition of Substantial. Here's my definition. Hakeem is substantially better than any Center in the last 30 years. Durant is not substantially better than Kobe's prime. OH, and Hakeem is substantially better than KD.
