While I'm tentatively against the deal, you're being a homer there. Steve isn't as good as Kobe is. He doesn't shoot as well. He can't handle the ball as well. He's smaller. His defense isn't as good (though it is improving). Kobe could probably play the point better than Francis, if you could fix the selfishness problem. Kobe's the better player. I just don't think you disrupt good chemistry to take the baggage that Kobe has right now. Before this year, I probably would have wanted the deal, though.
no need to convince Kobe to give Yao the ball. as the other poster mentioned earlier, Kobe is arguably a top 3 player in this league! if he comes to Houston, he'll be THE man here and Yao'll defer to him.
What the hell? I'd certainly agree that Bryant's a better player than Yao... but that'd completely marginalize our C. It isn't a matter of who takes more shots... or who runs the O... but if the perimeter star doesn't share the ball... you ruin the offense and make it one dimensional. It's a matter of strategy, not star power.
I'd rather the Rockets build with the foundation they have which is Francis Mobley and Yao. Eddie Griffin was supposed to be an important part of this team, most of us thought he had the potential to be an allstar at the 4. Cato and Mo are okay together but they need to find somebody that get do play both sides of the court well. EG was that, hes gone now. I'd much rather see the Rockets accuire a nice PF than a SG. Which is one of the strengths in the team right now (Cat)...
I don't know. I don't recall Jordan shared the ball with a certain Australian C. Yao's much better than Luke but Kobe probably isn't a ballhog that Jordan was. what I mean is if Kobe comes to Houston, he's definitely going to be the first option.
Except that doesn't work. Houston ain't about to run the triangle. You're looking at Kobe and saying, "what a player! If we got him, we'd have to make sure the team fits around him!" I'm looking at the players currently here (very good ones, in the case of Yao and Mobley), and saying "but it hurts the team as a whole." Could you get Kobe, then build the team around him? Yep. But that future probably wouldn't involve Yao or Mobley if you conduct the offense as you want to. So we'd have to trade them. Or play them in a system where they're not all that effective. Sure, Yao can shoot jumpers for a big man. But, then, so can quite a few C's in the league - you waste about half his talent. So, by your way of thinking... you either blow up the team to get Kobe... or marginalize Yao and Mobley. Kobe just isn't sufficiently better than Francis for it to be worth it. If you convince me that Kobe could play inside-out... then I'm not interested in. He can take the most shots. He can have the ball at the crucial moment. He can lead the team. But he has to play inside-out.
No way. How good are the Lakers when it's just Kobe jacking shots? Not very good. He is not good enough to carry a team by himself. Might as well trade Yao for Kobe if you think Kobe is better. I guarantee the Lakers would do that TODAY.
Hm...... no!!! I wouldn't even trade Cato, Mo, OR Mobley for Kobe. He'll break the team's chemistry. Frankly, I don't think he plays team ball any better than Steve. I'm not saying Steve is the best team baller, but he's willing to learn and listen! Lately, he seems to be getting it!!! NO KOBE!!!
Kobe is a top 5 players in the league. People forget so fast how good this guy is just because he's had some recent physical problems and the issues in Colorado. One argument I've read is that the Rockets do not have a point guard if Steve is traded. Steve and Kobe are no different except that Kobe is taller. Kobe defends better. He shoots better. Is he a better passer? I'd say he's the same. A point guard on the Rockets has become some facsimile of a Michael Jordan-type player playing the point meaning Steve is really a 2 guard being asked to pass. He's not a point guard being asked to shoot. Last but not least, Kobe was a very important part of the 3 championships the Lakers won with Shaq. It's not like Shaq did it alone. Anyone remember that Pacers game when Shaq fouled out, and Kobe took it upon himself to win the game in overtime? Would I trade Steve for Kobe? I'd do that in a second. Anyone could play the point from Charlie Ward to some scrub free agent, and Rockets would be scoring a 100 points every game.
Let's make a few (actually a lot of) assumptions. All of them are pretty big assumptions too. Let's assume: 1. We can get Kobe for Steve + junk 2. Kobe won't be affected by his trial 3. Kobe can stay healthy 4. Kobe won't screw up the chemistry 5. Kobe will pass the ball 6. Kobe still cares about winning another ring, instead of just having his own team Then ask yourself, would he stay when his contract expires in 05/06, assuming he doesn't opt out first. Here's the thing, he can come here, see if he likes it or not, then bolt if he doesn't. If he doesn't want to pass Yao the ball, he doesn't have to, Les is going to MAKE SURE JVG doesn't say anything about it if he plans to keep Kobe around. The ball is, as the saying goes, in his court. I simply don't like the fact that we'll be trading for an uncertainty. There are other factors too. Yes Kobe is probably top 5, he also led the Lakers to what, 4 - 10 without Shaq? He's no more capable of winning small ball than the SF/Mobley duo. On a personal note, the Rockets have kept a pretty good image so far. Sure Lucas ended his career with drugs (who doesn't in the NBA, screw you EG) but we're pretty clean. We play physical on the court (eg. Hakeem, Barkley) but we don't take our problem off it. Yao is a great spokesperson (errrr, role model) for the team. Cat, for all the times I knock on him, is always neat and clean. Steve haven't been caught in another rape cases yet. Yet here we're trying to get a should be convict (although he won't be convicted) and a selfish and spoilt brat in town? One who ditches his team after getting the rings to BE ON HIS OWN TEAM? Avoid Kobe like the plague.
I became a Rox fan because of Yao and I love Yao as much as you do, if not more. but seriously I would trade Yao for an established superstar in this league staight up in a heartbeat. and Kobe is one of those guys. Kobe not good enough to carry a team. neither is Yao. as much as I'm excited about Yao's potential to become the best player in NBA, I would still prefer to take a proven superstar like Kobe right now. but i know it ain't gonna happen. Shaq still has a few good years left in his tank and I don't know Lakers management are as high on Yao as some of you people here.
If Kobe goes anywhere, which I highly doubt, it'll be to a team where he can finally disprove all the naysayers who claim he has to ride the coattails of a big man. Forget it, he will not come here. Even if we could get him, screw it. Having the most talent doesn't always equate to a great team. Think about it this way: we'd become the Magic of the West if Kobe becane our main option...and in the West, there's no room for that.
All this effort to build a team around Yao and the emphasis on making Yao more aggressive. Then all the effort to rework Steve into being more of a passer, which is slowly coming along.... and to THROW all that away to bring in Kobe.... naaaaah. I doubt he'd agree to it anyway.
Kobe is the best guard in the NBA. He has demonstrated this many times. You're saying having Kobe on the Rockets equates to the Magic. TMac has almost nothing around him. I've said before that the trend is for a #1 dominant player like Shaq or Duncan to win championships. You've gotta have the talent and the attitude to be that player. Kobe is as close to that #1 as it could get at the guard position. If Kobe goes to the Rockets, he's definitely the man because he has proven himself already in the NBA. Maybe Kobe is just blowing smoke with his words about possibly leaving the Lakers. Maybe he isn't. Kobe playing with Yao is a big difference than playing with Shaq or Duncan. Shaq and Duncan have already proven they can win championships almost by themselves. The situations are totally different in my opinion. This is not like Gary Payton and Karl Malone going to the Lakers.
