Hes having his best statistical year this year so his age is irrelevant right now. The fact of the matter is, he has been very lucky throughout the course of his career in having Shaq and Pao his whole career. Would we even talk about Kobe if he wasnt traded for Vlade Divac and coddled by HOF big men and coaches? Kobe in a hornets jersey would never have won a ring. He is a GREAT scorer but in no way a top 5 player all time like I'm hearing from people these days. The actual top 5 players MJ, dr34m, shaq, magic, jabbar wouldve won rings in ANY JERSEY... cant say the same for Kobe. He is NOT a deadly shooter in game winning situations... I remember big shot rob and derek fisher making game winners in the playoffs. Defensively he is not the great defender his ridiculous accolades suggest... all nba first team defense is absurd... there hasnt been a player who takes more play off on defense for offense. 30,000 points is nothing to sneeze at, but how does one do that and lead the league in scoring ONCE??? longevity! The NBA needed a savior after MJ left and the media made KOBE more than he actually is. Kobe has Steve Nash and D-12 right now and look at them... what would he do with bill wennington and luc longely? Kobe is a volume shooter that HAS to have an elite offensive big man to collapse the defense PERIOD. The lakers are a team a player goes to kill his career it seems. KOBE DOES NOT MAKE HIS TEAMMATES BETTER! Pao was a HOF'er before he came to LA. a consistent 25 and 11 guy for more than a decade in vancouver. D12 is a shell of the player he was only last year... dont blame the herniated disc. To conclude my I hate Kobe rant, I will acknowledge his second to none work ethic and his desire to be great. He is a tough sob. With that being said, the next time a media-influenced friend or random guy at the bar next to you makes a statement on how deadly Kobe is with the game on the line and how he is a top 5 player all time, tell him to turn espn off and form his own opinion!
Dream was just a monster on both ends of the floor. MJ had Pippen. Shaq had Wade and Kobe. He couldn't do it with the Magic. Magic had Jabbar and Jabbar had Magic and Oscar Robertson. No one man did it alone. Except for maybe Dream.
Dream had a very good supporting cast (if not great) for the first year, and he had Clyde added in the 2nd year. I would say you dont often see a championship won without an elite big man (only team I can recall without a great big man was the Bulls pre-Rodman era)
I can only imagine if Dream picked up a basketball BEFORE college lol... although cant imagine him much better
You read my mind with this thread !!! The one year that kobe didn't have a big man(the year after he ran Shaq out of town) he missed the playoffs.... He also holds the record for most field goals missed
I'm not a Kobe fan by any means and admit he is overrated on d but come on. What makes him one of the greats is his fearlessness. He isn't afraid to take shots, yes he has missed a lot but he is great because his attitude. One of the best mid range games of all time and array of moves including post up moves. Not everyone can jack up shots through double teams and make them but he can. And when he is on his game it is impossible to stop him. Personally I don't like him but as a player he has been one of the most driven guys ever. I don't know where I would rank him in terms of greatness but he is one of the greats. Hey I'm no Kobe fan, in fact he's one of my least fav but he has earned my respect
2003 duncan almost did it alone. He had a washed up david robinson and good role players at the time ( rookie manu, cap jack, tp, bruce bowen). He was a monster on both sides of the floor and he completed destroyed kenyon martin, wich at the time was a great player with great future.
It's good that there is no proof how Jordan needed best defensive SF of all time who could played point forward, best rebounder of all time who defended 4 positions and shut him down twice, best coach of all time and bunch of great role players, one of them happen to be all time leader in 3pt %. Because Jordan had many seasons with winning record without Pippen.
Kmart was a good player back then, and decent future. Nobody ever though Kmart would be great. That year was one of the weakest drafts ever.
Kobe is a good player, but he has been EXTREMELY fortunate throughout his career. Based on talent, I would put him at about the same level as Allen Iverson. A great player for sure, undoubtedly an all-star, with enough talent to carry a team to the NBA finals, and maybe even win a championship, but not one of the greatest of all time. Without Shaq and Gasol on his team, Kobe would not have won those 5 championships. He might have gotten a ring on his own in a weak year, but he certainly would not be mentioned in the same breath as Jordan, as he is currently. Likewise, if you stuck Iverson on the Lakers during Shaq's (and Gasol's) prime years, he would be the one in the conversation for greatest SG of all time, and not Kobe.