aldridge: 'bryant contacted a team and begged the team to trade for him'.

Mark my words, Kobe will not be traded. The Lakers would never do a thing like that. Unless Kobe and Shaq get into somekind of fist fight, they're stuck together. They could have a great thing together if they would just get along. They could win 5 or 6 more championships if they stuck together. But their egos are too big for their own good. They are going to have to work things out. I agree with Shaq in that the offense should run through him. That's what won them the championship last year, but Shaq must improve defensively also. Kobe has been taking bad shots and seems to be being selfish. If Kobe wants anymore rings on his fingers, he better stick with Shaq, and if Shaq wants anymore rings on his fingers, he better stick with Kobe.

 

Could it be New Jersey ?? Or, maybe it could have been us ???

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"We don't have any plans. We just plan to win." Mack Brown

 

well, that would be the last we heard of Kobe.


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WooHoo! The season's here!....I'm still gonna need that keg of Pepto-Bismol.

 

OK, maybe what I said isn't totally accurate, but here's the way I see it.

Kobe isn't MJ. MJ made his teammates better. Kobe only wants to make himself better.

Kobe is now acting alot like Stackhouse did when he first came into the league, but Stack didn't have a guy like Shaq to provide spacing. Even now he doesn't, but we saw first hand how different playing a guy like him straight up and double and triple teaming him affects his game.

As for Iverson, well he had the ball in his hands every time down the floor. I guess if Kobe had the ball as often as Iverson did he could score at the same pace he is now.



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"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever." - Gandhi

 

I agree that Kobe could put up ridiculous numbers if he was the only go-to guy on his team. Probably not as good as jordan's numbers because the pace of the game has slowed so much, but much better than he's getting now. However, KB's first interest should be winning. That's what made MJ so great, he didn't care about scoring 50 every game, as long as he could make plays when it came down to winning time.

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Achebe,

How am I lying to myself?

MJ was not unstoppable, even back then. Maxwell regularly held MJ in check. MJ has even said publicly that Vernon was the best person at guarding him. Also, MJ made his teammates better, even when he was younger. It was only when he had another big time scorer/defender(Pippen) to create space that he was able to help push the team over the top.

Sorry, but I don't believe Kobe can do that on his own. He might be able to put up impressive numbers without Shaq, but not at the consistency he is now. Shaq opens up Kobe's game to new heights. Shaq's presense alone gives Kobe the openings to make those pull up jumpers and crossovers because having Shaq poised, waiting for the ball under the basket creates spacing.

Imagine Jahidi White in the middle with Kobe as the SG. There is no way Kobe would be played straight up as often as he is, nor does he have as much space to make his moves.

Anyway, I'm not saying Kobe isn't good or even that he isn't the best player in the league(that is disputable though), but he has a long way to go to even be able to carry MJ's jock.

Let me ask you this, if the Lakers were to trade one or the other, who would it be?

My answer is Kobe, because you simply can't replace someone like Shaq. Players similar to Kobe are all over the league(ie. Allen, Stackhouse, E. Jones, Mobley, etc.), of course without as much talent.

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"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever." - Gandhi

 

Steven Smith said Kobe contacted MJ about getting traded to Washington.

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"We don't have any plans. We just plan to win." Mack Brown

 

Pimp, MJ has said many times that Joe D. was the best defender ever.

IMHO, MJ was unstoppable in the playoffs, and at many times sduring the regular season.

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President of the Charles Barkley fan club...Oh he retired? When?