I argue with Kobe/Laker fans that during prime Shaq with the Lakers era you could replace Kobe with almost any all-star 2 guard and still get 3 titles. Replace Kobe with Ray Allen, T-Mac, Pierce etc...you would still get those titles. Shaq was that good back then. What do y'all think?
I agree...with the stipulation that luck has a whole helluva lot to do with any championship run. Basically, it could've been done with a suitable Kobe replacement, but you'll never know if it would've been done.
Dont think so buddy........Kobe played the right way then...Maybe Wade, T Mac could have won multiple ones...But Pierce and Allen would have been different kind of players in the triangle offense....Allen is my favorite 2 guard of all-time but I doubt they would have had the same success over that period....
Kobe is still one of the top 5 players to ever play the game regardless if you like him or not. I agree that it was Shaq's team, but I don't think they would've won 3 in a row without Kobe. Look at the past 2 championships, if you replace Kobe with any of those named players, they wouldn't have won the West 3 years in a row or back2back championships.
With a prime t-mac I think the lakers would have won more than three rings. The main reason because I think t-mac and shaq would have stayed together longer. I dont think t-mac would have cared being the second best player like Kobe did.
i always take Kobe over Lebron, but Kobe is not a top 5 player of all time. others ahead of him? MJ Wilt Magic Kareem Russell Bird I'd even put Duncan and Shaq ahead of Kobe, for all time legacy. So Kobe is not in my top 7
no, actually he would not have. VC is a close cancer. Almost AI style. He chokes the most when it matters and sucks.
We not talking about these past 2 titles... in 1999-00 to 2001-02...Vince, Mac, PP34 or Ray would have won those rings...
how do you know that? Your assuming. I cant say that this is no way that they would not have, b/c it never happened. man, rockets fans live on fairy tale island a bunch... we really need to get back to the Finals soon.
Kobe won his first ring with 16 ppg shooting 37% in the finals while Shaq put up 38/17 with 2.7 blocks shooting 61% During the first title run you could probably interchange that production with other premier perimeter players and they still might have won. The other 2 championships is debatable. But Kobe has his rings and that's the only fact and anything else is just speculation.
With the double and triple teaming of Shaq those Elite 2 guards would run wild. That dude Shaq was still finals MVP 3 times with the double and triple teaming.
I respect your opinion and I'm not going to hate on you for having one. My top 5 though is MJ Magic Shaq Hakeem Kobe Hate on it if you want. That's just my opinion.
An in his prime Tmac playing in LA would have fallen off the cliff even faster than he did with the Rockets. If winning a scoring title went to his head, winning an NBA championship would have went to his... Let's just put it this way, I wouldn't be surprised if in that alternate universe where Tmac was a Laker instead of Kobe, a news headline out of LA may have read, "Tmac promises only practice this year is practicing putting another ring on his next finger"...and that would have been the begging of the end.
I hate threads like this. It can be argued to death; but, at the end of the day there is no absolute conclusion.
A funny thing I always through in there is when Gary Payton was ring chasing he ran to Miami with Shaq and didn't stay in LA with Kobe. Chasing or not he got that title lol
