Just admit you hate Kobe personally. This is not about basketball, you personally hate the ground that man walks on and hopes he rots in hell. I understand
Nothing is obvious until you prove it. Again, explain your comment that Tmac's Orlando team was collectively worse than the 2006 Lakers team. I'm lookin at both rosters right now, and I can tell you that's not true. Still waiting
I stopped trying to predict how efficient a player can get once I saw how insanely efficient LeBron was last year. We have to remember we now live in an age where teams track where a player is most efficient at and design gameplans to take advantage of those areas. So why would it be surprising that a guy with Durant's, size, skillsets, work ethic to improve and armed with data, could become more efficient?
I think everyone here has done a great job proving that the Orlando team was just as bad as the lakers team if not worse. You are the only one arguing against like 10 other people.
I'm not going to waste my time citing every post that has thrown your already irrelevant argument out the window. I agree with the others, you never watched basketball back then and you aren't even doing half a decent job of hiding it. You can go troll somewhere else.
WTF why is Kobe leading the poll against Kevin Durant? Seriously? Lots of Kobe homers in the board I see There's no logical reason to say Kobe is better than prime Durant when KD isn't even in his prime. Even the current KD is better than Kobe ever was. Team game or 1-on-1 KD would dominate Kobe.
What isn't true about it? The only good player outside of TMac on that roster was Grant Hill and he was injured almost the whole year. Kobe at least had a healthy Odom. Who did McGrady have? Pat Garrity? Kobe fans just love to talk about how Kobe had it so rough for the two years when he had a bad team, not realizing that most players are in that situation for half their careers. Look at some of the **** teams LeBron, Allen, AI, Wade, etc had when they were first or second round fodder too. Kobe fans are just like Kobe himself-- entitled.
So your argument is that KD's not gonna get better because he's already so good? What about experience? What about an expanded post game? What about better muscle mass due to body building? There's still lots of things he can improve on more than just the over all numbers, if you look at LBJ last season and LBJ the year he brought the cavs to the finals, the statistical difference isn't a lot but the quality of play certainly is, esp. on the defensive end. The only reason Tmac trailed off is because he's had health problems since he was little, IIRC he had back problems even back in high school and some doctors said he wouldn't be healthy enough to play in the NBA. KD has no such issues and his jump shooting playing style minimizes contact and rapid movements, things which could cause injury and wear and tear on his body.
By pretty much every advanced metric, KD last year was better than Kobe ever was. This year it isn't even close.
No, I never said he is NOT going to get better. I'm saying because he is already performing at an all-time great (great as in like top 4 EVER), it's unreasonable to expect significant improvement, because it literally has never happened. Look at the graph I posted, both Jordan and Lebron hit those 30 PER, all-time great seasons, when they were 24, 25. Can it happen and Durant suddenly shoots even better from 3 and shoots a 70 TS% and hit 35 PER? Sure, anything is possible, but it is so unlikely.
First off let's be clear, your a Kobe Hater to the fullest. You hate Kobe's existence and will stop at nothin to discredit any of Kobe's accomplishments. What your attempting to do is downplay Kobe's prime years, but at the same time minimize the significance of how bad his 06 team really was. All your doing by bringing up Mcgrady is pathetically crying for help, because you have no real point. There have been plenty stars on bad teams before. But my point is none of the players mentioned (LBJ, KD) would have a team with Smush Parker, Kwame Brown & Luke Walton plus .500 in the western conference. None of those guys have been on teams that bad, and the stats back it up. Your hatred is blind and you refuse to acknowledge how great truly Kobe was. I understand now
Does everyone forget that basketball is a two way game? Kobe by a mile because he played great defense when he needed to.
Your Kobe loving needs to stop, you actually think 42-40 and 45-37 is a crowning achievement, even as porous as the Lakers roster was in 2005-07. LeBron's roster was not that much better in Cleveland from about 04-09. Yet, LBJ almost knocked off championship Pistons team at 21, beat the same team the next year, and pushed the eventual World Champions to 7 games. All before the age of 23 with no go-to all-star or even a player could be considered Lamar Odom (funny how you left his name out) quality. Look at what Kevin Durant is doing this year, he has his team in 1st place with Westbrook being injured. They aren't exactly greatest squad ever.
I think Kobe was great-- I have in the top-30 all time. That is 30/1000s of players, which is upper-echelon. So where is that hate? I just think it's sad that you think his greatest accomplishment was taking a bad team to a first round exit. Plenty of players have done that. Over half the teams make the playoffs every year.. it's not that big of a deal. Put LeBron or Durant on that team instead of Kobe and he does the same thing or better. Kobe's teams have historically been better when he has been injured than when healthy. How is this possible from someone who is considered to be top-tier? No other superstar has this effect. This is why Kobe is so overrated (but still top-30 in my book, due to his longevity). Also, I still don't get why you keep leaving Odom off those teams. He's a better sidekick than anyone LeBron had in Cleveland or TMac had in Orlando.
Western Conference> Eastern Conference Not even close. Making it to the finals in the East was a cakewalk that year outside of the washed up Pistons. Stop it, just stop it
Durant's improvements now will be on defense and even better playmaking. But offensively so far this year, he's been historic. This past January was the best "scoring" January I've seen since 02-03 when McGrady also averaged 36 for a month.
Lamar Odom is your only rebuttal? LOL. I've addressed that already. Even with him, that team was still collectively the worst NBA team to make the playoffs. Kobe willed that team to the playoffs that year. It was remarkable But actually, Kobe's biggest accomplishment was winning his last 2 rings without a HOF player. MJ never did it. Lebron will never do it, and I doubt KD will do it. When it's all said and done Kobe>KD>LBJ
Hahahaha, so a first round lost in the western conference beats winning the eastern conference. There will be lots of banners up in the western conference now.
