78.6% of NBA GM's picked Kobe as the player they want taking the last shot

http://www.nba.com/2010/news/features/10/02/survey-predictions/index.html

It's bothering me that not one GM voted for the Rockets to win the Southwest Division.......Not one.

 

Do they not know how to define a game winning shot either? Because they have a number of premier players above Kobe in that stat as well.

How would change their definition of clutch time?

 

So you admit then that Lebron was the better player at making game winners from 2004-2009? Because he not only hit a higher percentage than Kobe, he also hit more. Lebron was 17/50 with six assists on game winning plays during that span, while Kobe was only 14/56 with one assist.

Or are you going to continue to come up with logic-defying reasons why Kobe is better, even when Lebron performs better using your own metric?

 

Morey probably wasn't allowed to vote for his own team.

 

per the first post, last yr 89.7% voted Kobe.

perhaps they were preemptively hating?

(on a more serious note -- I suspect if they ranked top 3 rather then picking one player, Lebron would make the list. Take the poll for what it is: some of the most knowledgeable assessors of talent expressing an opinion that based on subjective and objective info, they think Kobe's most 'clutch.' No comment on who isn't. Different rules may apply for fantasy ball).

 

I'm not talking about what they rated Bron compared to Kobe last year.

I really want to know what they rated Melo compared to Bron last year.

 

Wait

So not even Pat Riley wants LeBron taking the last shot?


AHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

 

Pat Riley's criticism stems from racism.

 

"EVERY GM IN THE LEAGUE IS A RACIST!"


-LeBron James

 

When they're only picking one player, I'm not sure that would matter. 90% said Kobe -- the 10% who didn't are likely not a representative sample. Possibly most of the Kobe voters would rate Lebron second? It was never a comparative ranking poll. Just 'who's best'

 

Kobe hit higher % of winning shots when he has help. That stats counted 5.5 seasons, with 3.5 season Kobe was in a bad team. 1 season out of shape due to legal suit and shooting lowest fg% in his career. Still he hit as well as LeBron in playoff when it mattered for that span. Not to mention two of LeBron's winning shots in playoff came from travel layup.

Kobe hit many clutch shots before 03 and since 08-09 playoff, as the number of shots is low, the % can easily change with a few hit shots. Kobe hit 6 winning shots last regular season and LeBron did none. Why not show us the updated number?

 

True I didn't really think about it like that.

 

General Managers Survey

* Who is the player most likely to make a last-second shot if a game depended on it?
1. Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers 42.3% - 2002
2. Reggie Miller, Indiana 38.5%
3. Michael Jordan, Washington 15.4%
(Others receiving votes: Iverson)

* Which player in the NBA would you want taking a shot with the game on the line?
1. Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers 52.4% - 2003
2. Reggie Miller, Indiana 14.3%
3. Tim Duncan, San Antonio 9.5%
(Others receiving votes: Stojakovic, McGrady, Van Exel, Allen, Pierce)

* Which player would you want taking a shot with the game on the line?
1. Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers 81.0% - 2004
(Others receiving votes: Duncan, Houston, Miller, Nowitzki)

* Which player in the NBA would you want taking a shot with the game on the line?
1. Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers 61.5% - 2005
2. Ray Allen, Seattle 15.4%
(Others receiving votes: Billups, Cassell, Duncan, Horry, Pierce)

* Which player in the NBA would you want taking a shot with the game on the line?
1. Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers 74.1% - 2006
2. Dwyane Wade, Miami 14.8%
(Others receiving votes: Anthony, Arenas, Billups)

* Which player in the NBA would you want taking a shot with the game on the line?
1. Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers 88.5% - 2007
(Others receiving votes: Anthony, Duncan, Nash)

* Which player in the NBA would you want taking a shot with the game on the line?
1. Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers 88.9% - 2008
(Others receiving votes: Arenas, James, Pierce)

* Which player would you want taking a shot with the game on the line?
1. Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers 89.7% - 2009
2. Paul Pierce, Boston 6.9%
(Others receiving votes: Anthony)

* Which player would you want taking a shot with the game on the line?
1. Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers 78.6% - 2010
2. Carmelo Anthony, Denver 7.1%
Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City 7.1%
(Others receiving votes: Nowitzki, Wade)

 

I think when most people see the word 'shot' they think of jumpshot and not layup/dunk.

 

Again, GMs were not allowed to vote for their own teams or players.

 

Whatever you say. Lebron's team was just as bad as Kobe's during that 3.5 seasons where Kobe had no help.

I was responding to YaoZow. He said quantity was what mattered, not quality. By that metric, then, Lebron was the better player at hitting game winnings shots from 2004-2009. Yes, using that definition, Kobe has now passed him, but that still leaves five years where Lebron was better. I was just curious if YaoZow would actually admit that Lebron was better (by his own definition) or if he would continue to slide the goal posts wherever they need to be for Kobe to come out on top.

Also, Lebron didn't have to go an entire offseason without practicing because he doesn't tend to force himself on unwilling women.

 

I agree. That's probably what these GMs are thinking. When I see the word 'shot' I think of an attempt at the basket, regardless of where it's taken from.

 

All these polls and arguments are pretty meaningless. These guys don't play on the same team.

A better question is, who is going to take the last shot for Miami this year, LeBron or Wade?

 

This vid bascially answers everything, and yet no one has responded to it. First off, we as basketball fans shouldn't care about anything the players do off the court. Secondly, stats aren't everything. Thirdly, we should learn to appreciate players according to our own reasons and not try to belittle those who don't agree with us- You can root for Tmac for all I care. Kobe's Kobe, and I have always respected him ever since he came into the league- many of you can't say the same. As for LeBron, he's done nothing wrong as a basketball player to warrant the hate he is getting; afterall, what has he done to YOU? Probably nothing.

Still, I'll just say this. Even if LeBron wins this year, I'll still respect Kobe, just because IMO he is one of the last "warriors"- Someone who isn't godly gifted yet who, through supreme confidence and effort, attains greatness. People respect Kobe for his championships and achievements, for his dunks and game winners. I respect him for this:

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IMO people need to remember the origin of, and indeed the reason why we watch sports.

 

i suspect when it comes to stats that aren't very well known (not a lot of people get on 82games.com and look up game winning shooting percentages), GM's are like most casual fans and only know reputations and they just go with that (i'm also guessing they don't do a lot of research before answering these surveys). no matter how many shots kobe (or someone like billups) misses, their reputations stick around for a long time. kobe obviously helped rehabilitate his with his historic regular season last year, but he got that 89% vote with pretty much nothing but bad numbers leading up to the vote.

as for vince carter, he might be a loser who has never lived up to his potential and who often doesn't seem to give a damn, but he seems to hit game winning/tying shots. i'm not at all surprised to see him on such a list. even though the data started in 2003 and probably doesn't include the shots i'm thinking of from his toronto days, i know he had a couple of them with toronto. and it seems like he had about 3 long ass 3's with the nets one season that either tied or won a game. i don't have his career memorized, but the 14 number just doesn't seem that surprising given what i do remember. i think of him as someone who makes late game shots. now missing those 2 free throws in the playoffs last year, that was a fairly clear choke.

joe johnson, i don't recall much from him in the way of clutch shooting (make or miss) and certainly he doesn't seem to step up in the playoffs, so i guess i am surprised he's on there and i wouldn't expect a gm to pick him.

rashard has also hit some pretty big shots for orlando (and presumably gets some good looks with dwight on his team), including in the playoffs. but since he's not much of a creator of his own shot, i certainly wouldn't give him the ball over kobe at the end of a game.