Can KOBE lead an NBA Team to Championship by himself?

I'm so damn sick of this debate. The only way we are going to find out is if Kobe leaves LA and goes to a looser team. Or when Shaq calls it quits in three years or so. I don't mean to sound rude or anything, but we had this debate at the end of this years NBA Finals....and the year before that......and the year before that.

 

Yes he can. He scored 65 points in just three quarters, Mike didn't do that.

 

OK, I know that Scottie Pippen is public enemy #1 around here, but am I the only person that thinks Jordan wouldn't have won squat without Pippen on those Bulls teams?

Jordan didn't lead any team to a title by himself. If that were the case, the Wizards would be NBA champs right now...

 

Only a moron would argue that Kobe could take the championship without Shaq, big deal, ask us something intelligent. Shaq probably couldn't get the rings without Kobe, in the 4th quarter the game turns into "Kobe time". Shaq needs Kobe,Kobe needs Shaq.

Jordan didn't take the championship all by himself, he had Pippen, who is one of the NBA's 50 greatest players and in later years Rodman one of the fiercest rebounders ever. And I believe in today's western conference not even His Airness, in his prime, could make it to the finals with a bunch of average ballers.

Simply put, one star will not get you a ring in today's NBA. You either have to have multiple superstars(i.e. Lakers) or a very strong rotation(i.e. Kings).

 

Jordan needed both Pippen and a top-notch dirty-work power forward (Horace Grant, Rodman).

Bryant needs Shaq and vice versa, but, unfortunately, Kobe isn't overrated. I don't like the guy; but I'd change my opinion if he were a Rocket.

In a couple years we'll see what happens with Kobe. Imagine if he goes to Memphis and Jerry West. (No, I don't think he will, but what a stunner that would be.)

 

Only Dream did it as the SOLE star.

Rocket River
he had d*mn good role players too.

 

Shaq is the best player in the league. He doesn't "need" Bryant to win championships. He made it to the Finals without Bryant, why couldn't he win rings without him if given the time?

So Pippen is to Jordan what Bryant is to Shaq. Finally we agree on something. You seriously think Pippen would've been top 50 had he never played with Jordan? Wow.

 

Not the lakers as currently composed, but he is a true superstar. He could definitely do it as the primary guy with some help. If anything, Kobe is underrated.

 

Here is what I use when talking about Kobe needing Shaq or Shaq needing Kobe. You trade any of the top SG in the NBA to the Lakers for Bryant and right now we are still talking about the Lakers winning championship #3. TMac, Overrated VC, Ray Allen, Jalen Rose, even my man Cuttino Mobley.

Trade Bryant to the Magic and they are still losing in the 1st round ever year, The Raptors wouldn't be hoisting any championship banners, neither would the Bucks. And the Rockets would probably be better than we are now, but we woulnd't of knocked the Lakers off in the past 3 years.

Of course no one can do it alone. Every great player needs that second scoring option or that fierce inside presence but I think Shaq could do what he is doing with any number of solid wing scorers but I know Kobe couln'd do it w/o The Daddy.

 

This is one of the most asinine threads I've seen here, and there have been plenty.

Name me one guy who can win a title by himself right now.

The fact that you won't be able to name any, is proof of how ridiculous this thread is.

 

Name me one guy who can win a title by himself right now.

Well, Duncan did, but I understand that some think of Robinson's impact as greater than others.

I think the thread would be more appropriate if it was about Shaq, instead of Kobe. Shaq's last eight fourth quarters before the New Jersey series: 3.0 points, 19% FG. It doesn't matter how talented you are; you're going to have to win close fourth quarter games to win the championship. This is where Shaq disappears, and Kobe takes over. It doesn't matter who you put on him-- Bruce Bowen and Doug Christie forced him into tough shots-- he can and does make the toughest of shots. That rebound and putback to win game 4 against San Antonio was one of those special players where you could see his desire putting him above every other player on the floor. When's the last time you saw Shaq do that? I suppose Kobe is easier to hate, because he plays Jordan's position, but some of you need to open your eyes. Kobe's the best player on his team, and maybe the league.

Shaq is the one I can't respect... he's good, and dominant, but I have a hard time respecting a guy as the best player in the league and one of the best of all time if you can't go to him (and sometimes have to pull him from the game) when the game is on the line.

 

This is true, but the Wizards and Bulls are completely different. Jordan proved to be a very good player even at 39 last season, but compared to earlier years, he was nothing. As the season progressed, we realized that Rip Hamilton is just as important to the team as Jordan. No way a claim like that could have been made earlier in Jordan's career.

Jordan did have a pretty good team around him though...Pippen, Grant, Cartwright, Paxson, Armstrong, Levingston, and later Pippen, Rodman, Kukoc, Kerr, Harper.

If Jordan plays the same role that he did last season(Starting SF, backup SG), then I am betting on a Wizard's playoff berth.(Barring injuries, of course)

 

Kobe is a top 3 player in the league. I would even say he is #2 behind Shaq. He is still young, but you can see his game developing into a "Jordan" like style of play. He will be dominating the NBA for the next 10 or so years.

 

The people that don't like him rank him less, the people that do like him rank him alittle too high. Where's the middle man?



I really think he can with a strong supporting cast. All good players regardless if it's Jordan, Mcgrady, Pierce, you truely can't do it without a strong team of role players behind you. Jordan sure had it when he was with Chicago. Sure, it grew from barely anything to something very special but we don't know if Bryant can make his teammates "special". Now if the question asks, Can Kobe do it without Shaq and that Same team, you can't really analyse that either. If Shaq leaves, the team will find a good backup, maybe even a draft pick. With Kobe and himself being so god already, his team is still top 10 in the league.

Kobe can make any bad team at top 10 team. And once that team acquires Kobe, i'm sure a lot of Fa's will join hands with that GM and sign with them to win/ attempt to win a few rings.

 

How easy it is to forget how great a player Penny Hardaway used to be. Shaq didn't do it alone then, and he can't do it alone now.

Oh and BTW, I am not a Kobe fan.

 

You've got to be kidding me if you think Duncan won all by himself. The Spurs had 2-3 role players stepping up in every game. Not to mention that D-Rob isn't too shabby of a #2 option, at the time.

 

I don't think some of you watch the same games that I do. Kobe has a very hard time in the triangle, as he plays the initiator role as well as occasionally drifting to the wing to create. Very few players could handle that kind of responsibility in such a complicated system. He has deferred his game to Shaq's and they mesh perfectly. I highly doubt that some of those same SGs could do what Kobe does night in and night out. What should really turn out to be interesting is if Kobe no longer has to play that initiator role and can play the wing without exception this year. Hopefully Rush can be that initiator (though I doubt it) but it should turn out to be very interesting.