LOL. Chicago traded Olden Polynice for Pippen. And Jerry West is no Memphis GM anymore, do you know? If indeed Memphis had better offers, I doubt they would make their team worse to make the Lakers better.
I don't believe in any conspiracy, but the Grizzlies weren't trying to make their team better. All they wanted to do is cut salary by getting an expired contract back. To give up a player like Pau for expiring contracts is an affront to basketball, especially to the Memphis fans. The year before, they wanted both Ben Gordon, Luol Deng, another rotation player and draft picks in exchange for Pau. They had a change of heart because their owner no longer cared about winning, just cutting salary and selling the team. Memphis NBA basketball is Joke City.
Tonight Kobe himself just said that MJ is the greatest, and that he was content being the #2 option on those title teams. Kobe is not MJ........
A frontline of Gasol and Odom would not have got it done against the following teams that MJ had to beat to win championships: 80's Pistons 92 Blazers 93 Suns 96 Magic 96 Sonics 98 Pacers 97 & 98 Jazz I don't even think they make it past those Knicks teams with Ewing/Oakley/Mason. Yeah, Kobe is doing it with less. But you need less to get it done these days. See the 03 Spurs, 04 Pistons and 06 Heat.
Yeah Kobe is known to be honest and straightforward... That guys was talking from the side of his mouth when saying all that stuff. He wants to portray to the public he's not consumed on chasing MJ, which everyone thinks anyways. I saw right through his facade on that interview.
Actually Kobe is known to be as arrogant as they come....so if he says someone is the greatest in his opinion then I will take his word over your interpretation of it. Edit: Not trying to sound smart. From my opinion of Kobe, I don't see him saying something he doesn't feel to be true...especially not when it involves his place NBA lore. Lastly, how can Kobe be the GOAT, when he isn't even the best in his generation? Please explain to me how he impacts the game more than Oneal or Duncan? This is the first year since 99 that neither one of them will make the Finals. Duncan has never missed the second round. He has won 4 titles as the #1 option. His team has the #1 winning % in all of sports since he was drafted. He won a ring by going through Kobe and Shaq (02/03). How the hell does Kobe rank above him at this point in the careers?
I think you're pretty gullible then... As for your 2nd part, I don't know who you are counterpointing to, unless you read into my take on his interview.
I've thought he has shown EVERYONE that since his rookie year... not just the last two years... I never saw why the public hated him... He has shown unmatched effort and dedication to becoming what he is. It reminds me of when MJ was in the Finals his last couple of seasons... It got to the point where people would watch just to hopefully see him lose. I guess it has to do that he came into the league when Jordan was still Mufasa/Simba... Paging tinman... Even Rudy T said that Kobe has the potential to be the best player ever. I can't wait to see LeBron and Kobe in the Finals in the next few seasons. I feel that right now, Only Kobe, Lebron, and Tracy have "it". Tracy just doesn't know it yet. He thought he had it early on, but the power fooled him. I think he will be a late bloomer.
A_3PO, on WHAT basis are u saying that Kobe surpassed Hakeem?? I mean, based on your logic, Horry is about on the same level as Michael Jordan because they both have 6 rings.. you know, even though Horry had Hakeem, Shaq, and TD on his teams as the main guys, we can still call it even! it doesn't work like that bud.... What does Kobe do other than score?? maybe a couple of steals here and there. There's this thing that the celtics like to do called "double team" and "bringing help defense", which pretty much shuts down any perimeter player (see: James, LeBron). Hakeem was like freakin 5 super-players lumped together. He had the rebounding of Ben Wallace, the offense of Wilt, the defense of Russell, the quickness of a cat, and the heart of a champion. He could win actual games by his damn self. He DIDNOT jack-up horrible shots, he didn't trash talk his teammates, he didn't single handedly destroy a franchise and cause 6 years of mediocrity by insisting that he screwed Malone's wife and that Shaq wanted his chick. Kobe is a selfish MoFu who only cares about himself, he wants to prove that he can do it without Shaq, and I hope the celtics beat the crap out of his sorry team and sweep their sorry a$$e$. a joy to watch, I won't deny it. as much as I hate him, he's so frickin good on the basketball court that it makes watching an absolute joy (SOMETIMES), and the times that are not included in the "sometimes" are when he's running like a chicken with its head cutoff, with 3 defenders on him and Farmar wide open and the corner, and he jacks up an off balance fadeaway which bricks, then he throws his arms in the air in disbelief and whines for some fouls. Hakeem, on the other hand, was different.. Kobe is a great scorer, Dream is the best all-around player to ever touch a basketball..
I'll just say this: I understand Kobe's flaws over his career and so does everyone else. They are legitimate and get discussed ad nauseum. The Dream people remember wasn't always that Dream. In his early years, he WAS selfish sometimes and took ill-advised shots when double and triple-teamed. He was ill-tempered and made bad decisions on the court. This Hakeem isn't remembered because he later matured, mellowed out and won two championships. I'm not saying Dream had anywhere near the attitude problem Kobe had. Not even close. But while he a warrior who always left it all on the court, Dream grew into the man he was during the championship years and people forget his earlier flaws. One thing Dream will have over Kobe is defense. It's no contest there. Kobe has had an incredible career and is probably going to win his 4th championship. All things taken together (not just the championship totals), I'd put him just in front of Hakeem and Larry Bird (or at least next to them).
Isn't it funny how for the past three seasons folks called Kobe selfish, as he was losing? Isn't it funny that he is no longer considered selfish after they replaced Smush with a PG that's making 56% of his tre's this postseason, and sent Kwame away for Gasol? Isn't it funny that MJ was considered selfish until his teammates finally developed to the point where they could hit open shots, and didn't let migraine headaches stop them in the postseason? Isn't it funny that Hakeem wasn't considered selfish when he took us past LA in 86 (i.e. he had quality help). Isn't it funny that he was considered selfish when his options were try to score or pass it to players like Buck Johnson....then he wasn't considered selfish anymore when they surrounded him with players who could make shots? I just find it odd that legends are always selfish when their supporting casts suck and then not selfish when they have dudes who can knock down open shots. No one ever consider that folks don't wanna pass to dudes who suck? This will be Kobe's first ring as the #1 option. In previous seasons he was the help, similar to Pippen and Drexler (i.e. the team doesn't win without him but he was still Batman). I even argue that Pippen had a bigger role in all of the Bulls 6 titles than Kobe had in the first 3 for LA. Kobe does not impact the game the way Hakeem did. He just doesn't. Or better yet, please explain to me how he has more impact than Olajuwon did on either side of the ball. Lastly, since you mention the 3 rings (4 potential), which of those teams wouldn't win a title if you replaced Kobe with Hakeem? Mind you, Hakeem has already proven that he doesn't need a star packed squad to win, and the first 3 teams had Shaq and shooters....and the current team has Gasol, Odom and one of the best collection of shooters I have seen in quite some time.
Jordan didn't do it all by himself either. He had help just like Bryant. That's what irks me about Jordan, people want to give him too much credit when he actually had some great help around him.
Then you should be just as irked about all the love Kobe is getting now. He also has a ton of help...and folks keep trying to give him equal credit with Shaq for the first 3 titles when he clearly was the 2nd option, and says so himself. I can't think of any other #2 options that fans try to lump in #1 category. Do they say Drexler was just as important as Hakeem? McHale as important as Bird? Pippen as important as MJ? Robinson, Parker or Many just as important as Duncan? Worthy as important as Magic (and Worthy has a Finals MVP)? Anyone just as important as Russell? No, they don't.... Most winners have a ton of help. That's what makes what Hakeem did in 04, and what Duncan did in 03 special.
My goodness guy are you on drugs? Do you think for one minute the Lakers would be in the NBA Finals without Pau? A couple of games after Bynum went down, the Lakers started to crumble. Kobe realized he would have to carry the team on his back for each and every win. Their season was on the brink. At best they would have ended up the 7th or 8th seed. If you don't think Pau saved the Lakers season, then stay on whatever planet you live on. That "trade" will be talked about for a very long time because, Presto!, it instantly created an NBA champion (assuming they beat the Celts) out of what would have been a borderline playoff or lottery team. If the Lakers lose, it still turned the Western Conference upside down this year. The effect of the "trade" in future seasons is to be determined.
I realize Kobe has/had a ton of help but people in this thread are acting like Jordan was a one-man wrecking crew who played 1 on 5.
Agreed. Kobe is an awesome player, but the truth is not much has changed in his game over the past 2-3 years. The difference is that he finally has legit talent around him now (post Shaq-era), so he's getting alot more love from everyone now. The MJ comparisions are way too premature, given that even if he wins this year, this will only be his first title as the #1 option. Wade already got one with much less talent around him. Duncan has had the more impressive career so far.
I find it funny how the comparison between players works. First the comparison between MJ and Kobe on GOAT status. Then Lebron come to the topic of being the GOAT. Someone mention Tmac about having the ability to be GOAT. later on, a post comes on about the best player of this generation, tim and kobe. Finally, hakeem comes into the papers. Then to make it more interesting, gasol/odom/fisher etc is compared to pippen/grant/rodman etc. Jordan is GOAT, his teammates are among the best in history, but he still owned every statical achievement amaze me. You cant take into account when you are option 2 in a team. You should not be credited of the title. Kobe wins the 3rd ring as option 1b. And thats it. For kobe to be in the same platoo as MJ, he have to win the next 6. It could happen, but lets wait till then before we compare kobe and MJ.
