Morris isn't in the rotation. They play Meeks. And look at the team Howard took to the Finals... it wasn't better than that. Look at the team Nash took to the WCF when Amare was out for the year... it wasn't better than that. The problem is that because if the highlight shows and the everpresent box scores, everyone looks at individual performances instead of team chemistry. Nash, Howard, and some role players who can hit an open shot makes for an effective team. But that doesn't work when you augment it with the "kobe system" because Kobe insists on dominating the ball, completely eliminating the whole point of these acquisitions. Moreover his ego makes him uncoachable which is why the Lakers only play the right way when he sits out. Sure the buzzer beaters and the dramatic scoring flurries to come back look great in the sports highlights but a winning team doesn't need to resort to such antics.
Clippy stop posting. Why are you so obsessed with Kobe? Did he sleep with your wife or something? All you do is hate on him.
i think hes not criticising the kobe person but hes discussing what good basketball consist of...what are the real bb values and which are the seeming values etc... and Kobes' case is a perfect example for demonstrating it...
There are so many more objective things in the world than basketball, yet this man keeps emphasising, or at the very least vehemently implying that Kobe Bryant is an example of bad basketball. That's like going up to a tea drinker and talking about how bad tea is, and forcing the other person to drink tea. I've stated this many times, the reason I like Kobe is because of his legacy, persona, and countless other intangibles that form the lore respected by many fans, coaches, and players. I don't like Kobe because he confides to what alot of people think of as good basketball. I like him because he's risen from the scandals and distractions to become one of the greatest winners in history. I like him for his air of I-don't-give-two-****s. I like him for all the reasons why I think LeBron is so-so. I like Kobe Bryant, as many others do. We are perfectly good human beings with good taste in many many things in life. Clippy and all those like him can say whatever they want, but in the end people just like Kobe for Kobe.
My commentary is not about Kobe the person. I don't know Kobe, you don't know Kobe, and frankly I don't really care. What I am talking about is Kobe the basketball player, and how it annoys me, as someone who has been involved in basketball for a very long time in a lot of levels, how his playing style is used as an example of "winning basketball" or the "right way" to play. Certainly Kobe is a tremendously skilled player and I am not going to question his work ethic or the many hours he's put in to hone his abilities. However, fundamentally the way he plays the game is wrong on so many levels and this is why the teams he is on do fine when he sits out. Moreover, he has a legion of sycophant fans who perpetuate this myth that somehow he needs to play this way to make up for his incompetent teammates, when nothing could be further from the truth. Ultimately, this comes down to the media promoting the style that Kobe plays (and not to single out Kobe, as plenty have played this way before and after him; he's just the shining example). The media loves "hero ball" and big moments and tries to make basketball about the battle between individual stars rather than teams. And Kobe himself buys right into this, believing he has to be the guy to take the big shots, regardless of the game situation. Not only does this denigrate his teammates who are largely the reason that he's been put in so many winning situations, but it also teaches the completely wrong lesson for less-talented people who idolize him. I promise you, if Kobe were to sit out an extended period of time, this Lakers team would do far better than they have all season. But he won't because he either has this delusional belief that he needs to be the man driving the team, or he realizes that he'll be exposed if this starts to happen and the last thing he wants it to be relegated to another sidekick role.
The US spent 2 billion dollars in trying to put a flag on the moon. Imagine for a second how many hungry mouths, how many school books, etc could've been bought with that money. Imagine how many lives would've been made better if all that money was put to use "correctly". Instead America opted for glory, for selfish pride of being the first to do something, for the victory against a nation whose poor were equally disadvantaged. To this day, landing on the moon is something (almost) every American views with pride. The same story with Kobe's career. Just because he won through ways you view as logically ineffective, as detrimental to those around him, as whatever negative aspersions you may accuse of him, he WON nonetheless, and legions of people (rational, fanboys alike) love him, and more importantly relate to him for that.
The moon landing is not a good analogy, because that is simply a debate over the merits of innovation. Kobe isn't innovating anything. A better comparison would be to look at the state of popular music. I would argue that Kobe is like Bieber-- he is extremely popular, has a legion of fans, but fundamentally isn't interesting to people who have been around music for a long time. You may argue that it doesn't matter, and that those people are just musical snobs. But just as those debates happen (and this is, after all the purpose of a discussion board), so too will these.
In terms of longevity and accomplishments, top-15 is a bit unfair; he's in the top-10. But in terms of peak performance and impact, Kobe is certainly not top-15. At his peak, he's the same as guys like 'Nique, McGrady, Gervin, Dantley, Iverson, and a dozen others. You would never have to gameplan against Kobe like you would against an impact big like Shaq or Duncan or an all-around threat like Magic, Bird, or LeBron. Kobe has quite simply had the virtue of being on very talented teams as well as impressive longevity with them. But his impact is greatly exaggerated in the basketball community.
I'm reading Clippy and the other guy's post on Kobe and I was thinking the same thing. I hate the word hater but this is one of those times that it's so appropriate.
It's ok, guys, you just aren't as sophisticated as me. There's nothing wrong with having "Bieber fever"... it's just not my cup of tea is all.
That's not nice to say. In fact that sounds pretty ignorant. The only person comparable to 12 year old girls is Skip Bayless, who doesn't even praise Kobe that much anyhow. Among the people who I feel that genuinely respect Kobe, there's Doc Rivers, Pops, Alvin Gentry, Stephen A Smith, Adande, Jalen Rose, Paul George...the list just goes on and on and includes some really distinguished names. Are you saying that they ARE ALL less sophisticated than you?? I dare you to say yes, because I would actually respect you abit more if you did.
People involved in the NBA industry can't criticize Kobe publicly because he's a huge part of the NBA's image and marketing. But I would be shocked if the intelligent among them felt that his style of basketball was smart. It's the same thing with Kobe's teammates, like Nash and Howard. They say the right things, like they enjoy playing with Kobe, but by the subtle comments they make (things like "the game has to be inside-out" and "we can't win without more guys getting shots"), you know they really think otherwise. So there is no doubt they are thrilled as can be that he is finally sitting out a few games, because now they can actually get the ball and win games.
Kobe's body type(very small body fat percentage without mass muscles) is very similar to MJ, KG, Reggie Miller... Those players tend to last longer in the league. MJ at 34 is still a MVP level player. For some reason, I think LBJ's body type is more in line with Shaq, Barkley, Malone... with all those muscles. They are more powerful and 'unstoppable' at the prime, but tend to decline fast with age.
Smartness has grown from being underrated to overrated in the last decade. Kobe just has the "It". MJ had "It". Bruce Lee had "It". "It" does not have to be a tangible stat. Have you read anything that I said? When Roman Gladiators first took to the Colosseum, do you think the crowd cared the most about the warrior stats, or the "style" that he employs? Nobody watches sports solely as a sophisticated interaction with defined outcomes given a series of inputs. What Kobe gives you are moments that as a sports fan you seek: He puts your heart on standby, and makes you hold your breath in those moments of frenzy where an outcome or shift is about to occur. That why Kobe sells out all the arenas, not so much because ppl want to bath in his success or failure, but rather because he pays the your price of admission with those few seconds that truly evokes the human in us. For that moment we become Romans in the stands- Cheering, booing, and just plain yelling- as we watch Kobe goes for the throat.
Are you talking about basketball or entertainment? I'm just saying Kobe is overrated as a basketball player. As an entertainer, he's clearly right at the top since that can be pretty objectively measured by the #fans he has. While the NBA may be about entertainment, it is technically also a sport, and unlike, say, acting, the judgement of sport is not entirely subjective.
