It really is. Look what all those rumors did to Chicago and what they did to Lakers. What is the difference? RocketsMac, where are we going with Tracy being Tracy? What's worse than going nowhere?
Yeah, Kobe is still a ballhog, but I think he's starting to "get it". His shots per game trend is going down in the past several years. And this year, the team is playing with good chemistry. Even though Kobe takes 20 shots per game, other players like Bynum are still allowed to develop and become solid players, if not all star caliber.
now this is a valid argument..I agree and I think that's the only way this team can make any noise.. you want an example of an invalid argument? here: Baller4life315 and A_3PO: LeBron and Kobe are gods..
Good post but I don't know about that impacts the game more than Yao talk. Bynum is just getting to the point where his coach is comfy playing him extended minutes. You can't run your offense through Bynum and he isn't that great of a defender or rebounder to offset that difference. The only reason I consider Howard to be up there with Yao is because no one can stop him from dunking and he is arguably the games best rebounder.
You know, you might have a valid point buried in there somewhere if Kobe didn't make the playoffs 2/3 times (on pace to be 3/4) since Shaq was traded. I don't care if they lost in the first round both times. Everything else you've stated about how great he is and how he plays with fire/passion just furthers my point about how way off you are. So what's your big point, that's he's selfish? Has there ever been an NBA superstar that fans haven't called selfish at some point? He dominates the ball because he's the best pure talent and scorer in the league. Sure, we've all seen him take some dumb shots but for every dumb shot i've seen him take i've also seen him make 100 shots just like it. It also doesn't help your "selfish" argument that he's averaging five assists per contest and his teammates are playing so well off of him. Everything they do depends on him. By you going Skip Bayless on us and saying that he's their "biggest weakness" is simply laughable. That team would be a joke without him.
Pure genius of a post. Oh man, you really got us good. Nothing we can say about this. End of discussion. When you learn to discuss players without being flamingly biased against them (is it jealousy?), I'll waste time with you.
Right, cause Wade is totally leading his team right now..... I'll give credit where credit is due, the Lakers are doing good right now. Later on maybe a different story.
phil jackson is one good coach. i have to admit it now. i don't how he coached pippen so well, he was the worst player when he got here. his zen stuff must work wonders.
MJ influenced Pippen to be a much better player than he ever should have been, it wasn't so much PJ. If he hadn't played with MJ, no way Pip would have been named a top 50 player. Before they finally broke through and got past the Pistons, there were serious questions about Pippen's toughness because it seemed like he would always develop some sort of physical malady around playoff time.
Boooooo!!! Why do people always try to give MJ credit for other players becoming great, as if there isn't enough ti ride his nuts on? This isn't done for any other athlete in the history of sports. You never hear Worthy became great because he played with Magic....McHale was influenced to greatness by playing with Bird, etc. Pippen became great because he had enormous skills, talent and worked hard. No where does he, or anyone else affiliated with the Bulls (even Mike) claim that he became a better player or great because he played with Jordan. If you wanna say he doesn't win without MJ fine...but MJ did not make Pippen. Pippen made himself.
Didn't the rox beat detroit,phoenix,la,sa and utah? Lakers are playing good, but just like the rox, they haven't made it out the 1st rd without shaq.
Magic did make Worthy great, remember Worthy was a finisher, great luxury to have an all time great serving you the passes (thats another person that prolly wouldn't have made the top 50 list without a greater player, in this case Magic) McHale prolly would have done fine himself but I'll bet he'd be the first to tell you playing alongside Bird made his job a little easier As for Pippen, he even once said himself in front of the team to Jordan "I couldn't have done it without you." (its in Phil Jackson's book The Last Season) I didn't read at all in that post that MJ "made" Pippen. But he made him a tougher player through peer pressure and just playing alongside MJ. Jordan chewed up and spat out the guy Pippen eventually replaced, Brad Sellers cause he thought he was too soft. If you think MJ was an introvert and didn't voice and influence his teammates behind the scenes, you didn't know why he was so great and the Bulls became winners with him. This is a guy who punched 2 teammates, derided any teammate that he thought didn't meet his expectations, and said "We're playing like a bunch of p*****s" in front of his Bulls teammates at halftime in a game (kicked a chair for emphasis). Can you ever see Tracy doing that? (I'd personally like for him to punch Mike James, j/k but the point is Jordan made his teammates raise their game, through his play and words)
Lakers vs. Jazz Anyone else wathing this one? The Lakers are playing an almost perfect game by the end of 1st quarter so far. I'm very impressed. It's 38 - 23 right now. Let's see how this game ends up.
I am wondering what's Jerry Sloan telling the Jazz in half time. No effort, No defense. Is Jerry Sloan going to send the whole team home? To Let a team put up 75 1st half points is ridiculous.
During the bits and pieces I saw, the Lakers were playing with energy and their shots were going down, especially Kobe. The Jazz look like a broken team. The last few games I've seen them it's been bad on both sides of the ball. This team doesn't play like a typical Jerry Sloan team. If they don't throw some elbows and foul hard in the 2nd half, Sloan has some work to do. When is the last time the Jazz trailed by 27 points at halftime? Have they ever given up 75 points in the 1st half in their history?
It is not fair how good Kobe Bryant and the Lakers are right now... I don't understand. Our team is better than theirs if you just look at players but on paper they destroy us. We just don't hit our shots. Freaking 90 points in the middle of the 3rd quarter.
