I 100% agree that the shaq factor makes it easier for kobe to 'do his thing'. but seriously, 25 ppg, 5 apg on 46% shooting isn't because of shaq...it's b/c the kid has talent and can step it up when his team needs him. fox, fisher, and the lakergirls ARE overrated. those are the guys that people should look at if they want overrated players.
All of you need to stop dissin on Iverson and Kobe. These two guys are the best guards in basketball. Both are high scoring machines who are also bad ass defenders. Kobe needs Shaq to win? Well, Shaq needs Kobe too. They need each other. Does that mean Shaq is overrated? Hell no. Iverson shoots at a crappy rate because he is the ONLY offensive threat on that team. Who else is going to shoot the rock? They all pass it back to him to take the shot because they know they cant do it on their own. He is forced to take bad shots because none of his teammates can take the burden of hitting a 15 foot jump shot. Dont forget the fact that these guys give everything they have night in and night out. That should give them some bonus points alone. Dont hate the playas
whoever said iverson shoots 35 shots a game needs to recheck their kindergarten math... forgetting about free throws, pal? get your stats from a reliable source, nba.com usually isn't that bad. all you guys talk about w/ iverson is how he shoots 39%... forgetting the fact that he is one of the best defensive players in the league? on offense and defense, he has the "imparition", seeing things others don't, that makes him a special player. if he played under control, took better shots and passed more, he'd still be at thirty ppg, eight / nine assists. and it's not that big of a stretch, someone playing under control... look at stackhouse; it comes with maturity. quickest player in the league, the man can flat out shoot... poor shot selection aside. haha and while we're at it, kobe is not overrated. seeing all these ppl say he is so makes me instead think he is underrated lol. what is there the man can't do? he's a dominator in the fourth. i think it was game three when shaq was out for so long, kobe ran the show BY HIMSELF... no pippen / rodman / kerr to help him out, he was unquestionably the man... i used to hate him cus that gay little snarl he tries to do, but i'm realizing what a mauler he is... only thing i see wrong w/ him now is that he tries to act like a tough guy when it's just not him... and those damn pretentious adidas poetry commercials... the man made a 760 on his sat, i'm sure his writing skills aren't anything special... shaq says he's gonna retire soon, and kobe's still young as hell, so he'll have his chance... look at the others today... mcgrady, carter, pierce, iverson, anyone... none of them are as "special" as kobe... he has it all, the fierce competitiveness, everything... best player in the game, bar none.
well i for one knows that he's a good defensive player. and the fact of the matter is, no matter who you play with, no matter how much his teammates suck, no matter if he is the only offensive threat on his team, that is no excuse for a 39% FG. his FG% has been declining for the past 3 years. and the guy can shoot 46% (97-98 season) so there's no reason to expect less of him. also, some of his shots are when he penetrates and drives in looking for a foul call but the ref never calls one. if he played under control, took better shots and passed more, he'd still be at thirty ppg, eight / nine assists. and it's not that big of a stretch, . of course it's not. like i said before, if he had more control over his shot selection, he would have 40 points a night easily. ... look at stackhouse; it comes with maturity. nope...carlisle MADE stackhouse believe that if he work w/ his teammates, that better things will come his way. sure stackhouse matured and learned to be a teammate, but that was brought in by carlisle also. the man can flat out shoot... poor shot selection aside. this don't make sense because i can flat out shoot as well...poor shot selection aside.
Jackhouse is a very poor (inconsistent) defender who overruns defensive plays and for that reason he is never matched up with a star backcourt counterpart (see Conference Semifinals, in which he allowed Eric Williams to go for 18 points, prompting Jackhouse to say that "he is nobody to me"). Curry's flopping and handchecking did hold Paul Pierce to a subpar series, though.. He is also too poor a shooter and commits way too many turnovers to play guard; I liken him in talent to Ron Mercer with better playmaking skills. He was a perfect sidekick to Grant Hill, able to draw defense away from him and providing a second option - but no superstar. Just look at how his team has improved now that he is attempting less than 20 shots/game in fewer minutes, its only major player acquisitions since last season being Robinson and Barry. So I nominate for the all-overrated team (obvious choices): 5- Duncan Duncan was fortunate that the Spurs won the lottery in 1997 (can you say "rigged?"); with Robinson behind him, he can take risks on defense while the team still get a defensive stop. He loses his man a lot and when matched up with perimeter players like Horry, his team pays the price. 4- Wallace Great stats, playing out of his mind, but never seems to beat his man to the past or play defense backing towards the basket. And he's supposed to be a hall-of-famer? The Pistons, with the league's leading rebounder, still got outrebounded for the season! 3- Webber Takes way too many outside shots, and zone defense means he'll be playing even further from the basket. 2- Jackhouse 1- Iverson Honorable mention: Mike Miller, Darius Miles Underrated: Brent Barry, Michael Finley, Elton Brand, Brad Miller, Shawn Marion (obvious choices)
Ok then, when Shaq sits down, Kobe will be shut down then because the defense will be focusing on him right? Can't wait to see this. The reason I said he is not overrated because I have never heard him mentioned as one of the great NBA players other than by Blazer fans. If you are basing overrated players on their contract/performance then there are a lot of players you can use that "#1 overrated player" on other than Sheed, JHoward,SKemp,AHouston,PHardaway,GRice etc,etc..
1. Marbury 2. Kobe only because everyone thinks he's the second coming of Michael Jordan when hes only a little better than a 40 year old Michael Jordan. 3. Vince Carter - The Raptors were a better team with out him last season because he is too much of a defensive liability.
I can't believed no one has mentioned him yet...you know who I'm talking about...'ol lazy-eyed TMac...you know it's true...
Gimme a break, T-Mac is da ****. 5 years from now this game will probably be ruled by T-Mac,Duncan, and Kobe. ..well Duncan is already "ruling".
Kobe Bryant of '01-'02- 25 ppg, 5.5 apg, 5.5 rpg, 1.5 spg, 47%FG, 25%3FG, 83%FT Michael Jordan of '86-'87- 37 ppg, 4.6 apg, 5.2 rpg, 2.9 spg, 48%FG, 18%3FG, 85%FT Kobe is one hell of a player, and may end up at Jordan's level, but don't discount Jordan because it has been a while since he was Kobe's age. It figures that one would make a claim like this and back it up with nothing.
i'm sorry but if you watch the 1st round of this year's playoffs when the spurs didn't have duncan nor robinson they were kicked out of seattle's building by like 20 something. Without Duncan, they'd be the worst team in the NBA. Calling a Top 5 guy in the NBA overrated is well.....overdoing it. 4- Wallace Great stats, playing out of his mind, but never seems to beat his man to the past or play defense backing towards the basket. And he's supposed to be a hall-of-famer? The Pistons, with the league's leading rebounder, still got outrebounded for the season! who has ever said ben wallace was a hall-of-famer? give me a link or a quote so we can all laugh at this guy. he's not overrated at all. he's the defensive player of the year--defense is his forte. he does a damn good job at it. he never scored 20 points a game in his career because that's not what he's supposed to do. he's supposed to bang down low, get rebounds, and be a defensive stopper. and the pistons get outrebounded...well maybe b/c wallace is the only rebounder on that team. cliff robinson, stackhouse, atkins, williamson...oh there's some monster rebounders there
so ranking: #4 in the NBA in Points Per Game #4 in the NBA in Field Goals Made #5 in the NBA in Field Goal Attempts #9 in the NBA in Free Throws #8 in the NBA in Free Throw Attempts #4 in the NBA in Points #8 in the NBA in Triple-doubles #5 in the NBA in Field Goals Per 48 Minutes #4 in the NBA in Field-Goal Attempts Per 48 Minutes #10 in the NBA in Free Throws Per 48 Minutes #9 in the NBA in Free Throw Attempts Per 48 Minutes #3 in the NBA in Points Per 48 Minutes(32.1) leads him to being overrated.........ohhhhhhhhhh kaaaayyy....
KG and Webber are the most overrated players right now because of the very high expectations from them.
Kevin Garnett, always opens up his big mouth like a gator, but doesn't instill 1% of fear as opposed to a gator into opponents. More show than substance.
I don't think Garnett is overrated at all. Most people think he's a top 10 player, and he is. Hell, anyone who can make Wally look like a star, is a superstar.
I completely agree with your sentiment that Kobe is *not* overrated. He, like Jordan, wants to take over during crunch time and probably more so than Shaq. And don't forget that Kobe is only 24 years old. As for Fox and Fisher, I don't think that they can be considered overrated since everyone knows that they suck. As for the Laker Girls, last time I checked they didn't seem overrated.
When Shaq sits down, Bryant is rested from being able to take it easy on both ends of the court, due to Shaq's presence. Whoever said Bryant was barely better than a 40 year-old Jordan was right on the money. LA would definitely still win the title with Jordan instead of Bryant right now. Being able to play with Shaq and not having to carry the entire load, Jordan would not wear down physically like he did this past year.
