I often see Kobe brought up when comparing similarities to what he did and what Lebron did -- both asked for help to become champions. I don't see the similarities. Gasol is no star player. His leadership in Memphis was horrible. What's that, not even a playoff win? Just because he's their best player, that doesn't mean he's one of the best in the league. So Kobe getting Gasol as a sidekick and that Gasol turns out to be good only means they are perfect fit for each other. If Kobe wanted help badly like Lebron, he would have went to Houston and team up with Yao! Kobe asking for help to make him a better leader is different from going to another team to share the spotlight.
I agree that it's stupid to bring up Kobe. The only thing more annoying is the ridiculous number of writers saying "it's not the choice MJ would have made." Well people, he's not MJ. He's Lebron. Since when did it become a crime to not be exactly the same person as MJ?
kobe asked to be traded and demanded to be traded. the lakers obliged and nearly traded him. bulls and mavs said no to their offers. kobe had to keep playing, and the gasol trade was pulled off. so no, kobe would have left if he was a free agent that year and wasn't under contract with the lakers.
Ya LeBron and Kobe are both great. People just can't seem to be able to like them both at once..which is just stupid
I love how Kobe lovers like to change history and twist facts. The fact is the previous season (when he quit in the playoffs), and that summer, Kobe whined and moaned on t.v., on the radio, and even in the street (check youtube). He practically turned the orgnization inside out whining and moaning about needing help. The only reason and I mean THE ONLY REASON, Kobe wasn't traded is because Kupchak was too much of a wuss to pull the trigger, but if it had been up to Kobe -- he was outta there. So you see, he just about did the exact same thing as LeBron. Both realized they needed help and both were willing to push there so called "loyalty" aside for a ring. Both made a spectacle of themselves in doing so. Its just that Kobe was still under contract and was stuck. LeBron went to the help and the help was brought to Kobe. BTW, Gasol was and is a great player. He just couldn't carry a team. When Kobe was by himself he couldn't get his team out of the first round (just like Gasol)
that's what fans don't get. if kobe was a free agent like lebron, he would have bolted. that wasn't a question. so pau gasol was an 18 and 8 player shooting 51% for his career in memphis couldn't get out of the first round as the main guy. that's the same story for most star players stuck by themselves (unless you're lebron). kobe, wade, tmac, kg... all couldn't get out of the first round w/o a legit 2nd guy.
I got a laugh out of the Orlando Magic's GM Otis Smith saying that. When did Kobe prove he can do it on his own?
The problem is that fans (and some coaches apparently), being sheep to the NBA hype machine, believe that a marquee player can win championships by himself. So when a player doesn't do that he is a failure, and in Lebron's case going to a team with some help makes him a loser. But the truth is that every championship team has plenty of help. Kobe is a great player, maybe even in the top-10 all time, but let's not kid ourselves; he's been on stacked teams his entire career. Well, that's not quite true because for three years he was on a crappy team and he went lotto, first round, first round (just like most "superstars" do when surrounded by weak teammates.. Duncan and Lebron being notable exceptions). Lebron's only failure was not inheriting such a team, so he had to move to one to compete. What's the problem?
There are two reasons to bring up Kobe and MJ: 1. Kobe and MJ wouldn't team up with one (or two) of the premiere players in the league in order to win, particularly not with someone else who already won "on his own". Doing that takes you out of the "best ever" conversation. Kobe only joined that discussion after the last two titles. If Lebron went to the Knicks or the Bulls, no one would make this argument, even though they also have great supporting players who are also All Stars. 2. This whole display was pathetic joke. Kobe didn't make a huge showcase of his free agent deliberations. MJ faxed in an announcement about his return to the NBA. They didn't produce a self-promotional one-hour primetime special to announce this. They also cared more about being the greatest of all time than a global icon. LeBron has already said he wants to be the first billionaire athlete, not the best player ever. While LeBron is working to build his brand with Warren Buffett, Kobe is working to develop his post game with Hakeem. The point is that people are disappointed in LeBron because they thought he could be the next coming, and he cravenly ducked the comparisons.
Why don't we wait and see how the rest of LeBron's career plays out before saying he's never going to be X. Such declarations are pointless at this stage. Apparently, amongst all the suitors for LeBron, Miami was the one place where he was told he had a 0% chance of becoming a billionaire athlete. Maybe that's not such a priority to him.
People are so infatuated with the MJ and Kobe comparisons that they let the fact that both guys did their damage with one team seemingly dictate LeBron's career path as well. LeBron is now the enemy for "needing" to leave Cleveland, whereas Kobe and MJ never had to. Some sort of insane logic like that is why people keep invoking the Kobe comparisons.
1.Yeah..... Kobe only had Ho Grant, Karl Malone, Shaq, Gary Payton, Robert Horry, etc. And since when did Wade win on his own? 2.<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/vzbph7UqZUE&hl=en_US&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/vzbph7UqZUE&hl=en_US&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/1PIA77ZrZVY&hl=en_US&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/1PIA77ZrZVY&hl=en_US&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object> <object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/f9FamHwZfvg&hl=en_US&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/f9FamHwZfvg&hl=en_US&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>
^ kobe is like every star out there nowadays. the gasol trade just came in time. it's like if te cavs got amare last year, none of this would happen
Their situations are pretty different imo. For Kobe, first he was still under contract and not a free agent. Secondly, he demanded to be traded from a team that just got knocked out of the playoffs by the Suns and while was a team that did make the playoffs, they were an average basketball team. Thirdly, he did not make a whole show out of his trade demands and had some form of communication with GM Kupchak and owner Buss voicing his opinions on the matter. For Lebron, he was a free agent so he had a choice of where to go. Secondly, he left a team that won 60+ games two consecutive years and while talent wise was average, Lebron was great enough to carry them to 60 wins and into the playoffs. Let's not kid ourselves, this was a team that many of us favored to win the championship despite the lack of talent, which has been revealed in hindsight. The Cavaliers were MUCH MUCH closer to winning a championship than Kobe's Lakers during the time Kobe demanded to be traded. Thirdly, Lebron did make a show about his "decision", and when he announced he was leaving the Cavaliers, it demonstrated a lack of class on his part. It is not about that he left, it is about how he left.
It's in response to everyone saying lebron will never be as good as Kobe because of this!! Which is a pretty ignorent thing to say!! Don't u think playing with D-WADE AND CHRIS BOSH would make u a better player!!! LJ6 will be better than ever!!!!!
What they are saying since LeBron couldn't win a Championship with him clearly being the main guy then you can't compare the two. That has been the sentiment the last few days from a lot of people.
1) his competition on this team for being te main guy is wade. he's 28. and with his style of play, he'll decline when he's around 30. and you can see he started getting some more injuries last year. this is for a 6 year contract. who says wade will be that great player he was for the past few years for the entire 6 years. lebron will only continue to get better. the same can't be said for wade. wade hit his peak 2 years ago. so who's to say how things will turn out? i still think lebron will continue to get better and continue to separate himself from the rest of the pack as the best player in the L. the gap was already pretty big last year. it'll get bigger this year.
I'm just giving you the feelings of the public perception. Hell look at Kobe Bryant as an example. Everytime Kobe name comes up in the dicussion with Jordan or just period at times people try to discredit the 3 titles he got with Shaq by saying he rode Shaq's coattail. Which isn't true by the way but it's going to be even worse for LeBron.
