Exactly. Where was his His Fakeness when the Lakers needed him the most? Without Shaq he aint nothin. I used to think he was a top five players, but I'd have to think twice about putting him in top ten now.
If this poll is posted by a Jan 2003 joined poster, I'm sure a lot of bashing has been thrown around. To start, this ain't gonna happen, so why should we even ask. Second, I would rather see Rockets win championship with the current players and I believe we have enough talents to win the championship. It's much more fun to see our players challenge the defending champ and take the title from them. Just imagine if one Kings fans posts a similar poll. Would you like to trade Bibby for Kobe? Would you like to trade Divac for Shaq? I mean... cmon... they were born to be a rival, and you ought to stick with your family.
NO. Steve Francis has superiour leadership qualities. When Shaq was injured earlier this season Kobe did not lead the Lakers to many victories. Francis is currently doing a great job leading the Rockets. Also, I don't think Kobe would have embraced Yao as willingly and as warmly as Francis has (remember, he had quite a few conflicts with Shaq when they started playing together). It seems like Steve is sincerely trying to help Yao assimilate to life in the US. Finally, Kobe's haughtiness is annoying.
You are not a smartass. You are an ass. Having been in LA for the last 4 years, I witnessed the feud between Kobe and the rest of the Laker team from close. This guy is such a narcississtic SOB that his presence will set us back a few years. Sure Kobe has better numbers than SF, but Kobe alone does not win games. Just look at Laker's record before Shaq's return. Sadly Kobe still believes that he is da man. SF is a more mature player than Kobe. He embraced Ming's arrival from day one while Kobe fought with Shaq until Phil Jackson got there. Trade for Kobe? Not if you want to win a championship.
at first i wasn't gonna respond, but now i will with an emphatic i'm not sure. if you're asking me who is better, i say kobe and i really don't even have to think twice about that. he can simply dominate more and do it more consistently that steve at this point and there both about the same age aren't they so it's not like that has to be considered. he can get his own shot anytime posting up or pulling up from 17, he can drive on anybody, is extremely strong so he can finish with contact, he can board very well, he can distribute the ball (7 asts from the SG are u kidding) and is a great defender. steve can do all of the above except post or defend, but he even does the other things just slightly worse so kobe gets the advantage. steve does shoot better from 3 land though. if you mean moochie is now our PG then hell no, i'm not sure how any amount of talent could overcome that. people love to mention the lakers went 3-9 w/o shaq (and i loved it btw) but they also sucked for a long time when shaq was back so it certainly wasn't all on kobe. hell, it was as if he could do nothing right. 14 assists and an L, shoulda shot more, 47 points and an L, shoulda passed more, 28 and 9 and an L, umm you suck. shaq coming back and the lakers being under .500 with shaq (not for the season, only with shaq) showed there were serious team-wide problems and the slow start shouldn't have been put on kobe. i think pre-shaq his numbers were something like 28/9/9.5 or something unbelievable like that, it wasn't his fault they were losing. and what's with the "that's why the lakers lose a lot" and "not if you want to win a championship" comments. i hate the lakers so much it isn't funny but have y'all been asleep for the last 3 years or something? sure shaq may be the biggest reason, but having kobe around to crush the spurs on demand and to take over the 4th quarter when shaq doesn't (shaq avg'd 3 4th quarter pts for an 8 game stretch in the playoffs last year and the lakers didn't even notice) sure helps. i'm not sure why i'm defending kobe so much here since i hate the lakers (though starting about a year ago not him that much) but some of the comments in this thread seem horribly illogical and not consistent with anything that has played out on the court.
I'd trade Steve in a heartbeat for Kobe. Listen Kobe on a bad night against the Rockets almost achieved a triple double still. And that's on a bad night mind you. Kobe's a proven clutch play off shooter, and has much more play off experience then Steve and almost all of the Rockets with the exception of Glen Rice who's on the D/L, and maybe Cato when he was a Trailblazer, and even then he has much more play off experience then both. Rice has got one ring off the Lakers for sitting on the bench almost the whole season? And Cato was a benchwarmer back then for a deep Trailblazer squad. Neither even comes close to being proven the way Kobe is. Glen is the closest when he lead the Hornets in the East to I think the Eastern Conference finals, but I don't think he even lead them that far. I love Steve because he seems like a classy guy but basketball wise Kobe for Steve is a no brainer. Kobe can do it all, and he knows the value of a big man to help make the team win. Steve is just now learning that. Both are absolutely terrific players in my mind and are two of the best for their respected positions, but still Kobe for Francis basketball wise. Loyalty wise, I'd keep Francis. Either way it's like asking which supermodel is hotter. Heidi Klum or Laetitia Casta?
I watched about 30 Laker's games this season and I can tell you that a Shaq-less Lakers team is a bad team. It is a well known fact that Shaq came back sooner than expected because Lakers were on the brink of a nose dive to Hell. You can't be serious to suggest that this Laker's team is a 500 team with Shaq. I do agree with you that Kobe is not the only problem on this Laker's team but he who wants to be "da man" shall be criticized like one. Kobe has proven over and over again that he can't do it without Shaq. Unfortunately for the Lakers, he is the only one who has not recognized this fact. Lakers can win with SF or Kobe as long as Shaq is around. But bringing Kobe to this Rox team will upset the chemistry we have right now.
RUDY FOR PHIL?!?!?!? HELL NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE RUDY!!!!!!!!!!! ALTHOUGH WE BARELY HAVE ANY PLAYS AND HE LETS THE PLAYERS DO THEIR STUFF, HE IS A MUCH NICER AND HAPPIER LOOKING COACH. HE ACTUALLY SMILES AND IS ALWAYS CONTENT. MAYBE HE IS TOO NICE. BUT HE HAS BEEN WITH THE ROCKETS FOR OVER 40 YEARS. I WOULD NEVER TRADE FOR EVIL PHIL JACKSON!
Think of what this would do to the emotional aspect of our team. If Kobe was hating on Shaq for being MVP, what do you think his thoughts will be on Yao as a teammate. the Vote is HELL NO! Steve and Yao are to be the future, Kobe and Shaq are to be the past.
I voted yes, but I'm starting to reconsider. Kobe is a great player. He is a GREAT player. He could retire now and probably be named to the NBA's 75 greatest(Or whenever they redo the list). He is the best on the ball defender in the league. His jump shot(In accuracy, at least) rivals those of pure shooters like Eddie Johnson and Dale Ellis. He is the strongest guard in the league since the Chicago MJ retired. But, Steve is just so much more likeable. And the Shaq-less Lakers left a lot to be desired. I think that they are a lock for the playoffs, but think if they had to go 20-30 games without Shaq. I wasn't so sure before, but I think it is clear that Kobe is not the MVP of the Lakers. Steve Francis, on the other hand, is the MVP(Thus far at least) of the Rockets.
ROCKETFAT: EAT COOOW POOO!!! Thank you, cmellon! Even if Kobe might be a little better than Francis (which I'm still not sure he is. He's not exactly surrounded by talent on his team, so he has to put up big numbers sometimes. Plus Shaq I'm sure is able to open up the lane for him on many occasions for him to score or get some of his assists on a drive and dish to Shaq for a dunk or an open Fisher for a 3.), I WOULD NOT do this trade because I'm a Rockets fan, and Francis is a badass - OUR badass, who's been here from his start and has said that he likes it here in Houston. It'd be a slap in his face. I like Francis, and I like our team. Call us "blinded by the Rocket's red and blue" or whatever, but I don't give a rat's ass. The whole point of being a Rockets fan is to support your team, especially the star players you already have. I can't believe over half the people on this FREAKING THREAD WOULD do this trade!!!
Steve is a lot smarter than Kobe, He pass the ball more than Kobe, that's why his scoring avg. is less than Kobe. But give this Rockets team 1 to 2 yrs. we'll be a dominant team. I'll keep Francis for the Rockets.
I am sick to my stomache hearing about you people saying you would trade steve for Bryant. I would never. You people dont see the potential in steve. Steve is quicker then kobe. He has better passing ability then Koby. He schooled koby on every play. Plus, Steves love for the game outshines kobys in my opinion. And you could almost see steves game getting to be where he wants it to be in his mind. His game is almost an extension of his mind!! Like, he could think of what he could do and he would do it. Not ever one can do that. He is poetry in motion. Can i get an Amen!! Steve will win us a title this year!!!!! ( I actually predicted the rockets first NBA Title, back then in '93)
Put a healthy Steve Francis behind a strong, healthy supporting cast, like this year and the year before last, and put Kobe Bryant in the same situation. Steve would do better. The year before last, Steve lead this team to 45 wins and he was the only top 10 -top 15 player on this team, but Kobe struggles to lead his team when they are Shaq-less. Some even refer to the Lakers as just another lottery team when they are Shaq-less.
I think some of you are forgetting that aside from Shaq and Kobe, the Lakers have NO ONE. Everyone else is a simple role player that cannot function without Shaq/Kobe. You're not being fair to Kobe by saying "look how well the Lakers did without Shaq" b/c Kobe's supporting cast without Shaq is considerably worse than the Rockets' supporting cast. During the 45 win season, Francis had Mobley, a healthy Mo Taylor, and a rejuvenated Hakeem Olajuwon. Until you put Francis in a position where he is without Mobley, you cannot compare how well his team played versus how well the Kobe's Lakers played without Shaq.
when report asking Yao's father if yao will play for china team, he told them "Yes, we teach Ming to be a man first, then a ballplayer." Shaq play much better then yao now. I vot yao for all-star. kb is better then sf(no brainer). But if you ask me trade sf for kb? I'm sorry. No deal!
Also, if you take into account chemistry with the team, having essentially 2 sg's mobley & kobe, having a horrible pg in Moochie, etc., then yes it is foolish to make the trade. However, if you forget about all these factors and compare the two players talent-wise, Kobe is better. He is younger, has considerably more playoff experience, is averaging more assists than our pg, is a better defender, etc. Really the only category that Stevie leads him in is 3 pt %. Is it worth dismantling the team to replace a great player (Stevie) for a little greater player (Kobe)? No. But if I had to start a new team, I would definately take Kobe over Stevie.
