One of the biggest problems with these discussions is that Kobestans struggle to understand the meaning of the word "overrated". Being overrated doesn't mean you're a scrub, it doesn't mean your entire reputation is smoke and mirrors, it doesn't even mean you're not the best in the world at what you do, it simply means you are given more credit than you deserve/earn. It's particularly ironic because most Kobestans even acknowledge that LeBron is the best player in the game right now yet many still feel he is overrated at the same time.
Of course coaches and players are going to praise Kobe. Every great player gets universal praise from all his peers and coaches. With the way the media attacks critical comments and tries to generate conflict, no one is going to put themselves in a position to tear down a player. I'm sure players and coaches all notice that Kobe takes a lot of bad shots, plays a lot of shoddy defense, and has a lot of excuses made for him, but why would they talk about that? How many players and coaches criticized LeBron for sucking in the 2011 finals? How many criticized Kobe for mailing it in against the Suns? It's just not something players and coaches are going to do.