Bilz
Superstar
If Kobe was as good as Jordan, he would have been on contending teams for his entire prime.
KYRIE IRVING NAMES HIS ALL-TIME NBA TEAM
- Thread starter Sccit
- Start date
Bilz
Superstar
It's funny that clowns like you think Shaq clogging the middle allowed a layup line on the defensive end yet he was apparently able to shut down his own teammates on the offensive end.
If I was lebron I would be waiting next practice for Kyrie like this
His kids can't be shytting on him in public
Kyrie is Kobe's son, nikka LeBron is just his co-worker.
Mantis Toboggan M.D.
I’m here for the scraps
get some help. Seriously. This level of stannery is not healthy.TrebleMan
Superstar
Along the same lines of thinking, I wonder how a
Curry
Jordan
Kobe
Lebron
Hakeem
line-up would look like.
Curry
Jordan
Kobe
Lebron
Hakeem
line-up would look like.
Damn.
I've never discredited Shaq. He's the best player I ever saw at his peak. Better than my favorite player who is Kobe. And he's the second best player overall I've ever seen taking an entire career into account (after Kobe). I am too young to have seen Jordan and the greats before him so I only judge players I've seen when it comes to comparing them based on the eye test. With that said, Kobe would still have performed better INDIVIDUALLY without Shaq. We all saw what he did in 2005-09 without Shaq. Even at an older age, he averaged a career high 35ppg, scored 50+ regularly, and even shot a higher FG% than he did when Shaq was on the team.
Anyone who has played basketball or even watches more than a casual fan knows that a post-player in the paint clogs the lane for a player who is an athletic penetrator. Why else do you think LeBron had Chris Bosh shooting 3s in Miami? Players like LeBron and Kobe perform better INDIVIDUALLY when there isn't a big man in the paint because it spreads the defense out and allows for more driving lanes. Why do you think Kobe developed a mid-range jump shot so early in his career? He knew that unlike LeBron who for his entire career has had no big clogging the paint and was instead surrounded by shooters, Kobe would need to develop a mid-range jumper so that he could score when the paint is clogged by a defensive center waiting to close out his path to the basket. You see Kobe isn't as obsessed with personal stats as LeBron. He was willing to sacrifice some numbers to win.
Why do you think LeBron's finals record is so poor compared to Kobe? Its not because Kobe had better teammates. Its because Kobe was versatile enough to allow his teammates to play in the paint. LeBron forces everyone to become a 3-point shooter. So when the 3 isn't going in or when he isn't scoring in the paint, his team struggles. Kobe on the other hand can play next to post players like Gasol and Bynum that clog the paint and don't give him room to drive so he perfected the mid-range jumper and dominated the game from the outside. This is the reason Kobe has 5 rings and LeBron has only 3. Kobe was the more versatile player so he could play alongside guys who weren't 3-point shooters.
This is basketball 101 buddy.
Kobe didn't benefit from being teammates with the best center to turn pro in the last 45 years
He benefited in terms of winning championships but not INDIVIDUALLY. Without Shaq, Kobe definitely wins more MVPs, scoring titles, etc. Kobe sacrificed some personal glory early in his career to win championships. This is similar to the career paths for KD, Russ, and Harden. When they were all together, they made the finals but Russ and Harden were not in the MVP conversation. They split and now Russ and Harden are the leading MVP candidates in the league and are averaging historic numbers we haven't seen in 50 years. There's only one ball so its normal that if you pair two to three dominant players on the same team they will not have as much success individually as they would apart. Nothing controversial with this claim.
If Kobe played with players like Pippen, Harper, and Rodman in his prime, rather than another alpha male scorer like Shaq, he probably puts up some historic numbers we've never seen and probably wins more than 1 MVP. He proved in 2009 and 2010 that even at an advanced age, he could carry a team to championships without a player like Shaq by his side. So pair him with Jordan's cast and I'm sure he wins championships as well.
Jordan>>LeFrozen
It was written in the Bible
First take said something similar years ago. It was about the post 2011 lakers though. I rarely agree with SAS but he was right on the money with how fukked up the lakers organization is.
Jordan>>LeFrozen
It was written in the Bible
Nikkas forget kobe came in 3rd place for MVP in the 2002-2003
season. Without Shaq he maybe picks up another scoring title and a possible MVP, but no rings. Honestly I rather the rings.
Trust me when I say this, I watched mj from the beginning. MJ was unreal. Think of it this way, he was stronger than Kobe, faster with a quicker first step, body control was unmatched even now 30 years later. And mj was a better defender period. Oh and bigger hands. MJ was an athletic freak and obviously his midrange game made him even better when you figured he is prolly the goat finisher at the basket.
I respect Kobe he was really good but MJ was another level. It's why even 30 years later you don't see the body control in the air type stuff mj would do routinely. Hell they can't even do ball fakes like mj lol. Dude was 40 still averaging 20+ and blockin people's shyt. Old man takin peoples souls and ball fakin them out they shoes
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