Tim Duncan > Kobe Bryant according to ESPN writer

[Dusty Bake Activate]

Kobe has the more gaudy statistics and impressive individual performances, but I don't see how any GM would take him over Duncan.

Kobe is high maintenance. He often doesn't get along teammates. He needs a coach he respects or he'll tune them out. I think you need very strong skilled front court play to win it all with him...and rebounding because he's such a high quantity shooter, and that's harder to find.

With Duncan, you got about at least a 50 win team with almost any bums. You just need good team defense and shooting. 2003 is my evidence.

 

[Kobes Two Jerseys]

factually your correct, but your argument is incomplete and misleading and here's why.

The 2004 USA squad was suppose to be an entirely different team than the players who were on the court.

Missing from the team was
Tmac
Shaq
Kobe
KG
Ray
Vince

and added in their place was
R Jefferson
Rookie Lebron
Rookie Wade
Rookie Melo
etc..

So not only was that team different, they had a bunch of rookies that just finished their first year playing for them. They had limited practice time togethor to build a repoire capable of getting them to the gold.

Also in 08 we had the team we were suppose to have, along with a seasonsed bron, wade, and melo who were all green from 04 and were top 10 players at this time. It was a lot more than just kobe being on the team. Fact is, they started practicing togethor more, had a new coach and a new system

"Bu- but american athletes are the best athletes in the world, they can send their 4th best team and beat the rest of the world" - circa 2003

 

[GreatestLaker]

Kobe has the more gaudy statistics and impressive individual performances, but I don't see how any GM would take him over Duncan.

Kobe is high maintenance. He often doesn't get along teammates. He needs a coach he respects or he'll tune them out. I think you need very strong skilled front court play to win it all with him...and rebounding because he's such a high quantity shooter, and that's harder to find.

With Duncan, you got about at least a 50 win team with almost any bums. You just need good team defense and shooting. 2003 is my evidence.

Does Duncan win in 2003 if the Lakers, Kings and Mavericks are healthy? I say no.

See 2001, 2002 and 2004.

 

[GoddamnyamanProf]

Exactly "clear 2nd fiddle players" don't average more in the pivotal playoff games than the primary option. Kobe had multiple games where he carried shaq and scored more than him to win. And before you begin on any "of course kobe would score more than shaq since he chucks it up", name other players who have similar feats in the playoffs as "clear 2nd fiddle players".

Your desperate attempts to argue semantics are pointless.

Who was more important to those teams?

 

[Adebisi_Said]

 

[Kobes Two Jerseys]

Kobe has the more gaudy statistics and impressive individual performances, but I don't see how any GM would take him over Duncan.

Kobe is high maintenance. He often doesn't get along teammates. He needs a coach he respects or he'll tune them out. I think you need very strong skilled front court play to win it all with him...and rebounding because he's such a high quantity shooter, and that's harder to find.

With Duncan, you got about at least a 50 win team with almost any bums. You just need good team defense and shooting. 2003 is my evidence.

People don't need to get along. They just need to play as a unit. Its been done many times throughout history. Who plays sports to make friends? Join the cub scouts if you're looking for a friendship merit badge. This is competition.

 

[Dusty Bake Activate]

Does Duncan win in 2003 if the Lakers, Kings and Mavericks are healthy? I say no.

See 2001, 2002 and 2004.

 

[Jplaya2023]

"Bu- but american athletes are the best athletes in the world, they can send their 4th best team and beat the rest of the world" - circa 2003

the 4th best team in the nba yes, not 2 superstars - duncan and iverson - 3 rookies, and 7 role players

 

[Dusty Bake Activate]

People don't need to get along. They just need to play as a unit. Its been done many times throughout history. Who plays sports to make friends? Join the cub scouts if you're looking for a friendship merit badge. This is competition.

Timmy is loved by everyone.

Spoiler

Except that bytch Amy [

 

[Walt]

Duncan's finals averages: 22.7 points, 14.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists and three blocks per game

Including the following games:

32 points 20 rebounds 6 assists 7 blocks 3 steals

21 points 20 rebounds 10 assists 8 blocks

29 points 17 rebounds 4 blocks 4 steals



Unimpeachable.

 

[GreatestLaker]

How many years was Duncan the best in the league? and Kobe?

 

[Dusty Bake Activate]

Duncan's finals averages: 22.7 points, 14.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists and three blocks per game

Including the following games:

32 points 20 rebounds 6 assists 7 blocks 3 steals

21 points 20 rebounds 10 assists 8 blocks

29 points 17 rebounds 4 blocks 4 steals



Unimpeachable.

And the ppg total would be higher if he didn't selflessly defer to Tony Parker in 07 so he can exploit a bad matchup for the good of the team.

 

[Kobes Two Jerseys]

Timmy is loved by everyone.

Spoiler

Except that bytch Amy [

Loved by everyone, and still won't have the most rings of his era. So what purpose does being like by teammates really serve?

 

[Dusty Bake Activate]

Loved by everyone, and still won't have the most rings of his era. So what purpose does being like by teammates really serve?

Stop. If Duncan played next to Shaq, they'd be the closest to Bill Russell in rings. Kobe and Shaq had to separate because they couldn't get along.

 

[GreatestLaker]

And the ppg total would be higher if he didn't selflessly defer to Tony Parker in 07 so he can exploit a bad matchup for the good of the team.

Duncan had trouble scoring in the finals. Lets not rewrite history here.