Hoops

Are we seeing the begining of the end for Kobe?

I don't mind stepping it up a notch.

You have no idea playtime, TC2, don't bother unless you are going to get nastier than yesterday..
; )

Kobe better than MJ?

Can someone tell me if I am wasting my time entering this discussion with someone who thinks that is true?

Tigers Woods is yet to sue his low-income earning housekeeper because she dared to expose what an arrogant bitch his wife is.

Tiger Woods doesn't rip in to his caddy in front of everyone when he misses a mid-range putt.

Yeah, i think my point got lost again in my bias, but i liken it to animals in the wild, Kobe has been the king lion for some time, now the other young lions are circling and smell some blood....

Chicken and the egg time?

What comes first, a supporting cast that plays their role because they are told too, or the one that plays their role because they feel valued?

You would have to admit that LeBron, even at this early stage in his career, seems to manage his team-mates much better.

And for f@#k sake can someone get off their arse and fix the typo in the title? I know its Sunday Isaac but church was over ages ago, get to work!

Good post Big Ads, but take the best player out of any team in the finals and they would struggle....

How about you replace Kobe with;
Anthony?
Wade?
Roy?
Pierce?

Would LA slip that much at all? Would these other players get more out of Gasol and co?

The play of Bynum has probably been the biggest problem for the Lakers, plus the inability of LA to get the most out of Odom's unique skill set. Oh, and they are very weak at the point....

I really hate that i won't get to see the Odom play for coach D at the knicks.. it would be something to watch...

Here is my one comment in favour of Kobe.... the changes to the rules regarding zone defence means that unlike MJ, Kobe won't be allowed by any team to post up close to the basket. They will instantly zone off their man and not have to commit to the dbl team. Choosing to 'float' a step away from him, denying dribble entry and enabling Kobes defender to body up and contest the jump shot. This defensive strategy would of been called for illegal defence in MJ's era.

Kobe's problem is he's trying to win a title by letting/making his team mates do alot he sometimes tries to hard to get them involved.

LBJ's team mates all know their roles, sure they get a little hot headed at times but if they get stuck they just give it to LBJ.

The lakers stuff up and they don't go to kobe they just start throwing up crap!

No, but it matches his vagina.

The title of this thread is stupid. Kobe hasn't had a 'fro for years.

Kobe not an extraordinary player? That ain't true. He's one of the best players in the league. It pisses me off that Kobe simply has dominated the last few years, but everyone keeps harping on that until he wins a ring without Shaq he'll never get the respect that he deserves.

Now, LeBron is a star, but I haven't seen him win a ring, yet people are already saying that he's better than Jordan. He's really only had 2-3 brilliant seasons. Kobe's been dominating the league for 10+ years.

Tell me you guys wouldnt love to read a bio if shane heal released one. Ive almost finished Gazes' book and its a fantastic insight. Some of the stories about hammer are classic... Gaze is his biggest fan and shows his passion and competitivness. A great section is in regards to the Sir Charles bump... id love a hammer book.

I agree with you that Kobe is no longer an extraordinary player. He is still one of the best players in the game, but these days he is mostly just a really good jumpshooter who creates his own shot. You don't see the same hang time or spectacular plays of earlier in his career much these days. So there are a number of guys who can do the same things he does now. Even a greatly diminished Ray Allen outplayed Kobe in last years finals.

I wouldn't be so quick to assume that it will just be LBJ v Durant for the title for the next 8 years though. First of all, I don't think you can just look at individual players in isolation anymore. The current defensive rules in the NBA mean no-one, not even Lebron or Wade, can get to the basket at will against good teams. So if you don't have good team mates to pass the ball to, you aren't going to be very successful.

Second, LBJ is pretty good, but he still isn't that reliable a jumpshooter and still hasn't won a title. Whats to say that he will be more successful than Wade in the end? Give Wade the right team mates and he could beat Lebron. And Durant? Love his shooting ability, but he is still a long way from proving he can make his team mates better. There are no guarantees his supporting cast will develop enough to challenge for a title in the next couple of years.

A team like Portland has every chance of dominating both Lebron and Durant for the next half decade if they get it right.

After watching Rose in this years playoffs, if Chicago can improve the team around him, he could also challenge.

And no doubt there are guys in high school with exceptional talent that will be drafted in the next few years. Who knows, one of them could come along and prove to be better than all the current players!