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Lebron will be better whether it's January, June, or next year. Or maybe you want to tell me that if you switched kobe with lebron last year the lakers woulden't have won a championship?
Oh it's January and not June you say?
Lebron will be better whether it's January, June, or next year. Or maybe you want to tell me that if you switched kobe with lebron last year the lakers woulden't have won a championship?
I reckon if you replace Kobe even with Durant, Brandon Roy and Paul Pierce, Lakers would still win a le.
maybe lebron, but not the rest
Win or lose, kobe is still the better player.
Lakers give Kobe reason to stay
By Marc J. Spears
There are a lot of perks that come with playing for the Los Angeles Lakers: the Southern California sunshine fills most days (current week excepted); the Pacific Ocean is a short drive from the team’s practice facility; and Jack Nicholson, Denzel Washington and the rest of the who’s-who crowd of Hollywood fill the Staples Center courtside seats. And then there are the Lakers themselves – from George Mikan to Wilt Chamberlain, from Jerry West to Magic Johnson, from Kareem to Shaq, the franchise has long ranked among the most storied in all of sports.
Kobe Bryant knows this. He also knows he now plays alongside a power forward who ranks among the league’s best, a 22-year-old center with the potential to become one of the game’s top big men, a bruising stopper who relieves some of the nightly defensive duties from his own shoulders and another long, versatile forward who can be a matchup terror for opponents. His coach has won more NBA les than any coach ever.
So ask Kobe to compare his situation to that of LeBron James or Dwyane Wade or any other NBA star, and he’ll simply grin as if you’ve discovered his personal little secret. Yes, these days, even in spite of his numerous injuries, in spite of the Lakers’ inconsistency, Kobe has it good.
“I’m set up to have a good run here,” Bryant said. “I’ve been very fortunate. I went through seven years of . Management decided that it was time to spend the money to bring in the players here.”
Bryant’s “seven years” reference is a bit of a stretch; the Lakers went five seasons without winning a championship before last year’s le. But his point is clear: A little more than two years ago, he was ready to move on. After complaining about the team’s lack of talent, Bryant asked the Lakers to trade him. Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak instead set about assembling a better roster around his star, culminating with the trade that brought Pau Gasol to L.A.
The Lakers recently signed Gasol to a three-year extension that will keep him under contract through the 2013-14 season. Ron Artest’s contract runs the same length, provided he doesn’t opt out a season early, and the deals of Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom can last through 2012-13. The Lakers have a solid core which should contend for championships over the next few years.
The only piece missing is Kobe himself.
Bryant can opt out his contract at the end of the season, and though he announced during the summer his intention to sign an extension with the Lakers, he has yet to do so. Is there a chance he’ll now join LeBron, D-Wade and Chris Bosh in this summer’s heralded free-agent class?
Not likely. Though neither the Lakers or Bryant or his agent, Rob Pelinka, would comment on negotiations, all indications are Kobe could have his extension signed by the All-Star break, provided a few issues are resolved.
Bryant knows no other franchise could give him the type of supporting cast he has in L.A. The biggest question going forward is whether Phil Jackson will return after this season to continue coaching them.
“It set us up nicely,” Bryant said. “Everyone is pretty much locked in. Now, it’s a matter of just staying focused and staying the course.”
The Lakers have weathered a few bumps of late, not to mention the various finger and elbow injuries Bryant has suffered, which have affected his shot. But regardless of whether they win or lose Monday’s NBA Finals reunion with the Orlando Magic, the Lakers will still reach the midpoint of their schedule with the league’s best record. If they can keep their core players healthy – and, so far, that’s been a tenuous if – then another le seems well within their grasp.
While it’s uncertain what James, Wade, Bosh – and possibly Amar’e Stoudemire and Dirk Nowitzki – will do this upcoming summer in free agency, the Lakers still figure to be sitting pretty next season. It’s not much of a stretch to envision them winning another couple les by the middle of the decade to match the Boston Celtics’ record 17.
“We do feel like the team can compete for a championship for the foreseeable future,” Kupchak said. “There is no guarantee that we get to the Finals. You [also] need … luck and health. But we’re hoping with this group that we can contend for the Finals.”
The next step is getting Bryant’s signature on a contract extension.
“It sends a positive [message] for him to re-sign with the team and continue to build on the group that we have,” Gasol said. “The window is pretty big. We have to make sure we take advantage of it. The organization is doing what it needs to keep the main pieces together, so we have a chance to win championships for a few years. How many years remains to be seen, but we’ve given ourselves a chance.”
Said Odom: “Kobe sets his goals really high. Hopefully, he has the confidence in us and his teammates around him to achieve those goals.”
With four NBA les in hand, Bryant is now one away from tying Magic. And if he passes Magic? He could stake a claim to being the greatest Laker of all time.
“His legacy will always be there no matter what happens,” Shaquille O’Neal said. “If I was [naming] the top 10 Lakers, he’s up there. He’s probably the most exciting Laker, probably next to Magic.”
Said Bryant: “Just to be mentioned in the same breath … you’re talking about the greatest Lakers that ever played. I’m happy with that. … But it would be nice to have as many rings as Magic though.”
Bryant is focused on the here and now, but he also can see far enough into the future to know he has a good thing going.
Laker for life?
It has a nice ring to it.
Son, calm your pizza-heating ass down. Just because I agree that lebron>kobe doesn't mean I'm gonna join your obsessed ass on hating on kobe. He is still the number #2 player in the world and is a class above the ones you mentioned.
Washington Post Article:
Kobe Bryant is the best finisher in the NBA. Ever
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...l?hpid=topnews
LOL @ linking a Washington Post article by some random guy, as if it means anything..
The numbers don't lie, Kobe isn't even close to being the best finisher of all-time..he's not even the best finisher in the NBA right now, the numbers don't lie..
he cant see your response
I'm just going by the stats, I can't disagree with them if they're facts..how can I?..
i wish you were the spurs gm
nope. paul pierce is a champion, i have a reason to beilieve he can lead a talented team like the lakers
brandon roy is on kobe;s level. same with durant.
joe johnson is one of the best shooting guard in the league, without him the hawks will miss the playoffs
I request that this thread be UNSTICKIED, this kome thread gets bumped every other minute anyways
This is a uva alot better than 10 new Kobe threads a day.
LOL at the hate a man with a broken index finger gets..I dont really like the 18-20 shots but ill take the 7 assists..Just having kobe on the floor opens up the game for everyone else..BTW the Lakers are like 30-0 in games in which they have any sort of lead in the 4th quarter. Gotta love that
So is Kobe gonna get better at some point of this season or is he going to keep stinking up the court every time he plays?
Even in ty games, Kobe still shows greatness.
Just like that game winner he had in Dallas...Kobe does whatever it takes to win games and owns the NBA's best record even with the Lakers 2nd best player missing almost half the season.
Kobe is definitely the best finisher in the game today. All-time? its hard to say hes ahead of Jordan, but hes definitely one of the top 5, top 3 all-time as well.
and saying that stuff about their 2nd best player missing... lets be honest, pau and bynum perfectly replace each others missing stats when the other is out, and neither are as dominant when the other is playing. they dont end up missing near as much as you suggest when pau or bynum is out, because of the way they cover up for each other with the increased opportunity. if i were phil, i would try to convince one of them to come off the bench for the other, and start odom. if they could pull that off, i think the lakers would be a MUCH scarier team.
sons it is hilarious watching ESPN highlights and hearing the same excuses every night.
"Kobe shot only 3 of 15 by the 3rd quarter, but oh man you know his back is killing him!"
"oh and don't forget about his finger still being wrapped up!"
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