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^This is a joke, right?
Is this really even a question? Kobe + Duncan would = more rings than anyone, especially now with how Kobe has matured.
^This is a joke, right?
This article echoes what I said:
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_yl...yhoo&type=lgns
In the National Basketball Association, superstar status is given to those who elevate their play in a game’s closing minutes, when the outcome is still in doubt.
It’s often forgotten that Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and Bill Russell, all revered as all-time greats, missed more shots during their careers than they made. Their legacies are built largely on the reputation of carrying their team to victory in close and decisive games. Jordan led the Chicago Bulls to six les, Bird brought home three championships for the Boston Celtics and Russell captured 10 les for the Celtics.
Since the NBA now imposes a stiff penalty of one dollar for each dollar a team’s payroll exceeds the league’s tax threshold (amounting to roughly 61 percent of projected revenues, or $71 million this season), signing clutch performers to bargain deals provides valuable breathing room and is a priority for general managers who assemble team rosters. Clutch players can generate millions of dollars of profits for a team because of the extra cash playoff games generate from tickets, merchandise and advertising.
Click here for more teams
In Pictures: The best basketball players for the buck
Ten years ago, during the height of the Michael Jordan era, Chicago Bulls-emblazoned products accounted for close to 40 percent of NBA-licensed-product sales. So far this year the Bulls – which haven’t produced an all-star since Jordan – have accounted for just 3.8 percent of total sales, according to industry tracker SportsOneSource.
To determine the best clutch players for the buck, we compared player statistics to pay from last season. Our survey includes only players who averaged five or more points in the fourth quarter and hit at least 40 percent of their shots when it mattered most (during the last five minutes and in overtime, with neither team ahead by more than five points). These “clutch time” stats were compiled by 82games.com, an online leader in analyzing the NBA.
Scoring and shooting percentage carried the most weight in our formula, but we also accounted for assists, rebounds and blocks to get a more complete picture of player performance down the stretch of close games. Salaries were measured against those of players with similar years of experience in the league, since pay limits based on longevity are stipulated by the collective bargaining agreement between the league and Players’ Association.
The best bargain guard was San Antonio’s Manu Ginobili, who led the Spurs in fourth-quarter scoring last season with 5.2 points per game – a full point better than all-star teammates Tim Duncan and Tony Parker. Ginobili shot a league-high 57.4 percent from the field during the last five minutes of close games and was paid $9 million.
Third ranked among guards was Kobe Bryant, who lived up to his reputation as a money player last year, shooting 44.8 percent late in the fourth quarter. His downside: a $19.5 million salary that was 2.5 times the pay of other players who have been in the league for at least 10 years.
LeBron James’ performance in late-game situations proved so superior to other forwards that he ranks as the best bargain at the position, despite his $13 million paycheck last year. If James’ clutch time scoring were grossed up to 48 minutes (the length of a full game), he would have averaged 56 points – tops among those who played in at least 15 games that weren’t decided until the last five minutes.
Orlando’s Hedu Turkoglu ranked second among forwards, thanks to finishing seventh league-wide in fourth-quarter scoring, while earning 13 percent less pay than his peers. Turkoglu also hit two memorable game-winning shots last season, including a three-pointer that beat Boston, the eventual league champions, as time expired.
whats a joke? did he play well against the lakers?
he took his entire globalist ty country down the toilet with him
Says the guy who thinks AI is as good as Billups
But seriously, Manu at his best can put up comparable per minute numbers to Kobe. Add in the fact that Kobe can be an emo bag when things aren't going right and the fact that he likely wouldn't be too willing to share the spotlight with the TD and TP, and I don't think it's too much of a leap. Kobe could very well be the best player in the league but he didn't exactly get along with the last dominant bigman he played with and him playing quasi-point guard would make TP a lot less useful.
Manu on the other hand isn't as good but he has no emo or bag qualities about him, doesn't care about the spotlight, can play with others and only cares about winning. He's not going to pull an emo "I'm not going to shoot because people are calling me a ballhog" or "she said yes" or anything like that. And Manu hasn't choked in his last two finals.
On the Spurs, I'll live with fewer minutes played and slightly worse production to not have to worry about all the side drama that Kobe comes with.
Of course not, he was hurt, it showed, pop still played him, and the Spurs lost to a good Lakers team mainly because of that.
Still no reason for your stupid comments.
Wow...
He was injured against the Lakers. Give instance how Manu has ever shamed Argentina. There is no shame in losing to the U.S. I am not trying to cause confrontation, I am just at a loss as to what you mean by your accusations.
Don't feed the troll guys.
So are both of your parents stupid, or did you just inherit it from just one of them?
It would be cool to have a Manu's sickest assists all together in a vid so that we could enlighten ignorants with just an url.
First of all, I think AI is better than Billups, based on individual talent. Billups has played great for the Nuggets, and I'm still a fan of his. But, for me, I thought he was on his steep decline. Apparently, I was wrong at least so far a dozen or so games after the trade. So more power to him, and because I've always thought he was a great character guy and a good person and leader, I'm happy for Chauncey. That doesn't mean I change my mind and think Billups is all of a sudden a better player than Iverson. He has made the transition to the Nuggets much better than Iverson to the Pistons, I'll grant you that. The true testament will come playoffs anyway. You and I both know that.Says the guy who thinks AI is as good as Billups
But seriously, Manu at his best can put up comparable per minute numbers to Kobe. Add in the fact that Kobe can be an emo bag when things aren't going right and the fact that he likely wouldn't be too willing to share the spotlight with the TD and TP, and I don't think it's too much of a leap. Kobe could very well be the best player in the league but he didn't exactly get along with the last dominant bigman he played with and him playing quasi-point guard would make TP a lot less useful.
Manu on the other hand isn't as good but he has no emo or bag qualities about him, doesn't care about the spotlight, can play with others and only cares about winning. He's not going to pull an emo "I'm not going to shoot because people are calling me a ballhog" or "she said yes" or anything like that. And Manu hasn't choked in his last two finals.
On the Spurs, I'll live with fewer minutes played and slightly worse production to not have to worry about all the side drama that Kobe comes with.
As for Manu and Kobe, if you were specifically talking about who fits better on the Spurs (which was not made clear) and as someone mentioned how it applies to the team financially, I "could" agree that Manu is the better fit for the Spurs. If you want to add whatever biased factor called the "emo bag" variable, fine. I won't argue with that. That doesn't necessarily mean that Manu is the better player, and that was what this thread was about.
And, I will submit that when Kobe is in a good situation and is surrounded by talent, he is the player you want to be on that team. He proved as much on Team USA over the summer at the Olympics, when he all but volunteered to take a backseat to LeBron and Wade and Carmelo offensively and to be the defensive stopper. Emo indeed. bag of course. And, when that superstar cast was collectively ting their pants that Spain was actually in the game towards the end, once again, Kobe was the one called to bail out the team. Emo bag though he is.
He took a backseat to Shaq for 5 years despite being the better closer and harder worker. Yes, he was selfish in 2004 against the Pistons when he tried to win the Finals MVP that ended up being the Lakers demise. Emo, egotistical, bag. Fine.
He's already proven last year and this year how he's changed from that.
See, I don't even ing like Kobe Bryant the person. I agree he has been and probably still is frequently a bag and an egotistical emo. But, I'm not going to cloud my judgment on his talent. I take Kobe on my team over any other perimeter player in the game except for LeBron James. Come on. Manu? I ing love how Manu plays the game and leaves it all on the court. The same reason why I love Allen Iverson, the basketball player. But, come on. I won't dare say a bad thing about Manu or his game. I'm a huge fan. But, I'm not going to say I'd take him over Kobe all things equal, both healthy and playing their best. That's just stupid.
Better player: Kobe by miles
Better teamplayer: Manu by miles
As much as I love Manu, ONLY a complete homer would pick Manu over Kobe.
only the really great players will play when they know theyre injured and its obvious to everyone theyre playing like MUNG and hurting the team
ginobili is an inconsistant, fragile, past his prime player who has cost the spurs more than hes helped. he has thousands of fake fans who call themselves a church that worship some chode who doesnt even believe in god
parker is, was and will always be better and they hate that fact
I hate to agree with you, but I do. Manu should have taken himself out of the games against LA when he couldn't play well.
My brother says Manu is responsible for the Spurs TWICE not getting to the Finals. First, in 2006 when he made the idiotic foul against Dirk that allowed Dallas to win. And last year, when he played like crap in more than one game against LA.
I think my bro is being a bit harsh, because without Manu, who's to say we would have even gotten to the conference finals in both those seasons, but Manu definitely has some serious black marks against him.
i bet your brother thinks the 2nd amendment grants us the right the bear arms too
listen to this guy rufus, he knows what hes talking about
you live and die with manus intensity.
Manu does have some of his own side drama (see all of the raging debates on him in here) TimVP, it is just different.
Fans discussing aspects about Manu does not equal side drama
I'm talking about things that actually affect on-court play.
Him "playing when asked not to" and missing time on the court does affect that. It is off the court "drama" (to some) and it has effected his contract situation, so you would be silly to laugh at it.Fans discussing aspects about Manu does not equal side drama
I'm talking about things that actually affect on-court play.
Manu is as drama-free as it gets for a baller of his quality/popularity, saying otherwise is stupidity.
He is a role model as a player and as a person.
persons who dont believe in god...He is a role model as a player and as a person
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