Kobe Bryant: The Most Overrated Athlete in Sports History?

[Giuseppe]

imincontrolnao

Morning, Swords. Are we going to bury the perverbials, or what?

[DMC]

...and with the 13th pick in the 1996 NBA Draft, the Charlotte Hornets select Kobe Bryant, from Lower Merion High School in Philadelphia.

Ahh, what could have been. Imagine a Kobe/CP3 back court. That would have been sick, huh BR?

And CP3 would have never been heard from again. Anyone who plays on a team with that ball hog is shooting their career in the foot.

Shaq would have 9 rings had he played in SA, where he went to HS. Instead he gets a measly 3 from LA and gets ushered out by the black sancha.

[Giuseppe]

Anyone who plays on a team with that ball hog is shooting their career in the foot.

Though Gasol couldn't win a single playoff game until Kobe took him in.
Though Artest couldn't win a single ring until Kobe took him.

[DMC]

Though Gasol couldn't win a single playoff game until Kobe took him in.
Though Artest couldn't win a single ring until Kobe took him.

Gasol was already an All Star by then.

Artest's career is sealed in . It just is.

I am surprised you didn't mention Shaq.

Who have the Lakers developed since Kobe started? They acquire all stars. They don't develop anything.

[Giuseppe]

Gasol was already an All Star by then.

Artest's career is sealed in . It just is.

I am surprised you didn't mention Shaq.

I don't do All Star, DMC. It's my religion.

Without Artest we don't ring at 16.

Kobe: 2

Daddy: 1

[davethedope]

In terms of athleticism Tiger Woods is the most overrated athlete of all-time.
For B-Ball, I think it's Charles Barkley, people are still kissing his ass like he
lead the league in scoring and rebounds for 20 yrs.

[NBAfan83]

I think the main difference between Kobe and MJ is that MJ was arguably one of the best athlete during his time and had the mental determination and work ethic to make him one of the best ever.

Kobe on the other hand cannot be considered the best athlete in his time, in fact there are probably easily 5-7 people more athletic than him at his position. But he is probably the only player after the MJ period to try to emulate MJ to the T, thus trying to follow MJ's work ethic and trying to have that mental determination.

That is why it's hard to see Kobe as better than MJ, when during his time period, he wasn't even the best athletically.

Lebron James on the other hand is way more athletic and powerful than both Kobe and MJ, but didn't emulate MJ or Kobe, thus he ends up being mentally weak and lazy.

[djohn2oo8]

I don't do All Star, DMC. It's my religion.

Without Artest we don't ring at 16.

Kobe: 2

Daddy: 1

Without Bynum, you don't ring at 15 or 16 cubster

[Giuseppe]

Without Bynum, you don't ring at 15 or 16 cubster

Agreed.

[davethedope]

Agreed.

Totally agreed. It's a damn shame his legs are so weak, but I like him,
think he can be great, and he does not get the credit he deserves for
the past two les. Magic probably could've won like the Celtics
the year before had Bynum been injured.

Bynum knows too, Lakers need to trust him and stop ing around
and stop giving Kobe all the credit. No ing way they win without
him.

[DMC]

I don't do All Star, DMC. It's my religion.

Without Artest we don't ring at 16.

Kobe: 2

Daddy: 1

Too bad the Lakers don't follow your religion.

[Giuseppe]

Too bad the Lakers don't follow your religion.

[DMC]

I think the main difference between Kobe and MJ is that MJ was arguably one of the best athlete during his time and had the mental determination and work ethic to make him one of the best ever.

Kobe on the other hand cannot be considered the best athlete in his time, in fact there are probably easily 5-7 people more athletic than him at his position. But he is probably the only player after the MJ period to try to emulate MJ to the T, thus trying to follow MJ's work ethic and trying to have that mental determination.

That is why it's hard to see Kobe as better than MJ, when during his time period, he wasn't even the best athletically.

Lebron James on the other hand is way more athletic and powerful than both Kobe and MJ, but didn't emulate MJ or Kobe, thus he ends up being mentally weak and lazy.

You really have to find a reason to not consider Kobe better than MJ?

[pad300]

And in 2001, we know who was the best player on the floor when the two best teams went head-to-head: Spurs vs Lakers Western Conference Finals (The real NBA Finals). Dude avg'd 33 in that series.

Hey Ashy, if you're going to look into details of match up analysis and such, you might want remember that in 2001, Juwan Howard effectively ended Derek Anderson's season in the playoffs, http://espn.go.com/magazine/bucher_20010507.html . It's a lot easier to put up 33 a game against the 2nd and 3ed string, rather than the 1st...

[davethedope]

You really have to find a reason to not consider Kobe better than MJ?

I think so, because as time goes on, the hype surrounding Kobe, as good
a player as he is and was, it's gassing up younger fans who never saw
MJ, and even from clips will not understand the strangle hold he had
over the association. You had to live that Jordan to understand.

I think it's like people don't understand Kareem and Russell and the elder
ones. Kobe was good, but he's really not close Jordan.

Frankly, I don't like hearing commentators comparing him to Magic either.

Kobe is at best the 5th or 6th greatest Laker of all-time, and in terms
of impact on the game itself, all-time, he might be in the top 10, but
we'd really have to think long and hard about that.

[Giuseppe]

The shadow of Pippen will continue to haunt MJ. And it should. Those of us who lived it like Dave alludes to above remember the spot MJ was in before Pippen saved him. It was terrible for MJ. This was before the NBA partnered with Media like they have now. When you got hung out to dry, you were out there, and Media had hung MJ out there. Opponents were after him like the last pork chop on the plate. He was this||close to going out when Pippen showed up and helped carry MJ's end of the log.

[cheguevara]

comparing the value of the most dominant bigman in the history of the game to Scottie Pippen

Jordan 6
Kobe 1

[Giuseppe]

comparing the value of the most dominant bigman in the history of the game to Scottie Pippen

Jordan 6
Kobe 1

Kobe: 5

tired old bag Duncan: 4

[cheguevara]

without the help of a 1st ballot HOF:

Duncan 4

bag of Kobe 1

[Giuseppe]

without the help of a 1st ballot HOF:

Duncan 4

bag of Kobe 1

Still & all:::

Kobe: 5

tired old bag Duncan: 4

[cheguevara]

correct

[DMC]

The shadow of Pippen will continue to haunt MJ. And it should. Those of us who lived it like Dave alludes to above remember the spot MJ was in before Pippen saved him. It was terrible for MJ. This was before the NBA partnered with Media like they have now. When you got hung out to dry, you were out there, and Media had hung MJ out there. Opponents were after him like the last pork chop on the plate. He was this||close to going out when Pippen showed up and helped carry MJ's end of the log.

In a nuts , you are saying that having a team tainted MJs legacy. That's the Kobe way of thinking I am sure.

Replace Kobe with Prime MJ in 1999 and the Lakers win 8 straight.

[dbreiden83080]

You're not supposed to look at statistics, you're supposed to believe that Kobe is the closest thing to MJ and you're supposed to buy what he endorses.

ESPN says Kobe is the best since MJ

It's gotta be true..

[DMC]

You failed to make your point. Your belief has no bearing on how the Lakers acquire players. They do not go after young talent and develop it. They go after championship pieces, already tempered by the fires of trial and error and already honed by real coaches and trainers.

[DMC]

ESPN says Kobe is the best since MJ

It's gotta be true..

Best since =/= best ever.