Bill Simmons: We are all witnesses

[Andrew Bynum]

Kobe didn't get his first ring as a first banana until he was 30. I think Lebron will beat that.

Kobe didn't come into the league with a team to himself like Lebron and MJ did. If Kobe did who knows how many rings he would have had by now as the first option. Fact is he came into the league on a team ready to win with a number option and it stayed that way for his first eight years in the league. Kobe won his first ring as the number one option on a team in his fifth season of having a team to himself. Lebron is now in his seventh season, still no ring.

[badfish22]

Kobe won his first right as the number one option on a team in his fifth season of having a team to himself. Lebron is now in his seventh season, still no ring.

True, but those were all during Kobes prime years. Lebron is still 25 and was 18 when he came into the league. Kobe also couldn't get his team out of the first round and failed to make the playoffs once, while Lebrons team has always been in contention. Kobe didn't win the ring until a great supporting cast was put around him featuring another star in Gasol. Lebron hasn't had near the amount of help.

[21_Blessings]

True, but those were all during Kobes prime years. Lebron is still 25 and was 18 when he came into the league. Kobe also couldn't get his team out of the first round and failed to make the playoffs once, while Lebrons team has always been in contention.

Contention in the worst conference of all time? 2007 Spurs were the weakest le team this decade and they made the Cavs look like a D-league squad.

Kobe would have been destroying the East.

[namlook]

LOL at Simmons comparing Lebron's passing skills to Magic. Does Simmons know Magic averaged over 11 assists per game in his career?

[fevertrees]

"Even the 3-37 Nets would be a 55-win team with LeBron. "

[namlook]

Lebron will be better than Jordan when it's all said and done.

When it's all said and done he better have 7 rings in his back pocket then.

[fevertrees]

We all have something in common with Lebron....0 rings! Is that why NBA casual fans love him so much?

[TFloss32]

Contention in the worst conference of all time? 2007 Spurs were the weakest le team this decade and they made the Cavs look like a D-league squad.

05-06 Heat was the weakest le team this past decade. Spurs had a tougher road and went through better teams in 06-07. It just so happened that their Finals opponent was the weakest team they played. That season was probably the low point for the Eastern Conference as it didn't produce any solid teams. The real championship was the SA/PHX series (two best teams in the league that year).

[Shastafarian]

Just finished it as well and had the exact opposite reaction. I would recommend it to any serious NBA fan. I wonder if our different perception is based on age. I'm old enough to have seen most of the players included in his pyramid and enjoyed reading about them so long after they last played.

Simmons writes as a fan. For those that have not seen LeBron play in person, you should do so. TV doesn't do him justice. I'm not a huge fan of some of the pre-game antics or the way he's played the whole 2010 thing. What he does on the court during the game, however, is worth the price of admission.

It's possible. But all his literary foibles didn't bother you? The amateurish level of writing, the footnotes in general, his annoying tendencies like talking to the reader as if the reader will answer his questions, and the ellipses. My god the ellipses. Maybe that was the editor's fault for not saying, "Ya know, all these ellipses make the stats hard to follow and makes me wanna just skip over them. Let's set this up differently."

[Pero]

Kobe didn't come into the league with a team to himself like Lebron and MJ did. If Kobe did who knows how many rings he would have had by now as the first option.

1.

[21_Blessings]

05-06 Heat was the weakest le team this past decade. Spurs had a tougher road and went through better teams in 06-07. It just so happened that their Finals opponent was the weakest team they played. That season was probably the low point for the Eastern Conference as it didn't produce any solid teams. The real championship was the SA/PHX series (two best teams in the league that year).

That Spurs team had help from DONAGHY and Stern suspended their best player for game 6.

San Antonio had basically the same roster in 08 and was curb-stomped by a Lakers team missing two of their starters. 07 Spurs were just a weak championship team all around.

[Ghazi]

Contention in the worst conference of all time? 2007 Spurs were the weakest le team this decade and they made the Cavs look like a D-league squad.

Kobe would have been destroying the East.