Lakers: Kobe Bryant..

[FkLA]

The best stat we have to try and quantify that is RAPM, which wisely adjusts for a variety of variables outside a player's control (ex. which players he's on the floor with, pace, etc), and in fact, yes, Kobe does make his teammates better since they are usually worse off when he's out of the game.

That said, Kobe's RAPM does lack behind many other greats of his era. Oddly, Kobe has finished in the top 10 in regular season RAPM only twice in his career. A player like Tim Duncan has finished in the top 5 twelve times over his career and topped the list 3 times.

http://stats-for-the-nba.appspot.com/

I have some theories why Kobe lacks behind almost all the other top all stars of his era in RAPM, despite his impressive per game stats, and I think the first culprit is ball dominance. When a single player dominates the ball, the other players get out of rhythm offensively and their defense drops off. The second culprit is Kobe's shot selection. He loves 18-20 foot jumpers to a pathological degree. A miss from a long 2 is about the worst miss in basketball and ignites a fast break more effectively than other misses. I think this is a reason why Kobe has been a net negative defensively for over 10 seasons now.

Kobe does make his teammates better, but there is some truth to the idea that his individual brilliance as a scorer doesn't translate to optimal success for the team.

Not surprised that he doesn't stack up to other greats. He's done nothing his entire career when teams relied on him heavily. I actually think he has the skillset to make others better, he's shown glimpses when he gets into his little Magic Kobe moods...too bad he's been more concerned with showing everyone how great he is individually throughout his career.

[Stalin]

[Cry Havoc]

Kobe 4-11 for 12 points, headline reads, I you not, "Bryan's big 3rd lifts Lakers by Pistons."

Most overrated, overhyped player in the history of basketball. Holy . He was 5th in scoring on the team and the Lakers won by 10. It's almost like they're better when he's not playing like a total imbecile.

[Thread]

Kobe 4-11 for 12 points, headline reads, I you not, "Bryan's big 3rd lifts Lakers by Pistons."

Most overrated, overhyped player in the history of basketball. Holy . He was 5th in scoring on the team and the Lakers won by 10. It's almost like they're better when he's not playing like a total imbecile.

Kobe: 5

the tired old bag Duncan: 5

[Cry Havoc]

Kobe: 5

the tired old bag Duncan: 5

Ring smack again. For the guy chirping about the Spurs "dishonoring the system" by not taking the regular season seriously.