I'm not going to discredit Kobe. He's had a spectacular NBA career. Winning 5 NBA championships, 7 NBA Finals appearances, 2 Finals MVP and multiple scoring records. He's had it all tbh.
Kobe's lucky no doubt. Playing for a franchise known to pull the biggest tails with so little effort.
I'll play devils advocate here for a minute for arguments sake. People say he's been lucky to play with these caliber of NBA players.
What if its the other way around?
Shaq
Shaq was great in Orlando. With a perennial NBA All Star/All NBA player like Hardaway, Shaq still failed to win an NBA championship there. He went to LA and immediately found success. His first NBA championship was all his doing but the 2nd, 3rd as Kobe progressed exponentially, I think Kobe had equal contribution for the most part, again for arguments sake, I think Kobe's ability to play offensive closer, distributor and defensive stopper were huge reasons why Shaq has 3 les instead of just one. Shaw was able to squeeze one more championship outside Kobe, true, but Kobe got two and he may very well get another one at age 35. Crazy!
Gasol and Odom
Gasol has been a certified pussy all his life. Owner of 0-12 playoff series, he quickly got a taste of NBA championship in his first NBA season with Kobe. The next two seasons where glorious as Gasol became an integral part of a back to back championship team, something Duncan has never experienced. The same can be said for Odom who has underachieved throughout his career as a Clipper. He was good in Miami but nothing newsworthy. In LA with Kobe, he became a 6th man of the year and LA's 3rd best player. as Kobe's wingman, Odom thrived and found his niche in the game.
Artest
Ron went from almost losing his livelihood to an NBA champion. Kobe set up Ron's career tbh by putting him in that Game 7 secnario against Boston in 2010.
Fisher
Kobe has never won without Fisher and as of last season, Fisher came actually close to winning without Kobe. Now it seems like Fishers playing days are over and Kobe's chances of winning his 6th ring has ed to unreal levels. Again, another testament to Kobe's ability to bring the best out og any player and turn them into a winner.
Nash
TBD. But Nash has never sniffed an NBA Finals appearance. Now he gets his chance and possibly win a championship ring.
Dwight
TBD. All I know is the last time Dwight went to the Finals, Kobe handed his ass over to him. Eversince then, Dwight has been irrelevant. Isn't it weird that his chances are now better than ever now that he's playing with...Kobe? I mean seriously, think about this for a sec. Dwight's championship hopes have increased because of Kobe.
I hate to look at it this way but It really looks like Kobe make's the most of the talent that he's surrounded with. Plenty of other superstars have had great rosters but weren't able to produce similar results for their franchise so it's a testament to how well Kobe has been able to exploit his situation.
Kobe's immense luck during his career has been aided mostly by the Laker mystique. He put in the hard work, and he's being rewarded in leaps and bounds
Great thread. Kudos.
Luckiest NBA player post merger. No other superstar has been constantly surrounded by as much world class talent (especially in the form of big men) as Kobe Bryant. got Kobe fans won't admit this, of course, but if anything, it illustrates the Lakers' commitment to winning, which is something to be celebrated. But Kobefan is too concerned over his individual legacy to acknowledge the truth. Kobe sticks with Charlotte, it's doubtful he has any championships.
I'd myself in joy if Duncan got a constant stream of top tier perimeter players through free agency or lopsided trades. Not that Manu and Parker aren't good players, but if we were to draw a parallel with the kind of help Kobe receives regularly, Duncan would've played with various cores consisting of talent on the level of Dwyane Wade, prime McGrady, and the like.
Depends on whether Kobrick's in his"Somebody please carry me!"
Kobe took full advantage of what he was given and turned it into something meaningful. It's all about carpe diem. How many superstars wasted their primes by being lazy, out of shape, fat asses, too busy to care about practice, having the most inept front offices, etc.
It's like LeBron. He had the opportunity to bolt to Miami and turn it into something meaningful. Oh yes he did.
Should just Merge and make super teams. What are the point of the other 20-25 teams every year? This isn't the NFL where small market teams or teams can rise to power fast.
It's still all about the money. But they need to contract or move some teams that are hemmorhaging money.
Realistically, I don't see the Timbereolves, Bobcats, blazers, rockets, hornets, wizards, 76ers, magic, rockets, suns, warriors, pacers, pistons, hawks, kings, and nuggets winning it all in the next 5-10 years. Now a lot may change in that time frame depending on moves, trades, drafts etc but teams stuck in the hole stay in the hole. That's 16 teams just off the top of my head and I'm sure there are more. Small market teams usually don't win in the NBA
NFL actually has parity as well as the MLB (who the would've thought SF giants and saint Louis cardinals would be the last 2 world series champs). Condense the league.
I mean, just look at this ridiculous lineup of bigs Kobe's had the fortune of playing with over his career:
Shaq: Always the best or 2nd best big in the league during his time with the Lakers. And the 3 peat version, his peak form, is arguably one of the top 3 best players in history.
Pau Gasol: Peak Gasol was the best overall low post power forward in the league. He's declined some since the Lakers last championship, but he's still easily one of the top ten overall big men in the league.
Lamar Odom: Not a true big and a something of a tweener, but a very good rebounder, passer, and a matchup nightmare at the 4, especially coming off the bench.
Andrew Bynum: The consensus 2nd best big man in the NBA, with arguably the best low post game in the league.
Dwight Howard: Since becoming a Laker, and with Hollywood and dip Lakers homers fueling the hype train, he's now the 2nd coming of Bill Russell, Shaq, and Kareem all rolled into one. In reality, he's probably the best center in the league, but if Howard somehow exceeds expectations and figures out how to actually play like a big man rather than a glorified Marcus Camby without the 15 foot jumpshot, you could be very well looking at the next great big. Big if, though.
No other player in the modern era can boast this level of supporting cast talent over their career.
Does the MLB really have parity when you have the Yankees as the poster boys of the league? Yeah you have Moneyball but the A's aren't worth in the bigger picture
MLB not so much as the NFL but even teams like the A's, Orioles, pirates, and nationals have come from nowhere to contend for a playoff/wildcard spot. In the NFL/MLB the wildcard or lowest seed actually has a chance to win the championship(look at the NY giants, cardinals etc). Do we honestly think an eigth seed in the NBA will win a championship?
I guess it depends on the sport as well. One individual player can change the outcome of a series in basketball but in the other sports, it's more unlikely.
Do you think parity would increase the profitability of the NBA as a whole? One the one hand, established franchises like the Lakers and Celtics wouldn't have as great a chance to win and would probably stand to lose some of their huge fanbase/profits. On the other hand, all of the small market franchises would be much more likely to win, and could establish sizeable followings in smaller cities among previously unenthusiastic fanbases.
The onus is not only on the location of the franchises but also on the idiots that run them. Do you really see anyone trying to pull on San Antonio or Oklahoma City? Nope, because they have strong leadership
This.
It's not too difficult to build an NBA championship caliber team if you have the available resources, but it's extremely difficult to do so in the MLB and NFL, since an individual player, or even two or three players, can't take over games like they can in the NBA (to some extent, pitchers can in baseball, but the difference is they don't play every game).
when ur that good people want 2 play w/u..................straight up........................
Yeah, but the Yankees spent many prime years this past decade choking and are old now tbh....
Can't really penalize a player because he had great teammates.
Are we going to discredit McHale as one of the best lowpost players because of Bird?
Are we going to discredit Pippen as one of the greatest wing defender and offensive facilitating forwards because of Jordan?
Are we going to discredit early years Magic because of Kareem's dominance?
So why are we going to discredit Kobe because of Shaq/Dwight?
Who has a better chance at doing thangs - the Clippers or afterbirth?
In the NHL, one goalie on a hot streak changes everything and there's still parity tbh....
Nelson Cruz single handedly changed the 2011 ALCS by hitting 6 homers and 13 RBI's in 6 games. One player can change a series but it's more common in basketball than anyone else.
Just loo at 2011 dirk. Dallas beat teams they had no business beating (lakers, heat, maybe even OKC) but Dirk was on such a hot streak.
A goalie getting hot in the playoffs is pretty frequent though....
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