Thursday, July 14th, 2011 at 12:02 pm  |  21 responses

Father Time Can Defeat Any Legacy

There’s no country for Kobe, KG, DWade versus a lockout and father time.

by Eddie Maisonet, III / @edthesportsfan

If you’ve been paying attention to the lockout between players and owners over at the National Football League, it is quite evident the players who have been front and center on behalf of the players.

Tom Brady. Peyton Manning. Drew Brees.

What has not been so clear is who are going to be the players who lead the charge to end a lockout between players and owners in the National Basketball Association. Sure there are players’ representatives of each team who have the seat at the table, but there is something more on the line than just the paycheck and long-term benefits that come along with a players’ union.

People’s legacies are on that line.

Peyton Manning is 35, Tom Brady is 33, and Drew Brees is 32. Arguably the three best quarterbacks in all of football (this is a basketball site, I’m not about to debate this with you all right now) are on the frontline trying to get their football lives back in order. Why? Because they know that their legacies are on the line. Manning and Brady are on their quest to be the greatest quarterback of all-time, and Brees is fighting to be in that elite tier with Elway, Montana, Marino, Manning and Brady. There’s no country for old quarterbacks who waste their prime years enduring lockout hell.

So this is a public service announcement to Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, and Dwyane Wade…this is your legacy calling. There’s no country for aging and decrepit superstars who waste a prime year of their career over a lockout.

Look, Kobe is on the brink of cementing a top-five of all time legacy. If the man were able to bring home a sixth ring to his trophy case, the Kobe Stans are going to scream to the heavens that he’s the best of all time. The prognosticators will begin to question should he be placed into the pantheon of elite players that since Jordan retired, has been unquestioned. So Kobe wants to consider going to Europe? For what? There’s nothing for him to prove there. Isn’t this your quest, in your journey, to be the greatest of all time? You can’t lose a year now, you’ve got to at least give the ‘Mike Brown era’ a chance first. And, as the face of the of “The Association” your voice should be respected and appreciated at the negotiating table and if that doesn’t work then do that crazy overbite you do in the fourth quarter all the time. That’ll put some fear in their hearts to end this.

Same goes for Kevin Garnett. If the lockout continues and puts to end any chance of an NBA season, we might literally see the end of Kevin Garnett on a basketball court. Unlike his teammates Jesus Shuttlesworth and Paul Pierce, I’m not sure how KG can either play at an elite level as a starter or play in a reduced role. We forget Garnett’s been in the League since NBA Live ’95 (arguably the greatest basketball video game ever) and has a ton of miles on those creaky knees. KG is arguably the greatest power forward not named Tim Duncan of our generation, and a second title could put him on the Mt. Rushmore of big men of our generation. Olajuwon, Duncan, O’Neal, and possibly KG. We need those scowls, yells, screams and facial expressions in the boardroom.

But there might not be more pressure on one team and one player to get this lockout over with more than Dwyane Wade. Why? Man, there’s no country for an explosive wing man whose go-to move is getting to the rim at the age of 30. You know, that whole “Fall down seven times, get up eight” campaign that Dwyane Wade used to live by? He can’t do that anymore. That vertical leap isn’t quite what it used to be (remember Taj Gibson?) and that first step isn’t going to work on everyone like it used to. Look, I’m not dogging Dwyane Wade, but for a player who isn’t quite as crafty or resourceful as a Kobe Bryant that athletic ability is only going to take him so far. The Miami Heat need to win championships right now, and LeBron didn’t come to South Beach just to see Dwyane Wade take his talents to the trainer’s room for half the season. Miami can’t afford to lose a season, there’s too much on the line and Dwyane’s legacy is on the brink. Bring in Gabrielle Union or something if you have to and distract those lawyers. Jokes.

There’s never been an NBA player’s legacy that’s been compromised by labor issues, and this current crop of stars that are crowning their end can’t afford to lose a year. The young guns are coming, the talent is getting deeper, and if the owners keep screaming broke like they claim then these “Big 3” squads won’t be able to happen in the future. The time is now, because there’s no country for old men and legacies.

Eddie Maisonet is a freelance sports writer, blogger and big time hoops fan from Oklahoma who currently resides in Cincinnati. Keep up with Eddie at SLAMonline as well as his blog Ed The Sports Fan and on Twitter.

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  • Bryan Crawford Posted: Jul.14 at 1:06 pm
    I think both Kobe and KG’s legacies are OK at this point, Ed.

  • Bruce Leroy Posted: Jul.14 at 1:44 pm
    Ed, Don’t forget, Kobe has a few all time scorer slots he wants to move up. He’s 728 behind Shaq for #5 all-time. Heck, he’s 4,424 behind jordan for #3. You want another argument for the “Kobe-stans”, have 6 rings like jordan AND pass him on the scoring list. 3 seasons of 80 games each averaging 18.5 or better gets him there. Kobe pays attention to that sort of thing, he follows his history more than these other guys.

  • LakeShow Posted: Jul.14 at 2:09 pm
    No Kobe Stans won’t be doing that. I least I won’t. MJ is the Goat. I’m happy to see Kobe be the most like Mike and be the greatest winner since Mike. Thats good enough.

  • MikeC Posted: Jul.14 at 2:51 pm
    I want VC to sign with Chi-town, start at the two guard, turn into old vince one more time, win a chip, and ride off into the sunset.

  • robb Posted: Jul.14 at 3:28 pm
    Eddie’s right. The most important players of the generation are trying to solidify their places in history and the lockout is a serious threat. @Bryan maybe KG’s legacy is OK but you’re nuts if you think Kobe considers his legacy OK. He wants that 6th because that’s what MJ has, and he’s going for it and can’t waste time. What Eddie says about Wade is also true, the guy’s style of play is still effective, but he won’t be able to do that much longer, and even Lebron I mean, he’s still young but he needs to hurry up too because Dwayne’s problem now is gonna be Lebron’s problem within 3 more years and if he wants to win several championships he needs to start right now, his athleticism will start diminishing a couple years from now and he won’t be able to dominate as he’s still able to do.

  • Bryan Crawford Posted: Jul.14 at 4:14 pm
    @Robb: That actually wasn’t the point that I was trying to make. Kobe’s personal ambitions have little bearing on the fact that his legacy as the 2nd greatest SG of all time is official. He’s stamped.

  • Spaceship Jay Posted: Jul.14 at 4:30 pm
    Co-sign Bryan Crawford, second isn’t bad at all; all things considered.

  • Allenp Posted: Jul.14 at 4:31 pm
    Shawn Kemp’s entire legacy was changed by a lockout. Vin Baker’s too.
    But, I don’t see any change for anybody’s legacy except maybe Wade. KG is set as a top five power forward of all time. Kobe is the best two guard of all-time.
    And, wouldn’t worrying about their legacy be a pretty selfish reason to push through a deal that impacts every player in the league?

  • Ed Posted: Jul.14 at 5:04 pm
    @AllenP – I guess my point is that yes you want to get a fair deal for the players, but how much more effective will it be for them to lead instead of laying back and seeing what happens? My whole motivation for this post was that the three folks who have stood tallest for the NFL are Brady, Brees, and Manning. Three QB’s at the pinnacles of their careers who “in my opinion” realize what’s at stake, outside of getting the long-term ramifications in order for the players association. I think those three more than anyone else have as much to gain and lose for a variety of reasons.

  • LakeShow Posted: Jul.14 at 5:15 pm
    AllenP, I’ll debate you on your argument that Kobe is the greatest 2 guard ever. I think MJ gets that nod…

  • BlackPhantom Posted: Jul.14 at 5:31 pm
    …..You’re saying Kobe is better at the 2 than prime MJ, Allen?

  • JTaylor21 Posted: Jul.14 at 8:55 pm
    I thinking that AllenP meant to say that Kobe’s the 2nd best SG of all-time even though I too can make an argument for the Logo being better.

  • San Dova Posted: Jul.14 at 11:09 pm
    1) No one in the history of the game of basketball is better than Michael Jeffrey “Black Cat” Jordan. 2) Kobe will benefit physically from a lockout, as will Kevin Garnett. Dwyane Wade won’t necessary benefit to the degree that the aforementioned will, because as Ed said, Wade isn’t really as crafty about playing when he’s not at his physical peak. The decline in Wade’s game has already taken place. Unless he sharpens up when it comes to learning how to play excellently with diminishing athleticism, it’s a bigger wrap that anyone will know.

  • Allenp Posted: Jul.14 at 11:41 pm
    Yeah I meant second my bad

  • harold Posted: Jul.15 at 3:23 am
    I think it’s quite to the contrary. Those three mentioned are the ones that benefit most from the lockout. They need the lockout to end just in time for there to be a legitimate playoffs, and that will serve them much better than having a full regular season to go through. The owners have the most to lose, since regardless of them telling the truth about losing money, a shortened season means less games to sell, both on court and on TV. Sure they save some salaries, and maybe their stadium fees are insured, but they definitely won’t be losing less than the players. Anyway, as for Legacies, I think everyone’s legacy is pretty much set. They could certainly embellish it a bit more, but we’re talking main characters of championship teams here. Dirk solidified his with one championship, so Kobe, Kevin and Dwayne should be safe too. Of those three, if we were to nitpick, we could say that Wade probably needs to prove that he didn’t coattail Shaq for his first ;)

  • AC Posted: Jul.15 at 11:19 am
    You forgot Dirk. He is a more talented PF than KG and Timmy.

  • Allenp Posted: Jul.15 at 11:37 am
    ^ That is just ridiculous.

  • Ed Posted: Jul.15 at 12:47 pm
    @AC – You’ve lost your damned mind.

  • Boston Celtics Daily Links 7/15 | Celts Hub Posted: Jul.15 at 6:01 pm
    [...] Shaquille O’Neal Joins TNT As Analyst, Will Work Alongside Charles BarkleySlam Online  Father Time Can Defeat Any LegacyPhilly.com  76ers sale deal is done Lex 18  Rondo Focused On Elbow, Not Lockout Pro [...]

  • Your Legacy Posted: Jul.16 at 5:54 pm
    Time is definitely an important asset even to the celebrities. I think people should be more sensitive to their time.

  • StraightFlexxin Posted: Oct.16 at 11:21 pm
    Lmao @ Dirk being more talented than Duncan. What a genius.

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