Me, Myself and I. And Russ. And Ryan. And Jake. And Mutoni. And Kobe……
A meth addict gave me some good advice once. Or at least I thought it was.
“Image is everything.”
Similar adages, such as “a man lives by his reputation” or “perception is reality” had long existed, but for some reason the junkies resonated with me more. Probably because I saw it on television. Regardless, I heeded the advice because it made sense to me; since so much of your life is left to the control of others, who you believe yourself to be doesn’t matter as much as who others believe you are. The relationships, opportunities, privileges and epitaphs bestowed upon us are all based on who we are perceived to be. So live accordingly.
It wasn’t until later in life that I learned not to take advice from junkies. Image isn’t everything, because image-or perception-is purely subjective. Our thoughts and deeds are left to the interpretation of those who have been shaped by their own experiences. Everyone has their own biases, everyone doesn’t forgive-or forget, for that matter-and it’s simply impossible to please them all. We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.
Which brings us to Kobe Bryant.
This is his 14th season, one which has shown the effects of more than 35,000 minutes of basketball. He’s battled broken fingers, aging knees, a sprained ankle and an ailing back to the cusp of yet another championship, though he may fall short. Again. But no matter the result of this evenings contest-or Thursday’s, if necessary-the most impressive injury Bryant has overcome is one which he suffered quite some time ago. His psyche.
From the moment he slid those sunglasses off and announced his decision to go pro, he was perceived as a spoon fed primadonna. From the moment he entered the league alongside a man who would turn the marketing model on its ear, his racial identity has been questioned. From the moment he dared to question the work ethic of an established, but complacent superstar and the authority of a well decorated, but manipulative coach, he’s been deemed too ambitious. And from the moment he exited that hotel room, he surrendered the benefit of the doubt.
A series of moments, spliced into his highlight reel and the collective consciousness, the effects of which have left us with the man who stands here today, jaw jutted and eyes narrowed. A man who pretends not to give a fuck what you think while making it quite evident that he plays for your approval. Such is the dichotomy of being Kobe Bryant. For there is a distinct difference between being the one in the history book and being the one who writes it.
There are some who will tell you that this evenings events will ultimately shape his “legacy”, another subjective term. You won’t find them here. But alas, Kobe doesn’t give a fuck what we think. Right? Maybe you will.
After all, it’s not like we’re on drugs or anything…..
**************
by Marcel Mutoni / @marcel_mutoni
Kobe Bryant continues to have what is arguably the most fascinating, enthralling, frustrating, and bizarre career of any NBA Hall of Famer.
Things started off so promisingly, then disaster struck, and then he somehow pulled it all back together and redeemed himself in the court of public (and athletic) opinion.
Tonight — and potentially, Thursday night — he gets yet another opportunity to rewrite his story. His own brilliant, divisive, twisted, convoluted, and endlessly fascinating story.
A loss to Boston this summer provides his critics with plenty of ammunition: he’s no Jordan and never will be; he’s not the greatest Laker; the ’09 title was a “fluke”; he can’t make his teammates tougher and better; etc.
(Key thing to remember in all of this: Magic Johnson won five NBA championships. Along the way, Johnson and his Lakers lost in the title round FOUR times. And last time I checked, no one considers his career a let down in any way.)
A win, an improbable comeback against this determined, defensively-great Boston Celtics team validates what Kobe Bryant’s defenders have always known: he’s right up there with the G.O.A.T.; five titles in seven trips to the championship round can’t be denied; there’s plenty of time left to gobble up more gold trophies; he’s the best player on the planet, and has been for years.
In the end, none of that really matters. And then again, it all matters. Every twist, turn, triumph and defeat.
The man has had — and continues to have — an amazing run. Though his place in today’s game, and in the grand history of the League will continue to be debated breathlessly and endlessly, Bryant’s body of work will stand alone, without need for comparison to other greats.
When we look back on his career, no intelligent person is going to think to themselves, “Kobe was a great player. Could’ve been one of the greatest if only he found a way to beat those Boston teams in either 2008 or 2010.”
Bryant’s story won’t come to an end tonight, or even later on this week. This series — with all of its history, nostalgia, andgrainy video clips — will not define his legacy. It will serve as an important chapter in the grand book of his career and life.
There is plenty of basketball left for Kobe Bryant, many more chapters yet to be written.
*******************
by Ryan Jones / @thefarmerjones
A win would help (a little), and a loss would hurt (a bit), but no matter the outcome of this year’s NBA Finals, Kobe Bryant’s legacy is pretty well set. Short of him winning at LEAST two more championships in L.A., Bean will be remembered in 10 or 20 years for what he was (or, I guess, is): A wonderful basketball player whose athleticism and competitiveness and F-U knack for late-game heroics brought him closer than anyone has ever been to Michael Jordan. We can argue scoring averages and nitpicks stats, but nobody who has actually watched both of them in their prime could argue that Kobe couldn’t do pretty much everything Mike did. He bit the style like a true method actor, Jamie Foxx in Ray, thoroughly believable and nearly as effective.
But again, only nearly.
In the legacy stakes, Kobe’s gate opened too late to ever really give him a chance. Dude didn’t have his own team until almost a decade into his career. Those first three rings will never be his, not in the way all six of the Bulls’ belong to Mike. Those Finals MVP statues will always belong to Shaq, now matter how clumsily he has stumbled to the finish, no matter how insecure he’s been, no matter that he wouldn’t have won them without Kobe. When Kobe got his fourth, it was, in a sense, only his first. It’s not fair, except that it is, and nothing he can do now will change it.
Two wins in the next three days would help, of course. Somehow making it a three-peat next year would help a lot. He’s in that top-10 conversation, maybe even nudging his way into the top half, but even then, he’s not Mike. Not quite. He’d need to top Jordan, do one thing clearly better than the guy whose game he has aped since Day 1. Can you see him winning three MORE? With that mileage, on those knees?
And if the Celtics close this out, and Kobe never wins another ring? He’s still got four. Rare air. Ridiculous totals and averages. Player of the ’00s, by a mile. Best player in what might be the best Draft class ever. Legendary. Either way.
Just not Mike.
Even if he is as good as Jordan, he’ll never be as good as Jordan. I long ago stopped trying to figure the dude out, so I don’t know if he can be content with that reality. For his sake, I hope so.
***********************
by Jake Appleman / @JakeAppleman
According to Basketball-Reference.com, Kobe Bryant has played 1,217 total games in his career up to this point. According to the law of averages–or the average NBA career–that’s already a lot of basketball games. According to the Ed Rooney’s secretary, Kobe Bryant has never taken a day off from school. According to a lot of people–at least according to this email sent to me by Myles Brown–Kobe Bryant’s legacy can be defined, or significantly altered, by what he does in the next one or two games in Los Angeles. According to me, that might be one of the silliest things I’ve ever heard.
Kobe Bryant will still be Kobe Bryant–one of the greatest basketball players of all-time, and a man that occasionally struggles with a protruding jaw–regardless of the outcome of the 2010 NBA Finals. If the Lakers do what the ’94 Houston Rockets did and win games 1,3,6 and 7 of a rugged series against a phenomenal defensive outfit, it will be one more remarkable thing Kobe Bryant has done in his already remarkable career. If he fails, well, he put up a valiant effort–with some single-handed gunslinging for the ages–against a starting five that still hasn’t lost a series when healthy.
The reason we want what happens to Kobe to mean something in the annals of NBA history is because it gives us–the media and fans–the illusion of control over something we have no control of.
Basketball is a team game. If the Lakers lose, it means, in a seven-game series, the Lakers–the team that Kobe Bryant plays for and leads into battle–lost to the Boston Celtics. It means the team with four All-Star caliber players beat the team with two superstars and a fantastic supporting cast. And it means, finally, that you, the beholder, have the choice to place uncredited, irrelevant *importance* on the legacy of a single player because that’s your prerogative as an American in this wonderfully corrupt democracy. Nothing more. Nothing less. You won’t be deciding anything that hasn’t already been decided. You’ll just be talking; something that can, admittedly, be very fun.
Win, lose or draw (brought upon by some sort of awful land oil spill fire apocalypse) Kobe Bean Bryant will still be the NBA’sDexter: the basketball player that kills basketball players.
With maybe twelve exceptions.
***************
by Russ Bengtson / @russbengtson
Kobe Bryant has played 45,092 NBA minutes in his career. He’s played in 196 playoff games, appeared in seven NBA Finals, won four titles. He’s failed over and over and over again in his… whoops, wrong line. Anyway, he’s done all that, accomplished so much, yet we’re supposed to believe that the next game – or possibly two — will be the ones that define his entire legacy?
Please.
If he wins, what of it? He still has fewer rings than Jordan, only ties Magic (who, by the way, won his five rings in nine Finals appearances. I’m not so good at math, but I think that means he lost in the Finals four times). Either way, win or lose, Kobe winds up with the vague distinction of being “in the discussion” with Jordan as the greatest ever. For your convenience, I’ve transcribed that discussion here:
“You know, Kobe Bryant is every bit as good a player as Michael Jordan was. Jordan always talked about how he wouldn’t have gotten to where he did if he wasn’t able to stand on the shoulders of guys like Doc and David Thompson. Can’t Kobe say the same thing? He built his game off Jordan’s blueprint, and Magic’s, and Bird’s. I know he only has four/five rings, I know he’s lost in the Finals, I know he didn’t win them all as the undisputed alpha dog, but it’s a different era, with different competition. Right? Is it so unreasonable to consider Kobe the best player of all time?”
“Yes.”
“But why? Jordan had Scottie Pippen, who was his near-perfect complement in every way. He had the benefit of playing for Phil Jackson before everyone in the League knew what his methods were. And his opponents were all fatally flawed in some way. Who was the best team the Jordan-era Bulls ever beat? The Jazz? The Sonics? Do any of those teams even make the Finals in the current West? Isn’t it entirely possible that Jordan’s perfect record in the Finals had as much to do with luck as it did with his oft-cited – and Nike reinforced – indomitable will?”
“No.”
“F*ck it, let’s order a pizza.”
Let’s say that the Celtics go on to win one of these final two games. Does that mean Paul Pierce – or Kevin Garnett – is better than Kobe Bryant? Does it mean they want it more? Of course not. All it means is that the 2010 Celtics were better than the 2010 Lakers for two weeks in June.
What if the Lakers win? After all, all they need to do is protect home court. This is what they played all season for. And in order to do that, they need more from Kobe’s alleged supporting cast. He can’t rebound for them, or hit free throws for them, or stop them from taking ill-advised threes. (Well, he could do that, but it would be unprecedented.) Either way, a team will win this Finals.
As for Kobe’s legacy, well, that’s already been determined in the hearts and minds of journalists and fans and Hall of Fame voters everywhere. Is it possible that these next 48 minutes negate the past 45,000? As Kobe himself, might say: No. Not at all.
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@Jake: He’s got TMJ. Never thought of that.
@Russ: I would like pepperoni.
Good job folks, seems like all of you agreed, which while boring, is the sensible thing to do in this case.
I don’t think most folks are going to say Kobe is better than Mike even if he does pull it out. And wins another one.
And, if it happens, it won’t change all of his deficiencies. Nor will a lose erase his strengths. I think that was the point of the pieces, but I could be wrong.
Cosign Khalid also.
————–
Khalid Salaam Posted: Jun.15 at 2:09 pm
a couple of things: 1. I don’t believe that kobe’s racial or cultural identity has ever been questioned by anyone whose own identity isn’t suspect. This thought that he isn’t “cool” enough or god forbid “black” enough is the single most ass-backwards notion that exists in all of pro sports. It is an outstandingly weak argument
————–
Easily the truest thing I’ve read today.
Magic won 5 champions, appeared in the finals nine times all in a 13-year career
Kobe won 4 champions, appeared in the finals seven times all in a 14-year careeer
I also think there is a big difference between ‘great’ and ‘best.’ The longer Kobe’s career goes on and the more accolades he puts up, he becomes more and more the ‘greatest.’ But the fact that Magic could do these things in a shorter time, he is the ‘best.’
It’s a Chamberlain/Kareem thing. Chamberlain, in my opinion, was ‘better’ because of his dominance and skill. Kareem was ‘greater’ because his longevity and accolades deem him to be.
It’s all opinion, of course.
Of course, my opinion is still “JORDAN WAS FASTER, STRONGER, AND COULD JUMP HIGHER THAN KOBE!!! WHY DOES NO ONE REMEMBER THIS?”
There were once these guys named Shaq, Wilt and Kareem.
You should look them up.
But that’s just me.
Kobe was marketed at anti-Iverson and Iverson represented everything many Americans feared about hip-hop and black people.
Now, we can argue back and forth about whether this was intelligent, or whether the masses fell for the okey-doke, or even who was really “blacker” but what I don’t think can be argued is that Kobe’s “blackness” was questioned when he first came it the league. By the mainstream media and by folks on the street. And I think how he was accepted by mainstream folks, along with his blatant attempts to do everything like Mike and his non-stereotypical upbringing, contributed to the folks deciding he was deficient in “blackness.”
That’s how I remember the news stories and barber shop conversations.
I don’t know who is “better” between Shaq and Kobe. Clearly, both them had apex’s where they were ridiculously dominant. Clearly, they have had repeat failures when they have been the main guys on teams. Skill-wise, Kobe is obviously better. Efficiency and overall dominance, well I might have to give it Shaq.
However, Shaq has failed pretty often with stellar teammates in LA, Orlando and Miami, so there’s that issue.
If I had a gun to my head, I would probably say Kobe, but otherwise I would be undecided.
Also, Jordan at his physical apex was stronger and faster than Kobe but by the end of his career, Mike looked just like Kobe looks now. Seriously, after 96, Mike was not the same physically, while he was still a beast. Just like Kobe.
Mike was simply better at playing with his back to the basket. Even with all the hype about Kobe’s post game, it still isn’t as nice as Mike’s was because Mike’s turnaround jumper was a massive problem for people. He took a lot of contested jumpers, but he also got the free throw line more and somehow, him scoring from the post made things easier for his teammates. But, it’s not like Mike was so much more athletic than Kobe evne late in his career.
Also: Bodie!
Where did I say “Iverson was more black.”?
I said the perception among many in the mainstream media and regular folks was the there were questions about Kobe’s blackness.
I’m pushing any version of blackness, I’m talking about the conversations being held in mainstream media outlets and among folks on the streets. Obviously, this isn’t some scientific analysis, but I think it’s true.
Re-read what I wrote, I in no way said that “Kobe wasn’t as black as Iverson.” Neither did Myles. His comment was that Kobe’s racial identity was questioned, and I think the historical record shows that it was, and not by some minor fringe, but by many writers in the mainstream media and many regular folks. That has been my point from the beginnning. Ryan said it was a cultural thing, and while I can understand that argument, it’s impossible to separate culture and race in America because our ideas about what race people are typically are tied to our ideas about what we think their culture should be.
YOu’re right, I made a mistake in writing that Americans and black people were somehow separate. All of us fall prey to conditioning at times.
http://www.villagevoice.com/2001-06-12/news/iverson-vs-kobe/
That doesn’t exactly mean that wee should discredit Jordan’s superior athletic abilities in the beginning and middle of their careers.
In my mind, Jordan had the leaping ability, strength, speed, and court vision that Kobe never had.
Kobe had the shooting touch, footwork, and body control that Jordan never had.
For the sake of argument, let’s say their intangibles… ie leadership, motivation, fundamentals, energy, were all the same
I think the gifts that Jordan had helped raise him through more areas of his game than the gifts Kobe has.
Those three things— shooting touch, footwork, body control… only really help him on offense and isolation defense.
The things I gave Jordan… help him on his offense, his rebounding, his passing, and his help/weakside/passing lane defense. Really, I think there was a greater difference in physical abilities then people let on… Kobe was outstandingly quick, but Jordan was a half-step quicker.
And yah, I’m nitpicking— Jordan wasn’t THAT much faster and Kobe didn’t shoot that much better… but when you’re dealing with 1 and 2… What else can you do but nitpick?
I mean, you could take it as is, but f that….
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=boyd/070604&sportCat=nba
Another commentary from the same guy in the LA Times in 2004
http://articles.latimes.com/2004/feb/01/entertainment/ca-boyd1/2
Myles made this point before. http://www.slamonline.com/online/nba/2008/01/the-black-manceltics-dynamic/
Washington Times said Kobe wasn’t black and neither was Michael Jackson.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2004/feb/07/20040207-101912-5795r/
There were several other random blogs about this but I didn’t include them. I’ll see what I can dig up from 1996.
Yeah, that’s what I remember. I have a post awaiting moderation that list a few links from articles discussing Kobe’s blackness, in addition to the one from the Village Voice.
Just provided them as examples that this discussion has occurred in the past, evne here on Slam’s site.
That said, if you’re not going to comment on a website because other commenters say dumb sh*t, you’re never, ever every going to ever comment on any website ever.
Ever.
I still think Kobe’s on the cusp of the first echelon of players. That list, to me, is Jordan, Magic, Kareem, and Russell… with Chamberlain and Bird hedging on the edges of that list. Kobe, along with Big O, Duncan and Hakeem, are on the top of the second echelon of players. if Kobe wins and gets a second Finals MVP, I would honestly include Kobe inside this first echelon, and depending how long he plays and how many records he breaks in his career, I’d have to consider moving Kobe up even more. No, seriously. I take my apples-and-oranges-lists VERY seriously.
So there you have it.
This championship is sort of a big deal.
It doesn’t put him second to Jordan. Put it moves him up.
Peace y’all.
Look at how much of an icon he’s become now…not just on the court, but off the court as well. Did anyone expect this in 2004 when he was “snitching”?
Lebron wouldn’t have started as a rookie, but other than that, I agree.
Kobe didn’t start his first two years, but he was playing behind Eddie Jones. He shouldn’t have been starting. It’s amazing he put up 15 his second year in the league while only playing 26 minutes. Fresh out of high school.
What do you know about Cedric Ceballos? Did you know that the year before Kobe’s rookie year Ceballos put up 22 and 8 on 50 percent shooting?
Are you saying that on the lakers, with the talent they had, they would have started Lebron fresh out of high school over a proven vet putting up those types of numbers the year before? He still put up 14 and 8 the next year before getting traded to the Suns.
I think your comment was off base and clearly you don’t remember Lebron’s rookie year. Yes, he averaged 20 a game fresh out of high school and was impressive, but that doesn’t mean he would have been a starter for the Lakers at small forward over Ceballos, or at point guard over Van Exel. Or shooting guard over Eddie JOnes.
What more can I say if you disagree with that?
As always T-Money, you’re right and nobody else knows what they’re talking about. I mean, what could I possibly know about basketball? Or “the hood.” You win…
-
But in response to someone’s contention about Shaq vs Kobe. During their 3 peat, Shaq was more important to LA’s success than Kobe. I’m not sure if he could’ve done it without #8, but I don’t think it’s even disputable that Shaq was the man on that team.
In regards to their careers, however, Kobe trumps Shaq. Post 3-peat, Kobe became that much better. Showed us that much more in his arsenal. Made believers out of haters (myself included(
Win or lose this year, when it’s all said and done, Kobe should go down /comfortably/ as a top 5 player of all-time.
Appreciated.
Kobe is a killer.
if you have to ask who would you ask ti take the last shot of the game, then you would UNDOUBTEDLY PICK KOBE over anyone else. regarding his legacy, he is a killer… people from the hood hate him for snitching on big diesel, they would really hate his guts but respect what he brings to the table..
Are you kidding me?
Sam Perkins was a beast in college, and rookie of the year.
Byron Scott made the Pac-10 Hall of Fame and put up 21 his last year at Arizona State.
Kareem was a freaking NBA champion and MVP before he even met Magic Johnson and was the most dominant player in the country in high school, college and at one point in the NBA.
Dude, that was an epic fail. Like, epic.
That was my point bringing up Bird and Magic, people forget they played with some greats and some really good players their entire career. Look at Kobe’s career its hard to name anybody after Shaq and Gasol who can compare to that list of players Magic and Bird played with.
He says that if you line them up, Bird was the better passer, rebounder and scorer (we disagree on this). He admits Kobe is the superior defender, although he says Bird wasn’t exactly horrible.
His main problem with Kobe is what he sees as Kobe’s lack of efficiency. Mainly, he quibbles that Kobe has never exceeded 47 percent shooting in a season, and has several seasons under 44 percent. He says Kobe has taken way too many difficult shots over the course of his career, and has takent too many shots period. (In fact, he pointed out that a stat I’ve been quoting recently is wrong. Kobe has exceeded 1,800 shots twice in his career. Once he shot over 1,900 and in the year he averaged 35, he shot over 2,000 times.)
Now, I feel Kobe has more offensive skills and weapons, but my friend’s contention is that weapons are nice, but it’s better to be extremely deadly with a few weapons than attain some mastery with many. That’s the crux of the argument, he says that Bird was more efficient and effective at being “The Man” on a team. I say that Kobe had more ways to attack any defense, and would have had more success as “The Man” with better talent.
Jordan spend his final three years on the block playing in the triangle.
Neither Mike nor Bird seemed to struggle in the post from what I saw, so I’m not sure the argument.
Magic was tall, but it’s ridiculous to put him as a hall of famer at Center or Power Forward.
Forget the myth, the game magic jumped center against Philly, while being amazing, he did actually play center. He was more like a point center than an actual center and at 6’9″ he would have had problems battling in the paint his whole career.
Given the talent at power forward and center, or even small forward, no Magic would not ahve been a Hall-of-Famer at any position, even though I find this dicussion ridiculous and based totally on hypotheticals.
I made the same argument.
His counter-argument was that Mike, Lebron and Wade have all managed to be efficient while playing with crap teammates, so he thinks the inefficiency is a byproduct of Kobe’s game, not the talent around him. He noted that even with talent, Kobe still has not gotten over 47 percent. He also said that if Bird would have had fewer scorers demanding shots, he could have easily scored 35 points.
Of course, these are all hypotheticals, but I thought I’d throw them out their to see what other folks thought.
@Kap: Yes, Kobe is one of my favorite players, but, truth is truth.
peace out
Lakers are gona win on thursday by 6 points
Larry’s a better rebounder and passer
Kobe’s a better defeneder
I mean, I guess it boils down to scoring. Kobe’s better, but how MUCH better. Now, I consider Kobe a better shooter than Larry Bird.
DON’T RIP OFF MY HEAD! THINK ABOUT IT!
Spot up shooting? Larry Bird wins hands down. But Larry Bird had his spots. He picked the spots he wanted to shoot and went to them. Kobe has no spots. He shoots ANYWHERE. Larry Bird obviously had the smarter offensive game, but Kobe can literally get his shot off anywhere at anytime… not sure Larry Bird could do that. He didn’t need to cause he was so smart and crafty, he could get to the spots he knew he could score in. Kobe doesn’t need that. He’s too good of a shooter.
I think… I think Bird was still better. I think Bird’s passing/rebounding was greater than Kobe’s scoring/defense. But, well, quite honestly, every game I see Kobe play, I slowly change my opinion.
DJ and McHale are probably underrated though.
During halftime of Game 1 of the NBA Finals, ABC aired an interview between Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant in which Johnson revealed Larry Bird considers Bryant his favorite player. Turns out Bryant has a one-sided love-hate relationship with Bird. Johnson: Larry Bird told me that Kobe Bryant is his favorite player. How do you respond to that? Bryant: You know what? That makes me feel, that makes me feel great. You know, I hated Larry growing up. I did, I hated his guts. But I loved him as a player and his work ethic and his intensity, his tenacity and I wanted to be that way. And the funny thing is, I’ve never actually met Larry Bird.
Having played with both of them, I’ve said it before, I haven’t seen any player prepare for the game to the level Kobe does. It encompasses everything, from stretching to icing, to watching film, working on your moves, working on weaknesses, come early, respecting the game, understanding those who came before you … that’s a big part of it, too.
Now, mind you, everybody’s talent level and drive isn’t the same, but in terms of effort this guy, Kobe, is going out there and playing 40 minutes a night and giving it to you on both ends of the floor, and then he comes in the next day at practice and he’s going hard. You as a teammate better be going hard at practice.
BOOK IT!!!
@The Seed: Doesn’t it say something that, when Bird had average stats but a ludicrous winning team, he won MVP… but when Kobe had a ludicrous winning team, Shaq won MVP?
The 2000 Lakers weren’t as good as the 1986 Celts… but a few things to note, competition was weaker for the Lakers, and Larry had NO one near as good as Shaq in any semblance of that term.
I think Horry is overrated, and DJ was the 1979 Finals MVP if I’m not mistaken.
Parish was talented. He’s better than Horry, Travis Knight, Rick Fox, Elden Campbell and old Horace Grant, and those are the cats who played power forward for the Lakers with Shaq.
McHale was great on offensive, not so hot on the boards or on defense.
My gut says Kobe is a better scorer. But, the argument that he can do more, but not necessarily do it better does resonate with me to some degree. I tend to give extra points to cats who can do more, but I don’t know if that’s fair.
Still, that being said, he’s still quite underrated in the annals of time. He played both PG and SG pretty damn well, was one of the best perimeter defenders of all time, great slasher… I mean, he was relatively uncoachable half his career, but he did win three championships with two separate teams… Rodman was uncoachable too, y’know.
Also, McHale wasn’t a good rebounder and defender? He was considered one of the best defensive fours of his day, so that comment was really quite strange to me. He is a six time all-defensive NBA player, three of them first team. He also brought in 8-9 rebounds a game, a crazy feat when you realize he played with Larry Bird, who instinctually knew where every rebound would drop, Robert Parish, who was 7’1 and would plant himself under the basket, and DJ, who was actually an extraordinary rebounder for his size. I don’t know how you could say McHale was not so hot on defense and rebounding. Perhaps you should relook into him?
Final point: Kobe IS a better scorer, pretty clear to me. Why I say Larry Bird is still better… and that may change as Kobe’s career plays out… is that I don’t think Kobe’s scoring is so superior to Larry’s that it offsets what Larry brings to the game. I don’t know if Kobe is a lot better at scoring, or just a tiny bit better at scoring…. y’know?
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