Top 50: Kobe Bryant, no. 4

Miller could still outplay a young Kobe Bryant. I meant 2000 anyway -which is obviously just a year before and clearly outside of your argument http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/200006160IND.html

Mmmh, see here’s the thing. You bore me.

I actually like arguing with most people on here. You… you are just boring.

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See I could make a big long argument like this:

So you say Wade has been better than Bryant for 4 seasons aye? Lets look back.

2008-2009: Statistically speaking Wade beat Bryant. He outscored him by 4 PPG, Out-dished him by 2.5 ast per game. Rebounded slightly less, but not enough to make an argument for. Wade also had his best theft effort with 2.2 Stls a game. Along with his customary block a game.

While Kobe had a great season, Wade had the best of his career, and this season would be his first where people started to question who the best 2 guard in basketball is. Kobe still had the edge in allot of peoples minds with Wade having been injured so much the season before, and his team only winning 15 games. And the Fact Bryant just won his 4th Ring and his first with out Shaq. None the less, this season proved Wade not only “had it”, but might be Bryant’s Equal or had surpassed him.

2009-2010: Statistically speaking, a case can be made for either candidate.

Wade 26.6PPG, 6.5 AST, 4.8 REB, 1.8STL, 1 BLK, 76% FT’s, 30% three PT FG, 48% FG’s

Bryant 27PPG, 5AST, 5.4 Reb, 1.5 Stl, .3 blks, 81% FT’s, 33% three PT FG, 46% FG’s

Difference this year being that Bryant propels his team to its 5th Championship on his watch and his 2nd without Shaq. While the Heat lost to the Celtics in 5 games. With the equality of stats, this year can easily be given to Bryant for winning his 2nd Finals MVP trophy, and 2nd consecutive O’Brien Trophy.

2010-2011, This year each player scored 25 PPG. Wade grabbed a monster 6.4 boards a game as compared to Bryants 5.2. Most can assume Bryant would have an extra board or two if he played on the Heat rather than next to 3 players grabbing around 10 per game on the Lakers. Wade assisted players 4.6 times a game compared to Bryants 4.7. the most noticeable stats disparity is in the FG% where Wade posted a career high 50% while Kobe shot the ball at 45%. This FG% directly correlates to the players requirements for their team. Bryant was not able to post up as much as he would like while Wade was asked to do just that as often as possible and the fact the Wade is a slasher and rather reckless(directly coincides with his injury history) in his attack on the rim while Bryant chooses his spots on the outside to help space for the Lakers loaded front court.

Both teams fell short of their ultimate goal losing to the same team, the Dallas Mavericks.

Nearly identicle season between the two of them. You CANNOT make a claim or act as if it’s fact that either one had a “better” season than the other.

2011-2012: Our most recent season in memory almost was never going to start it seems. Finally once the L and the Players Association came to an agreement the season got started off and although it was shortened it still gave us a good sampling.

Wade: 22ppg, 4.6 ast, 4.8 Reb, 1.7 stls, 1.3 blks 49% Fg’s
Bryant: 27.9 ppg, 4.6 ast, 5.4reb, 1.3 stls, .3 blks, 43% Fg’s

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Once again a toss up. Wade had the better defensive stats. Kobe had the better offensive stats. You can go on about FG% but at the end of the season each player played how they were asked to play, and the FG% is directly correspondent to that. Bryant rebounded better, scored more and dished out the same while shooting better from distance, mid range, and free throw. Wade stole the ball more, played all around better D, had the higher efficiency rating but was injured throughout the season again, which hampered him from being fully effective and also hampers his ability to truly say he has surpassed Kobe.

While Wade has had some seasons that were better or could be argued as better over the last 4, so does Bryant.

It’s simply stupid to say “Wade has been better than Bryant for 4 seasons.” It’s just not true. He has had his moments and is clearly capable of being his equal, but as certifiably better?

…………………………………………….NO……………………………………………….

Whom you find to be the better player is up to you to decide. If you let STATS rule your life than it’s probably Wade, his stats are more tangible to look at and you can come to conclusions based upon those numbers if you want to. Or, if you enjoy watching the game and don’t really care about numbers and stats other than W’s and L’s, Kobe usually takes the cake because people can see the passion in his eyes and can tell there is nothing he takes greater joy in than defeating his opponent.

But big long arguments are dumb on the internet. No one side concedes anything, and points that are important can get ignored, so that’s why it’s easier just to mock you for hating Kobe unnecessarily.

I see KB and Wade as equals on the court these days. In head to head match ups KB gets the better of Wade but over the course of a season Wade can and has outplayed Kobe.

This season should be fun.

So, you use the 2000 NBA Finals – which included a Game Two injury for Kobe – wherein Bryant was a fourth-year player against the seasoned Miller as a recovery example?… At least you respect him. This is what he did to Miller by the end of that same series (he was 21): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFHqwat3Wm8

Alas, you wrote “2001″ and he dominated Miller.

He’ll get about 30 a game this year

Not to the extent Kobe was last year.

Who did Kobe have to pass to on the perimeter last year? Tell me?

Bron had shooters all around him, every year.

T-Mac your right about, too bad he shot worse than Kobe FG% wise… Shows how hard it is for elite perimeter players to play without anyone else on the perimeter worth a damn.
MJ had great shooters on his teams…
Kobe just didn’t last year man. I think Steve Blake or Andrew Goudelock was their best perimeter shooter outside Kobe last year… I mean really Taylor? You gotta take those hate tinged glasses off. Bean had no perimeter help at all last year. Zer0. None. Zilch. GOOSE EGG.

Chris Paul is not better than Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant is arguable… Good god

…the last championship the Lakers won was 3 seasons ago. Ugly second round exits the past two seasons.

retard.

T-Mac on those Orlando teams? Compared to Kobe in LA? Also no comparison there. Kobe would probably be done in the NBA now too if he had to try to carry a squad like that the way T-Mac did for 4 seasons.

Most feared player in the league resides in Miami, Florida and wears number 6.

Abdul Jabbar.

Maybe the voters, who are the coaches, know a thing or two that we don’t.

kobe is still a great player but the ranking isnt really justified as there is at least one shooting guard better than him called dwyane wade.

he wasnt all-defensive 1st team last year. or were you talking about all-NBA first team?

LeBron James.

went to lakers. got a ring

So you mean Pau was also calling for Post up plays for himself? And the entire team sans Kobe were willing to do that but Kobe stopped it?

And does the word “bench” mean anything to you?? Anything?

Great retort, buddy.

Please don’t tell me you’re serious……..Name me ONE team in the modern era that went to four consecutive finals with almost the same team lol with their top two players not taking an off-season break between two seasons, their 3rd/4th best player when healthy NOT being healthy when they were winning and the coach wanting to quit after the season replaced by a coach who didn’t put the two 7ft guys in the paint like you claim. Yeah. I’ll keep waiting.

1. Yes. But the last 2 years, Pau had to sacrifice his game to accommodate Bynum’s game. But since you obviously think pounding it in without any scoring from the perimeter can win you games, I expect this to fly over the top of your head.

2. Odom was the one bench player we had. And we didn’t have Odom for last season thank you very much.

3. So MWP’s final year in Indiana is now the basis for what he does 7 odd years later?? Good. Next, tell me you still think Kobe’s 26 years and we’ll be fine. MWP was having foot issues in ’11 and lost his shooting touch last season. Damn the L should’ve been in a sorry state when he was the face if he’s still playing at the same level he did back then.

4.You obviously didnot watch Lakers’ games. Obviously not.

5. In ’11, Kobe was playing on a bum knee. Sane guys could see that. And could understand that the team was drained.

Name me those 15 players.

Damn, one of my LONG posts seem to have disappeared so I’ll give you a summary : Magic led LA and Shaq-Kobe lakers were the only teams in history to make the Finals 4 times in 5 years and win 3 titles in the modern era. Showtime was ridiculously deep compared to the Kobe-Gasol lakers and Kobe-Shaq Lakers had a big re-tooling before their 5th season. Also, both teams didn’t have their 1-2 punches in the Finals of the Olympics in between that run.

Name me those 15 players.

You’re an idiot if you think MWP played the last 2 years at the same level as he did when he was with Indiana. Absolute idiot. Not mincing words here.

Bynum and Pau never really complete each other and you seem to be caught in that illusion. And Pau and Bynum never really played together in the paint. It was always one guy in the paint and one guy outside.

Derek Fisher hit clutch shots in the POs. He was a liability for the last 3 regular seasons.

Odom was our bench in ’11. In ’12, we had no bench. In ’10 and ’09, Odom played in the place of Bynum who was injured for major parts of teh season. Anyways, Odom also didn’t play for us in ’12.

LOL……….Post-expansion NBA and its lack of parity my ass. NBA in every season had 3-4 contenders, 5-6 really good teams, 5 really young teams and the rest stuck in purgatory. What the last repeat Lakers did was nothing new. The Lakers had a title winning team in ’08, ’09 and ’10 ( despite the bench ). And they did mighty well getting 2 titles.

2. L.A. never threw Odom under the bus. You’re deluded.

3. So……..you’re talking about talent and not performance??? So tell me with a straight face that Clippers have “Exceptionally more talent” than any team in the L this year. Same with teh Spurs last year. You’re senseless.

4. They are lazy and entitled. Just like Shaqobe lakers were. Your point being? And if what Gasobe Lakers did was underachieving, I don’t think any team achieved what was par for them.

5……………And there’s the proof that you’re an idiot who doesn’t even consider team makeups………..

6. Again, Showtime Magic was the only team which made 4 finals, won 3 titles and didn’t re-tool heavily in a 5-year stretch. And that doesn’t happen for teams which have no benches.

7. So Kobe being hurt means Kobe should not be in Top 20? -_- ……… How does that work again?

And tell me how OKC-Heat-Spurs-Celtics had worse teams than the Lakers the last 2 seasons?

BTW, I sure do hope you also believe Shaq-Wade heat and the Spurs underachieved at different points during the decade……..

Let’s think of some swaps, for purely basketball reasons (not market or contract related). Lakers ship Kobe for Westbrook. Does OKC accept? Lakers send Kobe for Iguodala. What happens? Lakers call Miami and say ‘lets trade Kobe and DWade’. What do the Heat say? I included only players lower in the Slam list and playing similar positions (Westbrook could work as a #2 guard, and the others are SGs).

Drig, do yourself a favor … don’t answer this question. The Shock Exchange would hate for you to incriminate yourself. LOL.

What exactly are you getting at here???? Don’t think OKC or Miami would do that. But we’re not talking about who’s the better franchise cornerstone here. We’re talking about whether LAL was more talented than OKC etc.

hardly

boston didn’t even have jeff green, bradley, and oneal and miami still had to take 7 games

overrated