It cracks me up how lathered up the talking heads are about possible deals involving Kobe and/or Kevin Garnett. Most of the deals being discussed make little to no sense for one team involved, which makes me think that the Celtics or Knicks would have to be a party to the transaction. Kobe: I don't think the Lakers will trade him. I suspect they'd LIKE to if they could get another superstar. The problem is that they simply CANNOT get a superstar in return. The NBA is a star-driven sport more than any other sport, and teams just won't let them go (see Garnett.) Of COURSE he'd like to go the Bulls. They have a great nucleus of talent and the East can be won by a mediocre team (see: Cavs.) However, he doesn't make much sense for them. Wing players are not their weakness -- inside play is the issue. Ben Wallace is a shell of what he was, and Ty Thomas needs another two or three years to develop. They also run a team-based offense, rather than a one or two man system (e.g. Lakers or Rockets.) I'm not convinced that Kobe would mesh well with that, and even if he did, his best talents would be wasted. Of course, the Lakers may be THRILLED to get 20 cents on the dollar for Kobe, like they did with Shaq, so I guess I shouldn't rule out any possibilities. I just don't see it happening. The Lakers are defined by their big-time stars, and there's no better player in the league than Kobe, regardless of what the casual fan thinks of him. Garnett: I grew up a Celtics fan, and still have mixed emotions about him going to Boston. The trade discussed is ludicrous long-term, as Al Jefferson is an absolute beast with room to improve. The #5 pick this year could be quite good, as I think Corey Brewer could be the second best player in the draft. However, the Celtics have to do something. That something should involve firing Ainge and Doc, but neither is going to happen. Luckily for the Celts, it looks like Garnett is nixing this deal anyway. I'm not entirely sure why, as he and Pierce could win the East. Perhaps he's watched the Celtics' personnel moves since Bird left and realized it's a rudderless ship. Apparently Garnett wants to go to the Suns. That's equally perplexing for me. He's STILL putting up remarkable numbers, but losing. So he'd go to the Suns, put up even better numbers (Nash Factor), and still lose in the post-season (Nash Factor.) Why would he want that? Makes no sense. And all respect to Garnett, I don't know why the Suns would go for that deal. Stoudemire is a great player, almost a decade younger, and NOT their problem. I'm not really sure what there problem is, but it's not him. So what to make of all this? The NBA needs Garnett to move to a contender, preferably in the East, and more preferably in the NORTHeast.
if the deal being reported is true, the Suns have to take amare and a future 1st for Garnett. KG is better than Amare will ever be, and with his slender frame, he will be able to run the floor at will. As far as Kobe goes, I don't think he will ever play for the lakers again. I really don't. I think it will be one of those Allen Iverson things where he is going to not play at all until they trade him. And if it is like that, then it will be impossible for the Lakers to get equal value.
My thoughts for what its worth which probably isn't much! Kobe has to be the biggest jerk or ass in America. If Shaq and he stayed together they proabably would've won 5 titles together by now. I honestly don't see how any team would want him unless you are talking about selling tickets but the guy seems too selfish to be a team player. As good as he is he isn't as good as he believed he was and the post Shaq years have proven it. About Garnett, I think he might be better off going to the Suns because I don't believe they will lose every year, I think its a better chance of the Mavs losing every year personally. I don't think the Spurs will be able to beat the Suns forever. I understand what your saying about the east because it seems like anyone can rise up out of the ashes and make it to the finals though.
I am no casual fan and I still dont think he is the best player. It depends on how you define the best. Sure Kobe is lights out, create his own shot, drive and score but he lacks what many of the great superstars of the past had. That is making everyone around you better by playing as a team. Shaq made Kobe better by attracting pressure and dishing it and that is when Kobe was best. Now compare him to know with no Shaq or any other superstars to help him. His points are up and but the Lakers are underperforming. If Kobe could get it into his head that he cant do it himself then he would see a difference. Everyone argues that he doesnt have the role players he needs but if he did would he actually get them involved. That is the only way to create confidence for his teammates and make them able to be the role players he needs. It is kinda of hard to knock down a big shot if it is the 1st time you actually touched the ball. You could put MJ, Lebron, Duncan, Nash, etc on any team and they would still have great success. With Kobe there are only a couple of teams he could fit in with to be Championship caliber. That in no way sounds like the best player in the league to me. Sounds more like Iverson.
Best scorer, best overall defender, best clutch shooter. Best player in the league. It is absolutely impossible to fully gauge how much Kobe can do with other players, since the only time he was on a team with five NBA-level players, Shaq gets the credit for the wins. Imagine how many games the Lakers would have lost this year if Kobe wasn't jacking up 30 shots a game. MJ (the best ever) still had Pippen; Duncan, Nash, Wade, come on. You can't seriously compare these squads.
Next you will be saying that bit players like James Worthy - Byron Scott - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - Michael Cooper - A.C. Green - Kurt Rambis made Magic Johnson look good.
I totally disagree for what its worth here. MJ was the best ever but he could carry a team to victory and Kobe can not consistantly, that is the difference. Kobe thought he was hot stuff when Shaq played for the Lakers after the third championship, that is when he wanted to be #1. Shaq has won a championship since leaving the Lakers and Kobe hasn't come close to proving he is #1. Kobe has actually failed and has proven to be selfish. Lamar Odom isn't an average player and the Lakers do have a few good players besides Kobe, give me a break!
:hihi: Same for Bird, with those no-account guys like DJ, McHale, Parish, and Ainge. I can't believe I'm getting into this, but... 1 -- I don't recall saying Kobe is the greatest ever. Or even the second or third best. MJ was in a different league than Kobe -- and every other player in the league. Any comparisons are silly. And it STILL bears mentioning that Pippen was the best possible Robin to MJ's Batman. Pippen was a complete offensive and defensive player, inside and on the perimeter. I didn't like Mr. Potatohead, but the guy is a lock for the Hall of Fame. 2 -- I'm actually a big fan of Lamar Odom, and he's an above average, to be sure. However, he also has injury issues and is not a dynamic player. Proof? Watch the games, or let the stats tell the story. Good player, but hardly great. http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/o/odomla01.html 3 -- Of COURSE Kobe wanted to be the #1 player on the team. He's not Pippen. Most teams are dying for a player that wants to be the Man. Even T-Mac, he of zero playoff series wins, is lauded for saying he wants to be the #1 option on the Rockets. Much has been made of Kobe running Shaq out of town, but that's about a 5-way street. He was a factor, but hardly the controlling factor. Kudos to Shaq for winning a ring in Miami. But comparing the talent in Miami (and the laughable trip to the Finals, other than Detroit) with L.A. is laughable and doesn't bear discussion. 4 -- Where are the Lakers other good players? Let's look at the roster: Smush Parker -- Wrong Parker. A solid #8 player on a good team. Luke Walton -- Better than I thought he'd be. Still not a starter-level player. Probably a good #7 bench guy. Andrew Bynum -- all potential, wouldn't get off the bench of most playoff teams. Radmanovic - Actually not terrible. May even start for a couple of playoff teams...except that he missed half the season because of snowboarding. Cook -- Seriously? Turiaf -- A team will overpay in free agency for a below average player with minimal production. Vujacic/Evans -- Yea...who? Not exactly starter material either. Farmar --- See Bynum Kwame Brown -- How could I forget Kwame Brown? Oh, that's why...because he's terrible. If you're looking for an attitude problem (other than not liking Kobe personally), he's your guy. His high school career is keeping him in the league. Seriously. So where are the "few good players"???? Why would Kobe pass to any of these dopes? The Rockets have a thin roster, but nowhere near this thin. The best analogy I can think of: this roster makes the Cavs look like the Spurs.
I wouldnt say he is the best defenser and the other two are only a small fraction of the game of basketball. One on one he would be the man but that is not how the game is played. When I think of the greatest players in all of sports, there are many qualities that Kobe lacks. You can be clutch and score all the points but it really doesnt matter when your TEAM is losing. Leadership and the ability to get everyone in the flow of the game while being the superstar is way more valuable. The greatest have the ability to win games without even scoring a bucket. Pippen wasnt anything spectacular but a product of the system. MJ and Pippen always knew where each other would be on the court because of the chemisty they developed TOGETHER. You can not compare the Lakers to the Suns, Heat, and Spurs. The Suns and Spurs are past first and knock down the open shoot type of teams with everyone getting a taste. Not so much with the Heat as of late but during the Championship year they were very similar with many guys stepping up. The Lakers are way different in these aspects. It makes me cringe to see Kobe get an outlet pass on the break and just drive the entire way to the basket when players are just waiting for the pass down court. Pass it and run your lane and make an easy basket. Mix it up a bit so the defense doesnt know what is going to happen every fastbreak.:dis:
I pretty much agree with all of this. I'm just not so sure that Kobe can't do some of that if he had other professional baskeball players on the court with him (see above roster analysis, which exposes it as among the worst in the league.) You point out the hilarious flaw in the rest of the viewing public's appreciation of the game (not yours.) The Spurs are infinitely more entertaining than one trick pony teams, in that they actually play basketball. And management has figured out a way to somehow get a roster full of guys that play their roles extremely well. That's no simple task (see: 80% of the league), but goes unnoticed because they're so unglamorous. BUT, thanks to ESPN et. al., most of the casual fans are driven only by highlights, and that's a damned shame. WAIT JUST A MINUTE. Aren't you the Jazz fan??? Scratch the above comments. You're wrong about everything and the Rockets should have won that series and Parker shouldn't be lauded on tiny bit by their idiot fans. :hihi: :thumb:
