Comments on: Kobe is No Michael, or Dwight, or Brandon, or Tony, or…

By: Gabe

Gabe — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:08:01 +0000

What also should be mentioned is how Kobe cost the Lakers probably 2 more Championships by forcing Shaq to get traded. He didn’t feel he needed Shaq to win. But Shaq went and showed Kobe it was he who didn’t need Kobe to win the Championship. Had those two guys not been big cry babies that laker team would go down as the greatest in history. As it sits now they’re probably 4 or 5 on the list.

By: Rodrieguez

Rodrieguez — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 17:14:43 +0000

He’s going to retire as one of the top 10 players of all time. Deal with it.

By: Gabriel

Gabriel — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 17:16:05 +0000

Great article, apparently opinion is greater then facts for many of these responders.

No one is saying Kobe isn’t a great player, he’s just not as great when you actually look to the numbers.

By: billy

billy — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 15:57:49 +0000

Thank you Mr. Blott for actually writing what a lot of people think of Kobe. I hate how commentators are always on Kobe’s nuts. I do believe he is a great scorer, but he’s not the great player that the media makes him out to be. He is always going to try to be like Mike, but he’s not going to get there.

By: marc

marc — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 05:30:27 +0000

agreed, the idea kobe has just been sold for years and everyone had to do so in this market.
Watched an episode of TNT OVERTIME in the last years?

The nba is all about buisness and has always been with stern.
The nba sold jordan as goat and rightfully so because he was.
Problem is, that after he left, buisness suffered
magnificiently and the thing that they did, was sell a new superstar in kobe.
But kobe didn’t become what everyone hoped, so justification is a bit more complicated nowadays.
Wait a year or two and the nba will focus on james as the future goat and selling this idea will begin.
They want to sell history, seeing babe ruth play or muhammed ali boxing or jordan playing,and they want to do so every year.
So they have to sell all kind of different “truth”.

By: lakeshow

lakeshow — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 02:04:44 +0000

Zach, have you read any of David Friedman’s writing at “20 Second Timeout”? I advise you to. If you go there and click on Kobe Bryant on the left, you’ll get all his articles on Kobe.

By the way, to say that the Lakers are nearly as good without Kobe 2004-2007 as with them by saying they are 111-111 with him, 10-14 without is crazy, that is nowhere near a good example. The two numbers are SO far apart. If you expand 10-14 to 222 games you get: 93-129, which is quite a bit worse. Not to mention they would have gone worse without him over that amount of time, because in short amount of times even Smush Parker can be amazing, but to rely on him for consistant scoring game after game, no way. You also fail to mention that in the 2004-2005 season they were .500, until Kobe got injured.

By: r.i.p_petrovic

r.i.p_petrovic — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 02:02:34 +0000

red – I agree with what you said about how too many people make unsubstantiated proclamations that Bryant is unquestionably the best (mainly Lakers fans); I must say that I haven’t met many Cleveland fans that are quick to dismiss Kobe’s legitimacy for a significant mention in the MVP race. Any way you look at it, it’s hard to separate the candidates. In my eyes, Lebron deserves the trophy this year because he led the Cavaliers to the leagues best record without as much talent and depth as Bryant’s Lakers possess. Similarly, Bryant deserved it last year for leading the Lakers to the best record in a very tough western conference, making adjustments along the way for the departure of Bynum / arrival of Gasol, all with a finger that requires surgery (surgery which he negated in order to help the US win gold).

Unlike Blott, you seem to have a very unbiased and objective opinion. ETB is one of the few websites where I can find people who I can actually discuss basketball with, and who discuss rather than dismiss others input (I’m talking about your failure to acknowledge Anand’s and anonymous’s comments, Blott).

The one thing that I didn’t like about Lebron this season is the growth of his ego (which comes with being widely considered the best player in the league, and which all great players eventually learn to control). A good example of it was the end of season blowout of the Celtics. The taunting celebrations (bowling/dancing/taking photos or whatever it is they are doing these days to celebrate); Lebron usually shows more professionalism than this. Ray Allen certainly wasn’t impressed.

By: Dougie

Dougie — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 21:25:11 +0000

Man, try to stick in one white girl’s ass and everyone holds a grudge… damn.

By: Red

Red — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 12:22:46 +0000

r.i.p. – I definitely agree Kobe took a lot of unnecessary heat before the Gasol trade, mainly stemming from his cold personality (and least thats the impression every gets) and the assault trial. Once he got Gasol to play with and started winning, the media has been pretty good with him.

Kobe’s a divisive guy, and that probably influences EVERYONE’s view of him, not matter how hard one tries to be unbiased.

I just think that he’s not the best player anymore yet so many seem to speak as if its obvous that Kobe is still the top dawg (he’s a clear 2 IMO). Blott’s article brings up some important point as to why that’s the case.

By: r.i.p_petrovic

r.i.p_petrovic — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 22:27:11 +0000

Red – I agree with you on what you said about Kobe not being as productive without a dominant center/frontcourt (my mistake, I thought you said center). All I’m saying is that I’m yet to see a guard that has been.

Apologies for the misunderstanding Red, I’m not labelling you a Kobe hater, I’m labelling Zach (well he pretty much labelled himself) a Kobe hater. I guess the perception I got of Kobe being the media’s “punching bag” could be a result of my reading/viewing selection. Lately Kobe has got very good treatment in the media (except for this article), but in the season before the “Gasol days” it felt like a lot of criticism was directed his way. I guess there’s only one way to stop the hate: to win.

I’m not a Lakers fan. 15 more for Denver. Lebron for 2009MVP. I just hope the same thing doesn’t happen to him as what happened to Dirk back in 07 (receiving the trophy in a 3-1 first round hole against the “Nellie-ballers” – now that was a frown that not even an MVP trophy could turn upside down)