Quote:
Originally Posted by BGMaverick9
I do think correlating that the last scraps for Laker deal for that potential Laker deal as the exact same thing is somewhat misguided, based on the characteristics of the guys in question. It's been well established that Odom has had a history of issues that have derailed him in some form or fashion. He's also known as one of the most enigmatic players in the last 10-12 years due to his overall skill set and what the end result has produced. NBA TV had the replay of Kobe's 81-point game on the other day and the third biggest takeaway from the game (after Kobe and the total lack of defense) was the fact Odom was so scatterbrained in that game.
Kobe has his blemishes on and off the court, no doubt about it. He's a different kind of cat tho. Kobe is the kind of guy who will be presented with a sour grapes situation and either block it out or use it as fuel to prove opinions are wrong. In this scenario, he easily could have gone off the rails to do it his way or he could buy in to the right system and ease up on his hero ball.
It's something we'll never know, but I still think the point you're making is not the right assessment when looking at it. That being said, I don't see the combination of DirKobe leading toward a conclusion that would directly lead to annual championship parades. That totally downplays the importance of coaching, chemistry, health and other intangibles. The only thing that is certain is that the combination of those two players would be ridiculously interesting to watch.
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I think we ultimately agree. I'm not saying that he'd have been as terrible as Odom or have had such a precipitous drop-off in play, I just think it's way premature to say that we'd have "multiple championships" as if it were a sure thing. Maybe it would have worked out, I just think there are plenty of variables and red flags that make a Dirk-Kobe combination less than a sure thing to win championship in addition to problems of cohesion and play-style.