Dirk vs. Kobe

[AxdemxO]

Yea thts tru.
IMO he is not better thn Pippen.

[mavsman reloaded]

Originally Posted by dirno2000

Dirk did a a great job in leading Germany to the silver medal in the Euros but lets be honest, there were a number of NBA players (Pau Gasol, Peja) that chose not to play.

This isn't about Dirk tough. If you'll notice, I haven't said anything in this thread to discredit him. My point is that Kobe doesn't have the supporting cast that he needs to make the playoffs. The Lakers FO has done a horrible job of adding players that compliment him because they're chasing the 2007 pipe dream.

If you go back and read my posting carefully, you'll find out that I was talking about the WC 02 and not the EC 05. In 02, Dirk and a bunch of scrubs finished 3rd while the US with a team stacked with All-Stars finished 6th. I choose this example to point out that it is indeed possible for a very good player to take a below-average team to a level it wouldn't have been dreaming of. Dirk did it, so if Kobe was even better than Dirk, as some in this thread seem to think, he shouldn't have any problems to lead the Lakers at least to the playoffs, especially with a sidekick as good as Odom.

[dirno2000]

Originally Posted by mavsman reloaded

If you go back and read my posting carefully, you'll find out that I was talking about the WC 02 and not the EC 05. In 02, Dirk and a bunch of scrubs finished 3rd while the US with a team stacked with All-Stars finished 6th. I choose this example to point out that it is indeed possible for a very good player to take a below-average team to a level it wouldn't have been dreaming of. Dirk did it, so if Kobe was even better than Dirk, as some in this thread seem to think, he shouldn't have any problems to lead the Lakers at least to the playoffs, especially with a sidekick as good as Odom.

What do you think would have happened if, instead of a tournament that becomes single elimination after pool play, every team in the WC's had to play 82 games?

[Five-ofan]

I love dirk. He is my favorite player and I think he is better than kobe but there are legit arguments to use for him being better than kobe and international ball isnt one of them. International ball and nba ball are so different that there is very little correlation between the two. Format is just too different.

[aexchange]

Lang Whitaker goes postal on Kobe.

http://slamonline.com/links/11282005/

Last night I realized that Kobe Bryant is my least-favorite player in the NBA. It doesn't really have anything to do with his off-court antics as much as it does his on-court shtick, which is just sickening. You know, how he always acts like he's on camera, how he's started wearing stockings this season, how he acts like he's bigger than the game, how he refuses to be a team player. When he fouled out last night I actually cackled aloud maniacally, surprising even myself.

The thing is, he might be the most talented player in the NBA. When the Jazz were doubling him off of picks, he was somehow able to just dribble around them, like the defenders were standing still. His jump shot is beautiful, and he might be the best defensive guard in the League (when he wants to be).

Why do I hate him? Besides the reasons I floated above, the main thing that bugs me about Kobe -- or "8" as he likes to refer to himself -- is that he completely ruins the game of basketball. Basketball is a TEAM game, and one player can't win by himself, as Kobe is proving definitively this season.

He's taken at least 30 shots in 6 of his last 7 games. As they mentioned on TNT last night, Charles Barkley played something like 16 seasons in the NBA and took 30 shots in a game 3 times. And Reggie Miller never did it. Really. Even Iverson's only done it twice this season.

Meanwhile, Kobe's running around out there firing up shots like his endorsements depend on it. It works for some guys, like AI, where the Sixers were built with Iverson's offensive dominance in mind and don't run an offense built on balance. (Plus, AI is shooting 5-percent higher from the floor than Kobe and has five double-figure assist games. Kobe has none.) The rest of the Lakers don't know what to do, which is obvious watching them play. Poor Smush Parker was actually playing well last night, but he'd get the ball on the wing and Kobe would run right at him demanding the rock. Smush would give it up and get out the way, and then watch as Kobe fired up an off-balance 22-footer over a double team. Lakers fever, catch it!

When Kobe fouled out in overtime last night, the Lakers suddenly became fun to watch, with Lamar Odom, Sasha Vujacic and Smush being the key players. Sasha and Smush were especially compelling. We wouldn't know about them during most games because Kobe doesn't trust anyone other than himself to do anything. Which is why the Lakers are in last place in the Pacific Division. Oddly, the team Kobe pretended like he might sign with two years ago, the Clippers, are in first place. Go figure.

What's Phil Jackson doing about all this? Who knows? He wrote a book bashing Kobe and then came back to coach him, so I'm assuming that during games he's thinking about motorcycle trips across New Zealand or all the money he's making to coach this shell of a team. Anything to dull the pain.

It's not too late for Kobe. He's 27, got three titles. Let's say he suddenly decides to apply himself as a team player. He passes the ball, starts trying to involve his teammates. He gives interviews and is funny, he admits that he's made mistakes. Basically, he needs to give up control, the one thing he doesn't seem to be able to do without.

In a way, he reminds me of Lennie in Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men. The Lakers are Kobe's puppy, and he loves to pet it. It's his, it does anything he asks it to do, and he loves having one of his very own. Only he can't stop petting it, and he keeps on and keeps on and then, all of a sudden, he realizes he crushed the sad thing and killed it.

The Lakers are on life support right now. Let's see if Kobe keeps on petting or decides to be nice and play with everyone else.

(By the way, want to know an interesting thing about watching Kobe in HD? His hairline is mad receding. He's clinging to it, though, trying to keep a tight front. I'll give him two years before he goes with the completely shaved look.)

[AxdemxO]

I agree with you.
Kobe has talent but the thing is..basketabll is a TEAM GAME and he just messes it up.

[dude1394]

It's too late for kobe, leopards don't change their spots. It was a constant battle with shaq when it was obvious who was the big dog on the team and he couldn't stand it so he blew it up.

He's a punk prima-donna.. I feel sorry for his team-mates having to put up with him. Phil Jackzen better quit now before his own carefully cultivated record is tarnished.