NBA Lockout

Off Topic
101

Check out this comment on the first page of the ESPN story by some Laker fan.

Eric5682
what a dream–to get rid of Gasol and Bynum in one fell swoop.
44 fans like this.

1 year ago this same Laker fan would have been rising Gasol’s horses. Gasol rejuvenated the franchise and was the reason they won those two rings. It’s amazing how quickly these Laker fans turn on their own players, especially those that contributed to their past success.

He was also probably saying how Bynum was “the future” a couple of years ago…

102

If a player was not called Kobe Bryant but had all his skills (and injuries) as of right now I would trade him for Dwight Howard. It would be a fair trade. However, it’s Kobe Bryant, he deserves too much respect and his name carries that franchise alone.

103

[quote]Gettnitdone wrote:
If a player was not called Kobe Bryant but had all his skills (and injuries) as of right now I would trade him for Dwight Howard. It would be a fair trade. However, it’s Kobe Bryant, he deserves too much respect and his name carries that franchise alone.
[/quote]

Aging superstar on the decline for one of the top 2-3 best players in the league about to hit his prime? Trading Kobe for Dwight straight up would be a robbery by the Lakers.

I don’t think they will get both Dwight and CP3. They’ll have to give up Gasol and Bynum for Dwight, who are they going to offer for Paul? Ron Artest? lol. Plus everything I’ve seen says Paul only wants to go to New York.

104

Some of the posts here are hysterical. Bryant 4th best? Dwight Howard top 2-3? Bryant put up 25/5/5 playing his fewest minutes since his 2nd year WHILE being injured AND having played basketball FOR 3 STRAIGHT YEARS. If he’s rested and rehabbed this off-season he’ll be on a mission, and I fully expect him to kick ass out there.

And, I’d put Howard top 10, but that’s just 'cause outside of Bynum he’s the only true center left in the league. The only thong he does well is be more athletic than any of todays “centers”. He gets one major lower body injury and he’s nothing more than a giant paperweight.

105

[quote]WhiteFlash wrote:
Some of the posts here are hysterical. Bryant 4th best? Dwight Howard top 2-3? Bryant put up 25/5/5 playing his fewest minutes since his 2nd year WHILE being injured AND having played basketball FOR 3 STRAIGHT YEARS. If he’s rested and rehabbed this off-season he’ll be on a mission, and I fully expect him to kick ass out there.

And, I’d put Howard top 10, but that’s just 'cause outside of Bynum he’s the only true center left in the league. The only thong he does well is be more athletic than any of todays “centers”. He gets one major lower body injury and he’s nothing more than a giant paperweight.[/quote]

Howard is the best defender in the NBA and was dramatically better on offense last year. He had 23/14/2.5 pts/rebs/blocks and no other center in the league is capable of anywhere near those numbers.

25/5/5 does NOT make you the best player in the league. I doubt you were calling Brandon Roy the best player when he was putting up those same totals with higher percentages. Wade and LBJ both did it last year.

BTW Kobe is not getting younger, “being injured” is one of the reasons he’s not higher because there’s no reason to expect him to start getting injured less often. There is every reason to expect he will get injured more often. It’s what age does.

I can’t wait till he goes 23/5/4.5 this year and you still argue he’s the best in the league.

106

[quote]WhiteFlash wrote:
Some of the posts here are hysterical. Bryant 4th best? Dwight Howard top 2-3? Bryant put up 25/5/5 playing his fewest minutes since his 2nd year WHILE being injured AND having played basketball FOR 3 STRAIGHT YEARS. If he’s rested and rehabbed this off-season he’ll be on a mission, and I fully expect him to kick ass out there.

And, I’d put Howard top 10, but that’s just 'cause outside of Bynum he’s the only true center left in the league. The only thong he does well is be more athletic than any of todays “centers”. He gets one major lower body injury and he’s nothing more than a giant paperweight.[/quote]

It’s important to focus on what’s relevant, and weed out irrelevant points. What should be looked at is what happens on the court, for the most part.

Kobe’s number shouldn’t be enhanced because he played while injured. Kobe value should take a hit for his decreased minutes because it has impact of what happens on the court.

The evaluation of Dwight Howard should not take into account the current depth (or lack thereof) talent at the centre position. I could easily spin your point the other way and say Dwight deserves MORE credit for doing things no other current centre can. But that’s a BS way of looking at it too.

Lastly, Dwight Howard hasn’t played less than 78 games a season, so discussing how he would play through injury would have no basis and is irrelevant.

Production and impact on the game are what matter.

107

[quote]scj119 wrote:

[quote]WhiteFlash wrote:
Some of the posts here are hysterical. Bryant 4th best? Dwight Howard top 2-3? Bryant put up 25/5/5 playing his fewest minutes since his 2nd year WHILE being injured AND having played basketball FOR 3 STRAIGHT YEARS. If he’s rested and rehabbed this off-season he’ll be on a mission, and I fully expect him to kick ass out there.

And, I’d put Howard top 10, but that’s just 'cause outside of Bynum he’s the only true center left in the league. The only thong he does well is be more athletic than any of todays “centers”. He gets one major lower body injury and he’s nothing more than a giant paperweight.[/quote]

Howard is the best defender in the NBA and was dramatically better on offense last year. He had 23/14/2.5 pts/rebs/blocks and no other center in the league is capable of anywhere near those numbers.

25/5/5 does NOT make you the best player in the league. I doubt you were calling Brandon Roy the best player when he was putting up those same totals with higher percentages. Wade and LBJ both did it last year.

BTW Kobe is not getting younger, “being injured” is one of the reasons he’s not higher because there’s no reason to expect him to start getting injured less often. There is every reason to expect he will get injured more often. It’s what age does.

I can’t wait till he goes 23/5/4.5 this year and you still argue he’s the best in the league.[/quote]

You are out ot your mind if you think Howard is the best defender in the league. He’s a good shotblocker and rebounder but when matched against a competent center he gets schooled, like when Yao would eat his lunch. Beating up on the Kendrick Perkins and Taj Gibsons of the world doesn’t impress me.

Comparing Brandon Roy to Bryant is laughable. Roy played to his absolute max to get those numbers. Kobe contains himself to get 'em. And, I understand being injured is part of getting older. But, I think his injuries have more to do with overuse than age. If he comes out and regresses from last year I’ll concede his top spot. But what if he comes out and wrecks? Will you finally give him the credit he deserves? If he’s sorted his injuries out you can bank on it.

108

^^^ To be fair I don’t think anyone is shitting on Kobe or not giving him the credit he deserves.

I think everyone here agrees he’s been the best player in the league the last 10-11 years.

I just don’t think he’s dominant as he use to be.

109

If Kobe wrecks it this year I will be surprised and happy.

I’m not rooting against the guy.

110

[quote]WhiteFlash wrote:

[quote]scj119 wrote:

[quote]WhiteFlash wrote:
Some of the posts here are hysterical. Bryant 4th best? Dwight Howard top 2-3? Bryant put up 25/5/5 playing his fewest minutes since his 2nd year WHILE being injured AND having played basketball FOR 3 STRAIGHT YEARS. If he’s rested and rehabbed this off-season he’ll be on a mission, and I fully expect him to kick ass out there.

And, I’d put Howard top 10, but that’s just 'cause outside of Bynum he’s the only true center left in the league. The only thong he does well is be more athletic than any of todays “centers”. He gets one major lower body injury and he’s nothing more than a giant paperweight.[/quote]

Howard is the best defender in the NBA and was dramatically better on offense last year. He had 23/14/2.5 pts/rebs/blocks and no other center in the league is capable of anywhere near those numbers.

25/5/5 does NOT make you the best player in the league. I doubt you were calling Brandon Roy the best player when he was putting up those same totals with higher percentages. Wade and LBJ both did it last year.

BTW Kobe is not getting younger, “being injured” is one of the reasons he’s not higher because there’s no reason to expect him to start getting injured less often. There is every reason to expect he will get injured more often. It’s what age does.

I can’t wait till he goes 23/5/4.5 this year and you still argue he’s the best in the league.[/quote]

You are out ot your mind if you think Howard is the best defender in the league. He’s a good shotblocker and rebounder but when matched against a competent center he gets schooled, like when Yao would eat his lunch. Beating up on the Kendrick Perkins and Taj Gibsons of the world doesn’t impress me.

Comparing Brandon Roy to Bryant is laughable. Roy played to his absolute max to get those numbers. Kobe contains himself to get 'em. And, I understand being injured is part of getting older. But, I think his injuries have more to do with overuse than age. If he comes out and regresses from last year I’ll concede his top spot. But what if he comes out and wrecks? Will you finally give him the credit he deserves? If he’s sorted his injuries out you can bank on it.
[/quote]

Kobe contains himself BECUASE HE CAN’T DO IT FOR FORTY MINUTES EVERY NIGHT. Which is PART of being the best player in the game.

Being the best whenever you want to, for 5-10 minute increments, is not as good as someone who has a peak that is slightly lower but goes 100% for all 40. I’m sorry. Kobe can’t play at a high intensity for a full game/season.

He also picks his spots on D and is not nearly the defender he once was.

111

Face it: you have to be non-objective to think Kobe is the best in the game. No one who’s NOT A LAKERS FAN argues for Kobe as the best in the game, which means pretty obviously that he no longer is.

Plenty of people who don’t care about the Heat think LBJ/Wade are top 2… plenty who don’t care about the Magic think DH is top 2.

I don’t like or dislike the Lakers or Kobe one way or the other. But both are very overrated by their fan base.

112

[quote]scj119 wrote:
Face it: you have to be non-objective to think Kobe is the best in the game. No one who’s NOT A LAKERS FAN argues for Kobe as the best in the game, which means pretty obviously that he no longer is.

Plenty of people who don’t care about the Heat think LBJ/Wade are top 2… plenty who don’t care about the Magic think DH is top 2.

I don’t like or dislike the Lakers or Kobe one way or the other. But both are very overrated by their fan base. [/quote]

Clearly you do dislike Bryant 'cause you’re saying he’s overrated. There are SEVERAL people who are part of the pro game who still consider Bryant the best. I’m done arguing with you on this point as you seem to just want to bash the guy, and have been doing it now for the last couple of NBA threads.

113

[quote]WhiteFlash wrote:

[quote]scj119 wrote:
Face it: you have to be non-objective to think Kobe is the best in the game. No one who’s NOT A LAKERS FAN argues for Kobe as the best in the game, which means pretty obviously that he no longer is.

Plenty of people who don’t care about the Heat think LBJ/Wade are top 2… plenty who don’t care about the Magic think DH is top 2.

I don’t like or dislike the Lakers or Kobe one way or the other. But both are very overrated by their fan base. [/quote]

Clearly you do dislike Bryant 'cause you’re saying he’s overrated. There are SEVERAL people who are part of the pro game who still consider Bryant the best. I’m done arguing with you on this point as you seem to just want to bash the guy, and have been doing it now for the last couple of NBA threads. [/quote]

lol I’m just saying - I’ve never heard anyone who’s not a fan call him the best in the NBA.

I don’t think simply saying he’s not the best player in the NBA is a “bash”. It’s not like I’m calling him a detriment to the team. I just think a couple guys have passed him. It’s not like I am alone in this opinion.

I don’t think he’s overrated by most people - I do think you personally overrate him.

If there’s one theme in all my posts it’s that I draw people towards the middle… you think he’s the best and I disagree… but if someone was saying he’s like the 10th best I would also call them an idiot.

edited to fix quote fuckup

114

[quote]therajraj wrote:
^^^ To be fair I don’t think anyone is shitting on Kobe or not giving him the credit he deserves.

I think everyone here agrees he’s been the best player in the league the last 10-11 years.

I just don’t think he’s dominant as he use to be.[/quote]

Dude, SC has been shitting on the guy for awhile now. I’m not saying Bryant is as good now as he was at 28, but he’s better than some are giving him credit for. and of course he can be dominant for 40 minutes. He’s been playing less than that for the last few years to give his body a break and conserve for the playoffs. It caught up with him last year. If he’s healthy (which I hope he is), he’ll prove he’s still at the top.

115

I always thought there should be a clear distinction between a defensive force (like Howard or Mutumbo) and a truly excellent defensive player (Tayshaun Prince).

116

I love how me calling someone a top 4 player in the NBA is “shitting on him”. Personally I think that is a compliment.

Do I think In-His-Prime-Kobe would be #1 right now? Absolutely. I just think he is a bit further below his prime than WF does.

117

btw guys. When NBA wasn’t around WF and I were actually cool with each other and supporting each other in training logs.

UP WAS DOWN. BLACK WAS WHITE.

118

lol - it doesn’t matter if randman comes back, this thread will get contentious.

119

Ha, I made that comment with pretty high confidence it would get some kind of reaction to fire up this thread. 2 and a half weeks and counting.

120

[quote]scj119 wrote:
btw guys. When NBA wasn’t around WF and I were actually cool with each other and supporting each other in training logs.

UP WAS DOWN. BLACK WAS WHITE.[/quote]

Haha, you’re still my guy VG [internet hugz].