Kobe with 74!

[Plainview1981]

Quote:

---

Quote:

---

Why are people blaming Kobe for the Lakers record? They have a crappy team.

---

They blame Kobe because he ran off Phil and Shaq. A team with Shaq and Kobe would be comfortably over .500.

---

The Shaq/Kobe/Phil was heading downhill. The smashing by Detroit was proof of that. Shaq wasn't and isn't worth the contract he got.... In fact, the Lakers were smart for showing

Shaq the door.

It looked like to be in Shaq's favor the first year. But I'll tell you something... Shaq doesn't look so impressive this year and neither does Shaq's new team. In fact, aren't they just a few games over .500? How can you be sure the Lakers would be well over .500 when Shaq can't even lead a talented Heat team to a all that great of a record now?

Shaq's career is about done and he isn't better than Kobe now and the Lakers made the right choice.

[Plainview1981]

Quote:

---

I would say that KING JAMES, KG, Steve Nash, Allen Iverson, TMac, & Vince Carter are all on the same level if not better than Kobe. Kobe just scores a lot but look at the overall game and what it means to the team..

Iverson is racking up Assists and putting up Points for God sakes...

I mean damn, King James is ALL WORLD!! He's KG like at the SG position.

---

What did KG's team do last year? He's not a legit first option and he never was... In fact, he is basically a 7 foot Scottie Pippen... He would make the perfect sidekick to an explosive scorer.

Maybe King James has improved, but to me he's been a basket or 3pt line type of player... Doesn't seem to have a middle game or a legit move to me. Also, it isn't like he has lead the Cavs anywhere.

Tmac isn't on Kobe's level either... Like Vince, Tmac is a quitter and all you got to do is look at that Orlando team a few years ago... Played in the east that was badly weak at the time and what was his win/loss record?

[Lascar78]

Quote:

---

The Shaq/Kobe/Phil was heading downhill. The smashing by Detroit was proof of that.

---

That all happenned because Shaq couldn't even speak to Kobe after he told the cops (and thus the nation) that Shaq had cheated on his wife and paid women to hush them up. It is kobe's fault

[Plainview1981]

Shaq was probably doing it....

[Lascar78]

probably, but that's completely irrelevant. You don't tell a bunch of strangers, especially when it's likely to become headline news.

[chillzatl]

The new system comment is there to explain his drop in FG%, which you used many times last year to point as Kobe and say "see, I told you he wasn't that good". It is perfectly valid explanation and one that you have used to explain JJ's slow start here with the Hawks.

AI is the only one of those players who has less or equal talent on his team as Kobe has. Both Vince, Tmac and Ray Allen have much more to work with. They are also playing on teams with defined systems and rosters built around those systems. Kobe is playing with castoffs and the leftovers from previous years. There's just not much of a comparison.

[Traceman]

around him better. Other than Odom who has a career average of 15.9 ppg, no other Laker has a career average of even 8 ppg. How much better can he possibly make them? He tried to make them better by passing the ball more and scoring less last year and they were 34-48. This year, he is scoring more and passing less and they are 22-19 and currently 7th in the playoff standings. What SHOULD he do?

As for his D, he is a tenacious defender who usually guards the other team's best perimeter player. Even Jordan didn't usually do that - Pippen did.

As for him "probably" being the best scorer in the league - gee, do you really think so?

[Lascar78]

I don't think that it's obvious that he's a better scorer than AI. He looks to score more than AI this year. If they are both pretty much just trying to get their shot off on every play, I don't know who's better. Maybe Kobe. Maybe not

[Traceman]

Their FG% is identical this year (and Kobe shoots more) but that has not historically been the case. Kobe usually shoots a signficantly higher percentage from the field. In addition, this is really the first fulll season that Kobe has tried to score like this. He did it at times with Shaq around but most of the time he RELUCTANTLY shared shots with Shaq. Last year, he was in a new system and he took too few shots trying to prove that he could get his teammates involved. This year, he has basically decided to just go out and try to carry his team by scoring as much as possible.

[Lascar78]

I don't disagree, I'm just saying he's got some competition

[Traceman]

anybody who has scored more than 30 ppg in multiple seasons has to be considered competition. AI is a baller.

[Plainview1981]

Quote:

---

probably, but that's completely irrelevant. You don't tell a bunch of strangers, especially when it's likely to become headline news.

---

Cheaters deserve to get exposed IMO.

[AHF]

Quote:

---

Quote:

---

probably, but that's completely irrelevant. You don't tell a bunch of strangers, especially when it's likely to become headline news.

---

Cheaters deserve to get exposed IMO.

---

Not at the expense of team chemistry.

[Plainview1981]

Quote:

---

Quote:

---

Quote:

---

probably, but that's completely irrelevant. You don't tell a bunch of strangers, especially when it's likely to become headline news.

---

Cheaters deserve to get exposed IMO.

---

Not at the expense of team chemistry.

---

This was after the beatdown in Detroit, correct? And remember the failure againest San Antonio the year before.

The Shaq/Kobe Lakers went as far as they could go and their time was up.