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  • May 09, 2007 12:34 PM ET

Kobe is overrated

MIAMIis#1 (0-4-0) vs LoS-I Am Torgo (13-9-1)
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Kobe is the most overrated player in the NBA. Yes he is a lethal scorer but thats only when he forgots to pass. He is nowwhere near as effective without Shaq. With Shaq he won three titles. Without him, he hasn't even gotten out of the first round. All this talk of him being a shutdown defender needs to be put to rest. He was lit up countless times this year. Kobe has proved that he can't carry a team.


Without Kobe Bryant, the Lakers would be near the bottom of the league as far as wins. He does not forget to pass the ball. His team needs him to take those shots, because he is their only real scoring threat. Look what happened in their last game against the Suns in last year's playoffs. When he stopped shooting, the Lakers immediately lost their chance to win. He is actually a very good defensive player, in the mold of MJ, but of course not as good.


There was a time in the past season or two where Kobe went down with an injury. In that time, it allowed Lamar Odom to step up and the team had a winning record without him. They played like a team and shared the ball. This year when Kobe was scoring 50 at the end of the season, the Lakers were losing games. He's a terrible leader, and a me-first player. T-Mac said that if the Rockets didn't advance, "It was on him." Kobe said "Changes needed to made." He refused to take the blame, not a great leader if you ask me


The thing is, with Kobe scoring 50 points at will, they don't NEED to share the ball. Besides, Lamar Odom is the only other scoring option on that team, and he fits the no. 2 option perfectly. Still, he is not a top flight scorer like Kobe is. And yes, the Rockets loss is on McGrady. Sure, he played a good game, but the difference between him and a player like Kobe is that Kobe steps it up that extra notch when it is needed. McGrady put in his 25, but did not elevate his game to match the situation. And Kobe is right when he says "changes need to made" because the Lakers have a terrible team around him.


The thing is, with Kobe scoring 50 points, they were losing games, and they stumbled into the playoffs. Odom is a good number 2 option, that is true. Luke Walton, Sasha Vujacic, Andrew Bynum, and even Smush Parker all had their moments during the season. However they got lost in the KOBE show, and their confidence dwindled as the season neared the end. If Kobe steps it up when needed, how come his team lost 4-1. T-Mac took his team to game 7, played his heart out, and still took the blame. Kobe couldnt handle the loss and immediately pointed fingers


Think about it. Kobe got the Lakers just as far as McGrady got the Rockets. The Lakers have a mediocre point guard(be it Parker or Farmar, a very good small forward in Odom, a power formard who is better suited being an energy guy off the bench in Walton, and a center in Kwame Brown who is one of the worst players in the league. The only decent player on the bench is Ronny Turiaf. On the other hand, the Rockets have a decent mid level point guard in Alston, an excellent all-around player in Battier, I can't say I know a lot about Chuck Hayes, but from his stats he seems to be a mediocre scorer but a solid rebounder, and one of the best centers in the league in Yao. They also have solid role players off the bench in Luther Head, Juwan Howard, and Mutumbo. Even with a very good team, the Rockets have not advanced in the playoffs since he has been there. Even with a mediocre team, the Lakers pushed the Suns to the brink in last year's playoffs. If the Lakers acquire a point guard or a center, or if Farmar and Bynum develop into good players, the Lakers will be a solid team. However, Kobe is right when he says changes need to be made.

Comments (9) Add A Comment

May 9, 2007  12:48 PM ET
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Kobe is very overrated because anyone who shots 30-40 times a game is going to score alot.

May 9, 2007  02:23 PM ET
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kobe is a ball hog and is highly over rated i agree i would hate to be his teamate

May 9, 2007  02:59 PM ET
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I do think Kobe is overrated, but League Of Shadows makes better points.

May 9, 2007  03:20 PM ET
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anyone who shoots 30-40 times a game will score a lot. But, not if they shoot 30%. Kobe is always the Lakers best option in the offense. He doesn't have the big men to get the higher percentage shots. Kobe is an incredible defender, hence his 7 time selection to the all-defensive teams.

Perhaps you wouldn't want to be Kobe's teammate because you don't want to play wiht a player who would rather die than lose. You probably couldn't take the criticism from a teammate that expects the same out of his teammates as he does himself. Perhaps you are the type of player that doesn't really care what the outcome is and is content just making the playoffs every year.

If you ask every player in the league who they believe is the best in the world, I guarantee that Kobe would be the leader.

May 9, 2007  03:21 PM ET
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Tsk, Tsk...don't even start to compare the Shaqless Lakers with their former.

Thank god Shaq and Kobe were never swept in the first round, that would've been embarrassing.

May 9, 2007  04:21 PM ET
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I would take Kobe over any player in the NBA right now! Who exactly has "lit" Kobe up...tell me i want to know? Kobe is a great player and it isn't his fault that he's playing with stiffs like Kwame and Smush...Nobody can do it all on their own, Jordan couldn't. Kobe will probably go down as the best offensive player in the history of the NBA and a great defender. Maybe he doesn't put up a lot of assists but thats mainly because the lakers don't ask him to. They ask him to score points and in my opinion no one in history does it better!

THROWDOWN WARRIORS "THE SPARTANS OF SPORTS"

May 10, 2007  02:27 PM ET
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I'm going to have to go with Miamiis#1, because he brings up a great point:
Kobe was better with Shaq.

May 10, 2007  02:28 PM ET
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Correction:
The Lakers were better with Shaq.
Kobe's overrated because he''s the only one that can score on that team, because he's the only one on that team.

 
May 10, 2007  05:33 PM ET
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how can somebody with NO MVP's be overrated! I mean i would argue that NASH is more over rated than Kobe! I mean how many MVP's vs Championships does Nash have? really i mean Kobe is an awesome player on a weak team....Kobe would destroy anybody in a game of one on one even the great Jordan...how can you call him over rated...if anything he's under rated for all the work he does and with dealing with the non stop undeserved hate and bias he faces everyday....

THROWDOWN WARRIORS "THE SPARTANS OF SPORTS"

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