Kobe Bryant Vs Larry Bird

[Da_Realist]

Will you kids get over this :confusedshrug: :rolleyes: . Kobe Bryant already is a Top 5-6 SG of All-Time and when his career finishes he will probably end 2-3 but no he was not a better player than Larry Bird, neither will be or has been in his prime (Bryant is in his total prime: age 30). :violin:

I know he's only 30 years old, but he may be sliding out of his prime. It makes sense -- this is his 13th season. There's a lot of wear and tear on those tires. He's nowhere near as athletic as he used to be. Starting an NBA career at such a young age may actually take a toll on guys that we'll start to notice as this generation gets older.

28 may be the new 30.

[gotbacon23]

I know he's only 30 years old, but he may be sliding out of his prime. It makes sense -- this is his 13th season. There's a lot of wear and tear on those tires. He's nowhere near as athletic as he used to be. Starting an NBA career at such a young age may actually take a toll on guys that we'll start to notice as this generation gets older.

28 may be the new 30.

agreed...
kobe bryant = 1,072 career games (including playoffs)- he's 30
larry bird = 1,061 career games (including playoffs)- his last game was when he was 35

[KenneBell]

agreed...
kobe bryant = 1,072 career games (including playoffs)- he's 30
larry bird = 1,061 career games (including playoffs)- his last game was when he was 35
If that's the case LeBron is going to be in trouble. He started off playing 40min a game. Kobe really didn't play much his first two years.

[Da_Realist]

If that's the case LeBron is going to be in trouble. He started off playing 40min a game. Kobe really didn't play much his first two years.

Maybe not. Kobe's game relies so much more on quickness. When Lebron's loses a step, he could probably be just as productive using his strength to make up for it.

[Kleiza7]

Larry Bird had such a strong ego. Kobe has such a strong selfishness in him.

[Valliant13]

So Kobe isn't going to be mentioned as a Legend after hes done playing.

Why do you guys continously refuse to put Kobe in the same class as Magic,Bird,Jordan,etc. when what Kobe has done so far in his career including his accomplishments is up there with those past legends.

He has never taken a team to a Finals victory as the main guy. He has also crapped the bed in many of the Finals he has played in. That is the difference between the extremely good...and the great ones: Dominating in the defining moments.

[LA_Showtime]

Maybe not. Kobe's game relies so much more on quickness. When Lebron's loses a step, he could probably be just as productive using his strength to make up for it.

What? Doesn't LeBron's game rely A LOT on athleticism? LMAO? Honestly I've never heard someone say LeBron will be fine as he ages.

[97 bulls]

being a huge bulls fan, i dont remember jordan or jackson saying that rodman was an offensive liability. im not saying they didnt but it may have been taken out of context. cuz if your talking about giving him the ball and asknig him to score then i agree. but even with rodman on the floor you couldnt leave him cuz he was a great offensive rebounder. so rodmans man still had to stay with him.

[Da_Realist]

What? Doesn't LeBron's game rely A LOT on athleticism? LMAO? Honestly I've never heard someone say LeBron will be fine as he ages.

That was just a guess. I don't really know. He could be a Magic Johnson (1996) type that will use his size/strength to set up his teammates and still be effective.

[Loki]

being a huge bulls fan, i dont remember jordan or jackson saying that rodman was an offensive liability. im not saying they didnt but it may have been taken out of context. cuz if your talking about giving him the ball and asknig him to score then i agree. but even with rodman on the floor you couldnt leave him cuz he was a great offensive rebounder. so rodmans man still had to stay with him.

The interview was posted on this forum several months ago, and Jackson said it as well. Basically, in an offense like the triangle, you're looking to have all 5 guys be able to do multiple things, one of which is shooting/scoring. Rodman was a liability in that respect, so they specifically had to run things away from him, so as to minimize him being the man left in scoring/shooting positions.

[97 bulls]

The interview was posted on this forum several months ago, and Jackson said it as well. Basically, in an offense like the triangle, you're looking to have all 5 guys be able to do multiple things, one of which is shooting/scoring. Rodman was a liability in that respect, so they specifically had to run things away from him, so as to minimize him being the man left in scoring/shooting positions.
yeah i agree but hes not an offensive liability in which its like playing 4 on 5 like you stated. which is why i stated that it may have been taken out of context.

[TmacsRockets]

yeah i agree but hes not an offensive liability in which its like playing 4 on 5 like you stated. which is why i stated that it may have been taken out of context.

It is. The guy couldn't average more than 9 ppg.

[Loki]

It is. The guy couldn't average more than 9 ppg.

He actually averaged 5.3 ppg with Chicago on 45.4% shooting from '96-'98. Considering that most of his baskets were offensive putbacks or spoon-feeds under the basket from MJ/Pip, that's pretty atrocious.

[97 bulls]

He actually averaged 5.3 ppg with Chicago on 45.4% shooting from '96-'98. Considering that most of his baskets were offensive putbacks or spoon-feeds under the basket from MJ/Pip, that's pretty atrocious.
thats not fair, how are you going to base your reasoning on 3 years? with the bulls his role was different not to mention he was in hid mid 30s. but most people feel that he could score if he tried. hes a career 52% fg shooter. and he led the league in fgs i believe in 89. but you couldnt double of him cuz he was a great offensive rebounder. not to mention he had alot of nagging injuries in 97 and 98

[Da_Realist]

Those are just stats. Let's see it. Because sometimes players are awarded assists for just passing to an open teammate. Not very impressive, but still an assist. How many of those 7 assists were the result of Kobe setting up his teammates like Larry did? I would like to see that in a video montage. How many of those 31 points came off free-throws? I would like to see that too.

I'd really like to see it. It's a lot of work so I would understand if you didn't want to do it but I think it would be nice to see.



http://www.youtube.com/user/lalousse24

This guy has almost every Kobe game from the last playoffs. It's mostly scoring highlights though. As for the assists, most of them were setups for Gasol and Odom. He was their playmaker for the whole season.

He averaged 9.7FTAs.

This is something similar to what I was referring to. Now if he would do a whole series like this, it would be perfect.

Kobe Bryant greatest games: 48pts 16rbds in game 4 vs Kings (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpArN4LbTI0)

[Loki]

thats not fair, how are you going to base your reasoning on 3 years? with the bulls his role was different not to mention he was in hid mid 30s. but most people feel that he could score if he tried.

Actually, no, most people don't believe that. But yeah, I've heard a couple of batsh!t crazy people say ridiculous things like "he could have scored like Jordan if he worked as hard at scoring as he did at rebounding," or "he could have been a 20 ppg scorer." No, he couldn't have. If you're in that camp, then enjoy your delusions.


hes a career 52% fg shooter. and he led the league in fgs i believe in 89

Huh? Led the league in made FG's? Definitely not.


but you couldnt double of him cuz he was a great offensive rebounder. not to mention he had alot of nagging injuries in 97 and 98

First off, players can and did double off him. But that wasn't the largest effect of his offensive futility; it was more that they had to specifically go away from him on offense because they weren't a threat. 5 on 4 doesn't always have to mean that one guy doesn't get guarded, it can also mean that one guy is essentially useless on that end of the floor. Like Ben Wallace, say. You know how many open looks guys like Wallace and Varejao get each game? A lot. And that's because the defense makes it so that they're the ones with decent looks and not Lebron.

[97 bulls]

Actually, no, most people don't believe that. But yeah, I've heard a couple of batsh!t crazy people say ridiculous things like "he could have scored like Jordan if he worked as hard at scoring as he did at rebounding," or "he could have been a 20 ppg scorer." No, he couldn't have. If you're in that camp, then enjoy your delusions.



Huh? Led the league in made FG's? Definitely not.



First off, players can and did double off him. But that wasn't the largest effect of his offensive futility; it was more that they had to specifically go away from him on offense because they weren't a threat. 5 on 4 doesn't always have to mean that one guy doesn't get guarded, it can also mean that one guy is essentially useless on that end of the floor. Like Ben Wallace, say. You know how many open looks guys like Wallace and Varejao get each game? A lot. And that's because the defense makes it so that they're the ones with decent looks and not Lebron.
first, i dont think rodman in his best day would be a 20 ppg scorer. at best a 12 to 15 ppg and that pushing it. and i dont really remember teams doubleing of him cuz of his rebounding ability. but im not talking about putting the ball in his hand and scoring. just remember theres different forms of offense. and most teams cant court 5 guys that can score, and the key is dont put the ball in his hand.
and as far as his fg% on baasketball-reference it shows he led the league in 89.

[Loki]

first, i dont think rodman in his best day would be a 20 ppg scorer. at best a 12 to 15 ppg and that pushing it.

I think 12-13 ppg would've been about his peak ability, and that's in an uptempo system where he got a basket or two each game in transition. In a halfcourt system, he'd peak at ~9-10 ppg imo.


and as far as his fg% on baasketball-reference it shows he led the league in 89.

Oh, okay. You said "fgs," which I read as "field goals" (i.e., field goals made).

[crisoner]

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Damn those Jazz fans are mean.