Barkley: If Kobe doesn't win now, he never will...

[Showtime]

I thought that was an interesting quote. The general consensus is that LA has no competition on their way to the finals. They have the most talented team overall, and arguably the deepest bench in the game. They can win on the road, and account for Cleveland's only home loss. So if Kobe doesn't get it done with all this in his favor, will he ever if he's in a more difficult situation down the road? Is the pressure to win as "the man" irrelevant?

[nbastatus]

i agree with barkley.

[branslowski]

I thought that was an interesting quote. The general consensus is that LA has no competition on their way to the finals. They have the most talented team overall, and arguably the deepest bench in the game. They can win on the road, and account for Cleveland's only home loss. So if Kobe doesn't get it done with all this in his favor, will he ever if he's in a more difficult situation down the road? Is the pressure to win as "the man" irrelevant?

He also said Kobe is th Best In The Game, but if LeBron wins it this year, LeBron is the Best...

[Showtime]

He also said Kobe is th Best In The Game, but if LeBron wins it this year, LeBron is the Best...

So, Kobe is the best player in the game, on the best team, so how much of a letdown would it be if he can't pull out the win? If he can't win now, will he ever?

[MMM]

LA will be contenders for years to come at least for the next 3-4 years maybe longer. However, if kobe doesn't win one this year or next he might not ever win one as the "man" but he might get a few as a 2nd fiddle/role player.

[Ken_Masters]

I think the Lakers HAVE to win it all this year simply because they probably won't be able to re-sign Lamar Odom, who is the real reason that they are better than every other team in the league. Without Odom, they come back down to the pack, and teams will have a much better chance of taking them out in a series.

[Allstar24]

How many rings does Barkley have again? He should refrain from speaking about topics he is not too familiar with...

[KeylessEntry]

Disagree.

Kobe is 30 right now, he has another 3 good years left before his legs start slowing down and he wont be able to handle the scoring load like he does now, but I think Kobe could make it to 37 or older before retiring. He has always been fairly durable, and even if he doesnt win as the main man now, he could always win in the future if Bynum, Ariza, and whoever else the Lakers steal from teams like the Grizzlies become dominant and Kobe wins another title as a veteran role player type.

I think it comes down to "can Kobe swallow his ego and be the third best player on a team", and I think he will be able to do that.

[cotdt]

Kobe's father still plays basketball, so I say Kobe can stay in the NBA till he's 50.

[andgar923]

I don't think so, and here's why.....

Aside from Kobe and Fish, the main core of the Lakers is still rather young and improving.

Kobe will still avg 25 pts and he can drop 40+ on any given night, he's only 31.

But even if Kobe's play drops, the Lakers don't need him to play at a high level.

They've shown that they can win and be very productive if Kobe doesn't drop 30 pts.

The biggest threat is the Cavs because the Celts are older. The Blazers are a problem in the regular season, but I'm not sure if they're built for the playoffs just yet. Not for another 3 years at least.

I think the Lakers can contend for another 5 seasons, and if Bynum develops like many think he is, even more. With Kobe riding shotgun to Gasol and Bynum.

[andgar923]

How many rings does Barkley have again? He should refrain from speaking about topics he is not too familiar with...

Actually.... he's very familiar with that.

[MMM]

How many rings does Barkley have again? He should refrain from speaking about topics he is not too familiar with...

Barley having rings or not is irrelevant if you disagree with him attack the points he is making. I mean if he had said the same think but had won a ring does it change it. Wouldn't you still feel he is making a fallacious statement.

[plowking]

Just out of interest, which Lakers team do people think is better? The Shaq/Kobe Lakers or the current Lakers?

[Istealfrombums]

Just out of interest, which Lakers team do people think is better? The Shaq/Kobe Lakers or the current Lakers?

This team needs to prove to us that they can win before we can compare them to one of the best teams of this decade.

[jason816]

Just out of interest, which Lakers team do people think is better? The Shaq/Kobe Lakers or the current Lakers?

Shaq's Lakers ofcoz. Who could stop Shaq back then?