The Best 'High Schooler' ever to play in the NBA?

[JBH3]

Re: The Best 'High Schooler' ever to play in the NBA?

Even though Moses Malone is the only HOFer on this list?

Yeah, Garnett, Bryant and most likely James will get in BUT I wonder if anyone is going to show love for Big Mo. With the exception of James, Big Mo was the only player on this list to step into the league and make an immediate impact. The others didn't start making their mark until about 2+ years after their rookie seasons.

I was leaning towards Malone, but instead voted Kobe.

I wasn't born when he entered the NBA, was just born when he won a chip in Philly, and really only knew of him during the tail end of his career in his days in Atlanta and Milwaukee.

I'd easily put him #2 though.

[Dice]

Re: The Best 'High Schooler' ever to play in the NBA?

The only true franchise players on this list are Kobe Bryant, Lebron, and Dwight Howard (assuming he advances his post game). Moses was too selfish to be a franchise player. Kemp (for all his amazing talents) lacked the 'special something' to push his team over the top. McGrady always has been soft. Stoudamire is in it for himself. Garnett and O'Neal are chokers in the end games but Garnett has always been a much better defender and traffic cop. Rashard Lewis dissapeared during the NBA Finals and hasn't been found yet.

WOW! And this is a guy who won 3 MVP's and took a mediocre Houston team to the Finals in 1981.

So Kobe doesn't have an ounce of selfishness in his body? This is the same guy who broke up the early 2000 Dynasty Lakers BUT yet you label him a franchise player but Moses isn't because he was selfish? Can't see your logic behind that.

[Bornindamecca]

Re: The Best 'High Schooler' ever to play in the NBA?

Is KG better than LeBron because he has more championships?

I can't believe you're going there just because you don't like Kobe.


Kobe already has established his legacy, so this kind of retrospective career look is not fair to a 24 year old player yet to play in his prime. If you're going by what has already been accomplished, Kobe is the "greater" player by a looooooooooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnngggggg shot.

He has been the most dominant guard in the league for an entire decade, both as an individual and as a teammate. He does not have 1 championship as "an important piece". He has four as a primary weapon, one of them as THE primary weapon. It's cool to dislike him, but can we just look at this objectively?

For the past ten years, the only players to consistently matter in the NBA Finals have been Kobe, Shaq, and Duncan. EVERYONE else is looking up at those dudes. Lebron, nor Wade, nor Howard can make that up with a couple of good statistical years.

[st0rmb11]

Re: The Best 'High Schooler' ever to play in the NBA?

Since we're going by what they've already accomplished, how can anyone say Moses Malone isn't the best? He's got more MVP's than anyone else. He's the ONLY ONE ON THE LIST in the Hall of Fame. So, until Kobe goes into the Hall of Fame, I gotta say Moses (and that's who I voted for.) You guys are going by what they've all done, and Moses has done something far more than the rest have done, and that's making the Hall of Fame.

And that guy a couple pages back said that "LeBron, Kobe, & Dwight are the only franchise players on this list." Kevin Garnett wasn't THE FRANCHISE with the T'Wolves? How can you not say KG was a franchise player. And someone else said that LeBron is the only one that had an immediate impact.

First Professional Season
Moses - 18.8 Points, 14.6 Rebounds


So, again, until another guy on this list makes the Hall, you can't say that anyone else has accomplished as much as him.
And, you're calling HIM the most selfish guy on the list? and Kobe is on this list...ooh how quickly we forget..

[ex carrabba fan]

Re: The Best 'High Schooler' ever to play in the NBA?

It's not just accomplishments, or at least it shouldn't be.

Accomplishments should just be a part of the equation.

I agree with Born on that post about Kobe. I'll add, KG isn't in Kobe's/Shaq's tier when it comes to best players of their era.

Yes I didn't include Duncan on purpose eeeek.

IMO it's close between Duncan/KG eeeek what has this thread turned in to?

I'm sorry Basketball God please don't castrate me.

[Cebby]

Re: The Best 'High Schooler' ever to play in the NBA?

Kobe's body of work is tough to dispute, but KG's having to toil on a bad franchise for a long time kinda skews things. Swap KG's Wolves for Kobes Lakers and I guarantee KG has 3+ rings and similar accolades.

Swap Kobe and KG and the TWolves don't miss the playoffs three straight years.

Also, if Kobe had issues with Shaq, there's no way psychotic KG was going to last. Shaq probably would have been making him sit down to pee in the early 2000s. It would have been like a prison relationship.

[st0rmb11]

Re: The Best 'High Schooler' ever to play in the NBA?

Swap Kobe and KG and the TWolves don't miss the playoffs three straight years.

Also, if Kobe had issues with Shaq, there's no way psychotic KG was going to last. Shaq probably would have been making him sit down to pee in the early 2000s. It would have been like a prison relationship.

Oh, yeah because Kobe led the Lakers deep into the playoffs the first 3 years after Shaq left....if I could go back in time (knowing what I know now), and be a GM and have the choice of getting Kobe or KG..I'd take KG. He's a player you can build a team around. I don't ever recall KG being as arrogant and selfish as Kobe.
Without Shaq, Kobe has 0 rings. Because without Shaq, Phil Jackson wouldn't have stuck around. Without Phil staying and keeping the team winning, Pau Gasol doesn't come there. Lamar Odom doesn't improve to the player he is. So, no Shaq, Kobe automatically loses those first 3 rings, and the 4th would've never happened because things would've been different. Kobe probably wouldn't be there. Phil wouldn't be there.

So, yes, KG didn't win one before he got to Boston, but he took his team as deep as Kobe got the first 3 years he tried to do it by himself. (05 - didn't make the playoffs, 06 and 07 - first round elminations).

[ex carrabba fan]

Re: The Best 'High Schooler' ever to play in the NBA?

Here we go

[Bornindamecca]

Re: The Best 'High Schooler' ever to play in the NBA?

Oh Kobe, if only you knew how many threads you killed at The Operations Sports.


Though I gotta say, I've never heard someone try to credit last year's championship to Shaquille O'Neal. Nice.

[HMcCoy]

Re: The Best 'High Schooler' ever to play in the NBA?

Kobe already has established his legacy, so this kind of retrospective career look is not fair to a 24 year old player yet to play in his prime.

This is why I leave Bron out right now.

Can't believe you guys are sleeping on the Ticket, tho.

Only Bron has performed better with less around them, IMO. The bottom line reality is that Kobe hasn't done any more than anyone on that list with anything less than at least one other All-NBA player to help him. He had his shots, and even with all Kobe's mental toughness, skilllz etc...the Lakers were a Western Confrence afterthought that barely scraped into the playoffs with Kobe in KG's situation. He and Kobe will retire with the same number of MVP's, and while I do think Kobe the better player, it's really not by as much as alot of people think. Again, KG has classically been feeble in the clutch, but he's still been a tremendous player.

[DC]

Re: The Best 'High Schooler' ever to play in the NBA?

Damn Brankles, LeBron IS currently better than Kobe ever was? You say that with SUCH confidence and sincerity.

[Bornindamecca]

Re: The Best 'High Schooler' ever to play in the NBA?

This is why I leave Bron out right now.

Can't believe you guys are sleeping on the Ticket, tho.

Only Bron has performed better with less around them, IMO. The bottom line reality is that Kobe hasn't done any more than anyone on that list with anything less than at least one other All-NBA player to help him. He had his shots, and even with all Kobe's mental toughness, skilllz etc...the Lakers were a Western Confrence afterthought that barely scraped into the playoffs with Kobe in KG's situation. He and Kobe will retire with the same number of MVP's, and while I do think Kobe the better player, it's really not by as much as alot of people think. Again, KG has classically been feeble in the clutch, but he's still been a tremendous player.

KG is a great player. Before I saw him barking on all fours at rookies, he was one of my favorites, but you hit the nail on the head right there. In the fourth quarter, Kobe is one of the most feared players in sports. At the end of a game, KG is one of the least feared amongst All Stars.

KG has all of the tools to have been one of the top five players of all time. 7 feet tall, probably the best overall rebounder of his era, one of the best defensive players of his era, sick handle at his height, great range from his position, high basketball IQ and a great work ethic.

But he's not a killer. Plain and simple. You can't compare someone who fades at the end of a game with someone who is almost always the best player on the court at the end of a game.

Even if you look at KG's championship vs. Kobe's unShaq'd championship. Kobe was the #1 killer on his team. KG might have had less big buckets than Big Baby. He didn't even draw people to double teams and make clutch passes. KG is a roleplayer in the clutch.

[Checmate101]

Re: The Best 'High Schooler' ever to play in the NBA?

Kwame Brown .

no for real..Lebron James

[Salhus]

Re: The Best 'High Schooler' ever to play in the NBA?

Lebron gets too much un-needed respect in this thread.

Too many posts of Lebron will be, but Kobe is.

The question asks who IS not who WILL be.

[Brankles]

Re: The Best 'High Schooler' ever to play in the NBA?

I can't believe you're going there just because you don't like Kobe.


Kobe already has established his legacy, so this kind of retrospective career look is not fair to a 24 year old player yet to play in his prime. If you're going by what has already been accomplished, Kobe is the "greater" player by a looooooooooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnngggggg shot.

He has been the most dominant guard in the league for an entire decade, both as an individual and as a teammate. He does not have 1 championship as "an important piece". He has four as a primary weapon, one of them as THE primary weapon. It's cool to dislike him, but can we just look at this objectively?

For the past ten years, the only players to consistently matter in the NBA Finals have been Kobe, Shaq, and Duncan. EVERYONE else is looking up at those dudes. Lebron, nor Wade, nor Howard can make that up with a couple of good statistical years.

LeBron taking that garbage team to the Finals when they got swept by the Spurs was more impressive than any team accomplishment Kobe's had in his career. And he was 21 or 22 when he did it.

I think LeBron is a better player than Kobe because he is a better player than Kobe. LeBron brings more to the game than Kobe does. Just because LeBron hasn't been on a great team doesn't mean he's not as good as than Kobe Bryant.

Every championship/Finals team Kobe's been on has been significantly better than LeBron's best team (this year). I would have loved to seen LeBron play with a Shaq in his prime. Or with Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, Trevor Ariza and Andrew Bynum.

Instead, all we have to judge from Lebron's team success is Mo Williams, Delonte West, Anderson Varejao and Zydrunas Ilgauskas Not really the most fair argument in the world.

Even still, with those bums he was able to put up the best record in the league this season, and took an even worse team than that to the Finals just a few years before, so it's not like he was only throwing up stats (a la Kobe Bryant w/o Shaq or Gasol) while losing games.

Damn Brankles, LeBron IS currently better than Kobe ever was? You say that with SUCH confidence and sincerity.

Pick any Kobe Bryant from any season, and the LeBron James we have right now at 24 years old is better than him.