Re: The Best 'High Schooler' ever to play in the NBA?
If Lebron breaks his knee, people will say, "man, that guy could have been great" and he will NOT be a first ballot HoF.
If Kobe retires tonight, he's a first ballot HoF and still the most dominant guard of the last ten years.
People don't like to make this discussion about championships, but at the end of the day if you're in the league for 15 or 20 years and you don't have a stretch where you dominate your competition, you don't get to be in the same discussion as guys who have been to the Finals six times.
This question of "the Best" is a retrospective, IMO. The best is a summation of how one performed in the league.
Regardless, bringing up that KG thing is a straw man argument that's only one step from the "well (Roleplayer) has (number of) rings, is he better than Charles Barkley?"
If you think Lebron has had a better career than Kobe, that's all good, but don't use that tired, lame argument to prove it. Experienced OSers should be way past that now. You can not like Kobe, you can think Lebron or Wade is better right now, but when looking at Kobe's career, he shut down all the nonsense.
We can stop giving all of his rings to Shaq.
We can stop comparing him to McGrady.
We can stop comparing him to Iverson and VC.
It's over, let it go.
Kobe was the best and most dominant perimeter force during his prime years in the league.
Lebron is in the same position Kobe was in when all of those high scoring guards came into the league. If he dominates those guys, he's the best. If Dwight Howard, or Chris Paul or Brandon Roy or any of his peers go to the Finals and get rings on Lebron's watch for his entire career, then no dice. You have to win to be in the ultimate group.
That's why when players kick and scream at management, demanding some help, demanding some weapons, I feel them. Of all the missteps Lebron has taken, I don't count his contract situation among them. He knows that if he doesn't get the weapons to compete, he will remain well within the shadows of the champions before him, and around him. Going the KG route is nice for documentary shorts with Bill Russell and sappy strings in the background, but competitors don't just sit there and take it when management asks them to win with Smush Parker and Kwame Brown and Ricky Davis and Trenton Hassell. They bitch and moan until you bring in Pau Gasol and Mo Wiiliams and Ron Artest.
If Lebron breaks his knee, people will say, "man, that guy could have been great" and he will NOT be a first ballot HoF.
If Kobe retires tonight, he's a first ballot HoF and still the most dominant guard of the last ten years.
People don't like to make this discussion about championships, but at the end of the day if you're in the league for 15 or 20 years and you don't have a stretch where you dominate your competition, you don't get to be in the same discussion as guys who have been to the Finals six times.
This question of "the Best" is a retrospective, IMO. The best is a summation of how one performed in the league.
Regardless, bringing up that KG thing is a straw man argument that's only one step from the "well (Roleplayer) has (number of) rings, is he better than Charles Barkley?"
If you think Lebron has had a better career than Kobe, that's all good, but don't use that tired, lame argument to prove it. Experienced OSers should be way past that now. You can not like Kobe, you can think Lebron or Wade is better right now, but when looking at Kobe's career, he shut down all the nonsense.
We can stop giving all of his rings to Shaq.
We can stop comparing him to McGrady.
We can stop comparing him to Iverson and VC.
It's over, let it go.
Kobe was the best and most dominant perimeter force during his prime years in the league.
Lebron is in the same position Kobe was in when all of those high scoring guards came into the league. If he dominates those guys, he's the best. If Dwight Howard, or Chris Paul or Brandon Roy or any of his peers go to the Finals and get rings on Lebron's watch for his entire career, then no dice. You have to win to be in the ultimate group.
That's why when players kick and scream at management, demanding some help, demanding some weapons, I feel them. Of all the missteps Lebron has taken, I don't count his contract situation among them. He knows that if he doesn't get the weapons to compete, he will remain well within the shadows of the champions before him, and around him. Going the KG route is nice for documentary shorts with Bill Russell and sappy strings in the background, but competitors don't just sit there and take it when management asks them to win with Smush Parker and Kwame Brown and Ricky Davis and Trenton Hassell. They bitch and moan until you bring in Pau Gasol and Mo Wiiliams and Ron Artest.
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