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

[Jasong7777]

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

So I guess Kobe never nutted up when his team needed him? I guess he came through for his team during those Laker Championships in 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2009.Fina....opps, sorry. My bad!

Fixed :wink:

[Dice]

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

So I guess Kobe never nutted up when his team needed him? I guess SHAQ came through for his team during those Laker Championships in 2000, 2001, 2002.Fina....opps, sorry. My bad!

Fixed :wink:

Re-fixed!

[AlexBrady]

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

Another WOW! He's the 5th all-time leading rebounder and was on the all-defensive team twice. DID I mention that he's got 3 MVP awards? About as many MVP's as the rest of the players on the list.

I concede that Moses was a great rebounder. He made the All Defensive team on the basis of his shot block totals. In truth, he couldn't guard his own man straight up. He wasn't deserving of the MVPs. Other players' contributions to their teams were greater. Even so, the MVP means virtually nothing to me as it is voted on by the stat driven media that have a myopic understanding of this great game.

[JBH3]

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.

QFT.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Who would've said Shawn Kemp prior to Kobe, KG's, and Lebron's entry into the league?

[GSW]

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

not that any of this matters.

but I voted Kobe...

Its pretty damn obvious too.

[Bornindamecca]

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

LeBron is stronger, a better finisher in a crowd, a more creative finisher, can pass from more angles and sees the court with more clearity. Lebron's rebounding range is greater, he elevates higher, he is harder to post.

Kobe has a far superior jump shot and can hit from anywhere on the court, is more graceful, has a deeper understanding of the game. Kobe stays in touch with his man more consistently and is the superior 4th quarter defender. Since Kobe is the more versatile scorer he is the more dangerous clutch performer (though LeBron is very good). Most importantly Kobe has 4 rings to LeBron's goose egg.

I am shocked, SHOCKED that you did not bring up free throws, which is a huge issue right now, particularly with both players' abilities to draw late game fouls.

Let me ask you this question about Kobe, looking at Kobe's post-Shaq career, has he ever faced a team in the playoffs where he didn't have home court advantage and his team came out on top?

Man, just stop. Kobe has been to the Finals 6 times and won four times. When he was on a bad team he was breaking records as an individual scorer. And stop trying to take his first 3 rings away from him. Penny and Steve Nash and Nick Van Exel can tell you that Shaq coming to town does not automatically get you a ring. On both teams that Shaq won chips with, he had a TOP FLIGHT shooting guard.

If Kobe wasn't Kobe, Shaq would be watching Tim Duncan, Karl Malone, Chris Webber, Rasheed Wallace and Dirk Nowitzki fight over the Western Conference crown. It was the One-Two Punch(along with veteran roleplayers and a HoF coach) that allowed the Lakers to dominate. It was never Shaq and his merry band of replaceable side kicks.

People overlook all of the great players that played on talented teams and never got it done.

[AlexBrady]

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

I am shocked, SHOCKED that you did not bring up free throws, which is a huge issue right now, particularly with both players' abilities to draw late game fouls.

My bad, you're right Kobe has a monumental edge at the stripe.

[Dice]

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

I am shocked, SHOCKED that you did not bring up free throws, which is a huge issue right now, particularly with both players' abilities to draw late game fouls.



Man, just stop. Kobe has been to the Finals 6 times and won four times. When he was on a bad team he was breaking records as an individual scorer. And stop trying to take his first 3 rings away from him. Penny and Steve Nash and Nick Van Exel can tell you that Shaq coming to town does not automatically get you a ring. On both teams that Shaq won chips with, he had a TOP FLIGHT shooting guard.

If Kobe wasn't Kobe, Shaq would be watching Tim Duncan, Karl Malone, Chris Webber, Rasheed Wallace and Dirk Nowitzki fight over the Western Conference crown. It was the One-Two Punch(along with veteran roleplayers and a HoF coach) that allowed the Lakers to dominate. It was never Shaq and his merry band of replaceable side kicks.

People overlook all of the great players that played on talented teams and never got it done.

Shaq was the Finals MVP of the 2000, 2001 and 2002 Finals. Not trying to take away Kobe's first 3 rings but stop trying to give him credit for being the main guy on those teams. YES your right, Shaq wouldn't have won it without Kobe BUT Kobe was not the main guy on those teams. I'm pretty sure if you asked any knowledgeable basketball fan who was the number one guy on those team, 9 times out of 10 the answer would be Shaq. Every team has a lead and a sidekick. Jordan was the lead with Pippen as his sidekick during the Bulls championship runs. Shaq was the lead with Kobe being his sidekick. END OF STORY!

OK, can we get back to talking about the best 'high schoolers' of all time?

[DC]

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

Kobe was not THE main guy, but he was A main guy. He wasn't an "X Factor role player" that just happened to be on the team. He WAS a main character in the story.

Sort of like how a good pizza needs great sauce and crust. Cheese and other toppings are role players. The crust is the foundation of the pizza. (Shaq). Yall are calling Kobe a green pepper or an anchovie or some piece of the pie that isn't really needed.

YES Shaq was the #1 guy, but Kobe was 1B; not B or C.

Billy Walton said it best.
JOrdan and Pippen were Batman and Robin
Shaq and Kobe were Batman and Superman

[DC]

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

We have to stop allowing these hidden Kobe hating posts bait us into these reoccuring discussions where we are forced to defend his greatness

[Bornindamecca]

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

Kobe was not THE main guy, but he was A main guy. He wasn't an "X Factor role player" that just happened to be on the team. He WAS a main character in the story.

Sort of like how a good pizza needs great sauce and crust. Cheese and other toppings are role players. The crust is the foundation of the pizza. (Shaq). Yall are calling Kobe a green pepper or an anchovie or some piece of the pie that isn't really needed.

YES Shaq was the #1 guy, but Kobe was 1B; not B or C.

Billy Walton said it best.
JOrdan and Pippen were Batman and Robin
Shaq and Kobe were Batman and Superman

I don't know how you did it with all those metaphors and a Bill Walton quote, but damned good post, DC

[AlexBrady]

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

Kobe was not THE main guy, but he was A main guy. He wasn't an "X Factor role player" that just happened to be on the team. He WAS a main character in the story.

Sort of like how a good pizza needs great sauce and crust. Cheese and other toppings are role players. The crust is the foundation of the pizza. (Shaq). Yall are calling Kobe a green pepper or an anchovie or some piece of the pie that isn't really needed.

YES Shaq was the #1 guy, but Kobe was 1B; not B or C.

Billy Walton said it best.
JOrdan and Pippen were Batman and Robin
Shaq and Kobe were Batman and Superman

[DC]

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

I will never forget that Walton quote (AB give me a scouting report on him). I have used it many times and had to keep it as an away message on AIM throughout College because people were hatin on my man Big Kobe. Just don't understand how people that call themselves basketball fans can hate another dude so much that it causes them to lie to themselves how valuable he is.

[AlexBrady]

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

I'm starting to think Dice and ThreeKing are the same person.

[Bornindamecca]

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

QFT I have never understood that. There is no player ever that I hated so much that I couldn't recognize his skills. In particular for all of the Kobe haters, he has probably broken their hearts at some point by eliminating their team, or beating the team that eliminated their team. I could see hating him even more, but I don't get how they can lie to themselves like that. There is so much to ignore.

Even down to comparing his Shaq-less ring to KG's ring. It's crazy. KG isn't even close to the first option on that team, while there is greater distance in the 1-2 of Kobe and Pau than there ever was with Kobe and Shaq.