How many years does Kobe have left...

[ex carrabba fan]

Re: How many years does Kobe have left...

But wouldn't injuries be apart of that? A bad ankle and knees at 22 are different from a bad ankle and knees at 32. If Garnett didn't have bad knees, he would still be an elite player as well.

I said 3 years, but I also think injuries could also cut that short (small knee injuries become pretty big ones down the road).

I don't think Kob's knee is all that bad though even with age.

These injuries will heal. It's kinda crazy how this guy has never had a serious injury. Knocks on the largest piece of wood in my house, pause.

I think the most serious injury was his separated shoulder.

[Altimus]

Re: How many years does Kobe have left...

He's only 31 years old. He's got plenty left.

Yep, he is 31 but not 31 NBA mileage wise. He didn't come into the league at 21 from college.

Elite player status is tough. Kobe doesn't have the explosiveness anymore and each year he will only slow down even more. However, with that he has changed his game. Working the post and taking that fade away from the elbow. If he constantly is able to hit those shots, he'll be hovering around that tier.

Tough to judge though.

[Landlordos7]

Re: How many years does Kobe have left...

Don't mean to send this off-topic, but where do you think he will end up on the all-time scoring list? Let's use 2,000 points per year as a barometer (which is probably either just about right, or a little bit lower than what he'll be capable of). If he goes five more years, he'll be right under 36k points all time (JUST below Karl Malone).


It's a long shot, but if he averaged say....2,200 ppy and played one or two seasons more than that at a lesser rate, he could finish as the NBA's all-time leading scorer.

[StankonYa]

Re: How many years does Kobe have left...

I voted for 3 years, because if he wins a ring this year, i don't see him playing longer than 3 or 4 more years.

[capp34]

Re: How many years does Kobe have left...

I think Kobe will retire in 4 years because he will have nothing left to play for.

[IamLEGENDsince87]

Re: How many years does Kobe have left...

capp34, I totally agree...

[ex carrabba fan]

Re: How many years does Kobe have left...

You guys don't believe that.

Nothing to play for? If getting more rings than MJ and/or surpass him GOAT wise he will stop at nothing to try.

But 4 years is a long time... I would give him 5 or 6 more seasons.

[24]

Re: How many years does Kobe have left...

he will be able to maintain the elite status for another 3 or so years. as how long he plays? probably another 5 seasons

[st0rmb11]

Re: How many years does Kobe have left...

You guys don't believe that.

Nothing to play for? If getting more rings than MJ and/or surpass him GOAT wise he will stop at nothing to try.

But 4 years is a long time... I would give him 5 or 6 more seasons.

but do you think that in the minds of basketball fans and "experts", he would surpass Jordan as the greatest all-time if he plays 4 or 5 more seasons?

let's say he plays 5 more years. and wins the title this year, next year, and 1 more somewhere in there, giving him 7. and let's say he surpasses Jordan in every statistical category that he can (points, playoff points, finals points, playoff wins, etc.).

do you think people would consider him greater than Jordan if he took 18 or 19 seasons to do what Jordan did in 13 in Chicago?
(I for one, wouldn't. I would figure that if you play more years, you better rack up better stats than someone else) and as far as the titles go, say he wins this year and next year, giving him 6, I wouldn't consider him equal to Jordan, even though he would have the same number of rings because it will have taken him longer than it took Jordan, and he would've done it in 8 chances, as opposed to Jordan's 6.


but that said, I still think he only has 2 seasons left as an elite player, and I think he'll only play for 4 or 5 more seasons.

[ehh]

Re: How many years does Kobe have left...

Kobe could win the next five NBA titles and he still wouldn't be better than MJ. Rings are not the be all, end all in determining the greatness of a player.

As long as Kobe doesn't have a major injury I think he's got 3-4 more years of being a 25 ppg+ scorer. Having such talent around him is a huge blessing for him, he can defer to Pau and not go all out in the regular season like someone else mentioned earlier in the thread. He hasn't even fully transitioned into the "old MJ" mode yet. He will reinvent himself at another point in the next 5 years IMO and still be an effective pro.

And although he's been in the league for 14 seasons, his first two seasons he was playing less than 27 minutes a game. Throw in the strike shortened season in '99 and you can argue that his first taxing NBA season wasn't until 2000 when he was 21 years old. I think he has plenty of mileage left on his body.

[ex carrabba fan]

Re: How many years does Kobe have left...

Damn, 5 more titles.....

Depending on how he looked winning those 5 titles.....

Didn't want to turn it into a Kob v MJ thing but yeah

[slimm44]

Re: How many years does Kobe have left...

I've said it before, and I say it again..."the greatest" argument is asinine. The tier system, IMO, is much more accurate (but doesn't make for the same kind of arguments). If Kobe wins a ring this year, he's in the top tier. Actually, he's already there. He is definitely one of the best players every and is either 1A or 1B on most, if not everybody's, list of "greatest" SG's ever.

That being said, if "elite" means averaging 25 ppg, I'd give him 2 or 3 more seasons. After that, I say he averages between 20-23 per game for 3-4 years after that, mostly off of an even better mid-range game and post-jumper than he has now. As his athleticism goes, he'll use his strength and work ethic to improve from mid-range and in the post.

[redsoxallday]

Re: How many years does Kobe have left...

Elite as in considered the best in the league, 2. Being one of the top players in the league, 4. Leading the Lakers to the playoffs, 5.

[redsoxallday]

Re: How many years does Kobe have left...

Kobe could win the next five NBA titles and he still wouldn't be better than MJ. Rings are not the be all, end all in determining the greatness of a player.

As long as Kobe doesn't have a major injury I think he's got 3-4 more years of being a 25 ppg+ scorer. Having such talent around him is a huge blessing for him, he can defer to Pau and not go all out in the regular season like someone else mentioned earlier in the thread. He hasn't even fully transitioned into the "old MJ" mode yet. He will reinvent himself at another point in the next 5 years IMO and still be an effective pro.

And although he's been in the league for 14 seasons, his first two seasons he was playing less than 27 minutes a game. Throw in the strike shortened season in '99 and you can argue that his first taxing NBA season wasn't until 2000 when he was 21 years old. I think he has plenty of mileage left on his body.

If Kobe wins 5 more titles, yes he would surpass Jordan as the GOAT. Unless he wasn't leading them to the Championship.

[Vince]

Re: How many years does Kobe have left...

The explosiveness thing is overblown. The past 2 rounds he has looked close to looking like old Kobe. While he isn't 100% as explosive as he used to be, he still can drive and get past his defender. That knee problem is clearly gone and it shows with the elevation in his jump shot the last few games.

I really think if they do that Bosh sign and trade, you can tack on an extra 2-3 years. He may score less, but he will likely be more efficient.