is kobe done?

[TajDeni]

Re: is kobe done?

i think that kobe will be back and i think he will still be considered a good player. what i mean by good, is that i think he will come back and be good enough to the point that when considering all the factors such as overcoming this injury, his age, and the minutes he's already logged, folks will be extremely impressed. i also think he will somehow re-invent his game. and im officially predicting a number change to symbolized the change in not only his game but in his approach.

he will never be a role player, he will be a starter somewhere in the nba. he mostly likely will no longer be the best player on the team, but he will be good enough to be a starter in the nba somewhere.

yes kobe is old, but this is his 1st major injury. kobe is in legendary shape. i wonder if folks can even fathom the degree to which this guy is in shape. which means thru yrs of training he prolly has otherworldly healing potential. maybe in a way it was a blessing in disguise as his body just said, enuf is enuf kobe i gave you everything i had. maybe getting hurt will give his body a chance to recover from all the nagging injuries. personally i hope he takes this time to get his fingers fixed on his shooting hand.

upon saying all this, i think if we never see kobe again it will be because he got re-injured during training. i think he will attempt to train himself past the injury. and in doing so he may again push himself too far. but if he does come back. he will not be anyones role player; he will be a starting player in the nba.

i feel for you jordan guys, now i know what it feels like to realise you may never get to see your favorite player play again. it truly is a sad moment. it took my a long time, but i finally feel your pain.

[JazzMan]

Re: is kobe done?

Not trying to drive the thread off-topic, but I don't get the whole, "The league won't be the same when Kobe and Duncan retire."

Uhm, hello? The league is filled with some of the greatest athletes we've ever seen in the league, and they're only getting better every day. Durant hasn't even hit his prime yet, LeBron is putting together one of the greatest careers ever, and there's still plenty of star power in the league.

Sure, when Duncan and Kobe are done, that era of basketball will have ended, but didn't it end years ago? Kobe and Duncan are past their prime. They're no longer the top stars in the league, and they haven't been for a few years now.

The league may not be the same, but it's definitely not a bad thing.

Just my two cents.

[TajDeni]

Re: is kobe done?

Not trying to drive the thread off-topic, but I don't get the whole, "The league won't be the same when Kobe and Duncan retire."

Uhm, hello? The league is filled with some of the greatest athletes we've ever seen in the league, and they're only getting better every day. Durant hasn't even hit his prime yet, LeBron is putting together one of the greatest careers ever, and there's still plenty of star power in the league.

Sure, when Duncan and Kobe are done, that era of basketball will have ended, but didn't it end years ago? Kobe and Duncan are past their prime. They're no longer the top stars in the league, and they haven't been for a few years now.

The league may not be the same, but it's definitely not a bad thing.

Just my two cents.

disagree with the bold. kobe is the best SG in the league and duncan can still hold his own against almost any pf/center in basketball

[ojandpizza]

I hope he comes back, because he's a major part of the league's international presence...

He's also been one of my favorite players to "***** on" since he rocked that mini 'fro in his rookie year...

An infuriating player to have "your team" up against...

That being said, the injury / his age / the financial situation / timing reminds me of Peyton Manning...

Might be back, somewhere OTHER than LA...

Hard to believe?

So is / was Manning leaving IND...

Interesting...

Do you even know why Peyton left the Colts? This is a horrible comparison, they were getting the best QB prospect to come out of college football in YEARS.

Unless LA has some LeBron/Durant level talent waiting around somewhere for Kobe to leave then this doesn't make any sense lol.

[KingV2k3]

Re: is kobe done?

Do you even know why Peyton left the Colts? This is a horrible comparison, they were getting the best QB prospect to come out of college football in YEARS.

Unless LA has some LeBron/Durant level talent waiting around somewhere for Kobe to leave then this doesn't make any sense lol.

The Andrew Luck situation was admittedly a HUGE part of the Manning / Indy scenario...

My point is that the "injury + age versus player salary / cap implication" is similar...

Lakers wouldn't have to consider Amnesty / or the "re-sign / don't re-sign" re: Bryant if he didn't suffer this level injury at his age / cost...

Makes sense to me...and a number of pundits who have discussed this exact scenario for the past 24 hours or so...

Ego:

Interesting...

To me, anyway...

[JerzeyReign]

Re: is kobe done?

Not trying to drive the thread off-topic, but I don't get the whole, "The league won't be the same when Kobe and Duncan retire."

Those words are uttered by fans declaring an end of an era. It was said once Bird and Magic hung them up and it was said when His Airness retired (both times).

Its the "Great Circle of Basketball Life" haha.

[BringTheHeat]

Re: is kobe done?

Those words are uttered by fans declaring an end of an era. It was said once Bird and Magic hung them up and it was said when His Airness retired (both times).

Its the "Great Circle of Basketball Life" haha.

This. This is also why lots of people will never be won over by newer talent, few people can look at a young guy and be like, "Ok, he's better than my favorite player was".

Sure it'll suck when Kobe, Duncan, KG, Pierce, Ray, Nash, Dirk, and all those guys leave, but I think the league is in great hands. LeBron for another 10 years, Durant, Wade, Rose, Paul, Rondo, DWill, Dwight. And even younger guys are going to be exciting to watch like Kyrie and Damian Lillard.

So I agree with you tyklug.

[superjames1992]

Re: is kobe done?

I'm actually pretty curious how Steve Nash performs now that Kobe isn't around controlling the ball 24/7.

[superjames1992]

Re: is kobe done?

I'll be sad whenever Duncan, Manu, etc. retire in two years or so, but the NBA will go on and I'm not so sure that the level of talent will be any lower.

In any case, Duncan has a very strong case for being the best defender in the NBA today - and he's 36 (and he'll be 37 on April 25th)!

[BringTheHeat]

Re: is kobe done?

I'm actually pretty curious how Steve Nash performs now that Kobe isn't around controlling the ball 24/7.

What if the Lakers end up upsetting a team or something crazy? Pretty sure the ESPN world would explode

[superjames1992]

Re: is kobe done?

I'm actually pretty curious how Steve Nash performs now that Kobe isn't around controlling the ball 24/7.

Well, Steve Blake stepped up.

As long as he wasn't at the free throw line, Dwight Howard looked fantastic, too.

[24]

Re: is kobe done?

Just wanted to make a comment on Kobe's legacy/game regardless of whether or not he retires. As amazing as Kobe's stats have been throughout the years they could have been better. Much better to be honest with you all especially in terms of scoring and shooting percentage.

Kobe's shot selection throughout his career has been questionable to say the least (I call it questionable others can call it awful no real difference). I know how it gets us all excited when he nails that impossible-doublecovered-eyesclosed miracle shot but they aren't exactly the most efficient in the world. Kobe's confidence in his shot is a gift but it is also a curse.

People always throw out the Kobe/Jordan comparison, well if Kobe actually played the game like Michael Jordan then his points and FG% would have been higher (along with some other stats). Kobe didn't utilize the triangle nearly as well as Jordan (That's not just me saying that watch video and anyone sees my point). Kobe's had an insanely productive career but it could have been better.

[TajDeni]

Re: is kobe done?

Just wanted to make a comment on Kobe's legacy/game regardless of whether or not he retires. As amazing as Kobe's stats have been throughout the years they could have been better. Much better to be honest with you all especially in terms of scoring and shooting percentage.

Kobe's shot selection throughout his career has been questionable to say the least (I call it questionable others can call it awful no real difference). I know how it gets us all excited when he nails that impossible-doublecovered-eyesclosed miracle shot but they aren't exactly the most efficient in the world. Kobe's confidence in his shot is a gift but it is also a curse.

People always throw out the Kobe/Jordan comparison, well if Kobe actually played the game like Michael Jordan then his points and FG% would have been higher (along with some other stats). Kobe didn't utilize the triangle nearly as well as Jordan (That's not just me saying that watch video and anyone sees my point). Kobe's had an insanely productive career but it could have been better.

i agree with your entire post in theory because i understand the point you are making.

but i disagree with your entire post in application; because kobe plays the way kobe plays. thats what makes him "Kobe" and not the next man.

2 me kobe and jordan are different sides of the same coin.

i know folks have out of bodies when you talk kobe/mj, so let me use another comparison. kobe's game is to mj's game, what allen iverson's handle is to john stockton's handle. one style is inherantly prone to being less effecient than the other.

some ppl are going to be more akin with 1 because its iron-clad tight, accomplishes everything it needs to accomplish with no wasted movements in its execution. the risk reward is pretty much steady.

others are going to be akin with the other style more because it is flashier, takes more risks and has a higher payoff aesthetically; even tho it also has a much greater chance of failure. but in the grand scheme of things, the truth of that matter is that both styles are fine so long as you win.

its like do you like ken or do you prefer ryu. kobe is ken; jordan is ryu. either way, ken is ken and ryu is ryu.

personally i love kobe's game more than i loved any other players in basketball history. while others werent really fond of his game at all.

the most important thing, atleast to me, is not whether kobe will ever be able to live up to surpass jordan's legacy; but rather that kobe has earned a place in nba history as his own man. akin to how the washington momument attracts its own tourist even tho its not the white house.

[Caveman24]

Re: is kobe done?

I'm pretty sure every Taj post goes over the character limit

[TajDeni]

Re: is kobe done?

I'm pretty sure every Taj post goes over the character limit

i type the way i think. mostly in analogies