I don't know why but I find it funny the lack of talk about the Warriors with Kobe putting on his display last night. I didn't even know Seth Curry scored 46 points last night till a few minutes ago. Kobe doused the Warriors and Curry talk this morning. For my fellow Survivor fans, Kobe went Scot Pollard with a big bucket of water on the Warriors / Curry fire last night.

I don't know why but I find it funny the lack of talk about the Warriors with Kobe putting on his display last night. I didn't even know Seth Curry scored 46 points last night till a few minutes ago. Kobe doused the Warriors and Curry talk this morning. For my fellow Survivor fans, Kobe went Scot Pollard with a big bucket of water on the Warriors / Curry fire last night.

 

He only took 24 shots, too.

He only took 24 shots, too.

 

And nobody knows that or cares about it today.

Kobe is the second best player I've ever seen.

 

Greatest Laker of all-time in my book.

Kobe is the second best player I've ever seen.

 

Greatest Laker of all-time in my book.

 

4th Greatest Laker, imo

1 Kareem

2 Magic

3 The Logo

4 Mamba

Can't hate that list. The biggest downfall for Kobe is that of all the all-time greats, his teams were awful in a couple of years when he didn't have talent around him. Maybe MJ, Magic, Kareen, etc. would have been too, but we never saw it. A large stretch of Kobe's prime was spent on terrible squads, as he was difficult to play with for many. Had Kobe and Shaq stayed together, the narrative may read Kobe as a true 1b to MJ. It was Kobe's greatest mistake from a legacy standpoint IMO.

 

Disagree. MJ had some really horrible teams and Kareem and Magic had some teams that made the playoffs that didn't win titles. It's not Kobe's fault that he wasn't given players to win titles with until they got Gasol.

And nobody knows that or cares about it today.

 

Folks who watched both games last night knew. It wasn't hard to watch and appreciate both.

He only took 24 shots, too.

 

He's only the greatest shooter of all time. His effiency is unbelievable for a scoring jump shooter. We've never seen a player like Steph Curry.

Disagree. MJ had some really horrible teams and Kareem and Magic had some teams that made the playoffs that didn't win titles. It's not Kobe's fault that he wasn't given players to win titles with until they got Gasol.

 

Jordan had a horrible team in his prime, when was this? Jordan's prime consisted of deep playoff losses to the Pistons and a three-peat. Magic and Kareem won 5 titles in the 80s and played for three more. Apples and oranges, Purple. Kobe missed the playoffs in his prime. That hurts.

 

It is Kobe's fault he had no one to play with. He ran off the most dominant Center of his era. Its a shame, but he is at least 50% to blame for his own misfortune with the Big Aristotle being the other half.

Jordan had a horrible team in his prime, when was this? Jordan's prime consisted of deep playoff losses to the Pistons and a three-peat. Magic and Kareem won 5 titles in the 80s and played for three more. Apples and oranges, Purple. Kobe missed the playoffs in his prime. That hurts.

 

It is Kobe's fault he had no one to play with. He ran off the most dominant Center of his era. Its a shame, but he is at least 50% to blame for his own misfortune with the Big Aristotle being the other half.

 

My bad. I missed the "prime" part of the equation. MJ hit the ground running in the NBA and had his Kobe prime years to start his career. It wasn't until Pippen came of age and Phil Jackson got there that he began to experience true postseason success. Some of MJ's best statistical individual years came when he had no talent around him. Amazing what happens when you are surrounded by talent.

 

 

Kobe did win 2 titles and went to the finals 3 times in his prime. Why omit those?

 

Kobe didn't run off Shaq nearly as much as the Lakers did. 25% Kobe, 25% Shaq, 50% the Lakers. The had to make a choice and they chose Kobe. Now tell me why they made the wrong choice.

My bad. I missed the "prime" part of the equation. MJ hit the ground running in the NBA and had his Kobe prime years to start his career. It wasn't until Pippen came of age and Phil Jackson got there that he began to experience true postseason success. Some of MJ's best statistical individual years came when he had no talent around him. Amazing what happens when you are surrounded by talent.

 

 

Kobe did win 2 titles and went to the finals 3 times in his prime. Why omit those?

 

Kobe didn't run off Shaq nearly as much as the Lakers did. 25% Kobe, 25% Shaq, 50% the Lakers. The had to make a choice and they chose Kobe. Now tell me why they made the wrong choice.

 

Never omitted those championships. But the fact remains if you listed the top 10 players of all-time (by popular opinion), Kobe had the strangest prime in terms of team success (outside of maybe the Big O). Hard to say he didn't have talent, when his inability to coexist with the 2nd or 3rd best player of his generation cost him the ability to win an additional 2-3 championships. Why did he have to play with Smush Parker? Because, he wanted to prove he could win without Shaq.

 

Kobe has admitted his ego led him to want Shaq out, has he not?

 

The Lakers chose right, but Kobe lost 2-3 chances at rings because of it. Instead of 5 he might have 7 or 8 right now. That would completely change the narrative of Kobe. Right or wrong, many might view him as better than MJ if he had 7 titles. Eventually, the Lakers would have been viewed as his team, especially as Shaq got older. It happened to Kareem with Magic, and Shaq would have had the same thing.

In addition, MJ was beated by two of the best teams of all-time in the playoffs in the 80s Celtics and the late 80s Bad Boys. What teams did Kobe beat that were comparable in his prime?

Even Kobe said that Magic is the best Laker ever.

Never omitted those championships. But the fact remains if you listed the top 10 players of all-time (by popular opinion), Kobe had the strangest prime in terms of team success (outside of maybe the Big O). Hard to say he didn't have talent, when his inability to coexist with the 2nd or 3rd best player of his generation cost him the ability to win an additional 2-3 championships. Why did he have to play with Smush Parker? Because, he wanted to prove he could win without Shaq.

 

Kobe has admitted his ego led him to want Shaq out, has he not?

 

The Lakers chose right, but Kobe lost 2-3 chances at rings because of it. Instead of 5 he might have 7 or 8 right now. That would completely change the narrative of Kobe. Right or wrong, many might view him as better than MJ if he had 7 titles. Eventually, the Lakers would have been viewed as his team, especially as Shaq got older. It happened to Kareem with Magic, and Shaq would have had the same thing.

 

Kobe and Shaq have both admitted that they should have stayed together and that they both made mistakes in their work relationship. Shaq also admitted it was the organization that drove him away and not Kobe during one of his podcasts.

 

 

These are Shaq's words.

 

 

 

"In O'Neal's view, why couldn't he and Bryant play more than eight seasons together?

"Again, it was two alpha males and the business aspect kicked in, and a lot of people don't know about that, the business aspect kicked in and I was getting older," O'Neal said. "Management was like, 'Hey, you're getting older we know you want this but we want to give you that.' And in my mind I was like, 'I'm not getting older, I don't want that, I don't want that,' and they just wanted to move in a new direction."

On July 14, 2004, Shaq -- then 32 years old -- was traded to the Miami Heat for a package of Lamar Odom, Brian Grant, Caron Butler and a future first-round pick.

"And see, the good thing about Dr. Buss, you know Kobe said it earlier, Dr. Buss will tell you to your face. Dr. Buss called me and said, 'This is what we want to do and this is what we're going to do, if you don't accept we have to trade you,' and I always respected Dr. Buss for that. I have no problems, no quarrels with his family because that's how you do business."

"I mean it kind of is what it is, the organization wanted to go in a different direction," Bryant said of O'Neal being traded. "I think philosophically, can you imagine how many years would Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain would be playing with each other with Wilt in his prime and Michael wanting to come up -- how long is that going to last before Michael says, 'You know what, it's time for me to show what I can do.'"

Before Bryant came on the show, an audio clip of Shaq requesting to be traded was played.

"You just played the clip where I said I wanted to be traded -- I definitely did not want to leave L.A.," Shaq said later on in the podcast. "But you know, that's how you gotta talk when you're in business, especially when you think you're in control. I definitely did not want to leave L.A. You know, a lot of stuff is said in the moment."

Even Kobe said that Magic is the best Laker ever.

 

And Magic says Kobe is the greatest Laker ever. They both crack me up knowing they both believe they are the greatest Laker ever but saying the "right thing" publicly.