Kobe Bryant Discussion: Mamba Out!

Imagine had the Jazz (during Kobe's rookie and sophomore year) and Spurs (during the lockout-shortened season) not eliminate the young Lakers those 3 years:
'96-'97 Lakers vs. Bulls Finals (Kobe vs. Jordan I)
'97-'98 Lakers vs. Bulls Finals (Kobe vs. Jordan II)
'98-'99 Lakers vs. Knicks Finals (Kobe vs. ???)

Dayum!

 

If true, that’s INCREDIBLY advanced thinking for such a young player.

He’d be playing chess while others were playing checkers.

 

Your move.

 

I highly doubt there will ever be a duo like these two. This generation of Laker fans truly missed out cause there's no way LaBron-George or any other combination of stars can supplant the greatest "1-2 Punch" of all time.

However, one thing is blatantly obvious....LA is thirsting for a star. We need one in P&G in the worst way....and I'm not even sure one can cut it anymore. We need multiple stars here and its a travesty we don't have at least one repping the P&G this weekend on our home turf.

 

Wow, sounds like some truth coming out.

This just became “Must see TV” for me

 

Told ya’ll The fine was worth it.

—Magic

 

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/nba/charlotte-hornets/article200263304.html

Talks about Kemba and his mentality being similar to Kobe. Also mentions how like kobe, he will use the all star game to pick the brains of other stars and use it as a learning experience

 

Notice it's most usually Kobe all the current players talk about. Not LBJ. I know Kobe's retired and LBJ still playing but Kobe is the link to a tougher and more competitive era. Jordan's era as well. I doubt guys will be buzzing up LBJ to pick his brain or asking to work out with him once he is done. Not to the same level of mystique as with Kobe.

Through my purple tinted Lakers glasses no doubt. I admit it. But I bet it's going to be true.

 

its funny that kobes greatness in essence paved the way for shaq to allow himself to be a little less great. shaq knew he had the mamba and thus didnt push himself as hard as could have

 

I didn’t and still don’t find it funny.

If Shaq had Kobe’s Work ethic, there would be no little to no NBA records left that mattered.

He cheated himself, the game, and the fans, and got his arse traded because of it.

He ended up with nicknames like Snaq. Of all the things you could hate about Kobe, it never included cheating the game, his team, the fans, or himself as far as preparation and effort.

 

^^^Part of me agrees with that cause you do need strong work ethic to wring out every last bit of opportunity from your genetic sponge and we all know Kobe did just that.

However, the "Snaq-haters" are just way too lazy to see the true scope of the matter. You definitely have to observe it from a different lens.

Shaq for as big, dominant and bullish as he was, also demonstrated unremarkable finesse, grace and beauty in his footwork. His impeccable footwork is what allowed him to be as dominant as he was.



However folks ride him for his big toe injury without really understanding that if it wasn't for his wheels and looking after his twinkle toes, he wouldn't be able to do the unbelievably dominant things he does on the court.

As much as the dude dished out punishment on the court, he too was punished routinely and noone in the game endeared that much pain over his playing days. They would routinely gas up the Diesel with corticosteroids for all the pain he was experiencing, but he wisely weaned off of it after his boy, Alonzo, was suffering with kidney disease.

You can even see the ramifications of it now, with his hyper-pigmented edematous facial skin along with his glaucomous leaky tear ducts. The fact that Snaq is overweight possibly has to do with his "poor diet" and genetic predisposition, but maybe it has something to do with the steady intake of glucocorticoids that we kept feeding the Big Fella.

Part of the "process" for big men these days is to rest them on back to backs....so having Shaq rest up on "company time" to dominate during title time is much easier to stomach, especially when you consider the lengthy seasons he had to endure.

Not every player is built like Kobe and not everybody has that laser focus...but the same can be said about Shaq. Imagine being built the way he is and playing the amount of years he did with that style...it takes a toll on you both physically and mentally. We're seeing just how much GS is suffering from lengthy playoff run after lengthy playoff run....you develop what Shaq termed as fat-catitis and if he wants to take the summer to enjoy his family and rest his body, then that's his right as long as he comes to play in May. Fans tend to forget that he's older than Kobe and had lenghty playoff runs out in the East before he came to LA. He also took part in the Olympics and was the dude that was heavily relied on before Kobe became the 2nd part of the 1-2 Punch.

IMHO, fans truly don't appreciate the big fella for what he did for our squad because they compare it to the machine that was Kobe Bryant....but lets be honest, both those dudes needed each other and both of those dudes were in the wrong for prematurely ending something special. Shaq gets way too much hate in the Kobe-Shaq dynamic for my liking. Dude was a beast and Kobe doesn't get to where he is without someone like Shaq pushing him to get there.

 

So you’re an enabler



He just admitted taking his craft less than seriously. He knew he could take Summers off because Kobe wouldn’t. His free throws never improved. Never developed a jumper or fade away. As his athleticism faded, so did his impact.

Put Kobe in that body and he’d have been impossible to stop. There would be no hack a shaq to even give you a chance. Talking about averaging 50. He’d have never gotten out of shape.

Letting yourself gain 50 lbs in an offseason is not something serious athletes do. You pay a price, and his prime could definitely been extended. He didn’t get the most out of his ability. Undebatable. He never expanded his game, and he got by on natural talent.

No debating his greatness, but I’ll never make excuses for his shortcomings.

 

Put Kobe in that body, he woulda broke down much sooner than Shaq (his Achilles will tell you that).

It's so easy to say you would bust your a** in the gym everyday while irresponsibily getting shot up with anti-inflammatories, but it's another actually listening to your body as you go from one lengthy season to another.

Agree to disagree... It's way too easy to say what another should do with their body of work without really feeling the aches and pains of it all.

Anyways, that interview between Shaq and Kob was dope AF. It's a must watch, Lakers fans!

 

Must watch!