Kobe Bryant – Don't believe the hype

Bob on 03 12, 2009


I’d like to apologize for the length of this article, but this topic can not be summed up briefly. Alright folks, before I get torn to shreds, hear me out when I say don’t believe the hype about Kobe Bryant. By no means am I saying that Kobe is a bad player or even just a good player. He has a world of talent, and anyone who can drop 81 in a game has to be respected by any fan of basketball, or sports in general. However, Kobe is given way too much credit for the Lakers success, and his ego has prevented him from making the leap from great to legendary.

Kobe has exposed his Achilles’ heel, that is, the absence of Shaquille O’Neal – in my opinion, the best big man in the history of the game. Without a ‘Shaqalicious’ in his prime, Bryant has failed to snatch another ‘ship since the Lakers 3-peat(’00 –’02). Who was the Finals MVP all 3 of these championship years? Not the adored Kobe Bryant who is hyped up beyond belief, it was in fact, ‘THE DIESEL.’

All these fans that praise Kobe and have the audacity to compare him to ‘His Airness,’ Michael Jordan, need to realize just how much of his success is due to an exceptionally dominant ‘Shaq Fu.’ To further illustrate just how dominant Shaq was (and proving this season that he still is); look at what he did for the Miami Heat. O’Neal promised fans he would bring a championship to a dismal Miami Heat team with a promising young star in Dwayne Wade. His first year there, Shaq and Wade took the Heat to the Eastern Conference Finals. The following year, ‘The Big Daddy’ stayed true to his word and delivered a title to Pat Riley’s Miami Heat.

On top of Kobe being praised too much for his team’s success, he is not given adequate responsibility for the team’s lack of success. After O’Neal’s departure to Miami in ‘04, the Lakers started sandbagging it and failed to make the playoffs. The following season the Lakers made the playoffs, but were ousted by the Suns in the first round. This trend followed the ensuing season, as LA was again thrown out of the playoffs by Phoenix in round 1. We didn’t hear much about Kobe Bryant and his role in LA’s plunge from the top during these harsh times. Funny how things work.

Kobe and his Lakers made it back to the Finals last season for the first time since 2004, but were unable to get it done against the Boston Celtics and their ‘Big Three.’ Bryant won his first MVP last season, strengthening my claim that he is praised too much for his team’s success. Before you get your panties, boxers what have you in a bunch, let me explain myself. Kobe did have an excellent season; I’m not taking that away from him. But come on, look at the supporting cast.

The Lakers brought Derek Fisher back, an important contributor of LA’s previous 3 titles. He brings experience, leadership, the ability to knock down a big shot and is a proven veteran, a vital piece of the puzzle in building a championship team. After Andrew Bynum’s season ending injury, who has come into his own and is emerging as LA’s next dominant big man, LA made a trade to acquire superstar Pau Gasol from Memphis. Bryant, Gasol and Fisher, alongside flex-man Lamar Odom and one of the NBA’s deepest benches makes for a pretty potent lineup. I’d make the case that LA’s bench, one which includes Jordan Farmar, Sasha Vujacic, Luke Walton and Trevor Ariza, is the deepest and most effective bench in the league.

When I think of the Most Valuable Player, I like to visualize taking that player off the team, and envisioning a team that would fail to win games with the absence of that player. Take Kobe off the Lakers, and they would still win games. Take LeBron off the Cavs or Wade off the Heat? Not a snowball’s chance in hell.

Anyways, my argument is not that he shouldn’t have been MVP, it is that he is given too much credit for LA’s achievements, and vice versa. Currently, LA has arguably the most dangerous roster from top to bottom in the NBA, and these role players should be given just as much credit. When Kobe was asked to put the team on his back in the ’04-’05 season(where they failed to make the postseason), he couldn’t do it. Phil Jackson called him ‘uncoachable.’ Not exactly what you want to hear from a head coach. He does have the ability to take over a game, but is too selfish. Bryant has definitely come a long way though. I’d say starting last season is when he really started making drastic improvements on being a complete team player, but with the talent surrounding him, he should be giving up the rock instead of forcing a contested shot.

If we’re going to over exaggerate Kobe and his contributions to the Lakers success, and even put him in the same category as MJ, then he is not alone. Players like LeBron and D. Wade should be mentioned in this category as well. When LeBron was given little talent to work with, he took his squad to the Finals, and have you seen what Dwayne Wade is doing this year? These guys are the poster boys of ‘team player,’ making a lot out of a little. Kobe has come along way from his ‘uncoachable’ self, but it might be too late if he wants to have his name mentioned in the same breath as Air Jordan.

Kobe’s raw basketball talent is unparalleled, but his ego has prohibited him from reaching maximum potential. He should be kissing Shaq’s behind for his previous success, and now with the most potent lineup in the NBA, the Lakers are back to being serious contenders. If the Lakers win it all this year, don’t be surprised, and if they do win a title, please refrain from the excessive Kobe chatter.

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  • snickerpippins
    your an idiot
  • Joe
    No great player wins MVPs or Championships without a great supporting cast in the NBA, and a great center is a requirement for any team to succeed consistently. It also takes a great coach, as evidenced by Michael Jordans success before Phil Jackson, for just one example.

    As Fan of Basketball documented all to clearly above, Kobe lost the center, the supporting cast and the coach in one fell swoop, and no one player has ever been able to succeed in those conditions in the NBA, nor would be expected to. Kobe now has all of the elements back in place, so I think the success of this year and the next few years should completely dispel this article as a tirade of a jealous Kobe hater fantasizing about his failure, when in fact this will be the time he proves himself as a near equal to MJ. Sure, the rest of the Lakers are a very good team without him, possibly even advancing deep into the playoffs if Bynum were healthy. But one thing that doesn't get mentioned often enough about Kobe, is his extraordinary "will to win"; a quality that a Great Player brings to elevate a "very good team" to the level of "Great Team".

    Kobe will go down as one of the Very Greatest to ever play the game, and that's not just Hype, that's the Truth!
  • Bob
    UnbiasCompetence - Who did LeBron have when he took his team to the finals against the Spurs? And don't say Z.
  • UnbiasCompetence
    Anyone who really takes anything this joke of an article has to say seriously is an absolute moron. This entire article and susequent responses are fueled by nothing more than sheer jealousy and misinformation. Kobe almost single-handedly beat the suns in the first round of the playoffs with absolutely no supporting cast. No other player, maybe in the history of the game (this including MJ), has been or would be able to do so. MJ had Pippen, a top 50 player of all time. Kobe had shaq, a top 50 player of all time, and they won 3 titles.

    Kobe now doesn't have any top 50 player of all time, but he certainly has enough solid players to allow his clear dominance and utter ownage of the game of basketball show. I love Jordan, but I don't believe I have ever seen a player with so much raw, yet refined, ability and talent. When you watch Kobe, watch him closely. You won't see many, if any, like him again.
  • KobeHater
    Couldn't have said it better myself
  • couchpotato
    i dont understand why kobe is considered hyped... i havent heard a thing about him on tv or let alone a tnt/abc/espn basketball game.
  • Fan of Basketball
    "Kobe and his Lakers made it back to the Finals last season for the first time since winning it in 2002"

    They actually made it back in 2004 but lost to Detroit.

    And after Shaq left in 2004, Kobe was left with a very different Lakers team:

    - Shaq went to Miami
    - Payton was traded to Boston
    - Rick Fox was traded to Boston and subsequently retired
    - Karl Malone retired
    - Derek Fisher went to Golden State
    - Phil Jackson didn't return

    The team lost 3 of its starters, a key back up point guard in Derek Fisher, and one of the best coaches of all time. I don't see how you could argue Kobe was the reason the Lakers didn't make the playoffs in 2005. The Lakers team at the time was full of scrubs. This was around the time when Kobe stepped up his game and people began calling him the best player in the NBA. The 81-point game performance happened in 2006, along with the 62-points against Dallas through 3 quarters. In 2007, came the multiple games in a row of 50 or more points. And after the two disappointing first round exits, Kobe went from demanding a trade to actually believing this new Lakers team had finally grown and could win a championship. Jordan Farmar developed a three-point shot, Sasha became a deadly shooter and a feisty defender, Andrew Bynum improved as a big man, Lamar Odom finally staved off injuries, and Derek Fisher returned - not to mention the superb trades that led to the acquisition of Trevor Ariza and Pau Gasol.

    Now you can make the argument that Shaq was able to win a championship by going to a Heat team that couldn't even make it out of the first round in 2004, while Bryant complained he needed more help to become a contender. But - if you look at the roster changes of the Miami Heat from the 2004 Playoffs through their 2006 championship season, you can see that Miami's front office made sure to place quality players around Shaq and Dwyane Wade. Miami acquired Gary Payton, Alonzo Mourning, Antoine Walker, James Posey, and Jason Williams to help with the title run. To say that Kobe had a fair shot running around with Smush Parker, Kwame Brown, Luke Walton, an injured Lamar Odom, and a slew of undeveloped players, is really not a fair comparison. Last season when the Lakers finished first in the West, it was a pleasant surprise because those undeveloped players had finally improved. This season, the Lakers are the favorites to win because they finally have a strong supporting cast - much like all championship teams have (including Shaq's Heat).

    The point is, as much as Kobe needed Shaq for the three Lakers titles, Shaq needed Kobe. When Shaq went to Miami, he had Dwyane Wade and other former all-stars help carry the load. Now with the Lakers, Kobe has Pau Gasol and a strong supporting cast to help him contend. Every championship team has a strong supporting cast, and recently, MVPs usually come from teams that have great records, and one of the reason for those great records is having a strong supporting cast. Steve Nash had a strong team, Dirk Nowitzki had a strong team, Kevin Garnett had a strong team, Kobe Bryant had a strong team, and for this season - both LeBron and Kobe have great teams to help them win the MVP. As unfair as it may seem, Dwyane Wade will not win the MVP because of his team record, which is related to him not having a strong supporting cast. So with that, it's also unfair to say Kobe didn't deserve the MVP last season because he had such a strong supporting cast. It's just kind of been a necessity to have strong team records in order to win the MVP, moreso lately than ever.
  • Mike
    You're trippin' if you think that D-Wade didn't carry Shaq and the Heat on HIS back to that title!
  • JulioFoolio
    Dear Bob,

    Have you even looked at the NBA standings this season?
    http://www.nba.com/standings/team_record_compar...

    Kobe has proven that his attitude is just fine with the right team around him. 3 rings and enough life left in his legs for 3 more. Wait and see.
  • toddx
    Holy cow!

    This is a great article. The evidence is presented so simply and succinctly. It has always been there. Kobe is hyped even more than LBJ. Whereas LBJ's hype is organic--growing from his natural talent, ability, and personality. Kobe is the product of a hype machine. Sure he has talent and ability, but he does not have the charisma or likability of LBJ. Additionally, he has somehow overcame a public relations nightmare virtually unscathed, in fact he has been rewarded. Imagine if Barry Bonds had this hype machine...I digress.

    This season Kobe Bryant has a supporting cast that would allow LBJ or Wade somewhere close the to the best record in the NBA. Perhaps even better.

    Wade is saddled with the lowest PER's at center and small forward in the NBA, the rest of his team is in the lower half of overall efficiency. Where would Kobe be with this supporting cast? History showed us that he has a tendency for selfishness. Is that still the case?
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