If Kobe Bryant led the Lakers to the NBA title...

[tickletoy3]

If you don't like NBA basketball skip this post. 🙂

If Kobe Bryant led the Lakers to the NBA title, what do you think the reaction would be? Would Kobe ever, truly get out of the shadow of Shaq? This isn't about Shaq/Kobe. This is just a general question of what would happen if/when Kobe would lead the Lakers to the NBA title.

Some athletes get more than they deserve. Some get a lot less. I'm talking in terms of more than just money.

For instance.. Jose Canseco was once a monster on the baseball field. He was the first man to ever go 40/40 in baseball history (40 stolen bases and 40 homeruns in a single season). Now days.. it's just not that a big of a deal. And most don't even remember who Jose Caseco is.

That's just a small example of how some achievements in sports history can be insignificant over time.

But my real question of what would happen if/when Kobe would lead the Lakers to a title came from watching the NFL Hall of Fame ceremonies and seeing one name: Steve Young.

Steve Young won a Super Bowl. Steve Young finished his career as the HIGHEST RATED QB IN NFL HISTORY. Yet despite all this.. did he ever really get out of the shadow of Joe Montana??

The man won a 'friggin Super Bowl!!! How many QB's can even say that?? Yeh, yeh I know Montana won even more Super Bowls. That's not the point. My thing is.. at what point does an athlete become their own person? Be recognized for what they do and not just compared to other athletes?

So tell me.. if Kobe Bryant led the Lakers to the NBA title what do you think the reaction would be?? Given all the transitions the Lakers have made over the last couple seasons and their current personnel, I would rank it as one of the best achievements in basketball history.

 

[primetime]

oh, how you must love to see primetime post about Kobe Bryant and particulary the Lakers....i love you too man!

anyway, to answer your question, if Kobe led the Lakers to a title, i for one, will talk so much trash, people will hate me. i really think people would hate me, because boy, would i ever go off on all the Shaq lovers/Laker haters.

but seriously, the Lakers have the capability to win a NBA title. the Laker team is starting to look like the Chicago Bulls. you have your Jordan (Kobe), Pippen (Odom), a nameless center (Chris Mihm, Vlade, take your pick..), a power forward (Brown) and a tall athletic, defensive point guard (McKie). now, before you people start screaming "KOBE IS NO JORDAN!!!" no sh*t, but he resembles Jordan in his role on this Laker team. Phil is back, so you damn well know the Lakers will be much improved.

but the key is Lamar Odom. if he sucks, the Lakers lose. they need him to be a serious threat to get the heat off Kobe. also, Kwame Brown (i'm not exactly thrilled about getting him) MUST step up. let's see if Phil Jackson can mold these two under acheivers. Kobe will be a dominant force, but he needs these other guys to really step up their games. i think they can...but of course, people say i have "Laker colored glasses"..

as for other people's reactions to Kobe winning. it would BURN them up! outside of TRUE Laker fans, who wants to see Kobe and the Lakers succeed? Kobe Bryant is probably the most hated basketball player today, yet guys like Latrell (can i choke you coach?) Sprewell, and Allen (i'm a thug and proud of it) Iverson, do not get that same kind of hatred. i still dont know what Kobe did to get hated, but that is the reality.

Steve Young wasnt exactly hated. 49er fans didnt like him because of the Montana complex, but the rest of the league felt Steve was a great QB and when he won, the rest of the world felt good for him. 49er fans were saying "about time!" and "you should have done this YEARS ago!!". but if Kobe's Lakers win, Kobe WILL STILL GET NO CREDIT outside of true Laker fans. he still wont be adored. he still wont get respected as a person. how do i know this? from people's reactions towards him and they cant even come up with a concrete reason as to why. it's blind hate and Kobe would need to win 10 rings on his own for people to even say "he was okay...". you Kobe-haters know i'm right in that assessment. but yes, if Kobe's Lakers win the title, it definitely would be a tremendous achievement.

 

[CurtWild]

i can`t stand b-ball but as a sports fan in general....

i think it`s different with kobe.i believe he needs to win without shaq to prove himself...somewhat.

lol...tough for me to type what i mean.

kobe is a great player...but shaq is arguably the most dominant player of this generation.kobe would have to get his props from all non-laker fans if he can win without shaq.outside of kobe there isn`t anyone on this team that jumps out at you,which makes him that much more important.he needs to prove that he can elevate his game and carry this team throughout the season and playoffs.

 

[Krokus]

if he could do it, I'd give him much respect.

 

[isabeau]

are you people serious????? this man is a rapist. should not be playing basketball at all. but of course if you are a great sports figure, and rich to boot you can get away with rape, murder and the like.

isabeau and be kind in your attacks to me

 

[CurtWild]

are you people serious????? this man is a rapist. should not be playing basketball at all. but of course if you are a great sports figure, and rich to boot you can get away with rape, murder and the like.

isabeau and be kind in your attacks to me

way too sensitive a subject that is......

 

[isabeau]

drunkenguy love your siggy, sorry to bring that up but its how i feel.

isabeau

 

[primetime]

without having to re-hash threads of whether Kobe is guilty or not, let's just keep his legal episode out of this thread. this is about basketball and basketball only. because if we go down the path of his legal trouble, feelings are going to be hurt. believe me....

now, as for basketball, Kobe Bryant is not going to be the "initiator" of the triangle offense this year, so he shouldnt have to worry about being "selfish". it will be up to someone else to get the teammates involved. much like Jordan did. Jordan wasnt the initiator of the Chicago Bull offense, Pippen was.

if Kobe Bryant wins the NBA title this year, a LOT of credit HAS to go to him AND Phil Jackson. it remains to be seen how people will react if the Lakers win the NBA title. all i know is, you will see me with a Laker jersey dancing and celebrating at a parade....

 

[isabeau]

welll excuse me all to hell. shouldnt have brought him into a threat at all imho

isabeau

ps kobe bryant is just a good basketball player. and if shaq werent so tall he wouldnt have been playing basketball. michael jordan and larrry byrd were true super stars. kobe proved last year he couldnt take over when shaq left.

plus my husband is the ultimate nba fan and he says kobe cannot possilbly fill shaqs feet. plus shaq wears a twenty size six shoe , kobe could never fill that hehe and please guys be kind.

 

[Newcastle Uni]

I don't know anything about basketball, but I've heard something about Dennis Rodman this week. Does anyone know what I might have heard?

 

[CurtWild]

drunkenguy love your siggy, sorry to bring that up but its how i feel.

isabeau

well thank you....

i understand....i just don`t think i could express what i think about that on the computer without it coming out wrong.


back to the topic...
he won`t get as much credit now with phil there.

 

[primetime]

isabeau, read prior threads about Shaq-Kobe to get a better understanding on why the Lakers didnt do so well last year. it wasnt just because Shaq left...

anyway, to all these doubters think Kobe Bryant cant/wont lead the Lakers back to the promised land. well, now that Phil is back, the Lakers have a GREAT shot of winning it all. people tend to forget the work ethic of Kobe Bryant and last season only fuels the fire he has to prove people wrong about him and the Lakers. the Lakers are a proud organization and we wont go quietly into the night. we will be back. i just hope Phil can make Kwame Brown and Lamar Odom good players who bring it every night. if they do, the Lakers win the Western Conference. i really want the Lakers to win besides being a Laker fan. i want everyone who rips on Mr. Bryant finally realize what a special player Kobe really is. he will never become Jordan. he will never become Magic Johnson. he will become Kobe Bryant. but unfortunately, he needs to win the title to finally get the recognition he deserves.