Kobe already has a legacy. He's already a top 10 player in NBA history which certainly is a "legacy." Winning another championship will only add to it.
I've never seen Kobe this determined before. Is it out of line to say that right now, after everything he's done, Kobe is playing the best basketball of his career?
I dunno, I still don't think this year beats out the 81 point season. If he had the same teammates during that year that he has today, we'd probably steam roll through the postseason. Who knows though, I haven't seen much of decline in talent from him at all. Team USA was supposed to slow him down as well, look what he's doing now? He said after Game 1 that he's feeling great. Kobe = amazing. Now win this ring.
I think people need to put Kobe's legacy into perspective. I can't speak for players like Magic, Bird, and Kareem, but the expectations for Kobe are kind of ridiculous due to today's media's standards. I've never seen a team that gets criticized no matter what. They beat the Jazz and they didn't do it flashy enough, beat the Rockets but had to do it in seven, and beat the Nuggets but they looked soft doing it. Now you get to game one where Kobe puts up one of the best game one performances of this decade and we hear the same old Kobe is a ballhog type of stuff. Anything sort of a sweep and the Lakers are probably going to be criticized somewhat. My point is win or lose Kobe is going to be looked back on as one of the most over analyzed players of the last 20 years or so. The funny thing is despite being over analyzed, he's still the best player in the game and everyone knows that. If he wins a few more titles, then I agree with Lost One in that it's only going to add to an already solid legacy.
Offensively that was a great year for him. But he wasn't the leader he is now, he wasn't the floor general he is now, he wasn't the assassin he is now (hard to believe, at least IMO), he didn't play the lock down defense he does now, etc. Overall, I think he is a better player now than that year. His offense was great that year, but leadership was still rocky.
kobe is the kind of layyer you try to immitate, just like mj, his fall back shot has developed from an immitation jordan, to having its very own, distinct style. Kobe's under the basket layups, hanging until the very most oppurtune moment, his mid range pop up shots leave the defender still on the ground as the ball neatly hits the back of the rim, swooshing through the net with ease. these are the things i see kobe do every time he plays, im not one to focus on stats, or any sort of numbers, all i know is i grew up watching kobe, the very first time i was introduced to basketball i was 6 years old and it was kobe's rookie season, i have followed him and the lakers ever since, he sure isnt my faveourite player of all time, that goes to magic johnson, but his style of play, which is his very own, is the bet that ive ever seen. no matter how many championships kobe has by the end of his career, he will still be great, an nba legend, because when he can look the defender in the eye, make a simple crossover fake, and pull up for one of his dagger mid range jumpshots, with the defender still trying to figure out which way to guard him, you know he is unstoppable, if he can sell a move that 12 year olds are doing around the world, one of the first real ball fakes you learn to do, and make that work, wow. those things are what make kobe great, he makes everyplay look easy, every move is one you know, but he puts together those movements so precisely every single time without failure, the spin move is so iconic to Kobe, his pump fake, his crossover, its like we have seen that basline fallaway J a million times, but you still cant stop it, even when you know what he is doing, that is skill. lebron and shaq can over power their opponents as much as they like, but neither will ever have the same amount of offensive, or defensive skill that Bryant possesses.
His leadership was rocky because who did he have to lead? 18 year old Bynum? Kwame Brown? Smush Parker? He had freaking Lamar Odom as his primary "side kick," who would show up like once every 5 games and then vanish. I don't know what you mean about assassin, remember his game winner against the Suns in game 4? Remember him single handidly outscoring the entire Mavericks team in 3 quarters? And of course the 81 point game. His defense may not have been as great as it is right now, but that's understandable because he had to exert so much energy on offense being the first and second options, because Lamar, his sidekick, was nothing more than a 3rd option at best. At times he couldn't even fill that role. I think it's still somewhat close, but if I had to choose, I'd say his best basketball was in the 2006 season. That year he was truly unstoppable. Although you could argue that if he actually had teammates back then, we'd see a different Kobe. It's hard to debate really, but in 2006 Kobe was truly amazing.
I agree it was his most dominant offensive year, but I still think his leadership was raw and immature compared to now. I know he didn't have the cream of the crop when it came to talent around him, but still you have to work with what you've got. Understandably, he didn't trust his teammates like he does now...and that was the major flaw in his game. It got him labeled as a ball hog and as a poor leader. Look at Jordan, he is remembered for his championship years and amazing leadership. People don't really talk about his early years when he dominated offensively but the Bulls weren't good. I think the same is true with Kobe, now. Overall he is a better player now than he was before because of how well rounded he has become and how great of a leader he has become.
There was an interesting perspective on the Kobe-Jordan debate. Is Jordan considered better because he came first? What if Kobe had come first? I always felt Kobe's career was the inverse of Jordan. With Michael he struggled early on despite monster games and ridiculous individual accomplishments. He only started winning later on in his career and dominated the game in a different way. Kobe won 3 titles straight away and then went into an invidual accomplishment stage (81 points, MVP, 50 point game outbursts etc.) The past two seasons Kobe has a 3rd chapter with a chance to be a dominant team player and win his 4th title.
I personally believe that Kobe in his prime is on par with, or better than Jordan in his prime. *waiting for Blazers fans*
