Even if the NBA didn’t have a lockout this summer. Even if the league wasn’t cramming 66 games into a four month season. Even if the CP3 trade wasn’t vetoed, or the Lakers didn’t jettison Lamar Odom in the aftermath of the veto, one thing was already certain heading into the 2011-12 season.
Kobe Bean Bryant is no longer a top-10 player in this league.
Lebron James, Dwyane Wade, Derrick Rose, Dwight Howard, Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Durant, Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, Carmelo Anthony and Rajon Rondo. All players that any intelligent general manager would take right now over Kobe Bryant. And rightfully so. Bryant is still an elite player, just not upper crust elite. He’s barely hitting 40 percent from the field yet still forcing shot after shot as though this were 2006, and he’s routinely turning the ball over (league high 28 through six games) at the worst times. The injury to his hand has only exacerbated the fact that his handle is one of the worst among players currently starting at the two guard position (seriously, the only players still falling for his crossover move are the ones older than he is). Its not a knock, its just an accurate observation.
Grade Bryant’s play in the fourth quarter of the last two games against the Denver Nuggest through the lens of an NBA2K My Player, and you’d end up losing so many skill points that you would quit, erase the data, and start create an entirely new guy. Take a look:
12/31/2012 – (Kobe enters the game at 9:17 for Metta World Peace): 8:45, 22-foot jumper made Bad Shot Selection/Made Basket. 7:37, 25-foot jumper missed Hold Ball Too Long/Bad Shot Selection/Missed Basket. 7:13, 17-foot jumper made Good Shot Selection/Made Basket. 6:26, 26-foot three-pointer missed Hold Ball Too Long/Bad Shot Selection/Missed Basket. 6:11, Kobe gets a rebound Defensive Rebound, and tries to drive on Rudy Fernandez, has the ball stolen, and is called for a technical foul Hold Ball Too Long/Lose Ball/Turnover. Three minutes pass, and despite some poor defensive possesions by Kobe, the Lakers make a late push to get within five points, 89-84. 3:23, Kobe has an assist to Andrew Bynum Assist/Pass Leading to And-One. 1:37, Kobe grabs a defensive rebound Defensive Rebound, misses an open 23-footer Good Shot Selection/Missed Basket, 0:49, loses the ball in the post Lose Ball/Turnover, 0:07, misses a 25-footer. With seven seconds left, he allows Danilo Gallinari to beat him back to the defensive end of the court Hold Ball Too Long/Bad Shot Selection/Missed Basket/Poor Transition Defense, but Gallinari misses the layup. Bryant grabbed the defensive rebound Defensive Rebound and was fouled with one second left. He missed one of two free throws Missed Free Throw/Made Free Throw.
The very next night…
1/1/2012 - (Kobe enters the game at 8:27 for Jason Kapono with score tied at 76-76) 7:45, misses 25-footer Bad Shot Selection/Missed Basket. 7:07, makes a 4-foot runner Hold Ball Too Long/Made Basket. 6:52, misses 22-footer Bad Shot Selection/Missed Basket. 6:20, misses 11-footer Bad Shot Selection/Missed Basket. 4:28, turnover on a bad pass attempt Bad Pass/Turnover. 4:05, assist to Pau Gasol layup Assist. 3:44, makes 20-footer Good Shot Selection/Made Basket. 3:12, misses 22-footer Bad Shot Selection/Missed Shot. 3:09, poor defensive rotation allows Danilo Gallinari to score Allow Inside Pass/Allow Man to Score. 2:47, scores on a cut to the basket Good Shot Selection/Made Basket. 2:13, misses 25-footer Bad Shot Selection/Missed Basket, and fails to get back on defense, allowing Gallinari a dunk Bad Transition Defense/Allow Man to Score. 1:21, bad pass is stolen by Andre Miller Jump to Pass/Turnover leading to a fastbreak layup by Ty Lawson Turnover Leading to Fastbreak Score. 1:07, misses another 25-footer Bad Shot Selection/Missed Basket. 0:23, misses a 26-footer Bad Shot Selection/Missed Basket.
He’s still a quality player, and if the right thingss are in place, you can still win with Kobe. New Lakers head coach Mike Brown’s defense-first approach has already had a impact on this team, and from this observer’s vantage point, the last remaining piece needed is for Kobe to realize his shortcomings and make the proper adjustments (namely feed the big men, play team defense, and realize that he is to rising star Andrew Bynum what Shaq was to young Kobe back in 2000).
Though the sample size is small, Bynum has shown in his first two games back from suspension that at the very least he should be the Lakers secondary offensive option. He’s averaging 23.5 points, 14.5 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks while shooting 67 percent from the field. Bynum carried the Lakers to victory in the first matchup against the Nuggets on New Year’s Eve, and seemed prime to do th esame on New Year’s Day were it not for Bryant insisting upon launching 25-footers and giving the ball away. From almost the nine minute mark up until the game’s final ten seconds, Bynum was frozen out (zero shot attempts) while Bryant took ten shots, hitting on only three of them. In fact, Bryant took more shots in the fourth quarter than Bynum and Pau Gasol combined, even though Pau led all scorers with 20 points, and Bynum had 18.
Kobe was 6 for 28 from the field… Those are Game Seven NBA Finals numbers… Those are Denver Broncos quarterback numbers…
At thirty-three years old, Kobe Bryant should apply the less is more addage to his play on the court. He can’t carry an entire team by himself anymore the way he could in 2006, and the good news is, he doesn’t have to. The Lakers aren’t even asking him to. They’re asking him to be a team player, something the previous administration tried, failed, and won championships in spite of.
Through a jam packed week’s worth of games, the Lakers have proven that they have acquired the right blend of talent and personailities to compete in the Western Conference this season. They are in no way prohibitive favorites, but they have an identity: tough, scrappy, defensive minded team with two bigs who can score, and a guy who used to be the best player in the NBA.
SLAM Online’s Marel Mutoni assessed 2012 Kobe Bryant through a tweet after last night’s loss. “Kobe’s no-trade clause,” he said, “plus his stubborn refusal to accept his basketball mortality will make the next three years a hilarious disaster.”
This could be true, or Kobe could acknowledge those things we all know to be true, and adjust his game accordingly. Either way, say goodbye to Kobe Bryant as the best player in the NBA, because he’s left the building.
How darre you say the Emperor has not clothes. Kobe is a legend whose stature is diminshing with each new game. My dog Marley can make more jumnp shots than Kobe in his current condition. In contrast Chauncey Billups knows when to make a non shooting contribution to his team. Kobe should place his wrist in a cast and heal before his next game shot attempt. Kudos for having the courage to point out that the Kobe is a much diminished player quickly sliding into a liability for the Lakers.
Woof! Woof!
duuuuh, GAWD who wrote this original story, freak’in Black Mamba,
has not lost it,…if not 4 Durant and his 30+pts in the All-Star game
the MVP would have gone 2, da Black Mamba, plus who is leading the
NBA in scoring, true true he’s a hoarder but he’s a frick’in ICON !!!!!!
hey hey hey dude are yeah freak’n? owww cmmm’n the black mumba is still the ONE ok no body does it better than he does he surpass several historic record’s lebron,wade and any body on the league right now does? owwww men on past all star if kobe play the last remaining minutes i will bet my mustang,,, he will be the mvp again but he’s not greedy he shares to somebody…. co,z he has a lot allready tsk tsk tsk…..
Kobe finished 2nd in the League in Scoring last year… playing the entire year with a sore wrist and broken finger. He CHOOSE to sit out the 2nd half of the last game when he had a shot at being the Scoring Champion. Ya’ll hater need to quit… just stop it!
In the defense of the author, this article was written close to a year ago when Kobe was struggling at the beginning of the season. The author has since softened his stance.
-LTSB
Sorry, But his buddy A-Rod may be a flirt, but whether you pay off your victim (how you like that word dems)or not, once a rapist, always a rapist.
You guys are out of your minds if you think carmelo and rondo are better than kobe.Carmelo plays absolutey No Defense, remember D-Fence? nowwinski can shoot but he too cannot guard a parked bus. Rondo a point guard who has problems hitting a foul line jump shot!
Kobe’s got the most turnovers in all of basketball, is forcing bad shots, and is apparently oblivious to both of those facts. That said, he’s still the eleventh best basketball player on the planet in his sixteenth season. It’s not a slight to his legacy to acknowledge that after almost two decades, Kobe is no longer one of the ten best guys playing.
Thanks for reading.
You are a fool and a hater, marcus. You dont need know basketball stop publishing this nonsence. You list is crazy son. u think melo, dwight, dirk, rondon, blake, lebron (with NO 4th) are better then kobe ???? come on son
Neither a fool nor a hater. Kobe is the best player on my favorite NBA team. Since the post, Kobe’s had a great slew of games, particularly the back-to-back-to-back 40 point games, and I commend him for it.
Still, do I see this recipe of long range jumpers and volume shooting producing sustainable success? Not really. He’s on fire, but when it dies down, Kobe’s going to need to incorporate the other guys on his squad (and no, Dwight Howard isn’t one of them), play better defense, and exhibit better ball security. The competition Kobe’s big scoring nights have come against (Cleveland, Utah, GSW, Phoenix etc) are favorable compared to who he needs to have big games against (Miami, LAC, OKC, etc).
But thanks for reading. We’ll see how this plays out.
Im sorry but i dont see kobe as the next jordan. the closest to jordan is lebron. check the stats if you dont believe it. kobe has not beat the heat in four games now. what does that tell you. kobes career is done son.
LMAO!!! what nonsense and tom foolery are you talking about?? Jordan even said Kobe was worthy of being compared to him..Lebron is no where near….and i mean NEAR any of Jordans accomplishments..Lebron cant win when it counts PERIOD! just ask Nowitzski lol…that was just a Lebron fan D riding as usual. LOL thats like saying Andrew Bynum is the next Shaq…..smh at that worthless comment.
There is no closest thing to Jordan THERE NEVER EVER WILL BE kobe and Lechoke have both lost two finals MJ NEVER EVER LOST in the finals period you can’t even utter his name in the same breath as Jordan so please stop drinking your stupid juice
spot on, Joseph, no freak’in way, the Black Mamba is the 11th
best player in the NBA, a slight in his legacy, duuuh,…just wait
and see during the end of the season, the Black Mamba will in
fact prevail,…exactly, melo, blake, rondon, dirk,…go figure????
And what skill set does Blake , Carmelo, Dwade and few others for that matter have over Kobe. From what Michael Jordan says..including Gms of the Nba ,commentators and some nba players..Kobe Byant is the only one who has put the work in to be compared to JORDAN !! Kobe played with and against Jordan and some greats, none of those players you mentioned have. Kobe has mastered every part of the court..Wade and Arenas have quoted that.. Lebron just started going to the post this year, durant doesn’t, Blake cant and kobes being using cats down there since he was 21..the man has the most 3′s in a game and in a half, he’s scored 40 in 1 half. Kobe scored 60 in 3 quarters didn’t play the 4th scored 50,55,60 in three straight games only wilt did that and he’s had 3 games wheres he’s scored 50 points or more in three qrts and dint play the 4th…other than Dirk Durant and carmelo the rest of those guts dont hit clutch free throws…. How quickly people forget.. go on you tube he has the mixes and Highlight..just as Much as MJ
THATS RIGHT MUST BE CRAZY TOO THINK KOBE NOT TOP 10 HE DONT HAVE TOO PROVE TOO NOBODY HE IS ONE OF THE GREATS PLAYER THATS PLAYED BALL
yeah…about that
Looking at your list, I think Kobe would still slot in at around #7 for me and I still think he’s elite, which is incredible given the amount of minutes he’s played, but point well taken that Kobe is definitely off the reservation and that injury is making the turnovers and shot selection even worse. I’d much rather see an inside-out game by the Lakers but frankly I think they are still trying to learn the offense and Kobe has always had a when in doubt give me the damn ball temperament.
My top 10 list would be 1. LeBron James, 2. Dwight Howard, 3. Kevin Durant, 4. Dwayne Wade, 5. Chris Paul, 6. Derrick Rose, 7. Kobe, 8. Dirk Nowitzki, 9. Carmelo Anthony, 10. (tie) Kevin Love/Blake Griffin than the other thus far.
Interesting read.
Okay all of you Kobe Haters. Its apparent that its always the next man up. Kobe entire career has had Rowe Scholars who has predicted his abilities. First it was he shoots too much to win a title. He has (5) along with 2 NBA finals MVPs. He is the games most clutch player still even in his 16th year. Take a poll of any coach in the league and see who they would want to take the last shots. Yes he has lost the leaping ability and explosiveness to the basket , but show me anyone who is a bigger competitor. At 33 years old he scored 48 on tuesday and dropped 40 on wednesday on the road against the Jazz. If you genious stopped hating for 5 minutes or more you might stop and appreciate a legend before your eyes.
hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm…………..the guy who wrote this must feel a little silly right now!
He scored 40+ in 4 games + lead pts per game right now. you suck hard man, really. hate haters..
I think Kobe still has more in the tank than most of these reporters give him credit for having. I would put him in the top five and in no specific order because all the players mention has something unique to bring to the table but I would rather he have the ball in his hand with the clock running down. Do your thing KOBE.
I hate the Lakers and Kobe, but even I can’t bring myself to agreeing with you. Saying Melo and Rondo outpoint Kobe is ridiculous. I know the more comments you get the more you fap because its bringing you attention. But this is sad. You should considering going back to working at Wendy’s if this is the level of thinking in writing a sports blog.
Given the fact that Kobe has played more games than most of these players in the last 10 years I would say that the game has taken a toll on his body. But I would agree that until these other players prove themselves I still have him around number 5. But on a good night he’s still number 1 and the hands down heir to MJ…
Name 1 GM that would ever take Rondo over Kobe. Kobe is still a top 10 player, this is a bit extreme. Kobe is a top 5 player still.
You’re obviously trying to bump your ratings by pissing off basketball fans. Rondo will never be
over Kobe. He is not clutch like KObe
. He also can’t shoot the rock 10 feet from the basket.
Lebron is a great player but can’t perform in the biggest stage. Larry Bird said it best when he said “if you want to have fun you play alongside lebron but if you want to win championships you play along side Kobe”. Note: he just said that several weeks ago.
Lastly, we measure greatness with success. Kobe has been to the Finals three of the last four years with two championchips. Out of all those guys you mentioned you have a combined 2 rings (dirk, wade).You are clearly a numbers (stats) guy who doesn’t see the big picture of what a true elite player is. Rondo Blake and Melo are not elite.
1.) Not trying to make false statements to generate traffic. I beleive everything I write, otherwise I wouldn’t write it or put my name on it. Thanks for reading though.
2.) Rajon Rondo also has a ring, and has played for two Finals teams, so let’s not forget him.
3.) We’re not talking past accolades, we’re talking about getting the job done today. When I originally wrote the post (almost two months ago) I felt a lot more strongly about keeping the list as it is, but now I’m willing to reconsider Carmelo Anthony’s place on it, given his poor play and injury fatigue. Still, Kobe has a combined 4-7 record against the teams the other top guys play for, and the losses have been some of his personal worst of the season.
He’s still an all-time great, and deserves respect. But in the “what have you done for me lately” nature of modern sports, you have to be real about the prospects of Kobe performing night-in and night-out at a greater rate than the other players mentioned.
Thanks again for reading.
I am not even sure you have a forum to post this rubbish. You must be the casual basketball fan who is really a closet baseball fan. Hockey perhaps. It is evident you have no clue about basketball. Lebron is a stat stuffer, 3 quarters mind you. Could not close a door more less a game. Wade is a one trick pony. No jumper, no range. Howard, Rose, CP3 and Durant are in the convo. Dirk, really? Last year was an abomination. Rondo, you have got to be kidding me. Kobe fg% is higher than Rondo ft%. Rondo is a one trick pony as well. Anthony is a great scorer, but better than Kobe? Anthony even said, yesterday, that Kobe is the best. B. Griffin is not even the best player on his team. He is not their yet. His jumper is suspect, super slow release means he needs a ton of space to even jack one up. I do agree that Kobe turns the ball over too much. This is do in part their point guard father time aka Fisher. Kobe has to handle the rock more often than not because nobody else can do it. They need a pg and a 6 man and they are the best team in the NBA. I also agree that Kobe should shoot less and feed the beast down low called Bynum. Kobe is not only a top 10 player, he is a top 5 player and STILL the player you want shooting the game winner.
“Wade is a one trick pony. No Jumper. No range.”
But I’m the casual fan? Riiiiiiiggghhht…
OK, Rondo is a one trick pony? That’s why he has a double double or triple double just about every game? I have watched the Celtics for years, and with Rajon as their point guard and he is most definitely an elite player. Yeah he doesn’t shoot the ball as well as Kobe, but he gets more done in other departments that Kobe apparently cant do anymore. Like assists, rebounds and defense. Kobe is done if he doesn’t start playing like a team player. Shoot less often and pass the ball, which I don’t see him doing that. He has never done that. That is what I call a ONE TRICK PONY. A guy that is just known for his ability to score is a one trick pony. Period. Furthermore, the Lakers are not even doing that well this season. Granted they are doing better than the Celtics, but the only reason the Celtics are hurting is bc they have several injured players on their roster, and a few bad trades. If they had stuck with Perkins as their big man, stuck with Big Baby and Nate Robinson we would be better and stay better than the Lakers.
And yes I am a Kobe and Lakers hater and I am not saying he is not good, he is just not as good as he once was. And I wouldnt put half the players this guy listed above him. He is at least #5.
I hate Kobe and the Lakers… absolutely HATE them. But you sir are an idiot, for my team I would take Kobe over everyone on that list except for Lebron, Kevin Durant, and maybe Derrick Rose. To win right now… this year Kobe Bryant is still untouchable. Kobe has that killer instinct that drives me absolutely nuts… NO player in the NBA has it like him. You keep mentioning that Kobe keeps losing to these other people’s teams… you ever think maybe their teams are better… yeah I think so. Oh and one more thing… Dwight Howard is not that great. He is a good player but with his size, strength, and athleticism the guy is pretty horrible. He needs to learn how to actually play before you put him above a lot of NBA players.
Just wen’t back and looked at that list you have up there again…. damn what a joke. Rajon Rondo plays for my favorite team, but I’m sorry he’s not Kobe and he will never be. Blake Griffin needs to learn how to do something besides dunk and he’ll be good. Taking Griffin and Rondo over Kobe shows how little you know about basketball. Dirk is on that list and has kind of sucked this year as well saying himself that he didn’t deserve an all star vote. Melo and Dwayne Wade are too inconsistent and I would still take Kobe over. You should reconsider Kobe, he’s still top five, and like I said if I was picking for a team and had to win one game to win the whole thing… I’d still pick Kobe Bryant any day of the week.
I’m not a Kobe fan and definitely a Kobe-hater, but let’s give this guy his due and I would very much agree he is the closest thing next to MJ.
LeBron will be no MJ and will never ever be near MJ, he is more of MJ as in Magic Johnson. Big, fast, strong, fancy, creative and indeed fun to watch.
I’ll place my quarter and a cent on the table, at the rate LeBron is playing, he will be the next greatest basketball player after JOrdan.
This is the most absurd thing I HAVE EVER HEARD and I cant even believe I wasted 5 minutes of my life reading this. I will never get those 5 minutes back, you must not watch or know anything about professional basketball
Kobe shoots way to fn much…mark my words his time is up. Luck ca only carry you so far and that one trick pony game winner after missing his 1st 15 shots was pure luck. The guy went 3 for 20 afee games back and had another poor one at 7 for 28. Im not drinking his kool aid no more son. His better days are way behind him. At this point in his selfish, non finals mvp award deserving career…. Hes only playing for positioning. Positioning amongst the all time greats in terms of points scored over a career. What you basketball heads need to realize is as he goes up the list of career points scored, he’s also going up the alltime list for turnovers committed. He most definately will have that #1 spot real soon. Imagine he will be known as the turnover king lmao what a clown
Averaging around 28 a game. Not a top ten player . Who wrote this stupid article. A real idiot
you should quit your job marcus, your an idiot. blake and carmeLOW are elite? big no, i’d rather take kevin love than blake, carmeLOW is 1 dimensional player. compared to kobe who is clutch, high IQ player, 5 RINGS! your a hater to sum it up.
You lost credibility by putting Griffins name up there, are you out of your mind? Who do YOU know that can shut kobe down 1 on 1 in the league right now? fucking dumbass
Yo, is this the real Black C? If so, I’d just like to say you’re one of my all-time heroes. If not, why are you name-jacking?
Anyways, thanks for reading an article written 7 months ago (to this date I believe). Ultimately, the way this season played out, I place Kobe back into the top-10, albeit in the lower half. He had a very productive season with ups (2nd in the NBA in scoring) and minuses (lowest shooting percentage since 1998). I’ve said a thousand times since it posted originally: it isn’t a diss to say that an all-time player in his 16th season isn’t still the best of the best. In fact the opposite is true, given that I had him ranked at 11. But over the course of the year, things shifted, and that’s cool. Still a fan of the guy, and his team, but I had an opinion and I voiced it. You read it, so thanks.
But please be Black C. Otherwise, fuck you too.
Writer had it correct. Kobe is not a top ten player anymore. I can think of several other players besides the ones mentioned I would take over Kobe. Plus he isnt close to Jordan. That’s one reason I have never liked Kobe. He thinks he’s better than Jordan. Won’t say that out loud but he does.
Hi,
I dont agree with you. Kobe is the most talented player in the NBA so far. He is aging but still very competitive. He is my favorite player to watch.
After all, he was the 2nd best scorer in the NBA this season. Scoring is what matter the most in the game of basketball. The rest is a team work.
Kobe is an elite player. Saying Blake Griffin is above him is complete idiocy. Blake Griffin can’t shoot a Free Throw yet alone a 24ft jumper. Blake Griffin is nothing but Box-Office; you cannot build a franchise around a player like Blake Griffin. D-Wade is a shell of his former self and Carmelo is nothing but a ball hog. Kobe is forced into bad shots because the team deffers to him too much; especially with the shot clock running down. The reason Kobe “Hold[s] the ball for too long” is because he is an isolation player that needs time to get rythm and read the defense. Kobe is the smartest basketball player in the game today and i know for certain there are PLENTY of teams thta would love to have a Kobe Bryant type player if they cannot have Kobe himself.
There is no way that Blake, Dirk, or Rajon even close to Kobe. Paul Pierce is actually better than those three guys. Kobe still has it and he plays hurt all the time.(think about that) LOOK OUT FOR NUMBER 6!
It’s evident that whoever wrote this piece knows absolutely nothing and I mean nothing about basketball. The fact that you put Dirk Nowitzki in front of Kobe is so appalling that it is funny. I know that this is a young man’s game and yes Kobe is getting older, but when he decides to turn it on, there is nobody in the league, young or old, that can stop him. And the fact that you put a player in front of him that is either oldler or just as old as Kobe is embarassing to whomever you work for. I am not a Lakers fan but I am a basketball fan and Kobe is still one of the top 5 players in the NBA. Of the 10 players you listed, they have less NBA championships combined than what Kobe has as an individual. Before you write columns make sure you understand the game.
You must be on crack writing a article like this. Blake Griffin better than Kobe ? LMFAO! This is one of the worst articles ive ever read online. Worst than Kelly Dewyer. Rajon Rondo HAHAHA.
You love my style.
This is the most retarded shit ive read in my life.
KOBE for sure is no MJ……kobe was just imitating so much MJ that early in his career he was really into MJ moves….Now, at 34,he looked like he was lost in terms of his game and focus…Look at what LAL nowadays I suggest let D12 be the main man on this LAL team. KOBE as what his fans called BLACK MAMBA had turned himself into an EARTHWORM…..
You Laker h8ers are something else. Whoever says Kobe is no longer a top 10 player has no idea what they’re talking about. Kobe is still ARGUABLY the best player playing right now. The only player that rivals him is LBJ and KD. There are few that has his work ethic and even fewer who wants to win as bad as he does. You people are nuts sayin that he too old and all that crap, I remember people sayin the same about Mike when he was 33 and 34…..
Actually, that article was written by a Lakers fan almost a full year ago.
-Editor
i stopped reading after you said you’d take Dirk(look at his season) and BLAKE GRIFFIN. Blake I can’t average double digit rebounds despite being the most athletic person at my position. Blake cant get my head on the rim but not on a block griffin. Blake Im possibly the most overrated player in the league griffin. Nobody in their right mind would take him ever. He only gets voted in the all-star game because he’s the most glamorous person at his position and he has the LA media behind him.
@sheesh – bruh, this was posted almost two whole seasons ago. Way before Lobe started using vampire blood on his knees. i was wrong. way wrong. Sheesh, Sheesh.
*Kobe not Lobe.
Whoever wrote this was high on PCP. Kobe is the best