Kobe Bryant announces retirement

You know, it's like art, open to interpretation.

In a few years (if the trajectory continues) you can switch out Curry for Bird.

But yeah, Kobe is no-brainer top 5.

 

Who are you bumping for him, LeBron or Jordan? Or, going small and taking out Duncan, Chamberlain or Russell?

 

I liken him more to Brett Favre with more championships. His good stats are gaudy, but so are his bad ones.

He's third all-time in scoring, but also first all-time in shots missed. He was a spectacular and underrated defender, but he also turned the ball over way too much for a shooting guard.

That's the kind of stuff that, like Favre, keeps him out of the top 5 but also keeps him in the top 10.

 

re: @sgreenwell

My top 5 right now: Magic (6'9), LeBron (6'8), Jordan (6'6), Bird (6'9), Kobe (6'6). That's more than enough size.

When Curry is added to the list, Bird will drop.

 

This is like the "Virginia Tech is a better job than Georgia" argument.

 

That's easy: Neither job is better. Neither school gets it done.

 

The A-Rod comparison was mostly just based on his personality.

 

It does help when you realize there were a lot of great players before Magic and Bird came along. A lot of these lists I keep seeing on here don't start until that era. I mean, why not just hold up a sign that reads,"I'm under 40 years old!"

 

And I knew someone would eventually say that.

And I'll stand by my choices that Magic and Bird are the gold standard even with all of those greats who preceded them.

 

It's like MLB putting at least one player from every team into the All Star Game, because every team ought to be represented (at least that's how it used to be).

Doesn't mean that a top 5 NBA squad has to have someone from before Magic and Bird, because.

Yes, you have Cousy and Russell and Wilt and Robertson and others of that excellence. Doesn't mean they're going to be top 5 just because they preceded Magic and Bird.

 

Even at my advanced age, Magic was my gold standard for several years.

Until Jordan.

Of course not. But there has been only one player who forced the league to change its rules in order to contain him.

That was Wilt. Think about it.

 

Four of my top 10 came before Magic and Bird. While the NBA didn't start with those two, there's no denying they, along with Jordan and a few others, took the game to new standards of excellence.

George Mikan, since he was mentioned earlier, would get dominated by just about every notable post-1980 center.