Kobe Bryant announces retirement

[LongTimeListener]

Ugh. There was no "style" on my list, or yours for that matter. Wilt and Jordan are different. Yet they were both on our lists.

It was a pretty simple statement/projection to try to assess Kobe's standing on the all-time list and if he might drop a notch or two in the next 10 years.

 

[MisterCreosote]

The "in comparison" phrase tripped me up. It made it seem like an either/or.

If I had to guess now, I'd say there's little chance of Curry ever cracking the top 10.

 

[LongTimeListener]

You'll be re-evaluating when the Warriors go 246-0 over the next three seasons.

 

[Dick Whitman]

re: @sgreenwell
When Curry is added to the list, Bird will drop.

My Curry rant was a response to this post.

 

[MisterCreosote]

You'll be re-evaluating when the Warriors go 246-0 over the next three seasons.

Nope. I pledged to stop watching the NBA altogether once the Sixers get to 100 straight losses.

 

[LongTimeListener]

My Curry rant was a response to this post.

Ah, OK. This page is just a needless tangent then.

Truthfully I think the NBA "who better" discussion brings out the worst in all of us.

 

[MisterCreosote]

Truthfully I think the NBA "who better" discussion brings out the worst in all of us.

Not until Devil shows up.

 

[Michael_ Gee]

I was just thinking about this issue in the shower, and it came to me that this is a futile topic because the gradations among NBA superstars are so fine as to be almost invisible. Just off the top of my head, here's a short list of 10 guys who're NEVER rated in the game's top 10, let alone five, and yet each in their time was rightly regarded as an unstoppable superstar: Moses Malone, Dr. J, Rick Barry, George Gervin, John Stockton, Karl Malone, Akeem Olajuwon and Bob Cousy. There are where that came from, those were just the first names that popped out of memory bank.

 

[Songbird]

Karl Malone is very close to top 5.

 

[dixiehack]

Truthfully I think the NBA "who better" discussion brings out the worst in all of us.

You must never read any of the threads on race or religion. And for your sanity and happiness, I hope you'll never start.

 

[BTExpress]

Just off the top of my head, here's a short list of 10 guys who're NEVER rated in the game's top 10, let alone five, and yet each in their time was rightly regarded as an unstoppable superstar: Moses Malone, Dr. J, Rick Barry, George Gervin, John Stockton, Karl Malone, Akeem Olajuwon and Bob Cousy.

Nobody needed to stop Bob Cousy. His .375 career shooting percentage stopped himself. And I've really never thought of John Stockton as "unstoppable."

 

[MisterCreosote]

I was just thinking about this issue in the shower, and it came to me that this is a futile topic because the gradations among NBA superstars are so fine as to be almost invisible. Just off the top of my head, here's a short list of 10 guys who're NEVER rated in the game's top 10, let alone five, and yet each in their time was rightly regarded as an unstoppable superstar: Moses Malone, Dr. J, Rick Barry, George Gervin, John Stockton, Karl Malone, Akeem Olajuwon and Bob Cousy. There are where that came from, those were just the first names that popped out of memory bank.

Sounds like a great shower...

For the record, Olajuwon and Karl Malone get top-10 mentions all the time.

I always flip-flop between Olajuwon and Kareem. I never do on Karl - he just doesn't belong. He was great and one of the most durable players ever, but he's still behind Tim Duncan and probably Elvin Hayes, too.

The rest of the guys you mention are great players. They're just not the best of the best. Dr. J, in particular, would've been if he had managed to sustain what he did in the ABA throughout his whole career. But he didn't.

 

[Michael_ Gee]

Sounds like a great shower...

For the record, Olajuwon and Karl Malone get top-10 mentions all the time.

I always flip-flop between Olajuwon and Kareem. I never do on Karl - he just doesn't belong. He was great and one of the most durable players ever, but he's still behind Tim Duncan and probably Elvin Hayes, too.

The rest of the guys you mention are great players. They're just not the best of the best. Dr. J, in particular, would've been if he had managed to sustain what he did in the ABA throughout his whole career. But he didn't.

Moses Malone was better than Olajuwon IMO. Not that the latter wasn't great.

 

[Tweener]

Who gives a **** about everything else (even though yes, the personality and rapey stuff is part of the overall package).

But pound for pound as a baller? Top 5. Not even in question.

You're clearly drinking. Kobe isn't cracking the top 10, let alone top five. In 20 years, he had a single MVP award and it could easily be argued that he wasn't even the best player on his own team for half his career.

 

[Songbird]

And Jordan was a glorified scorer without Pippen.

 

[LongTimeListener]

Truthfully I think the NBA "who better" discussion brings out the worst in all of us.

 

[Songbird]

Well, Devean George definitely belongs in the conversation.

 

[Tweener]

What's your point? That even Jordan played with another Hall of Famer? That's not being argued. Magic and Bird played with more than one -- at the same time, for that matter. But they were always the central figure. There's maybe one or two years where they weren't the best player on their team. You can't say that about Kobe. And for every argument about the two rings Kobe won without Shaq, you have to consider the multiple lottery years while Kobe was in his prime.

 

[Songbird]

Yep, they 3-peated because of Shaq and turned to lottery **** because of Kobe.

 

[PCLoadLetter]

A couple things that have struck me about Kobe the past two days...

1) People have an odd compulsion to try to denigrate his ability. He was a GREAT player. Anyone arguing that Shaq was better than Kobe in those years really wasn't paying attention. I've never liked Kobe much, but I'd have a very hard time arguing he isn't top 10 all time.

2) I've heard some extended conversations in the national media trying to figure out why people hate Kobe so much, and oddly, they never seem to bring up the rape allegation. I think there are plenty of other reasons, and I think a lot of people who decided they just don't like him focus on that far more than they would with someone else... but damn, dude was accused of rape. That kind of hurt his image.