May 08, 2003

Lakers, Kobe, etc: NBA basketball

I think I've finally come to grips with the fact that the Lakers of Shaq, Kobe, Fox, Fisher, and Horry are truly one of the NBA's greatest teams. It's not like these guys just met on a corner somewhere; they have been together for six seasons, winning the NBA championship the last three in a row. Most of the reasons why many bball fans, myself included, have never warmed to the Laker dynasty are unfair. For example, 1) We don't like Shaq's power game. I don't think of bball as football. I prefer finesse and skill to muscle and bulk. [Ah, think of Kareem's skyhook.] But that is missing the point that Shaq is an incredible athlete who took his game to another level after being embarrassed by the SA Spurs in the 1999 playoffs. I personally had decided that Shaq was another Dominique Wilkins, a super athlete who didn't seem to be all that motivated to achieve superlative team goals. But Shaq proved me wrong. 2) The Lakers are considered a "phoney" corporate team, put together by NBA conspiracy (throw in a Shaq, a Kobe, a Horry, a Phil Jackson) so that the lucrative LA market would continue to be profitable. Well, twenty years before Shaq left the Orlando Magic for the Lakers, a guy named Kareem Abdul-Jabbar left the confines of Milwaukee for sunny LA, instantly making the Lakers a perennial contender. But what really seems strange today is that the Laker franchise somehow acquired the top pick in the draft in 1979 (Magic) and 1982 (Worthy) despite being an elite team. Now, I've heard many things said about the Showtime Lakers, but phoney corporate team is not one of them. 3) And then there's Kobe. Lately, most of the controversy is about Kobe-ites claiming that he is the greatest NBA player ever. The general response is that maybe he is [will be], but his Airness is still around so be respectful. I have noticed that some of the knowledgeable bball people who say that Kobe's game is still immature do have ties to MJ. If you look there are level headed commentators who point out that Kobe is an unbelievable offensive force, plays solid defense, and is probably behind Shaq in the Laker pecking order. There's no question that Shaq, nearly unstoppable in the paint and a humongous defensive presence, gives Laker opponents more problems than Kobe. Even though comparisons of athletes from different eras is a hard sell, sports fans can't resist - Aaron/Ruth? Jim Brown/Barry Sanders? Ali/Joe Louis? So naturally Kobe is going to be compared to Jordan, they are similar in size and play the same position. Without knowing how Kobe will be regarded 10 years from now, I will venture that he is always going to be considered a little less than Jordan because of when his career began. Jordan, and Magic and Bird before him, were phenomenal because they came out of nowhere. The NBA blew up, and these guys performed at levels previously unseen. About Kobe, on the other hand, you wouldn't say that. Compare it to Kareem. During his collegiate and pro careers, Kareem was generally regarded as the greatest scorer/player of all time. These days, it seems to me that Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain get more attention that the 7-2 man Magic called "Cap". Is that because Russell and Chamberlain were there when the NBA first got big, and Kareem came later?

posted by cg1001a to commentary at 11:34 AM - 0 comments