Not that anyone needed any reminding whatsoever, but Kobe Bryant went out last night in New York and lit up the Knickerbockers. 20 of 20 from the line, 61 points in just over 36 minutes. Here's a look at all of those points.
OK, so again, you knew all this. Kobe Bryant is good at basketball. However, around spectacular events such as the one documented in moving pictures above, there seems to always be debate generated about "Who is the best?" Is it LeBron James? Is it Kobe? Is it another guy, maybe Dwyane Wade, or Chris Paul or Dwight Howard?
Sometimes, I must say, I don't get this debate. Who is to say which player is better? In what category? I'd probably rather have Kobe on my team with the game on the line, but as far as a fantasy team, I'd likely take Bron Bron. Kobe's won championships, sure, but never on his own or without some serious help. LeBron took his team to a championship without any serious assistance from the other 11 active Cavaliers at the time, and simply ran into a better Spurs team. You could go over stats and awards doled out to the two players til you were blue in the face. So, to save that likely dangerous situation, I'm changing the terms of the debate. My question is, with all these players still in their prime, which would you take to start a team?
Right off, I'm crossing Wade off my list. He's a phenomenal talent, has played big on the biggest of stages, and can do just about everything. Problem with him though is two-fold. First, he's been too injury prone in his career. Second, dude hasn't been able to do much in the way of winning on his own.
Next to go is Dwight Howard. I love Superman, truly. And, while I'm a big proponent of centering your team around your big man, especially one that can block shots and lock down the paint, I just don't think I'd take Howard over these other guys. His game just has too many holes in it right now. He isn't a great passer yet, can't hit free throws, and doesn't have a great offensive game (outside of putbacks and dunks).
Now for the most intriguing debate: LeBron or Kobe next? (Ooops...I think I just blew who I would take. Damn it!). People that don't watch a ton of LeBron think it's "in the know" to say that he doesn't really have a jumpshot. That just isn't true. He's worked big time on it over the past few seasons, and while it's not at Kobe's level (and likely won't ever be) it's certainly better. He's got the great all-around statistical game that Kobe doesn't have, but there's something about Kobe's determination to simply dominate and destroy that would have me scratching off LeBron first. Not to say Bron doesn't care, he does, no doubt. But, Kobe seems like the kind of guy that would kill his brother if it meant guaranteeing a win. That instinct has to count for something. Truly though, toss up between the two based on personal preference.
The guy I'd take is Chris Paul. I know he got hurt last night, but, assuming he's fine (word is mild groin strain) he's my choice. Paul is that rare, once-in-a-lifetime combination of player that can be both the best scorer and best distributor in a given game, at any time. Granted, he's far better as a distributor, but he's shown (on many occasions) that he can take a game over offensively if need. Defensively, he's as quick with his hands and into the passing lanes as anyone in the league. He shoots a better percentage from the line than everyone mentioned above not named Bryant (only by .2%, by the way). He can do everything (he, not LeBron or Kobe, leads the league in triple-doubles and is third in the league in double-doubles).
To me, the league has changed from being dominated by bigs to being dominated by guards. Paul can anchor a team for years to come, while allowing a secondary star to blossom as well. When your best player doesn't need to score much to be the best player in the game (think Brevin Knight, but amazing), that's a good thing.
And now, of course, your turn. Who would you take, starting a team, tomorrow. And no, Sam Dalembert isn't an acceptable answer.
