Lakers w/o Kobe...

You can appreciate what Kobe has done while realizing 24 million to current Kobe is going to kill your team.

The rest of the roster is unbelievably bad. I don't think any player in the NBA could get them an 8 seed in the West.

RaceBannon said:

What's funny is that the Lakers are still the only team talked about down here. At least Kobe is good for that. NOGAFA the Clips

They are the Clippers.

Early prediction: OKC loses Durant after next year and Westbrook goes to the Lakers the year after. If the Lakers are smart they won't be stupid and give Kevin Love a max deal this year in free agency. If they go after anyone it should be Marc Gasol with LaMarcus Aldridge as a back up.

If you get neither, take your draft pick and ride out Kobe's last year. Obviously after the 2016 season, you have to take a shot at Durant. One way or another, the Lakers will be back in 2 or 3 years.

TierbsHsotBoobs said:

The NBA still exists in SoCal?

Crispified.

HeretoBeatmyChest said:

dnc said:

HeretoBeatmyChest said:

I don't actually dislike Kobe…its all the Lakers fans who anoint the guy as the greatest ever and think he's better than MJ. Superstar, yes. But not the greatest ever, not even top 5. Maybe not even top 10.

That's almost as bad as saying he's the greatest ever. He's probably #6 or 7.

Not top 10 is a stretch, yeah. I'd probably say 8 or 9.

That's fair

HuskiesADW said:

My top 10:

Jordan
Russell
Kareem
Shaq
Wilt
Bird
Magic
Duncan
Kobe
Olajuwon

Tough calls with Erving and Oscar. I can easily see someone ranking Kobe like 11th or 12th and putting Olajuwon/Erving/Oscar ahead of him.

Shaq is way too damn high IMO. No way he's above Magic, Bird, or Duncan, not sure he's above Kobe.

Once you get past sheer number of titles the two most important questions to me are 1) How many titles did you get as the best player on the team and 2) How good was the second best player on your team when you won?

Shaq grades out very well on the first question with 3 or 4 titles (depending on how you rank in his prime Wade versus slightly past his prime Shaq). But the second question dings Shaq significantly. He never won a title without an in his prime top 3 or 4 shooting guard of all time as his running mate. Shaq was incredibly great when he wanted to be, but he had to have a massively talented running mate to close things out because he was such a liability at the line and didn't take his conditioning seriously.

Duncan's best running mate was Tony Parker who is nowhere near Wade or Kobe on a historic level. And Duncan won more titles. That one's no contest.

Bird had great teammates but no one at Wade or Kobe's level. Magic had Kareem but still won a ring when Kareem was like 40. And Worthy was very good but no Kobe or Wade.

Kobe won two rings with Pau Gasol as his best teammate. Is Gasol even a hall of famer?

Jordan
Russell
Kareem
Magic
Bird
Duncan
Kobe
Shaq
Wilt
Oscar
Dreamshake
Doctor J