Kobe Bryant turned 32 today

ImmortalD24 · Post #1 » by **ImmortalD24** » Mon Aug 23, 2010 12:04 pm

No NBATV special? :-?

No but seriously.. Is it safe to say that Kobe Bryant is past his prime? I know many were quick to jump on the "playing better than ever" bandwagon earlier this past season in December because of a bit of a hot streak, but lets be real.. his best years as an individual player are behind him.

Barring any significant injuries I truly believe he might have 2 years max playing at this level.. and I'm a huge Kobe guy. Thoughts?

Dr Aki · Post #2 » by **Dr Aki** » Mon Aug 23, 2010 12:09 pm

ill be fine with 2 yrs of superstar production, and another 2-3 years of all star production...

we've been spoiled for so long, i cant even imagine the lakers without kobe and his bullsh*t (i mean it in a good way) play every night...

rumdiary · Post #3 » by **rumdiary** » Mon Aug 23, 2010 12:10 pm

I think his decline will be a slow one though, he can average in the late teens in points per game until very late in his career imho, like Reggie Miller or Ray Allen.

Sure we don't see him leaping out of the stadium any more, but his athleticism is yet to seriously decline and he can take a lot of damage and keep playing like a hero, that's been obvious.

Jimmy Recard · Post #4 » by **Jimmy Recard** » Mon Aug 23, 2010 12:29 pm

I expect him to be an elite player well into his 30's, mainly because his jumpshot will always be money and he'll always be a bully in the post. He also plays in a great system surrounded by great players that won't rely on him to be a monster every night.

You'll see a severe decline in his defence, in fact most would agree that it's slipped over the last few years. Especially having to guard todays athletes, he just doesn't have the lateral quickness or athleticism to lock down a lot of perimeter players. I know his fans don't want to hear it, but he really isn't a first team defensive player, not any more anyway.

omerome · Post #5 » by **omerome** » Mon Aug 23, 2010 12:47 pm

It's not safe to say he's past his prime until you can see it in his game. You don't magically become "washed up" when it's your birthday.

Striders · Post #6 » by **Striders** » Mon Aug 23, 2010 12:50 pm

It depends. The man came in at high school. He's played a LOT of minutes. The injuries keep piling up.

I think within the next two years we'll see a pretty significant drop in his overall production.

TruSkool · Post #7 » by **TruSkool** » Mon Aug 23, 2010 1:02 pm

kobe is very difficult to discuss for one particular reason.

hes one of the ultimately few players in the league who actually has an ON/OFF switch. if theres something worth playing for....
like a scoring record in an arena
a great opposing player
a game winner
shutting up the media etc etc etc
....then the guy is still the best in the game.

but if you want regular season production at a high rate..hes not gona do that...durant, melo, lebron or wade are your players in that regard.

im gona tell it like it is.....IF IT AINT LEBRON, THEN KOBE IS STILL THE BEST PLAYER IN THE NBA.....no need to mention any other names.

Post #8 » by **tsherkin** » Mon Aug 23, 2010 1:26 pm

I wouldn't be surprised if Kobe had a quieter regular season. It's time to start conserving his energy for the postseason. He's already declining physically, kind of like second three-peat MJ. Not so much that it's a huge deal, but he's clearly adjusting his game already and has for a few years.

But he's still Kobe; he can still get to spots, get his shot off, attack a defense aggressively... he's not ready to be slapped in there with Wizards Jordan, heh. He's no Ground Kobe.

And in the playoffs, he'll probably be just the same as usual for another year or two, maybe three. His conditioning is impeccable.

picc · Post #9 » by **picc** » Mon Aug 23, 2010 1:45 pm

He's been out of his prime for years. A past-prime Kobe is still better than 95% of current nba players.

FYI OP, nbatv is running Kobe games all day today.

Tim_Hardawayy · Post #10 » by **Tim_Hardawayy** » Mon Aug 23, 2010 1:57 pm

iki4life wrote:kobe is very difficult to discuss for one particular reason.

hes one of the ultimately few players in the league who actually has an ON/OFF switch. if theres something worth playing for....
like a scoring record in an arena
a great opposing player
a game winner
shutting up the media etc etc etc
....then the guy is still the best in the game.

but if you want regular season production at a high rate..hes not gona do that...durant, melo, lebron or wade are your players in that regard.

im gona tell it like it is.....IF IT AINT LEBRON, THEN KOBE IS STILL THE BEST PLAYER IN THE NBA.....no need to mention any other names.

This is either false, or his on/off switch doesn't correlate with suck/not suck, because he's had some pretty meh Finals performances.

More like he just gets hot or cold... whether or not the game means anything, because he shoots mostly jumpshots.

As for the thread, its the jumpshooting that's extending his prime longer than one would expect. He might decline to something like 25/5/4 this season... which is still incredible production for a 32 year-old shooting guard. He won't age quite like MJ did though, because he's got more mileage and more knee surgeries. 32 year-old Kobe is more like 35 year-old MJ (or even Wizards MJ) in terms of athleticism, but you could argue he is slightly more skilled.

Jose_Matador · Post #11 » by **Jose_Matador** » Mon Aug 23, 2010 2:31 pm

Kobeskillz · Post #12 » by **Kobeskillz** » Mon Aug 23, 2010 2:39 pm

This is Kobe we are talking about guys. You really think he will just go silently into the night? The guy will be productive until he's 36 and then a solid championship vet at 37 - 39. I would bet my money because the guy loves to prove doubters wrong.

StarsandStripes · Post #13 » by **StarsandStripes** » Mon Aug 23, 2010 2:40 pm

The G.O.A.T turns 32.

RaisingArizona · Post #14 » by **RaisingArizona** » Mon Aug 23, 2010 2:45 pm

StarsandStripes wrote:The G.O.A.T turns 32.

Jordan is in his 40's.

Ball Does Lie · Post #15 » by **Ball Does Lie** » Mon Aug 23, 2010 2:51 pm

ginobiliflops wrote:
StarsandStripes wrote:The G.O.A.T turns 32.

Jordan is in his 40's.

LeBron is 25...

Jimmy Recard · Post #16 » by **Jimmy Recard** » Mon Aug 23, 2010 2:55 pm

Ball Does Lie wrote:
ginobiliflops wrote:
StarsandStripes wrote:The G.O.A.T turns 32.

Jordan is in his 40's.

LeBron is 25...

Actually the real GOAT is currently 34 and playing in Greece for Olympiacos.

WiseOwlWins · Post #17 » by **WiseOwlWins** » Mon Aug 23, 2010 3:00 pm

StarsandStripes wrote:The G.O.A.T turns 32.

check your avatar for my response.

hayden · Post #18 » by **hayden** » Mon Aug 23, 2010 3:51 pm

Kobe's gonna be the best player in the league until his team stops winning championships.

umopapisdn · Post #19 » by **umopapisdn** » Mon Aug 23, 2010 3:53 pm

He's been past his prime for probably 2-3 years now. He's an old 32- there's a LOT of mileage on those legs. As long as he is healthy enough to walk, he will be a good player though.

jjin28 · Post #20 » by **jjin28** » Mon Aug 23, 2010 3:55 pm

Tim_Hardawayy wrote:
iki4life wrote:kobe is very difficult to discuss for one particular reason.

hes one of the ultimately few players in the league who actually has an ON/OFF switch. if theres something worth playing for....
like a scoring record in an arena
a great opposing player
a game winner
shutting up the media etc etc etc
....then the guy is still the best in the game.

but if you want regular season production at a high rate..hes not gona do that...durant, melo, lebron or wade are your players in that regard.

im gona tell it like it is.....IF IT AINT LEBRON, THEN KOBE IS STILL THE BEST PLAYER IN THE NBA.....no need to mention any other names.

This is either false, or his on/off switch doesn't correlate with suck/not suck, because he's had some pretty meh Finals performances.

More like he just gets hot or cold... whether or not the game means anything, because he shoots mostly jumpshots.

As for the thread, its the jumpshooting that's extending his prime longer than one would expect. He might decline to something like 25/5/4 this season... which is still incredible production for a 32 year-old shooting guard. He won't age quite like MJ did though, because he's got more mileage and more knee surgeries. 32 year-old Kobe is more like 35 year-old MJ (or even Wizards MJ) in terms of athleticism, but you could argue he is slightly more skilled.

you gotta be kidding me... :roll:

You really think wizards MJ coulda led the Lakers to the championship last year? LMAO.