Magic: Kobe wants to be more involved with Lakers

[Frank Dux]

The only truly elite thing about Kobe was his work ethic and attention to details of the game.

Wat

That dude made Kobe sound like he was Shane Battier.

[Marionettetc]

The only truly elite thing about Kobe was his work ethic and attention to details of the game.

Wat

viewtopic.php?f=19&t=1335983#start_here

[milesfides]

The only truly elite thing about Kobe was his work ethic and attention to details of the game.

Wat

That dude made Kobe sound like he was Shane Battier.

In kobe's own words, he was never the strongest, fastest, or most athletic. Instead, his advantage was gaining skills through hard work. Building upon fundamentals, studying the game, throughout his entire career.

Statistically, many of his peers were more efficient and proficient. Few of his stats are elite, most of his numbers reflect the longevity and consistency of his career. Of course the championships, but again, what made him a great player?

The greatest thing about Kobe was his desire. Many players made the game look easy. Kobe made the game look hard, because he approached the game with unparalleled desire and effort.

That's not a diss on him. That's what makes him largely accessible and inspiring as a global icon. He's failed tremendously on many occasions, but it's his determination to keep going forward that is absolutely elite.

Killer instinct, assassin, relentless - those are kobe's legacy. This is why despite the actual numbers, coaches around the league constantly picked Kobe to have the ball in his hands at the end of the game.

This is why in that closely contested Team USA gold medal game against Spain, Kobe had the ball in a clutch situation, despite all the other great players around him.

Despite the statistics, everybody knew it was Kobe Time. Nobody worked harder to be prepared for those situations, and had the fortitude to embrace those challenging moments.

Hard work and desire.

[RingsDontLie]

Wat

That dude made Kobe sound like he was Shane Battier.

In kobe's own words, he was never the strongest, fastest, or most athletic. Instead, his advantage was gaining skills through hard work. Building upon fundamentals, studying the game, throughout his entire career.

Statistically, many of his peers were more efficient and proficient. Few of his stats are elite, most of his numbers reflect the longevity and consistency of his career. Of course the championships, but again, what made him a great player?

The greatest thing about Kobe was his desire. Many players made the game look easy. Kobe made the game look hard, because he approached the game with unparalleled desire and effort.

That's not a diss on him. That's what makes him largely accessible and inspiring as a global icon. He's failed tremendously on many occasions, but it's his determination to keep going forward that is absolutely elite.

Killer instinct, assassin, relentless - those are kobe's legacy. This is why despite the actual numbers, coaches around the league constantly picked Kobe to have the ball in his hands at the end of the game.

This is why in that closely contested Team USA gold medal game against Spain, Kobe had the ball in a clutch situation, despite all the other great players around him.

Despite the statistics, everybody knew it was Kobe Time. Nobody worked harder to be prepared for those situations, and had the fortitude to embrace those challenging moments.

Hard work and desire.

Kobe's work ethic was equal to Jordan without a doubt. But to say he wasn't at the very top as an athlete is what I think some will argue like myself. He was in the top 1% as far as the total athlete in his prime without a doubt. Seen him dunk on too many 7 footers to know that Kobe was an athletic specimen...he is way up there...just not up there with wilt/lebron/mj/shaq obviously.

But I remember #8 very well.

[milesfides]

Phil Jackson himself wrote that while he believed that Michael Jordan was a better shooter, leader, stronger, and a better leader, he didn't match up to Kobe's work ethic. Robert Horry, whom I believe picked Tim Duncan over Kobe as a player, also said that nobody he has ever seen approached Kobe's work ethic.

This is the common refrain from anybody who had a right to speak on the subject.

Yes, Kobe would easily be a top 1% athlete in general, but not necessarily relative to his elite peers. And dunking isn't the only metric of athleticism (but even for that, Vince Carter and others had it over him). Tracy McGrady, noted for his laziness, was a supremely naturally talented athlete.

As far as any available measurements for his vertical, sprint, etc., I don't think there are any official stats, but most sources put him below elite. But you can also argue that his proficiency in dunking came, despite his relatively smaller hands, as a result of his training. His obsessive training was a major factor for his impeccable shape, footwork, and timing. And of course, athleticism doesn't necessarily translate into the game; its no subsitite for the desire to attack and crush his opponents.

[LakersLegacy]

Kobe's role is to get Paul George for cheap or nothing. Go Kobe. Clutch.