Charley Rosen: USA Grades Are In

[Frosty]

Without Kobe in 2002 WBC: 6th place

Team USA without Kobe in 2004: Bronze Finish.

Without Kobe in 2006 WBC: Bronze Finish

With Kobe in 2008: G O L D !!!




This is why Colangelo came to kobe FIRST when putting this team together. A kobeless team of Lebronze, Wade, Melo, Chris Paul, Dwight never even made it to the Gold medal game.

Kobe brought them to the promised land this year. He sat back and focused on defense allowing the younger chuckers do their thing on offense. i.e. melo , lebron , and wade. He took a back-seat and let the young bucks shine on offense while he focused all his energy on shutting down the other team's best player. But when the Gold medal looked like it was in danger, he did what he does best. Take over the game and close it out. I don't know why you guys are hating on him. He did bring home the Gold. Something that the Bron, wade, melo tandem couldn't do without him. All in all. The Gold is back where it belongs in USA.

How many threads are you going to post this in? Are you really proud of it or just trying to troll the none Kobe groupies?

The one thing that happened during this Olympics that surprised me is that Kobe plays the same way no matter how much talent is around him. I really expected him to show a different approach but he doesn't seem able or willing to.

[CzBoobie]

Without Kobe in 2002 WBC: 6th place

Team USA without Kobe in 2004: Bronze Finish.

Without Kobe in 2006 WBC: Bronze Finish

With Kobe in 2008: G O L D !!!




This is why Colangelo came to kobe FIRST when putting this team together. A kobeless team of Lebronze, Wade, Melo, Chris Paul, Dwight never even made it to the Gold medal game.

Kobe brought them to the promised land this year. He sat back and focused on defense allowing the younger chuckers do their thing on offense. i.e. melo , lebron , and wade. He took a back-seat and let the young bucks shine on offense while he focused all his energy on shutting down the other team's best player. But when the Gold medal looked like it was in danger, he did what he does best. Take over the game and close it out. I don't know why you guys are hating on him. He did bring home the Gold. Something that the Bron, wade, melo tandem couldn't do without him. All in all. The Gold is back where it belongs in USA.

ROFL

[Flash3]

Without Kobe in 2002 WBC: 6th place

Team USA without Kobe in 2004: Bronze Finish.

Without Kobe in 2006 WBC: Bronze Finish

With Kobe in 2008: G O L D !!!




This is why Colangelo came to kobe FIRST when putting this team together. A kobeless team of Lebronze, Wade, Melo, Chris Paul, Dwight never even made it to the Gold medal game.

Kobe brought them to the promised land this year. He sat back and focused on defense allowing the younger chuckers do their thing on offense. i.e. melo , lebron , and wade. He took a back-seat and let the young bucks shine on offense while he focused all his energy on shutting down the other team's best player. But when the Gold medal looked like it was in danger, he did what he does best. Take over the game and close it out. I don't know why you guys are hating on him. He did bring home the Gold. Something that the Bron, wade, melo tandem couldn't do without him. All in all. The Gold is back where it belongs in USA.

But, when people are trying to make legit arguments as to Kobe being the main reason we won gold, is laughable.

Kobe AND LeBron AND Wade AND Paul AND Bosh AND Howard AND Williams (get the idea?) Are the reasons we are gold medal champions.

Had it not been for Wade keeping Team USA afloat when Kobe and LeBron when to the bench early with foul trouble, would Kobe even get a chance to play "hero"? -- Possibly not.

So, again, how can anyone make a singular case as Kobe being the main reason Team USA won gold?

[GuyverX]

I just find Chubby Chaser's Kobe man-crush amusing. I'd like to think that all of his Kobe is God posts are primarily tongue-in-cheek....at least I hope so.

[Blame Rasho]

ChubbyChaser has an unhealthy love and affection towards Kobe.

[Sedale Threatt]

I am a Laker fan, and I do not approve of that message.

Anybody looking to use the Olympics as an opportunity to pimp their favorite player at the expense of any other has completely missed the point. That was the ultimate collaborative effort. I am just as pleased for LeBron, Wade and everybody else on the team as I am for Kobe, and I had just as much fun watching and rooting for them. Can't wait to do it all over again in 2010 and in 2012.

[Dtown84]

Bosh deserved a much better grade, his defense, and being an inside presence that could actually shoot free throws proved large in a lot of games.

[PPAW4Life]

Kobe deserves an A+ for the Gold Medal game which should be weighted at least 50% in overall grading. For all the other games previous he should get at least a D+ maybe lower....his shooting was just bad but it's not like he doesn't have solid excuses (1. he's still injured; 2. he's playing a different role with so many stars; 3. he's not a spot up catch and shoot player; 4. he made it his objective to be the team's defensive stopper) so it's understandable.

Overall grade: B+ (giving him the + because of his clutchness); there's no way we win that game without his plays down the stretch and it's also safe to say that there's no way we would even be in that game without Wade's contributions in the first half.

Best Overall Player: DWade

Most Productive Player: LeBron

Most Important Player: Kobe

MVP: All 3 of them - the team doesn't do jack if none of them are on it, well maybe win Bronze again lol!

[G35]

Team deserves an A+. Nobody did it by themselves. Shoot the coaches deserve A+'s for getting the guys motivated and the scouting they did on the other teams.

Honestly it was nice getting to cheer for players you don't normally root for.......

[fivas14]

It's kind of hard to sit for the first 38 minutes of the game and then come in and make an impact. No real point to grade Boozer and Redd.