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Jeff Teague says Kobe was overrated defensively
Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2025 2:27 pm
by Mean_Streets
“I played Kobe, bro. He wasn’t guarding like that."
Re: Jeff Teague says Kobe was overrated defensively
Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2025 2:30 pm
by Ruma85
Why are we giving Teague a platform.
Re: Jeff Teague says Kobe was overrated defensively
Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2025 2:33 pm
by Iwasawitness
Is the off season going to just be stuff Teague says?
Re: Jeff Teague says Kobe was overrated defensively
Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2025 2:33 pm
by Hangtime84
Depends on when but yes he is right
Re: Jeff Teague says Kobe was overrated defensively
Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2025 2:40 pm
by Mr. Perfect
Ruma85 wrote:Why are we giving Teague a platform.
I've watched a handful of his podcasts and I agree, it's not like he's a good talker/host either. It's just room full of dudes with slurred speech and dumb takes.
Re: Jeff Teague says Kobe was overrated defensively
Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2025 2:41 pm
by Mamba Mentality
Is that an actual quote? Dude is making it sound like he was in the thick of some battles with Kobe, when in reality he didn't become a starter until 2011 which was Kobe's last year making an All-Defensive Team.
Re: Jeff Teague says Kobe was overrated defensively
Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2025 2:47 pm
by ropjhk
RealGM has had many discussions about Kobe's defense. The consensus is that his later all defensive team placements were based more on reputation than consistent defensive performance but he could still guard opponents at a high level when needed. Kobe clearly was conserving energy defensively in his later years.
Jeff Teague is basing his opinion on how Kobe might have guarded him during the regular season in Kobe's later years.
Re: Jeff Teague says Kobe was overrated defensively
Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2025 2:54 pm
by Airmiess
That's because he was in the league after Kobe's peak
Re: Jeff Teague says Kobe was overrated defensively
Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2025 3:26 pm
by HotelVitale
Ruma85 wrote:Why are we giving Teague a platform.
Mr. Perfect wrote:[I've watched a handful of his podcasts and I agree, it's not like he's a good talker/host either. It's just room full of dudes with slurred speech and dumb takes.
Cuz he's really funny and entertaining. Easily a top podcaster now in the ex-NBA dude world.
Lots of his listeners are aware that he's always doing shtick. Everyone's a joker or fool or selfish POS in his world, his stories will always come back to those same themes. He might not even realize it or do it intentionally but things always end up there. Same thing a comedian does, it's his style and his punchline and his view of the world all tied up. He likes to knock everyone down to a flawed embarrassed etc human level.
Re: Jeff Teague says Kobe was overrated defensively
Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2025 3:32 pm
by SkyBill40
We should just start a thread called "Jeff Teague says..." and compile all these takes into one repository of ridiculousness. He's clearly fine with all the smoke and we should be there for it.
Re: Jeff Teague says Kobe was overrated defensively
Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2025 3:37 pm
by GSWFan1994
Seems like Teague is regular reader of the RealGM forums.
Re: Jeff Teague says Kobe was overrated defensively
Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2025 3:43 pm
by tsherkin
Normally, because it's Jeff Teague and he runs his mouth quite a lot, I'd just dismiss it.
But he hit the league in 2010. By that point, Kobe's defensive rep was well beyond anything he was doing consistently, so this is an accurate read... though the statement ignores that Kobe was already 31 and had a LOT of miles on him at that point. Kobe DID make an All-D 1st Team he probably shouldn't have that year, and All-D 2nd Team as late as 2012, which he also didn't really deserve, primarily on rep. The same thing happened with Jordan, as well.
That said, there's ALSO the fact that Teague was a one-time AS and a mid-teens scorer AT HIS BEST while his career overlapped with Kobe, so Bryant was also probably working only so hard. By the time Teague was anything, it was the 2012 lockout season, and then it was Kobe's year with Mike D, and then the Achilles, and then yeah. He faded out pretty hard once he returned from that, especially given LA's roster.
So there's some context there which Teague obviously isn't offering.
Re: Jeff Teague says Kobe was overrated defensively
Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2025 3:50 pm
by Capn'O
Anything to stay relevant, I guess.
Re: Jeff Teague says Kobe was overrated defensively
Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2025 3:51 pm
by JRoy
He’s right.
Re: Jeff Teague says Kobe was overrated defensively
Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2025 3:56 pm
by Cavsfansince84
Jeff Teague is this summer's Gilbert Arenas.
Re: Jeff Teague says Kobe was overrated defensively
Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2025 4:50 pm
by bkkrh
I guess Jeff Teague wants to be the new Gilbert Arenas.
Re: Jeff Teague says Kobe was overrated defensively
Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2025 5:16 pm
by Pelon chingon
It's true. His DPOYS belong to D. Christie and B. Bowen.
Re: Jeff Teague says Kobe was overrated defensively
Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2025 5:18 pm
by azcatz11
GSWFan1994 wrote:Seems like Teague is regular reader of the RealGM forums.
SoT
Summer of Teague
Re: Jeff Teague says Kobe was overrated defensively
Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2025 5:21 pm
by Dominator83
Cavsfansince84 wrote:Jeff Teague is this summer's Gilbert Arenas.
More like Kwame Brown
Re: Jeff Teague says Kobe was overrated defensively
Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2025 5:33 pm
by Dupp
A bunch of those all defensive awards were ridiculous.