best Player on the Planet

[Tesla]

Its about team defense, not any individual defender.

KG is a great defender, and maybe Treton Hassell is pretty good too, and Marcus Banks aint that bad either, but that didn't make the Wolves a great defensive team.

The more and more I have watched basketball as a close basketball fan, I have come more to grips that its a team game, the individuals bring the hype, make it fun with storylines and such, but in order to get that W its about the team collectively.

[eatyourchildren]

Again, you're not understand that a team can and should do things be committee. You can keep calling them scrubs, but they keep the game close for LeBron in the 4th quarter consistently. Or maybe you want someone talented and versatile back, like Larry Hughes.

But isnt that the same Larry Hughes that was such a great defender and helped the Cavs get to the Finals? I'm sure if he was still on the team, you'd be praising him as well.

LeBron keeps the game close for LeBron and then LeBron has to finish it off.

Go ahead and tell me who all these great defenders are on the Cavs. Name me these shut down defenders that I keep hearing about. Tell me how they stack up against the other great defenders in the NBA.

I concede. You're right. LeBron is so amazing he guards all 5 positions at once, scores and assists every bucket.

LeBron keeps the game close for LeBron and then LeBron has to finish it off.

Gold.

[C'mon Cavs]

Its about team defense, not any individual defender.

KG is a great defender, and maybe Treton Hassell is pretty good too, and Marcus Banks aint that bad either, but that didn't make the Wolves a great defensive team.

The more and more I have watched basketball as a close basketball fan, I have come more to grips that its a team game, the individuals bring the hype, make it fun with storylines and such, but in order to get that W its about the team collectively.

But on these "great" defensive team, you will likely find some great defenders, or at least a lot of good defenders.

I would not consider this Cavs team a great defensive team. They are good, but not great. If you added some more good defenders or a great defender, then they would likely be a great defensive team.

The system is the most important thing, and I think the Cavs have the right system on the defensive end...but the personnel is not quite there. The Cavs love to have their bigs hedge the screen on every single pick and roll. The problem is, the Cavs bigs are all subpar athletes, and only Varejao has the ability to do this effectively.

With younger and more athletic bigs, the Cavs would add a new dimension to their offense and fast break game, and likely upgrade their defense at the same time.

[C'mon Cavs]

Again, you're not understand that a team can and should do things be committee. You can keep calling them scrubs, but they keep the game close for LeBron in the 4th quarter consistently. Or maybe you want someone talented and versatile back, like Larry Hughes.

But isnt that the same Larry Hughes that was such a great defender and helped the Cavs get to the Finals? I'm sure if he was still on the team, you'd be praising him as well.

LeBron keeps the game close for LeBron and then LeBron has to finish it off.

Go ahead and tell me who all these great defenders are on the Cavs. Name me these shut down defenders that I keep hearing about. Tell me how they stack up against the other great defenders in the NBA.

I concede. You're right. LeBron is so amazing he guards all 5 positions at once, scores and assists every bucket.

LeBron keeps the game close for LeBron and then LeBron has to finish it off.

Gold.

Well, prove your point...who are these great defenders on the Cavs? Tell me where you rank these amazing defenders in comparison with the great defenders in the NBA today. Give me specific names.

[tracey_nice]

Most players, coaches, NBA GMs, basketball experts, sports analysts, sports columnists, NBA announcers, celebrities and worldwide polls said Kobe is the best!

Players and coaches who said Kobe is the best!

Michael Jordan
Magic Johnson
Larry Bird
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Julius Erving
Jerry West
Charles Barkley
Clyde Drexler
Shaq O'Neal
Isiah Thomas
Mark Jackson
T-Mac
Vince Carter
Pau Gasol
Chris Bosh
Lebron James
Lamar Odom
Chauncy Billups
Sam Cassell
Darius Miles
Keyon Dooling
Jerry Stackhouse
Richard Jeferson
Amare Stoudamire
Caron Butler
Carlos Boozer
Jon Barry
Steve Kerr
Dirk Nowitzki
Allen Iverson
Richard Jefferson
Tyronne Lue
Rip Hamilton
Deron Williams
Monta Ellis
Jason Richardson
Ron Harper
Ron Artest
Baron Davis
Marcus Camby
Chris Kaman
Shawn Battier
LaDainian Tomlinson
Al Thornton
Nick Young
Newble
Wally Szczerbiak
Corey Maggette
Gilbert Arenas
Jordan Farmar
Doug Collins
Coach Phil Jackson
Coach Pat Riley
Coach Popovich
Coach Karl
Coach Byron Scott
Coach Don Nelson
and a lot more...


Players

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pt-f49jyM...

Amare Stoudamire

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_hJuAyQk...

Lebron James

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hl_HbwnjH...


http://www.lebronjamesworld.com/news3.ph...



Dirk Nowitzki

This is from http://www.insidehoops.com

InsideHoops.com: Other than yourself and any of your teammates, who are the official Dirk Nowitzki candidates for the league MVP?

Dirk Nowitzki: That's tough. LeBron certainly has a case in the East. On the Celtics, KG has had a great year. And in the West, to me it's been Kobe, the way he's been scoring, really setting the tone every night for his team, and to me he's the best player in the league anyway, scoring-wise and all-around player. I'd probably give it to Kobe. Those three definitely deserve it.



Don Nelson

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60r8BLLLc...

"I thought we did as good of a job as we could defensively on him and he's my vote for MVP. He's the best of the best and deserves the award more than, I think, anybody else and I hope he gets it. He's a marvelous player, makes everybody else better. There isn't anything that he doesn't do. He's a pretty sensational player, I have enjoyed watching him all these years and I have enjoyed coaching him in one All-Star game when he got MVP."
KOBE #1 PLAY OF THE YEAR


Nick Young

http://lakers.topbuzz.com/index.php?name...


Al Thornton on Kobe:

“He’s as good as advertised, said Thornton. “He’s amazing. There’s nothing he can’t do out there on that basketball court. Without a doubt the best I’ve seen so far.



Ron Harper (Former MJ teammate) :

"Kobe is the best player in the NBA"

http://broadband.nba.com/cc/playa.php?co...



Newble, former teammate of LeHYPE just said Kobe is the best today LOL!


http://lakers.freedomblogging.com/2008/0...

Newble, the former Cleveland Cav, signed his 10-day contract Friday and immediately provided great material for reporters when asked to compared LeBron James with Kobe Bryant.

“You know what? Kobe’s better, and if you ask LeBron, he’ll tell you Kobe’s better,” Newble said.



Deron Williams after the Utah- LA game:

"He's the best player in the world,"

http://news.mywebpal.com/partners/963/pu...




Shawn Battier:

“I saw how good Kobe was in my rookie year when I was in Memphis, Battier said. “Everyone makes a big deal out of his 81-point game against the Raptors. But he gave me personally about 63 in my rookie year — in three quarters. And no one really talks about it. He’s unbelievable. Unbelievable. All the praise that he receives, he earns.

“(Kobe) never shows frustration, Battier said. “He’s the only guy in the league. That’s why I respect the hell out of him. He keeps coming at you wave after wave, just attacking you. So against him, you have to attack from the tip to the buzzer. Because the second you let up and lose your focus, he’s got you.

http://blogs.chron.com/franblinebury/200...




Chris Kaman just said Kobe is the best!

"They're a good team. They have the best player in the world [Bryant] on their team," said the Clippers' Chris Kaman, who scored 14 points and had 11 rebounds, but had only four points after the first quarter.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?game...



Corey Maggette

He was interviewed last night after the game, and he said, (quote) "Kobe is the best player in the world."





Dirk Nowitzki just said again today that Kobe is the best!

"He took the game over, and he won it," said Nowitzki, who finished with 30 points and 13 rebounds.

"To me, he's the best player in the league. They're the best team right now, so he definitely deserves it the MVP."

http://sportsreport.freedomblogging.com/...


SHAQ HAS SAID IT AGAIN THAT KOBE IS THE BEST!

“Kobe’s the best player in the league right now,” O’Neal said of his former verbal sparring partner. “He’s playing fabulous.”

http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/1...


Caron Butler just said Kobe is the best a few days ago:

"Kobe's the best in the game right now, hands down,"Butler said of his former Lakers teammate. "When a guy like that gets rolling, you are trying to stop one of the best players ever, and we weren't able to. He had good rhythm going and all the other guys were hitting shots as well.

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/...



Pau Gasol said Kobe is the best a few days ago!

"He (Bryant) is a top-class player, the best in the NBA," Gasol told Spanish sports daily Marca on Saturday. "We can do great things together and form a great partnership."


Chris Bosh said Kobe is the best a few days ago:

"They will be tough to match. It will be something once they put that all together," Toronto's Chris Bosh said. "When you can put Bynum, Gasol and Odom out there, you have two shot blockers, three rebounders and [b]then the best player in the league. So it will be very interesting to watch that come together and watch them play."


Said Szczerbiak: "He's Kobe. There's a reason why he's the best player in the NBA."


http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/so...


Kenny Smith of Yahoo

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=ks...



CHRIS BROUSSARD an ESPN columnist said Kobe is the best!

http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/blog/ind...



This is a quote from Maurice Brooks from Race to MVP in nba.com

Bryant injured his groin last week against the Warriors, but he stayed in the game and played in the Lakers next contest against the Clippers. The Lakers are playing their best ball of the season, having won five of their last six. Is this the season that the best player in the league finally wins the MVP?

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=Aj...

Kobe Bryant: The best player in basketball.


http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/dailydime?...


3. Kobe Bryant, Lakers guard -- Surprise, surprise. Kobe Bean has never won an MVP, and this year won't be any different, even though he's generally recognized as the game's best player at both ends of the floor. He's found a way to nurture and develop his teammates while still managing to score 27.7 points per game, second in the NBA. His production figures to pick up with the loss of Andrew Bynum for at least seven more weeks.


"He's the most electrifying, the best scorer in our game," Cleveland superstar LeBron James said. "He has won championships and he has made big shots throughout his career. Kobe Bryant is the best player in our league, to me

"I'm far away."



"I just think he's the best player in this league because of what he does on both ends of the court," said Hornets Coach Byron Scott, who is coaching the Western Conference All-Stars and played with Bryant in Bryant's rookie season, 1996-97. "I think offensively, there's nobody that can really guard him. Defensively, he loves the challenge of guarding the best guys on the (other) team."



"Kobe," Jazz forward Carlos Boozer said, almost before the who's-the-best question could be completed. "Kobe Bryant. He has everything offensively, and he has everything defensively. He has no flaws.

"If there's a guy in this league that doesn't have any flaws, it'd be Kobe."





"To me, the best player in the game is Kobe Bryant," said TNT analyst Doug Collins, a former NBA player and coach. "He has incredible physical skills. He has an incredible competitive will. If I had to win a game tomorrow, Kobe would be the first guy I picked on the perimeter."

http://www.nola.com/hornets/t-p/index.ss...



Kobe is already 2nd Greatest Shooting Guard of ALL-TIME and he is still playing? LOL!

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/dailydime?...

[Farm Raid]

They, too, probably thought he had another gear that he was holding back on. He does not.

[aura]

We all agree Kobe has more skill than Lebron. But so does Vince Carter and probably T-Mac. However, just because they contain more skill, does not in any way make them better players! Lebron is a physical specimen who is a Lion to those hyenas. I think anybody fears Lebron playing their team than Kobe. When the Lakers came to down, I feared Lakers. Odom, Pau, Fisher hitting big shots and there was always Bryant. But when Cavs come to town, all eyes are on Lebron, hoping he doesn't explode(which he always does). I'd say Lebron is the best player on the planet without a shout of a doubt. Kobe, Chris Paul, Brandon Roy, Paul Pierce, Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady probably all have more skill than him. None the less, Lebron can tell them the only skill (for example, he will go right everytime and drive to the basket) he will use all game and probably still end up scoring 20+ on them.

[HarlemHeat37]

I won't disagree with Kobe or Carter..but I don't see how Roy or Pierce have more skill than The King James..

[That Nicka]

Like I said, coin toss between Kobe and LeBron at the moment