Jules Winnfield wrote:
There's people that understand the game of basketball...and then there's you.
Anyone with any basketball IQ knows what Kobe is doing that doesn't show up in the box score.
So are you saying Chris Paul also doesn't do things that don't show up in the box score? I would say there is a lot Paul does that doesn't show up in the box score as well. However, he also has done things that do show up in the box score.
So do I want the guy who has done both or the guy who has only done one?
Your first point is absolute ridiculous. Of course it is a pro that Kobe can guard G-SF-SG. That makes him a more complete defensive player compared to Paul. Just like KG can guard at multiple positions and do it extremely well. To suggest otherwise is laughable. Of course Paul cannot do it physically, but that's Paul's limitation. Think about why people say Magic is one of the best of all time. He played all five positions in the finals . Oh, and bigger PG's like Deron switch on the perimeter and it helps out the defense a good deal. Deron can switch onto SGs. So they can be asked to do that. Paul isn't asked to do it because he isn't capable.
So why punish a guy for something he isn't capable of or not asked to do? Isn't that what a lot of people argue when saying Kobe is limited by the triangle? I'd say that is a double-standard.
Your second point is fair. Paul is a first team defender in my book. But Kobe has been playing at a DPOY level.
I only wanted to show the difference in levels isn't as great as a lot of people make it out to be. People always like to say, 'What about Kobe's defense?" Yeah, he is a good defender, but it is only one part of the equation, and to me it doesn't trump or offset the work of a player like Paul.
I think Paul has an edge in creating shots because that is the role on his team. Paul is the best PG in the league. Kobe is the best SG in the league. It is expected that Paul gets more assists, but Kobe does more for his ballclub in his role. He is their defensive catalyst. He is the primary scorer. He is the best at getting to the line on the ballclub. He is asked to rebound. He is asked to be the facilitator and the initiator of the triangle offense. He gets assists, although the most important pass in the triangle is the pass before the assist. He spreads the defense better than Paul imo.
See, here you're making the argument of Kobe being "limited" by his role and passing off what Paul has done as something he is just "supposed" to do. And, to me, it seems you're suggesting that, were Kobe put in Paul's position, he would be as successful as Paul.
I'm not going to argue over spilled milk when it comes to who has more responsibility on which team because that is quite subjective.
I like also that you can put any number of players at Kobe's disposal and he's going to get you a .500 + record no matter what. He just dismantled two of the best home teams without a true center, without his two best sidekicks, and without his best perimeter defender (Ariza). I don't know for sure, but I don't think Paul is versatile enough to get that done. Only Lebron and Kobe can do that imo.
The wins were impressive, but it is an aggregate award. And I would argue strongly that Fisher is a vastly superior perimeter defender to Ariza.
