Interesting article i read about Kobe Bryant...

VDSF · 2009-10-05T16:17:50-07:00

Since Kobe Bryant’s career will be winding down here pretty soon, as a huge Kobe fan, I cannot help but begin to wonder what Laker-land will be like once # 24 decides to call it quits. I mean, the last time that the Los Angeles Lakers were without Kobe was when Bill Clinton was still in office, Nintendo 64’s graphics were considered to be amazing, and the Lakers’ franchise had (only) 11 NBA Championships. As of now, I personally cannot fathom what it is going to be like when the Lakers do not have Kobe Bryant, and I’m sure many other Laker-fans concur. As we prepare ourselves to grasp, accept, and embrace this harsh reality, a few questions are still up-in-the-air. One question that is lingering amongst Laker-fans is: when will Kobe retire? Will he play until the NBA has to practically shove him into retirement, even when his greatest contributions might be coming off the bench? Or, as Michael Jordan should have done, will he hang the jersey up while in his mid-30’s, when he is still good for 25-5-5 and (hopefully) has a few more rings? Where will he finally settle in the list of most points accumulated throughout one’s career? How many more (if any) MVP trophies will he win? It’s kind of strange to think we will have these answers within this upcoming decade. However, this has to be one of the most intriguing questions of them all: where will Kobe Bryant – after his jersey is retired – finally rank among the Greatest Players of All Time? The rest of the article is on the link below Link

Oct 5, 2009 at 4:58 PM

dman
Veteran
Posts: 7,453

Eh, doesn't matter what people say.

He will never get the benefit of the doubt in the minds of the general public, too much hate out there.

Oct 5, 2009 at 5:04 PM

Hollywood49er
Veteran
Posts: 5,287

f**k Kobe

Oct 5, 2009 at 5:19 PM

dman
Veteran
Posts: 7,453

Originally posted by dman:
Eh, doesn't matter what people say.

He will never get the benefit of the doubt in the minds of the general public, too much hate out there.

Originally posted by Hollywood49er:
f**k Kobe

Oct 5, 2009 at 8:09 PM

GoreGoreGore
10HourChicken
Posts: 61,620

Originally posted by dman:
Originally posted by dman:
Eh, doesn't matter what people say.

He will never get the benefit of the doubt in the minds of the general public, too much hate out there.

Originally posted by Hollywood49er:
f**k Kobe

Classic.

Oct 5, 2009 at 8:56 PM

StOnEy333
Hall of Fame
Posts: 99,664

I've heard Kobe say more than once that he will play until he is forced out. I can imagine him playing until he wouldn't be considered a starter. I don't think he will play off the bench. It most likely will come down to how long his knees hold up.

Oct 5, 2009 at 9:11 PM

49ersalldaway126
Veteran
Posts: 14,549

Originally posted by StOnEy333:
I've heard Kobe say more than once that he will play until he is forced out. I can imagine him playing until he wouldn't be considered a starter. I don't think he will play off the bench. It most likely will come down to how long his knees hold up.

hess be a starter till his late 30's he doesnt play with his speed anymore and it will take a while till his age ruins all his athleticism and talent

Oct 5, 2009 at 9:37 PM

LA9erFan
Veteran
Posts: 66,021

Originally posted by 49ersalldaway126:
Originally posted by StOnEy333:
I've heard Kobe say more than once that he will play until he is forced out. I can imagine him playing until he wouldn't be considered a starter. I don't think he will play off the bench. It most likely will come down to how long his knees hold up.

hess be a starter till his late 30's he doesnt play with his speed anymore and it will take a while till his age ruins all his athleticism and talent

Artest should be able to extend Kobe's career a bit, because now we have another player who can handle the ball on the perimeter, and Kobe can operate behind the defense at the wing spot. If Artest picks up the triangle, Kobe will have less responsibility. Gasol & Bynum should help too.

Oct 5, 2009 at 9:55 PM

TheGoldStandard
Veteran
Posts: 7,697

5 Lakers in his top 7, yeah definitely written by a fan.

Oct 5, 2009 at 10:12 PM

kray28
Veteran
Posts: 12,903

Originally posted by TheGoldStandard:
5 Lakers in his top 7, yeah definitely written by a fan.

Uhm, it's an article on TLN....that's a Laker forum (I'm a member there). So yeah, it was written by a fan.

As for when Kobe will retire....barring a premature career ending type injury, I see him playing productively for at least 5-6 more years. He will end his career as a Laker too....no way he'll be let go.

As for what life will be like without him....if you were around when Magic retired, the effect will be similar, except it might be a softer landing than the bombshell that Magic dropped on us in the fall of 1991. I tell myself that if I could get over that....I can get over Kobe being gone. It will be hard though....

Kobe's legacy is already cemented....he's a first ballot Hall of Famer, and will be recognized as one of the most explosive scoring guards in NBA history. The cool thing about Kobe's legacy is that he's not done writing it though.....I have a feeling that before he's done, he's going to aim for MJ and come out over even that hurdle.....GOAT.

Oct 5, 2009 at 10:24 PM

#10

kray28
Veteran
Posts: 12,903

Originally posted by dman:
Eh, doesn't matter what people say.

He will never get the benefit of the doubt in the minds of the general public, too much hate out there.

He'll never recover from Colorado completely.....but if he keeps winning Championships, he'll make a lot of people forget.

Look at him now....especially outside the US? He's huge in Asia and huge in Europe. He's one of the first truly international NBA stars. The irony is that the Colorado incident opened up the window for him to heavily market himself outside of the US.

Now he's back, he's got the team he's always wanted, one of the rings and several more to follow. The Reign of Kobe is just getting started. So much for King James.

Oct 6, 2009 at 3:50 AM

#11

GEEK
Veteran
Posts: 19,427

Luke Walton FTW

Oct 6, 2009 at 12:49 PM

#12

TheSixthRing
Beer Gut
Posts: 82,187

This would've been a goo thread to post this in
http://www.49erswebzone.com/forum/thread.php?num=130682

Oct 6, 2009 at 4:49 PM

#13

TheGoldStandard
Veteran
Posts: 7,697

Originally posted by kray28:
Originally posted by dman:
Eh, doesn't matter what people say.

He will never get the benefit of the doubt in the minds of the general public, too much hate out there.

He'll never recover from Colorado completely.....but if he keeps winning Championships, he'll make a lot of people forget.

Look at him now....especially outside the US? He's huge in Asia and huge in Europe. He's one of the first truly international NBA stars. The irony is that the Colorado incident opened up the window for him to heavily market himself outside of the US.

Now he's back, he's got the team he's always wanted, one of the rings and several more to follow. The Reign of Kobe is just getting started. So much for King James.

Yeah, I got that, I was stating the obvious, because he didn't even try to be objective. It was a complete homer piece, is all I meant.