In professional sports when you age, people begin to doubt you and disrespect you.
You get general managers and executives who start to blurt out Jibber Jabber when legends start to age.
Pro Basketball Talk is reporting that NBA general managers now feel Kevin Durant is a more clutch player at the end of games than Kobe “Bean” Bryant.
In the report, league general managers stated that in their annual survey, regarding who they would prefer taking the final shot at the end of a game, Durant got a good share of the votes.
Kevin Durant-46.7%
Kobe Bryant-40.0%
Carmelo Anthony-6.7%
Before people, especially Kobe get in an uproar, the voting is based on statistical analysis.
According to the general managers, last season in the final three minutes of games with his team ahead or behind by three, Kobe shot 33% from the field.
Durant for his part in that same time frame during the final minutes of a game, shot 43%.
I say disregard the numbers and remember, at the end of games Durant has Harden and Westbrook to space the floor for him.
At the end of games against the Oklahoma City Thunder you can’t double team anyone.
Kobe in his defense, regardless of having Gasol or Bynum, had to take the final shot and surely knew a second defender would come once he started to make his move.
I know numbers don’t lie, but until he shows me that he can no longer do it, Kobe is the king of clutch period.