It isn't a surprised that Darth will be named MVP. So instead of rehashing what he has done this year, let's go back in time to see how I have chronicled some of the peaks and valleys of his career since Shaq left the building.
It's talked about with feverish passion at one-point or another at any local barbershop. It's debated over and over for countless hours without ever ending with a winner. It has nothing to do with politics or overpaid prostitutes. Like Optimus Prime or Megatron, Randy Moss or TO, Nas or Jay-Z, Kobe Bryant and Lebron James are just the latest duo to captivate us.
While both are great players, there are several reasons i'd have to give Lebron the slight edge on the timeless "who's best wing player in the NBA" debate.
Besides the obvious that Lebron James is younger, if you look closer into their games James just doesn't have the level of selfishness that Bryant and a host of other comparable players in the NBA have.
Now if you have been following closely, and I stress closely, following the career of Kobe, you'd know that his ego sometimes gets in the way of his game. If Kobe is having a off-night, and the defense is really keying on him. Kobe will often take it personally and as a challenge. He then starts to shoot his team out of the game instead of playing the decoy and just getting his guys involved. Lebron James thinks the game of basketball at all times, not just most of the time. He's always making plays for his teammates. You never see Lebron getting caught up in a personal battle with the opposing star to the detriment of his team as Kobe sometimes does. Lebron wants to set the table for the basketball play regardless of who scores. Kobe wants the play to start and end with him. You say my opinion is biased somehow? Well lets look a little further.
Lets look into leadership which is a vital part of a superstar's role in any sport. In Kobe Bryant, we have a player who has, without a doubt, outsmarted himself. He had one of the most dominant centers in NBA history in his prime on his side and what did he do? After winnining 3 NBA titles with Shaq, Kobe decided that it wasn't good enough. He wanted to win a championship while he got the most touches while being the first option. So in a nutshell, he wanted to average 30ppg instead of 24ppg. He wanted to be Superman instead of Batman.
What Kobe failed to realize is that the fans didn't think of him as a sidekick. He, himself, was seen as a super-hero, not Shaq's Scottie Pippen. Bryant helped drive the car that got Shaq traded out of LA because he wanted the spotlight to himself. What went on afterwards is mindboggling. Bryant now had the Lakers to himself, but he quickly realized that winning alone was no easy task. Bryant's scoring indeed went up while Lakers wins went down. Kobe has since repeatedly butted heads with his coach, bailed out on team-mates in a crucial playoff game 7 against the Suns which was well publicized. Most recently, he demanded a trade, citing that he needs more help to win. Make sense to you? I know it didn't. Talk about irony!
Bean drops 52 and seriously how could you not watch some of those moves and not think of this man?
I am just saying.
Wait I thought Darth Kobe was injured? Just imagine how many more points he would have dropped on the Phoenix if he had a healthy pinkie. The Lakers even without Andrew Bynum appears poised to make a run at the NBA Finals. You aren't hearing too many critics now questioning Bean's leadership or calling him selfish. It is amazing what surrounding a superstar with very good players will do to someone's image. I know the series I want to see in the NBA playoffs would be the Suns vs. Lakers how fun would that be?
Speaking of The Suns The Big Heat Ray made his debut and played some inspired ball. But here is what I have ascertained from watching Shaq. He has no lift in his legs any more and that explains why his rebound and block shot numbers have steadily been going down. It appears he is willing to except his role on the Suns and put in 15 and 7 every night that would be a positive. His acquisition doesn't really make the Suns a better team from an X and O perspective but from a chemistry perspective it makes them better. In the end though he is not enough of a difference maker at this point in his career to lead the Suns to anything except an early playoff exit.
