TAET XXVII: The Jason Peters NASA Rover Fund

[JayAp07]

[EaglesFan5-36-81]

The "All-Defensive Teams" Arguments for Kobe shouldn't be taken seriously because the whole All-Defensive teams are a populartiy contest, for a while Bruce Bowen was the best perimeter defender in the NBA but only made them later on. Andre Iguodala was the top perimeter defender in the NBA this season and didn't make either team, its a joke of an award just like the Gold Glove is in baseball. There were a glut of better defenders in the NBA who didn't have the name over the years but didn't get the recognition.

He's a great scorer but he was in an offense that fit him perfectly and all of his championships he had a big man playing at a very high level. He really isn't much of a passer and gets too ball-hoggish to make his teammates better.

Kobe is one of the more overratted players ever. I've seen people say he's the best of the post Jordan era, and as boring as he is, that distinction goes to Tim Duncan, who is the best PF ever. Anyone who says he is better than Jordan or even at that level needs to be shot. Kobe was a great scorer and closer, but didn't make his teammates better and was pretty overrated.

/rant

I love AI, my favorite Sixer ever and the way he willed those teams with no help was astounding. That said, Kobe is the right choice although I'm not sure how he would have developed without Shaq and the triangle. Lets be honest, Shaq being a veteran established as a dominant big man in the league, helped Kobe not have to be the man early. AI never had that luxury. I find it funny though that the Canadian selected after Kobe has the same amount of MVPs as Kobe and AI combined
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[willy_law]

bold statement with Kobe being overrated but I do agree that him having Shaq took SOOO much of the load off him and let him be the #2 man with the ability to score like a #1 without having all the pressure.
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[babyatemydingo]

I thought I posted about people not saying anything about basketball if they never really played nor understood the game.
Apparently, people take queues from their girlfriends or moms.
I am not sure who made "the ultimate highlight" more times and I don't care.

Kobe Bryant >>> Allen Iverson.

That does not mean Iverson was not great.
The same with Charles Barkley, George Gervin, and Elgin Baylor.
Oh, and a whole bunch of other guys.
(Reggie Miller, Pete Maravich, Patrick Ewing, The Jazz, etc.)
But, a championship is not the "be all to end all" in the NBA, either...especially today.

The 76'ers were right to take Iverson.
The Lakers were right to trade Divac for the rights to Bryant.

But, Iverson is out of basketball, just as Bryant is out of Philly.
The Lakers are out of the playoffs, just as Philly is in.
That should be enough.

Realistically, fan-love for players is what makes the NBA suck.

Quick: Who had more tweets this week, LeBron James or his mom?
If you know the answer we should go to a bar next to a dark alley with a dumpster in the back.
I would like that.
Ah, the good old days.

Don't get me wrong.
I am not pining for the good old days when the SPHA's beat the (real) Globetrotters, 38-35.
I just long for the days when people didn't know/care what brand of sneakers players wore.
I long for the days when I could say NBA basketball was better than NCAA basketball.
I long for the days when the Kardashians weren't a franchise.

I long for the days when teams played like teams and THAT was appreciated.

[SiLo]

[EaglesFan5-36-81]

[Bednarik60]

I am related strongly to dingo. I have DNA to prove it
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Sig/Art by The Great Silo
#championCHIP #CHIPlife #Sparkles

[RollEagles]

My two cents about this who is the better basketball player thing:

You can't compare Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan. You can't compare Bill Russell and Magic Johnson.

There are just certain comparisons that can't be made in any sport because different positions have different impacts.

That would be like saying Ted Williams was a better baseball player than Cy Young. Or saying that Chuck Bednarik was a better football player than Steve Young.

If you want to compare big men, you could make the argument for Russell or Chamberlain.

If you want to compare guards, you could make the argument for MJ or Magic.

In my opinion, if you look at their whole bodies of work, Kobe is a better player than Allen Iverson. More championships and better statistics maintained over a longer time make Kobe the clear better player. It is a fair comparison because they are both guards.

Now with all that being said, I'll bring this to the discussion:

I think by the time it is all said and done LeBron James will go down as one of the greatest non-big men to ever play the game besides for MJ. Only because the guy is only 27 years old.

When did MJ win his first NBA title? When he was 28 years old.
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Phillies: 35-37, Fire Charlie
Eagles: Cut Vick
#1 Alabama: National Champions
Maple Leafs: Offseason

[Phire]

[willy_law]

The all defensive team thing is skewed though

Coaches vote for the all defensive team and the Media votes for DPOY. So thats why there is a discrepancy

and the brand of basketball in the NBA has gone down dramatically, especially with the forming of all these Big 3's (Heat,Boston,NY)

I was a fan of the days where you had 1 and maybe if you were lucky 2 superstars and you had a good TEAM around you and that is how you got your wins. The early 2000 Kings, The Spurs , The early 2000 Nets all did exactly that.


But when you look at our recent champs and who is left in the playoffs this year, that trend of good team basketball still is going strong.

San Antonio Spurs are like 45 yrs old with the core players but they play so well as a team

OKC even though they have 2 stars in durant and russell, they are homegrown and the talent around them complements them

Miami- The only team to buck the trend, wont win the title if they face San Antonio, the spurs will out class them all over the floor

Boston- Its a big 3 but it wasnt a traditional one, and atm Rondo and Pierce are home grown. Garnett was a good addition, Allen was too but you can see him falling off this playoffs

Philly- a scrappy group of no names with potential that won't go away.




There is hope for the NBA in the fact that the teams that seem to win the hardware still abide but the old way of building a team ( Dallas)
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[ianlewis16]

[SiLo]

[Blahman88]

It's Basketball.......it's like the ginger of American Sports
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Officially endorsed by Jon Dorenbos

[Phire]

[RainbowCarebear]