Bryant vs. Oakley

Get ready for great basketball Toronto because Kobe is coming to town. If he drops 80 again I am going to be sick. I can’t stand Kobe Bryant, he brings out so much hate in my heart. I want to throw him in a Vietnamese torture chamber with an irritated Charles Oakley suffering from hemorrhoids, stir in some fire ants and see what comes out…..Ok, that might be a bit dramatic but I really don’t like the guy. The problem is that he is such a good basketball player.

Kobe Bryant is the best player in the NBA. I’m not talking about who you would start a franchise with if you could choose anyone. If I was playing a game of pickup and had first choice of all the players in the league; Kobe is a no brainer. He has matured from a great scorer into a complete player. He can pass, rebound, defend, lead and his basketball IQ is off the charts. The other Lakers are having career years because Kobe is getting them involved, getting them good shots and making it a team effort. He is taking 7 fewer shots a game but his field goal percentage is the highest it has been since 2001-2002. Kobe is still getting the last shot and he takes what is his but last year taught him once and for all that he can’t do it alone.

My hate of Kobe began when he decided that total domination of the NBA wasn’t enough because he didn’t do it alone. All those rings seem to mean nothing to him because he knows, deep in his heart, that Shaq did that. He ran Diesel and Phil Jackson out of town and then, slowly realized that he can’t win a championship alone. After Shaq made a break for the sunshine state, Kobe tried to fill the leadership void left on the Lakers. While he put up great individual numbers, the Lakers slumped in the standings. It takes a team to win a championship and that has been proven again and again. Very rarely has an individual won a championship for a team and if anyone can think of one please let me know (MJ HAD a team I don't care what anyone says). A very good argument can be made for Dwayne Wade in last years finals but I am not totally convinced. The Spurs, Pistons and Suns all play a team game around superstars of all different types (yes Billups is a legit superstar). The NBA and Adidas have tried to hammer that message home with a set of commercial based around the slogan “It takes 5” and it seems Kobe is listening.

The Raptors are listening. Last game they had both point guards get double-doubles!! I am looking forward to a real challenge for the Raptors tonight. The Lakers are the first top level team they have played in a couple weeks. I want to see Anthony Parker getting up on everyone of Kobe’s shots and get help when he needs it. Bosh will carry the load on both ends and I’m calling 30 points and 10 boards tonight!!