[CaliCool]

Originally Posted by Dornado

This is based on what, exactly?

I think you can look at the success he is having right now. One can point at better teammates but clearly he has stepped up as a leader. Like the commentators said in Game 2, before he would jack up a lot of shots to shoot his team into winning but now he trusts his teammates more and he evidently makes more plays for them than before. (Well maybe he maintained the same level last year and last last year but the guys just weren't making it)

[thug_immortal8]

Originally Posted by Dornado

Oh... so you mean within the last 8 months... since he spent all of last offseason selling out his team and ripping Andrew Bynum...

I think he "changed" because the team was "winning". It'll take a larger sample size for me to buy that he's a different guy...

Well look where it got his team. Bynum and every other player on that team listened to Kobe and now they're title contenders after two straight first round exits. Maybe other players in the league should take a page out of Kobe's book and not be satisfied with mediocrity. The guy has more hunger at 30 to win a fourth championship than 25 year olds who have accomplished nothing in the league.

[KDOS]

I think you can look at the success he is having right now. One can point at better teammates but clearly he has stepped up as a leader. Like the commentators said in Game 2, before he would jack up a lot of shots to shoot his team into winning but now he trusts his teammates more and he evidently makes more plays for them than before. (Well maybe he maintained the same level last year and last last year but the guys just weren't making it)

Its been the same, Kobe approached that season (06-07) with a different frame in mind, which is to involve his teammates more. It was something him and Phil discussed after his 35 ppg season and Kobe complied despite of the obvious. Things changed as soon as his teammates started missing games and shots again. That offensive load came back in his shoulders and he had no choice but to take over. I think he jumped by a whopping 2 points per game in a short span of one month (fueled by his historic 5 consectuive 50 point scoring games) to reclaim the scoring title just before the season ended and he was tagged as being selfish once more.

[SPMJ]

Shaq, Duncan and Kobe have carried the torch for periods. Shaq from 99-02, Duncan from 03-05 and Kobe from the 05-06 season onwards.

[Attila]

Originally Posted by JonMatrix

Finals since Jordan left Chicago:
KG/Pierce/Allen- Depth issues on their team

You care to explain at what position they are lacking depth?

PG Rondo/Cassell/House
SG R Allen/T Allen/House
SF Pierce/Posey
PF KG/Powe/Brown/Davis
C Perkins/Brown/Davis

[cgcatsfan]

Originally Posted by Blue Magic

He is more open with his teamates. He doesn't yell at them anynore, he takes them to dinner(and pays), he is buying everyone gifts(for helping win MVP, which he acknolegdes as a team award). Do you not see that Kobe is changing his way..... not just as a player, but as a person and leader?!?

Yeah and he hasn't asked to get the coach fired in some years, sending the other team superstar to another team......and he hasn't had a sex scandal while his wife was pregnant in a while either..he's definitely changing.

[Plastic Man]

Originally Posted by Dornado

Oh... so you mean within the last 8 months... since he spent all of last offseason selling out his team and ripping Andrew Bynum...

I might not agree with the way he chose to get his message across, but no need to start making things up.

He did not sell his team out nor did he rip Andrew Bynum. If saying "Ship his *** out. This is Jason Kidd we're talking about." to some kids who are filming you is ripping one someone, than you'd probably be shocked by the horrible world we live in... because that is not even the "r" of ripping.

And if you can't see how he's changed, you're either too biased to notice or don't pay any attention (I'd say the latter). Because he was praising his teammates and was just as encouraging to them when they were losing in a pretty bad way earlier this season and were 9-8.

Bryant is actually the only person in this league that apparently can't grow up. Not because he doesn't want to or because he in fact doesn't. It's because people like you don't let him.

Meh, I don't know what's the point even, everyone has an opinion and neither of us personally know the guy so both of our points are moot.

peace

Originally Posted by cgcatsfan

Yeah and he hasn't asked to get the coach fired in some years, sending the other team superstar to another team......and he hasn't had a sex scandal while his wife was pregnant in a while either..he's definitely changing.

Unlike Magic he never asked his coach to get fired (at least not to my memory) and he didn't ask sending the other superstar to another team either (unless you consider Bynum a superstar). I'll give you the sex scandal, har har, good one, we sure didn't see something like this coming. Great points!

[kirov]

Plastic, the man on the mission...

[BadBaronRudigor]

Originally Posted by aznzen

damnit. i should;ve put iverson there instead of carter.

Actually you should have put Kevin Garnett, Iverson is nothing but a scorer. Steve Nash and even Dirk Nowitski are better candidates than Iverson (or Carter).

[jokeaward]

The best player in the NBA since 1999-00 is the one guarded by Wally Szczerbiak.