Kobe’s been on a tear over the past week, prompting at least one to proclaim that he’s better than No. 23. Now whether folks think this position is right or wrong, is really immaterial. At this point in the game no one is better at what Kobe does. And off the top of my head I can only think of two people who are as good at what they do (or better) than Kobe is at what he does.
In a recent post, Lindell Singleton dissects what makes Kobe successful. Here I’m not talking about his work ethic, I’m talking about how he uses the dribble to create space, about his economy. Basketball is an art, but to a certain extent it is rocket science. Lindell:
Bryant’s dribble attack sequences emanate from a precise ability to move defenders– to bring them either upright in their stance– or, encourage them to shift their body weight. The moves may be ‘flashy’ at times,. but they are founded on solid basketball pedagogy.
Lindell’s argument is that Kobe is a direct descendant of old school basketball great Jerry West. I’m not sure I buy his argument that West was better than Jordan, but I don’t have a problem in tracing a line from West to West. Where I’d disagree is in Lindell’s closing:
[Bryant] isn’t part of some new generation of basketball player that’s turning the game into a ‘hip-hop’ club; but instead, his game is a sacred homage to men who bask on the pantheon of basketball greatness. West, nor Baylor were ever called selfish–and, they shot the ball all the time. Scoring, in basketball, is not democratic– it is meritocratic.
I understand what Lindell’s trying to do. There are a number of people who ignore Kobe’s success, claiming he’s self-centered, brash, and difficult to be around. And it doesn’t take much to make a move from this position to hip-hop, claiming that Kobe’s behavior is part of a much larger problem with the current NBA. Saying that Kobe isn’t turning the game into a ‘hip-hop’ club is really a short cut for “we shouldn’t treat Kobe as if he’s the same as these other selfish NBA players who care more about themselves than they do about the game.
But it’s an unfair one on two counts.
Hip-hop at its best is about taking what was, acknowledging it, and making it new again. It’s about taking someone like James Brown, and introducing him to an entirely new fanbase through the innovative use of sampling. It’s about lyrical dexterity and split-second improvisation. It is possible that Kobe IS hip-hop AND old-school at the same time. And given that Kobe actually DID cut a hip-hop record (eminently forgettable but still), I’d say it is more than possible.
Further there is a kind of historical amnesia that may be uniquely American. There is nothing particularly majestic about the NBA of the sixties, seventies, and even eighties. Rampant racism, poor salaries, very little player autonomy, and massive drug use…not to mention porous defenses.
Lindell (and the rest of us) should be able to recognize Kobe’s greatness as part of a longer thread, while at the same time understanding the fundamentally modern components of his game that emanate from and are part and parcel OF hip-hop. Among other things.
Who do you think is the other person that dominates like Kobe? (in addition to Tiger Woods). Roger Federer?
Yes. Federer was the other link.
My basic take on this is: Kobe can do whatever Mike did. However, it has not be demonstrated (at least to my satisfaction) that Kobe is “better” at anything than Jordan.
Shooting from the field? Nope. Free throws? Nope. Passing? Rebounding? Scoring late? Scoring in bunches? Nope. Lock down defense on smaller guards? Nope. Defense on bigs or same size players? Nope. Clutch Factor? Nope. Ball handling? Don’t see it. Explosiveness? Capturing the moment? Not a chance.
I figure shorty just ran out of stuff to write. Moreover, the suggestion that today’s players are better than those of the Jordan era (not that long ago) is ludicrous. Some of (if not many) of today’s players are more athletic – but among the upper echelon players, I’ll take that 80’s group in a heartbeat.
I’ll take 12 guys: Magic, Bird, MJ, Isiah, Olajuwon, McHale, Worthy, Mo Cheeks (in case your modern day point guard actually thinks he’ll be able to dribble across half court without getting RIPPED), Barkley, Moses Malone, Karl Malone, and Reggie Miller.
The one element of today’s game that is fundamentally different from the 1980’s is the emergence of perimeter bigs…perhaps the prototype of which was Derrick Coleman. But, if you track the # of rings these guys have (as lead dogs pulling the sled), you’ll come up with 1…and that 1 was in the context of heated internal strife on the other team.
This may change after Shaq and Duncan retire, but they’ve EVERY ring save one since the last Bulls run. So, at the highest level of the game, these new fangled players have not proved their worth on the court. The longstanding frustrations of the Sacramento Kings (as Webber’s vehicle – Exhibit A); the Timberwolves (Kevin Garnett – Exhibit B); last year’s crumbled Mavericks – Exhibit C); the Portland Trailblazers led by ‘Sheed – Exhibit D). I could go on and on. (I maintain that the ’04 Pistons were able to DESTROY that Laker squad because the Lakers played mostly 1 against 5…and the better team won handily).
The game of hoops isn’t all that complex – even when it is.
I think that Tex Winter’s take is pretty on point. The only thing that Jordan can do individually that Kobe has not yet shown an ability to do is lock down opponents. Jemile (sp?) doesn’t quite have the chops to make the argument like Tex or even Bill Simmons, but as much as I like Mike, I think they are both onto something.
I believe that the NBA is a progressive league. That players get better over time because of improvements in technology, in diet and workout regime. Today’s players have access via dvd to every single game that Michael Jordan played. Whereas Jordan was the first to hire a chef to cook his meals, this type of thing is now common place. The reason that FG% has gone down over time is not because people are poorer shooters but because defenders are so much better than they were in the eighties. So with that said I’d take Lebron, Dirk, Kobe, T-Mac, Shaq, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Yao Ming, Steve Nash, Stoudamire, AI, and Jason Kidd…and I think these guys would win.
From the Archives: Kobe Bryant’s scoring jag http://t.co/KcWlNpQm