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Nightwalker
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 Posted: Mon Sep 22, 2014 11:56 pm Post subject: |
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| Lebron James. |
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Drifts
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| Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2014 12:24 am Post subject: |
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I'd say Lebron James.
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-Showtime-
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| Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2014 12:26 am Post subject: |
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| Gasol |
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Birmingham
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| Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2014 12:39 am Post subject: Re: Who Would Have Been an Ideal "Pippen" to Kobe? (Post-Shaq era) |
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| yinoma2001 wrote: | Ideally, I think a Grant Hill (pre-injury) would have been a perfect running mate due to his temperament and personality.
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I like the Hill shout best. Pippen 2.0 (better offensively, not as dogged defensively) was always his ceiling as a player IMO. But he never reached it sadly.
Pip was unique. There is no one close to Pip (Iguodala and Odom suggestions are an insult) just like there is no one close to Mike. |
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yinoma2001
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| Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2014 4:17 am Post subject: |
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Odom really was a PF on the Lakers. While he could handle the ball, he never:
1. guarded the other team's best perimeter player, thereby allowing Kobe to rest on defense, less defensive versatility (though Odom's overall defense is underrated);
2. could not really carry an offense by himself.
Obviously it worked out all right for the Lakers with Odom. But in this hypothetical, not sure if Odom fits the bill, particularly when you have a stable of players to choose from.
I think Hill/Kobe would have just been a nightmare. Hill would have been fine being the #2 guy behind Kobe. And while Hill's 3 point shooting/defense were not better than Pippen, he is the representation of versatility. I think Lebron/Kobe would have been phenomenal too, but seems both guys would have eventually wanted to have their own shops.
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angrypuppy
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| Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2014 6:27 am Post subject: |
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| krisobe wrote: | | angrypuppy wrote: | | Lebron James, though their primes never really intersected. |
2007-2008 Season. MVP Kobe and Prime LeBron.
2007-2008 Kobe: Age 29. 28/6/5
2007-2008 LeBron: Age 23. 30/8/7
Them paired up that season with PHIL would've meant 70+ wins and a NBA Championship. |
Lebron was an elite player early, but I don't consider his prime to be 2007-8. Kobe definitely was in the tail end of his prime. Fast forward; if you substitute the slightly older version of Lebron with his improved judgment and outside shooting they would have been a more formidable pairing than Jordan+Pippen by a wide margin. |
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loki05
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| Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2014 6:51 am Post subject: |
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| RUDY GAY. Dead serious. You see how he plays on USA teams? He's a different animal. Does all the intangibles, makes plays, and defends. |
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Voices
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| Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2014 6:57 am Post subject: |
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James is the obvious choice, but other then James I would have liked to see Shawn Marion. He reminds me of Big Game James. Marion has a motor that never stops, Shawn is still a very good player.
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Omar Little
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| Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2014 6:59 am Post subject: |
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Anyone mention Chris Paul yet?
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ringfinger
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| Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2014 7:04 am Post subject: |
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| 24 wrote: | | Anyone mention Chris Paul yet? |
He'd be good, but I don't know about ideal. Chris Paul hasn't proven to be as effective without the ball. And neither has Kobe. So pairing the duo would yield unknown results. (Sure, it's possible one of the two would give up the rock, but, we've just never seen that happen with effectiveness).
That's what makes a more Pippen type player such a powerful pairing with an on-ball player like Kobe.
Kobe likes Lebron, I like Lebron for him too. This isn't to say CP3 and Kobe couldn't have been an awesome combo though, I just don't know about ideal. |
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K0BEE 2.0
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| Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2014 7:11 am Post subject: |
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| Paul Pierce in his prime would have been a good Robin to Kobe's batman. |
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70sdude
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| Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2014 7:16 am Post subject: Re: Who Would Have Been an Ideal "Pippen" to Kobe? (Post-Shaq era) |
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| yinoma2001 wrote: | MJ had Pippen. Kobe has never had an “elite” wing player in the mold of Pippen alongside him. He’s had (post Shaq) at best, Ron Artest, who was still a dogged defender, but a bit past his elite defensive/scoring prime. Next best may be Ariza, but he was a flash in the pan. Since then, he’s had a parade of sub-optimal wings alongside him.
Now, playing with Kobe as a sidekick requires a few things.
1. Ability to be a knockdown shooter;
2. Willing passer and someone willing to sublimate his game to Kobe’s;
3. Since we are talking post-Shaq, the ability to defend the other team’s best scorer to ease the load on Kobe;
4. Ability to run the 2nd unit.
Aside from salary cap constraints (since having Kobe/Pau basically meant the team didn’t have much salary cap room), which player would you pair with Kobe (post-Shaq)?
Ideally, I think a Grant Hill (pre-injury) would have been a perfect running mate due to his temperament and personality. TMac would have been a great running mate, but not sure if he would be willing to be second chair to Kobe. Kobe/Pierce might have been another great duo thanks to Pierce’s ability to be a deadly 3 point shooter. Who do you have? |
My brother mentioned Marques Johnson, the first "MJ". He might have been a great fit to Kobe. Marques was a highly athletic and highly skilled guy, and he was a versatile player who could do a lot of things at a high level. He handled the ball up top as point-forward quite often, and worked inside as a power forward. He had a sharp midrange jumper, and he could drive the ball as well as anyone. He guarded positions 2-3-4 rather well too. I might like him for Kobe more than Hill theoretically. |
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yinoma2001
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| Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2014 7:25 am Post subject: |
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| 24 wrote: | | Anyone mention Chris Paul yet? |
Yeah. But I was trying to focus on a player like Pippen who could defend 4 positions, etc. (though CP3 "shut down" Durant for like 2 quarters  ). That's why I haven't really included PGs in the mix (though guys like Hill, TMac, Iggy, James) have all played point-forward roles.
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NomisR
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| Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2014 8:55 am Post subject: |
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| 67ShelbyGT wrote: | None of the above mentioned. Seriously. Not even close. Pippen may be the most underrated player in history.
Best perimeter defender ever (with respect to Coop and Alvin). Great handles and playmaking skills. Decent jumper. He wasn't dominant on offense b/c he had more of a facilitator mentality.
Grant may have been similar in playmaking but can't touch Pip on D. Artest was a very good defender in his prime but he's more the physical sort. Pip and Kobe have some of the best on-ball defense in history. Pippen is better team defender than Kobe tho.
Remember he was one rebound away from leading the Bulls back to Finals sans MJ/HoGrant. 55 wins too that yr. |
Well, there's also LeBron that was mentioned which I refer to him as "Super Pippen". He has the skills of Pippen but bigger and more physical. But seeing that he's lost 50lbs over this season, maybe he's down to Pippen level now.. which means he's still a great player, just less physical. |
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audioaxes
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| Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2014 9:28 am Post subject: |
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| Lebron is now a top 10 all time player... Pippen not so much. |
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AshesToAshes
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| Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2014 9:40 am Post subject: |
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durant
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KOBE!!! |
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L.A.M.B
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| Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2014 10:15 am Post subject: |
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| audioaxes wrote: | | Lebron is now a top 10 all time player... Pippen not so much. |
LeBron is not a top 10 all-time...i mean, sure, if you let ESPN think for you, then it may come off that way. But Pippen was actually a better player than LeBron..Pippen simply knew his role. If LeBron was smart enough to take a Pippen-like role to a player like Kobe, he'd have 6 titles right now. Pippen was good enough to be a primadonna and ask to be the head of a franchise...but the fact that he was humble enough to take a backseat to Jordan is what made those Bulls so great. LeBron doesn't have the testicular fortitude to take a backseat to anyone, even if it meant winning rings...he thinks too highly of himself and his ego wouldnt allow. |
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Cutheon
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| Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2014 10:20 am Post subject: |
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| Durant. |
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lakurluv
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| Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2014 10:24 am Post subject: |
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I would have to try to compare a player who's main attributes would have to consist of #1 being able to play second fiddle as Pippen did to MJ and secondly who had some defensive mindset. Iggy would be my obvious choice, simply because he fits the mold, very long and athletic, has the Defense and is truly not in the mold of a "Main Guy" so could have easily played the supporter for Kobe and I think it would have worked, because Iggy has a great attitude as well.
My not so obvious choice though and the one, whom I would have probably pegged over Iggy would have been...
DANNY GRANGER.
Danny is more in the mold of Pippen with his size and length. Danny's main issue was what Pippen had happen when MJ retired and that was he had to be a main guy and he wasn't.
Danny to me would have been the perfect compliment player to Kobe after Shaq left. He's not the type of player that needed plays called for him and he was a good defender as well. Prior to his injury he was one of the top players in the league and an All Star to boot.
I would have gone with the not so obvious choice and taken Danny Granger as the Kobe's Pippen.
Granger's attitude was suitable for the Lakers and Kobe's ego, he would have meshed well with the franchise and Kobe and thrived in the Triangle offense. |
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KobeRe-Loaded
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| Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2014 10:35 am Post subject: |
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LARRY BIRD!
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epak
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| Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2014 10:40 am Post subject: Re: Who Would Have Been an Ideal "Pippen" to Kobe? (Post-Shaq era) |
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| Birmingham wrote: | | yinoma2001 wrote: | Ideally, I think a Grant Hill (pre-injury) would have been a perfect running mate due to his temperament and personality.
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I like the Hill shout best. Pippen 2.0 (better offensively, not as dogged defensively) was always his ceiling as a player IMO. But he never reached it sadly.
Pip was unique. There is no one close to Pip (Iguodala and Odom suggestions are an insult) just like there is no one close to Mike. |
People forget how GOOD the Detroit Piston Grant Hill was.
Great defense, great offense, great leadership.
It was unfortunate that injuries derailed his career in Orlando.
He would have been the ideal Pip to Kobe.
Unselfish, with a high motor. Intense on the court, but very approachable off the court. Character similar to a Derek Fisher. I feel like he would have been the perfect compliment to Kobe on and off the court. A killer on the court, but ice to Kobe's fire off the court.
And I agree, Iggy and Odom are no where near what Pippen was. And CP3 and Gasol and etc, just dont fit the mold that was Pippen in terms of playing style and talent. |
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MJST
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| Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2014 10:47 am Post subject: |
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| 24 wrote: | | Anyone mention Chris Paul yet? |
*raises hand* ^_^ |
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Gwyn
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| Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2014 11:38 am Post subject: |
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PnP in his prime.
One of the few who would sucker Kobe on the block! 
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NomisR
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| Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2014 12:33 pm Post subject: |
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| L.A.M.B wrote: | | audioaxes wrote: | | Lebron is now a top 10 all time player... Pippen not so much. |
LeBron is not a top 10 all-time...i mean, sure, if you let ESPN think for you, then it may come off that way. But Pippen was actually a better player than LeBron..Pippen simply knew his role. If LeBron was smart enough to take a Pippen-like role to a player like Kobe, he'd have 6 titles right now. Pippen was good enough to be a primadonna and ask to be the head of a franchise...but the fact that he was humble enough to take a backseat to Jordan is what made those Bulls so great. LeBron doesn't have the testicular fortitude to take a backseat to anyone, even if it meant winning rings...he thinks too highly of himself and his ego wouldnt allow. |
Well, in a way, he tried to do that with a player like Wade, the problem was, Wade's not Kobe even though Wade and ESPN thinks so. So that's why they only have 2 rather than 4. |
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yinoma2001
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| Posted: Wed Sep 24, 2014 4:23 am Post subject: |
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| NomisR wrote: | | L.A.M.B wrote: | | audioaxes wrote: | | Lebron is now a top 10 all time player... Pippen not so much. |
LeBron is not a top 10 all-time...i mean, sure, if you let ESPN think for you, then it may come off that way. But Pippen was actually a better player than LeBron..Pippen simply knew his role. If LeBron was smart enough to take a Pippen-like role to a player like Kobe, he'd have 6 titles right now. Pippen was good enough to be a primadonna and ask to be the head of a franchise...but the fact that he was humble enough to take a backseat to Jordan is what made those Bulls so great. LeBron doesn't have the testicular fortitude to take a backseat to anyone, even if it meant winning rings...he thinks too highly of himself and his ego wouldnt allow. |
Well, in a way, he tried to do that with a player like Wade, the problem was, Wade's not Kobe even though Wade and ESPN thinks so. So that's why they only have 2 rather than 4. |
No doubt. Kobe and a prime Lebron? Not even fair. Could have been better than Jordan/Pippen possibly.
Wade's lack of conditioning, his non-well rounded games, all have contributed to his decline. Those are two things Kobe has mastered.
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