Is Steph Curry on the same level as Kobe (in his prime)?
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BigBallerBrand
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 08, 2016 1:10 am    Post subject: Is Steph Curry on the same level as Kobe (in his prime)?

I think there are two levels of great players recently (post MJ):

Group A: Kobe, Lebron, Duncan
Group B: KD, Harden, Tmac, Iverson, Wade, Arenas, Melo, Pierce, etc.


Group B consists of mostly scorers who were good (or even best players in the NBa) for a few seasons, but never are really in the convo for "one of the best" players ever like Kobe, Lebron, or Duncan.

Do u guys think curry is on same level (or will eventually be) as Kobe? Or is he just another Iverson or Tmac (both great players but not Group A level)?
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tox
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 08, 2016 1:24 am    Post subject:

Your title talks about prime, but your subject body talks about longevity (the difference between Group A & B).

Two different things. No, I don't think Curry's career will end up as good as Tier A. Pretty sure Curry would have to be an All-NBA caliber player until he's like 40 to have as many as Duncan and Kobe have/ Lebron will have.

Doesn't mean his performance right now isn't as good as Kobe's prime. (I hold no opinion on that statement; don't watch enough GSW)
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 08, 2016 1:31 am    Post subject:

tox wrote:
Your title talks about prime, but your subject body talks about longevity (the difference between Group A & B).

Two different things. No, I don't think Curry's career will end up as good as Tier A. Pretty sure Curry would have to be an All-NBA caliber player until he's like 40 to have as many as Duncan and Kobe have/ Lebron will have.

Doesn't mean his performance right now isn't as good as Kobe's prime. (I hold no opinion on that statement; don't watch enough GSW)


Good point. I guess I was asking two things. Is curry currently better than prime Kobe (point in time)? And even if the answer is yes, will he have the longevity to keep this up and have a better overall than Kobe? I think curry's peak will be higher than kobe's peak, but Kobe will still have the better career due to longevity and more rings
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 08, 2016 1:44 am    Post subject:

If Curry wins another this year, he will be in the conversation of pushing Group B to Group C and forming his group. If he 3-Peats then he'll be in the Group A conversation for sure.
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 08, 2016 1:48 am    Post subject:

I love Curry and what he's doing, and I say his peak right now is just as exciting as Kobe and MJ's peak... just in a different way.

BUT!!!

It's hard to imagine someone shooting this accurate for years and years and years and years to come. Especially when he's the first of his kind, there is no precedent. In terms of place in history, we'll just have to wait and see if he has the longevity. But in terms of RIGHT NOW, he's group A no doubt in my mind.
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 08, 2016 1:49 am    Post subject:

Too early to say at this point, but if Golden State continues to win titles, and Curry continues to play the way he is now, he'll be viewed as one of the all-time greats. Best shooter I've ever seen, what he's doing right now is ridiculous. But you make your reputation over a career not over a season or two, and a lot of things can go wrong between now and the end of his career.
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 08, 2016 1:50 am    Post subject:

diando wrote:
If Curry wins another this year, he will be in the conversation of pushing Group B to Group C and forming his group. If he 3-Peats then he'll be in the Group A conversation for sure.


You're talking about the long run, what he has to add to his resume. But right now, there is no one in group B that I would take over Curry. Durant will make me think about it, but that's it.
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 08, 2016 1:58 am    Post subject:

No. Actually hell no. Steph is a better shooter, but a prime Kobe was a much, much better all around player. Kobe when he put his mind to it was as good a defender as there was. Steph is an average defender at best and doesn't have near the prowess off the dribble or creating his own shot. So many of his baskets come off screens. That's not to take away from good he is, but he's not where near as talented as a prime Kobe.
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 08, 2016 2:02 am    Post subject:

I think Curry is playing near prime Kobe level right now in terms of production and value as an individual. But Kobe = 20 years, steph =2?
Still his mastery over multiple aspects of the game is amazing to watch.

Kobe was more dominant though, I mean he was a Athletic 6'6 who
had less help and was vilified at for 2/3 of his career and still owned the league. Kobe also made things look easier than they were. Curry tends to give the opposite impression because of his shot selection/confidence/size.

I tend to look for similarities in attitude, commitment and love for the game instead of contrasting styles between the two. Both Kobe and Curry are reminding us what people can do when they love what they do.
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tox
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 08, 2016 2:08 am    Post subject:

I think an easy barometer of longevity is All-NBA teams. Here's your tier A:

Kobe: 11-2-2
Duncan: 10-3-2
Lebron: 9-2-0 (and counting... I'd say barring injury he's a lock for 4-5 more appearances and will probably end up with the record)

Curry: 1-1-0 (and counting)

Curry would need 13 more to catch KB & Duncan, i.e. he'd need to play at an All-NBA level until he's 41 and earn the honors every year. I doubt it, will be easier to put a longer, slower guy on him as he gets older + he's an injury risk.

Curry will probably have a Wade-esque career... insanely good peak with a good amount of hardware (granted Wade never got MVP but certainly was caliber for a few years) but lacking the longevity of other all-time greats. Maybe better than Wade but still in that tier.
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 08, 2016 2:18 am    Post subject:

Just realized Wade is on the B list.

I think that Wade should be in Group A or a new group B then.

Wade is a proven winner with 3 rings. I'd take Wade over T-Mac any day.

But I think Curry is on Wade's level.

Harden, Westbrook and Melo need to prove themselves worthy of being on the same level as Curry and Wade. KD just needs to win one to validate himself because of his dominant skill set. If KD doesn't win any then he gets demoted to C just like Melo.

Group A: Kobe, Lebron, Duncan
Group B: Wade, Curry, KD, Garnett, Dirk
Group C: Harden, Westbrook, Tmac, Iverson, Melo, Pierce, etc.
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Last edited by DShotMaker1824 on Fri Jan 08, 2016 8:04 am; edited 3 times in total
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tox
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 08, 2016 2:35 am    Post subject:

^I would add Dirk to Group B as well, otherwise I agree.

Well, I'm not sure Curry is Group B yet, but that's my projection of where he'll end up.

And IMO KD has been so good that he doesn't need to win a ring to prove himself a cut above the Group C guys... he might end up with (an efficient) 30,000 points on his career. That speaks for itself and separates himself from the Hardens and Melos of the league
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 08, 2016 3:01 am    Post subject:

I'm not even sure Arenas sniffs a group C. Not sure what his name is doing here. LOL! He had some explosive games, but no defense and no longevity. I mean Vince Carter had a better career.
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 08, 2016 3:18 am    Post subject:

If Curry could shutdown guys on defense when he wanted to, then yea, he's on the same level as Kobe's prime! So the answer is, HECK NO!

I put him a notch above Allen Iverson level.
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 08, 2016 5:16 am    Post subject:

He's been more efficient but Kobe was a better defender and much more athletic.
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 08, 2016 5:43 am    Post subject:

Lakers2015 wrote:
No. Actually hell no. Steph is a better shooter, but a prime Kobe was a much, much better all around player. Kobe when he put his mind to it was as good a defender as there was. Steph is an average defender at best and doesn't have near the prowess off the dribble or creating his own shot. So many of his baskets come off screens. That's not to take away from good he is, but he's not where near as talented as a prime Kobe.


Do you even watch him play?
Steph has arguably the best handle in the NBA and can shoot from anywhere on the court whether it be off screens or off the dribble. He can also drive to the basket using his elite ball handling and fakes.

Is he as good as prime Kobe?
Offensively, I say yes. I think he's even slightly better given his FG% and role as a point guard. Curry right now is the most feared offensive weapon in the game. Much like Kobe was in his prime.

Defensively, Prime Kobe was miles better than Curry right now.
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 08, 2016 7:03 am    Post subject:

Impossible to compare era's. Imo no.
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 08, 2016 7:36 am    Post subject:

In many ways they are similar, in many ways not so much.

In terms of their ability to hit clutch, dagger like shots, in their ability to take but make "bad" shots, and get their shot off whenever they want, yes.

In terms of HOW they do these things, it's just different. Curry does it in a more finesse way, Kobe did it in more of a relentless in-your-face way.
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yinoma2001
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 08, 2016 7:37 am    Post subject:

Curry is a good player. But let's let him win a few more rings before we get into that conversation.

But no, I'll take prime Kobe.
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 08, 2016 7:41 am    Post subject:

Nope. Love Curry. Favorite player in basketball outside of the Lakers. He's no Kobe.
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 08, 2016 7:46 am    Post subject:

No freaking way. Curry is playing in an offense first era, under the protection of the league since he's their golden child. Let him go against those nasty defenses from 2001 Sixers, Bruce Bowen era Spurs, those piston teams a decade ago and the big 3 era Celtic teams, see how well steph would do. Because those were the defense prime Kobe faced every year
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 08, 2016 7:48 am    Post subject:

Yes, Curry's impact on the game is similar to prime Kobe's, maybe even moreso at times given his Nash-like ability to improve his teammates.
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 08, 2016 7:50 am    Post subject:

Steph is having a great run but he needs to sustain it for years to be at that elite level.
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 08, 2016 7:56 am    Post subject:

Defend your title first for a back to back and then get a seat in the convo... curry is good but not yet
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 08, 2016 7:59 am    Post subject:

The thing I worry about curry is that he is asked to do so much for that team, and his past has been riddled with nagging injuries. As he racks up heavy minutes and miles, particularly in rough post season games, not sure if he will come close to touching Kobe's extended prime run.
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