Best Laker ever? Get real
Oladipo proof that instant trade grades aren’t wise
Kobe Bryant rode off into the sunset late Monday night after a unique jersey retirement ceremony. Of course Bryant became the first player to have two numbers raised to the rafter, somehow, that felt right.
One could be of the belief that Bryant is overrated, while still accepting that he deserved the recognition from the Los Angeles Lakers. That’s where we stand. It is beyond dispute that Bryant was one of the most brilliant scorers to ever lace up a pair of shoes— the 81 points he notched against the Raptors, along with nine seasons where he averaged at least 27 a game, second only to Michael Jordan — clearly indicate as much. The aim of the game is to put the ball in the hoop and Bryant sure did a lot of that during his 20- season career, right down to the 60 he scored in his memorable curtain call last April.
Bryant also was a defensive menace for the first half of his career, one of the best two- way talents to come along in some time.
You can count the rings too. Five of them, in seven Finals appearances.
But Magic Johnson calling Bryant the best Lakers player of them all is crazy talk. Bryant has the largest fanbase ( nobody drew bigger crowds or roars at the Air Canada Centre over the years) and definitely the loudest, often to the point of obnoxiousness, but there is no argument to be made that he was a better player than Magic or Kareem Abdul- Jabbar. Hell, Shaquille O’Neal was the best player by far on the first three L. A. title teams Bryant played for and they don’t win the other two without Pau Gasol playing phenomenally well ( with most advanced metrics indicating Gasol was the most efficient and impactful player on those squads). Bryant shot just 6- for- 23 in Game 7 against Boston in 2010, but Gasol hauled in 18 rebounds and Ron Artest hit the winning three- pointer.
Don’t forget that the Lakers had the logo, Jerry West, for years, Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain and George Mikan. You can’t just hand the crown to Bryant.
Bryant is lucky that the alleged rape and all of the hoopla around the case happened in a different era. It’s hard to imagine that he would be as revered had it all gone down in the current climate.
Returning to his athletic abilities, despite the inefficiencies in his game, Bryant was one of the 30 best players ever, formed half of what was perhaps the best two- man combo of all- time and has evolved into one of the more interesting figures in sports and entertainment.
With analytics becoming such an important piece of the professional basketball puzzle, we probably won’t see anyone quite like Kobe Bryant ever again.
SURPRISE, SURPRISE
Remember when the Paul George deal was seen as a disaster for the Indiana Pacers and one of the most one- sided transactions in years?
Well, maybe instant trade grades are ill- advised. While George and the Oklahoma City Thunder have yet to mesh, Indiana has been a pleasant surprise, starting the season 17- 14 with an eye on home court advantage for the first round of the playoffs.
Victor Oladipo, the key piece for the Pacers in the deal, is averaging 24.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.9 assists and sits 12th in the league in value over replacement player. He might be the frontrunner for the most improved player award and is an all- star shoo- in at this point. Indiana also got Domantas Sabonis, a 21- year- old big man who has looked superb in Year 2 following a tough rookie season.
At least the Thunder got George. Orlando got a few months of Serge Ibaka for Oladipo, who they had selected No. 2 overall in 2013. Oops.
MONTY PACKS IT IN
The NBA lost one of its best referees in Monty McCutchen last week when he was named vice president and head of referee development and training.
McCutchen will oversee the daytoday management on on- court performance of the NBA’s officiating staff.
Raptors head coach Dwane Casey said it was tough to see a referee as good as McCutchen move from active duty, but hoped he will teach the young officials how to do the job well.
AROUND THE RIM
Somehow, the ageless LeBron James is on pace to tie Kobe with his ninth season averaging at least 27 points a game … New Orleans centre DeMarcus Cousins is the first player with two games of 40 points and 20 rebounds in a season since Patrick Ewing did it in 1989- 90 … Houston’s Clint Capela is bidding to become the first player to ever average 13 points and 11 rebounds a game in fewer than 26 minutes per game … The Rockets average 15.9 three- point makes and 43.1 attempts a game, which both would easily best last year’s averages of 14.4 and 40.3, which were NBA records … Boston’s Jayson Tatum tops the NBA with a 50.5% success rate on three- point attempts. The only other rookie to lead the league was Anthony Morrow in 2008- 09 … Kawhi Leonard is back for the San Antonio Spurs, but on a minutes restriction for now. No matter. Spurs are locking down opponents and scoring enough to win most nights.