Alonzo Mourning Says Kobe is The Best Player (just after the 2006 Finals)

[mehyaM24]

Dan asked Zo, Who is the best player in the NBA today?

Zo: "Kobe Bryant cuz he's the most talented player in the game today and he could do anything"

Dan: What does Kobe do better than Wade?

Zo: "Ahhh there pretty close but, Kobe is a better scorer, a better shooter than Wade, but Wade is close to Kobe, but Kobe is the best right now and i think he deserved the MVP.

Dan: Why did Kobe deserve the MVP and not Steve Nash?

Zo: "Did you see what Kobe was doing for his team? Now they call it the Most Valuable Player for his team and your telling what Kobe did for that team this year was not the most valuable out of all the players? Kobe deserved the MVP that kid did it all, there is no way the things he did and what he did for that spefific team that he didn't deserve the MVP"
http://www.insidehoops.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4331

thoughts? any disagreements? i believe lebron was the best player that season, and has been every year going into this season. i enjoy zo's brutal honesty though.

[kuniva_dAMiGhTy]

I thought Kobe was the best player, to be honest. Had an UNREAL regular season and hung 50 points in the playoffs on Nash's Suns, along w/ a legendary game-winner.

1. Kobe
2. Wade/LeBron
3. LeBron/Wade

[Wade's Rings]

http://www.insidehoops.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4331

thoughts? any disagreements? i believe lebron was the best player that season, and has been every year going into this season. i enjoy zo's brutal honesty though.

Obviously I'm on the side of Wade but Zo only talked about scoring and not play making or defense.

[T_L_P]

Dirk imo.

LeBron became the best player in 09 and has been the best every year since bar this one (though it's far from over) and 11 (Wade, though you have some sort of gripe with him so I'm sure you'll disagree).

[mehyaM24]

Obviously I'm on the side of Wade but Zo only talked about scoring and not play making or defense.
he called kobe THE BEST, as his scoring outweighed any slight advantages wade had defensively or in his playmaking.

tlp- no qualms with your post. if thats your opinion, alright then? :confusedshrug:

[Wade's Rings]

My only issue is how people say he "Clearly" deserved the MVP. He put 35/5/5 but Lebron put up 31/7/7 and Wade put up 27/6/7. Dirk i belive put up 26/9 and Nash had solid numbers.

[HomieWeMajor]

Kobe was the best statpadder that season no doubt.

[mehyaM24]

My only issue is how people say he "Clearly" deserved the MVP. He put 35/5/5 but Lebron put up 31/7/7 and Wade put up 27/6/7. Dirk i belive put up 26/9 and Nash had solid numbers.
agree. lebron's 2006 season gets underrated because of what kobe did (volume scoring) - and what the heat accomplished with wade, but lebron was taking a cast of nobodies along with a horrible headcoach to the playoffs. like, 31/7/7 with the highest PER is nothing to scoff at.

[GimmeThat]

I remember making a point about how when Lebron joined the Heat with Chris Bosh/Wade that it would change how FA played out, and that it was actually in the best interest of the role players in terms of getting better contracts.


Kobe is certainly a little bit different than that.

He just scored his points because he didn't see teammates who were talented to make them consistently, and to a certain extense he did try and let them shoot the ball and prove their worth.

But he had just gone through a stretch where he was surrounded by some of the leagues top veterans as well as another hall of famer who was IN his prime.


I think what Mourning really meant.

was that looking at Kobe's team, and the cast of that team, for him to still put up those numbers and keep that team even relevant in the league made him consider Kobe to be the best player then.



As for the MVP award though.

him not winning it those years, is like watching and knowing the Spurs winning the championship.

[ArbitraryWater]

What I'm most surprised with when going back to 06 threads from ISH is that Kobe was far from consensus best like people now want you to believe he was in 06 and 07. The most mentioned were Dirk and Duncan, and the fact that no one clearly sticked out from the rest...

Seems like people now just give those years to Kobe, so, he has some... In reality you couldn't separate peak Kobe with peak Dirk, and 3rd-year LeBron/Wade, who both had enough arguments given for them, to a couple of reasons (Beans underwhelming postseason play, selfishness, lack of defensive effort, high PPG on high volume in a year with poor defense and the most 24+ PPG scorers of all-time.)

[ArbitraryWater]

Kobe: 35/5 on 45%
Iverson: 33/7 on 45%

Where is his MVP galore?

Reality is, that's all it is... high PPG on average efficiency and non contending teams with the green light to chuck... some amazing individual performances, but also some really bad ones....

Nothing special like LeBron's 32/7/7 on 47%, on the verge of becoming the youngest MVP ever capped off by a great playoff run.

Or Wade's amazing, efficient play on CONTENDING TEAMS, also capped off by a stellar playoff run....

Or Dirk with 27/9/3 on 48% on a 60 win team and a fabulous playoff run....

Duncan awakening in the postseason, playing at DPOTY level and going off for 26/11/3 on 57% in the playoffs, and 32/12/4 on 56% in the WCSF (true WCF, two best record teams) against the Mavs, WITHOUT a bad series..

That's just, better..

[chazzy]

Arbitrary waxing poetic about NBA seasons 4/5 years before he even watched :lol

[Im so nba'd out]

Kobe bryant was the best player in the world for only 2 years (07-08 and 08-09)

[Wade's Rings]

Kobe bryant was the best player in the world for only 2 years (07-08 and 08-09)

If you're counting Playoffs it's arguable between him and Bron. Wade was the best in the Regular Season.

[HOoopCityJones]

MJ averages 35 pts while leading a Team of Kwame Brown , Smush Parker and Luke Walton to the playoffs. I guarantee he wins MVP that year.

Nash's Team was fukin stacked by comparison.