Kobe ranked the 7th best player in the league right now according to ESPN ranks

[bdreason]

7 sounds about right.

[ihatetimthomas]

As a Lakers fan, I dont have a problem with this. The guys ahead of him are elite players and had better seasons. the gap between 4-7 is not huge. Being ranked 7 is not a bad thing, especially after he played through the season very banged up.

[rigor]

True but I think the rest and surgery he had on his knee is going to help him. 33 ain't that old he is on the good side of 35. But there is no denying that the miles can get to him cause he has been playing since he was in his teens plus most seasons have been long because the Lakers go deep in the playoffs all the time. But with Kobe's work ethic etc. his body is in good shape for at least another two good seasons or more being at least in the top 10 players of b-ball.

Athletes that are very high on their conditioning are playing at higher levels at higher ages than ever before. Will certainly be interesting to see how Kobe can sustain in the next few seasons. Obviously the extended time off is going to help all these older stars & players coming off serious injuries. Kobe, KG, Paul Pierce, Udonis Haslem, Mike Miller, etc.

[pegasus]

He will be top-3 next season, book it.

[ukplayer4]

that seems a bit low to me 4, 5 or 6 seems about right. taking everything into consideration. its still kobe bryant.

[Dragonyeuw]

How much longer do you guys see Kobe hanging around? If there's a dramatic decline in say, 3 years, do you think he'll hang around or retire while he's still a relevant player? Of course it probably comes down to how much longer he can fight his nagging injuries.

[Myth]

why not? He had easily one of the best rookie seasons in NBA history...

1. Averaged 23 ppg, 12 rpg, 4 apg, 51% FG
2. Was one of the only rookies in NBA history to be All-Star
3. Slam Dunk Champion
4. Rookie of the Year / Rookie 1st team

you could argue him being ranked even better actually....

Those 3 don't matter at all when ranking him with the current players.

[IGOTGAME]

As a Lakers fan, I dont have a problem with this. The guys ahead of him are elite players and had better seasons. the gap between 4-7 is not huge. Being ranked 7 is not a bad thing, especially after he played through the season very banged up.

this...i fully expect a better season next year tbh

[Deuce Bigalow]

now its only 7 players left unranked...

lebron, durant, kobe, dwight, dirk, wade and chris paul...

1. lebron
2. dwight
3. wade
4. dirk
5. durant
6. chris paul
7. kobe

it seems like it will be like that

2011 Finals

[Cangri]

Well he's behind Dirk, Howard, Lebron, Wade and Durant imo. 6 or 7 sounds good.

[rodman91]

7th is very generous for last season's general performance.I wonder how good he will be this season. If there will be a season.

[G-Funk]

Sounds fair according to last year i suppose. But hopefully these rankings will add fuel to his drive and coming back healthy will move him back to the top 3. Like Forman said 3-7 is too close, A heathy Kobe can easily get back in the convo

[Heavincent]

He'll be top 3 next season. Who cares what ESPN thinks anyway? This isn't factual list.

It's kind of pathetic that Wade wasn't that much better than Kobe this past season. Kobe is old and was fighting injuries for the majority of the year, yet Wade was only a tad bit better

[824]

Same shit new season, ranking is so arbitrary, why do you guys get so caught up in it. Kobe is invaluable, as are a couple of others. He'll do his thing like every year, people will talk about his decline like every year.

[DirtySanchez]

Athletes that are very high on their conditioning are playing at higher levels at higher ages than ever before. Will certainly be interesting to see how Kobe can sustain in the next few seasons. Obviously the extended time off is going to help all these older stars & players coming off serious injuries. Kobe, KG, Paul Pierce, Udonis Haslem, Mike Miller, etc.

That's what I'm saying I will not be surprise if those certain players will start playing like they found the fountain of youth etc. when ever the next season may start...especially if it is just half the season.