Kobe Bryant's Prime 2005 to 2010

[macpierce]

yes he averages the same amount of points lol, illsmak youre clearly wrong, kobe has lost athleticism but his overall skill is still there and that is why he is still so consistent as he has gotten older
he's not vince carter (cheapshot)

[LeFraud Shames]

Kobe's a really great player. Is he a LEGEND who changed the game in any significant way? No, but he was awesome for the second half of the decade. Not too shabby at all.

No, Kobe isn't a legend right now, but in a few years from now there is no doubt in my mind that his legacy will reach Legendary status.


There is arguably not a single player, past or present, that has displayed the work ethic that Kobe has displayed in his 15+ years in the NBA, and the evolution of his game ALONE should cement his legacy as a Legend.

[Ikill]

Kobe's was out of his prime last year and started declining in 2009 so i don't what your talking about.

[Ikill]

Yeah Kobe's prime was probably 2000-01 to 06-07 more like it. I don't understand why people start Kobe's prime when Shaq left when he was definitely being mentioned as the best player in the game (especially if you discount Shaq) in 2000-01.

He was past his prime when he won his last two rings. That doesn't mean that he didn't lead his team to the championship, but come on. Are you guys blind? Did you forget how good Kobe was? He's not even close to that good anymore. He's gotten injuries and all that, too. I'd say he's roughly 75% of the player he was in his prime.

-Smak

this

[LeFraud Shames]

Kobe's was out of his prime last year and started declining in 2009 so i don't what your talking about.

link?

[Ikill]

link?

Link what the **** are you talking about watch the games Kobe is not as good as he used to be like in 2007 and before that.

[LeFraud Shames]

Link what the **** are you talking about watch the games Kobe is not as good as he used to be like in 2007 and before that.

How about YOU watch a game?

Sure Kobe is not as athletic as he was back in the days, but in terms of skill he is just as good, if not better.

Watching Kobe dissect defenses this year with his court-vision/passing has been much more enjoyable than watching him earlier in his career, dominating with sheer athleticism.

I guess it depends what kind of fan you are though.

I can only hope you mature and grow as a fan the way Kobe has as a player.

[Ikill]

How about YOU watch a game?

Sure Kobe is not as athletic as he was back in the days, but in terms of skill he is just as good, if not better.

Watching Kobe dissect defenses this year with his court-vision/passing has been much more enjoyable than watching him earlier in his career, dominating with sheer athleticism.

I guess it depends what kind of fan you are though.

I can only hope you mature and grow as a fan the way Kobe has as a player.

Your acting like i said Kobe is not good he still is but because he lost his athleticism he's not in his prime like a lot of his game was his athleticism. His prime was when he was able to combine his athletic ability with his skills which was 2005-2009. Do really believe he is just as good now as he was in 2007.

[LeFraud Shames]

Your acting like i said Kobe is not good he still is but because he lost his athleticism he's not in his prime like a lot of his game was his athleticism. His prime was when he was able to combine his athletic ability with his skills which was 2005-2009. Do really believe he is just as good now as he was in 2007.

That is the beauty of Kobe's game, in that it evolves every season.

In the past few years he has been able to adjust his game better than he has the previous previous few years, and it's shown with the overall improvement of the players around him.

So although Kobe is not at the peak of his prime, which in my opinion was the 2007 season, he is ultimately a better player now because of the way he impacts the game.

This is just my logic.

[The Iron Fist]

During 2005 to 2010.

Kobe had 64 Games where he scored at least 40+ Points. (105 for his career)
Kobe had 19 Games where he scored at least 50+ Points. (24 for his career)
Kobe had all 5 of his 60+ Points performances during this 5 year stretch.

There were 49 Games where a player scored at least 50 or more from 2005 to 2010. Kobe had 19 of them.

There 392 Games where a player scored at least 40 or more from 2005 to 2010. Kobe had 64 of them.

Most of Kobe's best performances came during these seasons.

I'm almost full!

[Ikill]

That is the beauty of Kobe's game, in that it evolves every season.

In the past few years he has been able to adjust his game better than he has the previous previous few years, and it's shown with the overall improvement of the players around him.

So although Kobe is not at the peak of his prime, which in my opinion was the 2007 season, he is ultimately a better player now because of the way he impacts the game.

This is just my logic.

Yeah that makes sense just to be this good as one of the best players in the NBA after 15 years is just amazing.

[laronprofit9]

There is no other 5 year stretch you could choose in Kobe's career that is better than this one. In terms of combining individual success, team success, statistics, individual importance to team, leadership and on-floor impact, this was Kobe's best period.

2005 to 2010

30ppg/6rpg/5apg on 46%fg/85%ft/35%3p/56%TS Regular Season
30ppg/6rpg/5apg on 47%fg/84%ft/35%3p/57%TS Post-Season

5x All-NBA 1st Team
5x All-Defensive 1st Team
5x All-Star
3x NBA Finals Appearance
2x NBA Champion
1x NBA League MVP
2x NBA Finals MVP
2x Scoring Champion
2x All-Star Game MVP
1x Olympic Gold Medal

64 of his 105 games where he scored 40+ points.
19 of his 24 games where he scored 50+ poits.
All 5 of his 60+ point games.
His career high of 81.
All came during this stretch.

What he did during this time was the closest thing we've seen to what Jordan did from after his first retirement in '95

(I personally don't think we'll see a player the caliber of '91 to '93 Jordan for a very long time).

[Showtime]

pretty impressive, with the exception of his first team defensive selections.

[laronprofit9]

pretty impressive, with the exception of his first team defensive selections.

really his only exceptional years were 2006 and 2008. The others were clearly "earned" by his reputation the other 3.

[thejumpa]

Are we watching the same Kobe? There is no way in hell he's in his prime now. Sure, he's more of a leader and team player, but that's partly due to his declined athleticism and injuries/age. 2002-2007 Kobe on this current Laker team would be very very scary. Sure, his numbers are still up and he can still score in bunches, but it's not the same. His game is not the same. Especially this year. His lift is not there and the same shots that fell in the past are falling for him now. Right now, he's a very smart 1 on 1 player who gets by on being smarter than the defender and being that good. I don't think even he would say he's in his prime right now.

No disrespect OP, but did you watch Kobe in his earlier years? I'm talking early 00's. Not only did he have raw basketball talent and skills, but he was ultra athletic and crisp.