Better Overall Player: Jerey West v. Kobe Bryant

[CavaliersFTW]

Wow. A little shorter than he appears.

Do you know how tall Jordan is? I'm guessing he's probably an inch smaller than he's listed, too....

6-4 and 7/8ths IE 6-4.88". From the 1992 Olympics, so he's near as makes no difference the same height as Kobe the difference is likely imperceptible

[oolalaa]

meh with these cherry picking stats.

Has west ever averaged 35 ppg for an ENTIRE season not a 5 game stretch in the playoffs? Has west scored over 50 as many times askobe? How about 80? Whos higher up on the streaks for 40 and 50 point games? Who has more 40 and 50 and 60 pt games?

Bleh.

at REGULAR SEASON numbers. How many 50 point playoff games has Kobe had? That's right, one, in a loss. West had 2 and they both included MONUMENTAL clutch heroics by him to lead L.A to a win. West also has more 40 point playoff games, too.

And....
1. That 46.3 ppg average against Walt Bellamy's bullets was a 6 game series.
2. That 37.9 ppg series against Boston IN THE FINALS went the full 7 games, and included one of the greatest playoff performances of all time.

[RazorBaLade]

at REGULAR SEASON numbers. How many 50 point playoff games has Kobe had? That's right, one, in a loss. West had 2 and they both included MONUMENTAL clutch heroics by him to lead L.A to a win. West also has more 40 point playoff games, too.

And....
1. That 46.3 ppg average against Walt Bellamy's bullets was a 6 game series.
2. That 37.9 ppg series against Boston IN THE FINALS went the full 7 games, and included one of the greatest playoff performances of all time.

If kobe cracks under the pressure of the playoffs and its definitely not pace,comp,team that is the reason for his less scoring.. Then west should have had an easier time scoring in the regular season. I mean he can do it in the tougher playoffs right? So why is it such a blowout in a much bigger sample size?

Kobe has had monumental clutch heroics in playoff games before.

[Kiddlovesnets]

Jerry West is better, Kobe has always been known as Poor man's Jerry West.

End of the thread/

[BlueandGold]

Jerry West is better, Kobe has always been known as Poor man's Jerry West.

End of the thread/

Did Kobe rape your mom or something?

[Kiddlovesnets]

Did Kobe rape your mom or something?

He did not, I just spoke the truth. Jerry West is the 2nd greatest SG in league history, you have to agree with this.

[BlueandGold]

He did not, I just spoke the truth. Jerry West is the 2nd greatest SG in league history, you have to agree with this.

Well I agree that I have West 3rd behind Kobe based on achievements, longevity, playoff performances/records and overall talent level, but nt.

Just wondering though because all of your posts seem to be diminishing Kobe

[Kiddlovesnets]

Well I agree that I have West 3rd behind Kobe based on achievements, longevity, playoff performances/records and overall talent level, but nt.

Just wondering though because all of your posts seem to be diminishing Kobe

The reason why my posts seem to be diminishing Kobe is that people always overrate and overestimate him. This is why my posts which are supposed to be neutral and objective somehow become Kobe-bashing.

[oolalaa]

This defense http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pL6jq5Zvos

VS this defense http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1U8g2sJzz4

C'mon man. Different eras.

Sure, it's tough to compare across different eras. Offense and defense has moved on quite a bit since the 60s. Strategies and schemes have become more complex and there has been more focus placed on defense as the decades have passed. That said, MOST teams in the 1980s still had an offense first, run and gun style (The FG% in the 80s was a lot higher than the 60s). It wasn't until the late 80s/early 90s that the mindset switched (The bad boys had a lot to do with it). Are you saying all the great scorers pre 1990 were overrated?

I try to judge relative to era. Apart from Rick Barry (Whose FG% was far worse than West's), no other perimiter player was scoring the way West was in the mid/late 60s. Much like Kobe in '06, West showed us exactly what he could do when he didn't have to defer to anyone in the '65 playoffs, and it was a little scary.

And don't forget, the Boston Celtics, who West had to go up against almost every year, were incredibly talented defensively. Besides being anchored by the greatest defensive player in history, they had some really great perimiter defenders (K.C Jones, Satch Sanders, Hondo etc).


Ultimately, I think West and Kobe are a complete toss up. It could go either way, but I'm leaning towards West mainly because, as I've said, he was MUUUUCH better in his Finals appearances than Kobe has been in his.

[Ne 1]

Kobe. Better scorer, defender, rebounder, and nearly as good a play-maker/passer.

Also, he's dominated in IMO a much tougher defensive era with much better competition on the perimeter.

His longevity/durability is also superior. People forget that West missed a ton of time with injuries.

This.

Not to mention West has just one championship, as arguably the third fiddle. He has no edge on Kobe awards wise, scoring wise, statistically, winning wise...absolutely none.

[oolalaa]

This.

Not to mention West has just one championship, as arguably the third fiddle. He has no edge on Kobe awards wise, scoring wise, statistically, winning wise...absolutely none.

GTFO.

[oolalaa]

If kobe cracks under the pressure of the playoffs and its definitely not pace,comp,team that is the reason for his less scoring.. Then west should have had an easier time scoring in the regular season. I mean he can do it in the tougher playoffs right? So why is it such a blowout in a much bigger sample size?

Kobe has had monumental clutch heroics in playoff games before.

A blow out in the regular season??

West's ppg average in the reg season is 27.0. Kobe's is 25.4. West has had one more 30 + ppg regular season. The one season that all Kobetards (Not necessarily you) have wet dreams about - 2005/06 - was a bit of a joke. Seemingly every perimiter player that year was scoring at will. The defense couldn't breathe on Kobe without giving away a foul.

Also, West was injured a lot in the regular season. Just a fact, not an excuse.

But, ultimatey, at regular seasons when comparing all time greats legacies. If they are really close in terms of post season performance, then I would use regular seasons as a decider, but I think West has a small, but clear, edge....

[oolalaa]

6-4 and 7/8ths IE 6-4.88". From the 1992 Olympics, so he's near as makes no difference the same height as Kobe the difference is likely imperceptible

mmmmm thanks.

[BlueandGold]

Sure, it's tough to compare across different eras. Offense and defense has moved on quite a bit since the 60s. Strategies and schemes have become more complex and there has been more focus placed on defense as the decades have passed. That said, MOST teams in the 1980s still had an offense first, run and gun style (The FG% in the 80s was a lot higher than the 60s). It wasn't until the late 80s/early 90s that the mindset switched (The bad boys had a lot to do with it). Are you saying all the great scorers pre 1990 were overrated?

I try to judge relative to era. Apart from Rick Barry (Whose FG% was far worse than West's), no other perimiter player was scoring the way West was in the mid/late 60s. Much like Kobe in '06, West showed us exactly what he could do when he didn't have to defer to anyone in the '65 playoffs, and it was a little scary.

And don't forget, the Boston Celtics, who West had to go up against almost every year, were incredibly talented defensively. Besides being anchored by the greatest defensive player in history, they had some really great perimiter defenders (K.C Jones, Satch Sanders, Hondo etc).


Ultimately, I think West and Kobe are a complete toss up. It could go either way, but I'm leaning towards West mainly because, as I've said, he was MUUUUCH better in his Finals appearances than Kobe has been in his.

lol gtfo with this. Just because the ppg in the 60s was lower doesn't mean the level of play or competition was what it is in the modern NBA. The NBA was fundamentally different back then compared to what it is now. There were less teams, less games to play in order to win a championship (8 compared to today's 16) and the ABA was also around to dilute the competition in taking players like Dr. J and Moses Malone away from the NBA.

[ILLsmak]

The only way you would say West is if you're a Kobe hater. This is no disrespect to West but we're talking all-around skilled here in which Kobe may be top 5 of all-time.

"But, but, but, West is clutch"

He was a good GM, too...

I'd say West is much smarter than Kobe, but I don't think his intelligence is on that omgwtf level like Larry Birds where it would be a deciding factor between a player who is obviously more talented than him.

I think Kobe would abuse West.

-Smak