Random Other NBA Teams Discussion

Cooper Flagg is a great prospect. Kid doesn't back down, plays smart and the right way. Has some sick highlights as well

 

He's decent.

 

No longer FAT

 

Ouch!

Needs to get a little definition on those arms. Looks like he lost a little in his weight loss.

 

Don't worry, we have a Reaves.

 

challenge should have been to beat a team with andre drummond on the floor vs. another guy with his size and athleticism. the winner is...anyone who makes two passes.

 

Not too bad for a beginner!!

 

I always wondered if you took the supremely talented players of the world and gave them Kobe's work ethic what they would be capable of.

Like if Snaq never got fat and worked on his game besides just overpowering everyone, would there be any records left?

 

wilt was shaq first, and he didn't get fat, so no, the records would stand.

 

If he worked like Kobe?

I'd have liked to have seen it before coming to that conclusion.

 

Making $22.6m this season.

 

but....intangibles!

 

guess i meant that even if shaq worked, he still probably wasn't going to be wilt.

and i'd argue a lot of the all-time greats (almost all) had similar work ethic (maybe not the same mania, but similar).

i do think it makes a huge difference on the fringes, though (see: swider, cole). there are a lot of guys with the physical tools to play that don't have the mentality. not to go off topic too far, but i really think this was why the lakers picked jhs--they felt like he had the proper motivation/mentality. it's harder to teach than jumpshot mechanics. it's also why i like vando, to go even further off topic. at this point, i will share my tips for the perfect chicken piccata...

 

they say at this level the game is 90% mental once you get there

that screams all kinds of Kobe

DLO is calling Reaves a "killer" but yet most of us think a 5th grade girl may be able to out-wrestle him. Hard to say, so like I say, I'd like to see just how much a Kobe mentality would really impact a guy with the superior genetic gifts. Kobe was gifted, but he wasn't as gifted as some of his contemporaries. He just flat out outworked them.

 

yes and no. kobe was an elite athlete with elite body control/grace. just because he wasn't quite as freakish as jordan (or mcgrady or vince carter) doesn't mean he was just like your average nba sg in terms of natural gifts. i mean, his dad was an nba player.

and kobe was probably more physically gifted than ray allen or paul pierce, two of his other rivals.

so yes, i agree that others could have probably raised their games a notch with his level of determination, but i don't think it's by the factor you seem to suggest (altering record books, etc.), in part because i think you're underselling kobe's gifts. his only real issue was small hands. and it does amaze me what he did with hands that were like, the size of my hands.

 

Now you've gone too far .... probably with the "quota" thing in back of your mind?

 

well, he doesn't look so tough

have to admit that

and @abeer3 I guess I'm thinking more specifically of Shaq who got by on natural ability without working that hard. After he won a couple of championships, he declined sharply. At 36 he was done, and Kobe was having an unheard of season for someone that age I think. Or thereabouts. An extended 17 year prime only ended by injury vs 11 years for prime Shaq and then the toe? Because he was fat.

It may be somewhat exaggerated, but look how much lost opportunity Shaq had by not having an extended prime of 6 years that Kobe did. Kobe would have gone even longer if not for the tragic injury.





Here's a look at Points per year for Shaq



If he extended his prime six more years to match Kobe's longevity, I took a look at how many points he missed out on (About 900 per year), and then of course how many free throws he pissed away by being Mr. 52%.

If he had Kobe's work ethic, you know he'd have shot them better. Since it's a long quiet offseason, calculated just those two things, and can easily get him to 37,492 career points.



It's not quite the top, but it's darn close. Shaq left plenty on the table being fat and lazy. Not that table. That table was empty. Brought him up to #2 behind Kareem (At that point) Anyways, fun to look at just for the what ifs. Really puts into perspective how great the longevity was of the top 3 guys and maintaining health for 20 years. It's no easy feat.

 

enjoyed the whole post but lol'd there.

i see what you're saying. i also think transplanting kobe's will onto another player is like transplanting their height to kobe. these are inherent features in some ways. and maybe that was your point all along, but i'd just as soon say give kobe connie hawkins's hands and then fold up the league.