Who will win the NBA title next year (for real)?

[Javier]

Remember Detroit did it with Ben Wallace center. And, honestly, he aint that better than Divac and Brian Grant.

for the love of basketball,  tell me u were kidding there? 

[.:DayGoStyLz:.]

^^You've tried what? To tell me that the Spurs were gunna take it this year, and put out the Lakers?...Yea, get your head out your ass...I already saw Jake turn around and say the Spurs were gunna take it this year, and now I'm seeing Javier say Lakers aren't contenders...I don't think I'm gunna follow the trend...PeACe

No. But the Spurs winning the Championship wasnt an unreasonable prediction. They were favored to beat LA if u remember. So for me to say theyd take the title...wasnt a crazy thought. I actually said whoever won the LA/SA series would take the title, but i was wrong. Now, like i said...theres a difference between a fan/supporter....and just being blind. Once again...if SA lost Duncan next year, i wouldnt pick them to win the title the following year (yes, id still be goin for them to win it)...but common sense would take over lol. It just hasnt for you yet.

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

If the Spurs just lost Tony Parker, I doubt you'd lose hope...Kobe Bryant has been the leader ever since Shaq got old & lazy...I'm not blind, Lakers winning the Championship isn't an unreasonable prediction...PeACe

[Smoke]

Remember Detroit did it with Ben Wallace center. And, honestly, he aint that better than Divac and Brian Grant.

for the love of basketball,  tell me u were kidding there? 

No. Not at all. You know, Ben Wallace used to play in Italy too, in the second division, so i've seen him live, and i know how wack he is if we talk about some aspects of his game. Offensivly, he's shit. He suffered here too, he suffers even against Shaq, tecnically. He never makes a shoot from himself, but he has to grab an offensive rebound to get a chance to score. He's def not the kind of center who can turn an average NBA team into a 3-in-a-row team like Shaq did. Divac is a basketball player. I mean he knows the game, like almost all the Europeans who grew up here. He's the n.1 assist man in the league as a C, and he's the 18th overall. He's old, ok, but he can still put there quality minutes, he can still defend, and he can still give Shaq problems (he did it in the infamous Lakers-Sac serie). Let's say for 15-20 mins a game he's still a quality center. I know 90% in the States cares about dunks and power more, but i'm European, European style, and there's no centers in the NBA who knows the basketball game more than Divac. If you have Brian Grant as a backup center (and Brian has the same charatteristics of Ben Wallace: great passion, defence, he's always the small guy against giants, etc..), i think it's not really worse than having Ben Wallace as a center. None of them are dominant players. And Divac+Grant aint that worse, like i said, than Ben Wallace.

[.:DayGoStyLz:.]

If the Spurs just lost Tony Parker, I doubt you'd lose hope...Kobe Bryant has been the leader ever since Shaq got old & lazy...I'm not blind, Lakers winning the Championship isn't an unreasonable prediction...PeACe

Kobe wasnt the leader man. He was just the one looking for all the attention. That doesnt make him the leader, just a spoiled little brat that cant handle playing his ROLE.

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

If the Spurs just lost Tony Parker, I doubt you'd lose hope...Kobe Bryant has been the leader ever since Shaq got old & lazy...I'm not blind, Lakers winning the Championship isn't an unreasonable prediction...PeACe

Kobe wasnt the leader man. He was just the one looking for all the attention. That doesnt make him the leader, just a spoiled little brat that cant handle playing his ROLE.

I always hear you talking about how Kobe looks for attention, and how he's not a leader...You're most definitely a hater...Show me proof of Kobe looking for attention... And how is he not a leader when all his teamates have praised him and said they've learned from him one time or another?...Shaq is the one who left, right? It looks like Shaq's the one who wanted the attention...He couldn't handle Kobe getting all the spotlight and attention from Jerry Buss & Mitch Kupchak...Kobe is one of the greatest players to ever play the game...You're just a hater on a message board who can't get his facts straight...End of story.

[Smoke]

If the Spurs just lost Tony Parker, I doubt you'd lose hope...Kobe Bryant has been the leader ever since Shaq got old & lazy...I'm not blind, Lakers winning the Championship isn't an unreasonable prediction...PeACe

Kobe wasnt the leader man. He was just the one looking for all the attention. That doesnt make him the leader, just a spoiled little brat that cant handle playing his ROLE.

Is it to hard to say Kobe is the best player in the league?

[-VZA-]

It's way too early to say because there are still trades to be made and what not... Nobody could've possibly thought that Detroit was going to win it all last year until they acquired Rasheed.  Even when they got Rasheed, I knew they would win the east but I never figured they'd beat the west.

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

If the Spurs just lost Tony Parker, I doubt you'd lose hope...Kobe Bryant has been the leader ever since Shaq got old & lazy...I'm not blind, Lakers winning the Championship isn't an unreasonable prediction...PeACe

Kobe wasnt the leader man. He was just the one looking for all the attention. That doesnt make him the leader, just a spoiled little brat that cant handle playing his ROLE.

Is it to hard to say Kobe is the best player in the league?

Only for a hater.

[.:DayGoStyLz:.]

If the Spurs just lost Tony Parker, I doubt you'd lose hope...Kobe Bryant has been the leader ever since Shaq got old & lazy...I'm not blind, Lakers winning the Championship isn't an unreasonable prediction...PeACe

Kobe wasnt the leader man. He was just the one looking for all the attention. That doesnt make him the leader, just a spoiled little brat that cant handle playing his ROLE.

Is it to hard to say Kobe is the best player in the league?

only because he isnt. What has he done to prove that? How many MVP's does he have? How many times has he lead his team to the championship without SHAQ? And now that Shaq IS gone...LA will be somewhere between 4th and 6th in the west probably. He shoots alot, his game is cold and hot. He isnt consistent. Sounds like the best player in the league to me 

[.:DayGoStyLz:.]

If the Spurs just lost Tony Parker, I doubt you'd lose hope...Kobe Bryant has been the leader ever since Shaq got old & lazy...I'm not blind, Lakers winning the Championship isn't an unreasonable prediction...PeACe

Kobe wasnt the leader man. He was just the one looking for all the attention. That doesnt make him the leader, just a spoiled little brat that cant handle playing his ROLE.

I always hear you talking about how Kobe looks for attention, and how he's not a leader...You're most definitely a hater...Show me proof of Kobe looking for attention... And how is he not a leader when all his teamates have praised him and said they've learned from him one time or another?...Shaq is the one who left, right? It looks like Shaq's the one who wanted the attention...He couldn't handle Kobe getting all the spotlight and attention from Jerry Buss & Mitch Kupchak...Kobe is one of the greatest players to ever play the game...You're just a hater on a message board who can't get his facts straight...End of story.

Yeah, and Shaq's teammates praised him too. Duncans Teammates praise him. Garnetts praise him. Its called knowing your position on the team. If a role player doesnt get along with a star...the role player goes. You ride Kobe's dick so unbelievably. I would have to say you are BY FAR the biggest dick rider in the world. You should definetely put on a kobe jersey, a skirt, and get some pom poms. Like i said, Kobe has never been MVP...and id be surprised if he ever is lol. MAYBE he has a shot this year cus he can shoot EVERY SINGLE time down the floor like he wants, and try to score his 30-35 points a game that he wants. Meanwhile, his team will lose. Thats a leader huh? Youre so blind its ridiculous. Your team is OBVIOUSLY (to any person who doesnt have Kobe's dick down their throat) worse then last year. Considerably worse. And the worst part is, they are leaving the team in Kobe's hands. He's the only veteran in the game, that isnt mature enough to run a team.  If you cant see that taking Shaq OFF the team, makes them weaker...then you know even less about basketball then i thought you did.

As for Kobe bein one of the best of all time....yeah, he's definetely one of the top 50 of all time...or so. He hasnt proved anything yet.

[Smoke]

only because he isnt. What has he done to prove that? How many MVP's does he have? How many times has he lead his team to the championship without SHAQ? And now that Shaq IS gone...LA will be somewhere between 4th and 6th in the west probably. He shoots alot, his game is cold and hot. He isnt consistent. Sounds like the best player in the league to me 

Some things to remember:

1) Shaq never won a championship before Kobe. I dont mean Kobe is the only reason why Shaq has 3 rings right now, but the combo is. Shaq lost an NBA title having Penny & a pretty hot team in Orlando, back in the days. Hakeem schooled him. Then he moved to L.A., and he didnt win an NBA title having E.Jones, Campbell, Fisher, Ceballos and them all. Only when Kobe was mature (lol, 20-21) enought to be a starter for the Lakers, and only when Phil arrived to L.A., Shaq started to not only dominate the game, but to take the necessary steps to actually win the game. With Kobe. No Kobe no party for Shaq. That's been proved. And i'm waiting Shaq to win the NBA title in Miami now, like he promised. At least Kobe aint promising it.

2) If you replace Kobe with Shaq in the actual Lakers roster, you'll still have a potentially 4th and 6th in the west team. Cause both are too important to cut one. If you do, it's cause you want to rebuild the team around one of them. And obviously the 25 years old Kobe is the right guy.

3) You said Kobe shoots too much? Ok. Stats:

2003-04 Regular Season Field Goals Per 48 Minutes 
1. Kevin Garnett (Minnesota Timberwolves) 82 804 11.94
2. Tracy McGrady (Orlando Magic) 67 653 11.72
3. Tim Duncan (San Antonio Spurs) 69 592 11.24
4. Shaquille O'Neal (Los Angeles Lakers) 67 554 10.79
5. Sam Cassell (Minnesota Timberwolves) 81 620 10.49
6. Vince Carter (Toronto Raptors) 73 608 10.48
6. Rodney White (Denver Nuggets) 72 215 10.48
8. Jermaine O'Neal (Indiana Pacers) 78 608 10.47
9. Zach Randolph (Portland Trail Blazers) 81 663 10.38
10. Allen Iverson (Philadelphia 76ers) 48 435 10.24
11. Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers) 65 516 10.12

And he always call the ball, man. He's the 4th in the league.

3) Some statistics about Kobe Bryant.
Ranks #4 in the NBA in Points Per Game (24.0)
Ranks #3 in the NBA in Free Throws (454.0)
Ranks #5 in the NBA in Free Throw Attempts (533.0)
Ranks #14 in the NBA in Points (1557.0)
Ranks #11 in the NBA in Field Goals Per 48 Minutes (10.12)
Ranks #10 in the NBA in Field-Goal Attempts Per 48 Minutes (23.11)
Ranks #2 in the NBA in Free Throws Per 48 Minutes (8.91)
Ranks #5 in the NBA in Free Throw Attempts Per 48 Minutes (10.46)
Ranks #2 in the NBA in Points Per 48 Minutes (30.5)
Ranks #9 in the NBA in Efficiency Ranking (22.68)
Ranks #12 in the NBA in Efficiency Ranking Per 48 Minutes (28.91)

4) To judge the best player in the league, imo, we should see just a pair of statistics: POINTS IN THE 4TH QUARTERS, LAST SHOTS CONVERTED. In the first one, Shaq pratically is out the top50 in the league. In the last one, well.. i still remember some couple shots by Kobe, against Portland (twice), Detroit, etc.. And even if he didnt convert them, he tried.

Now please..

[Javier]

Only when Kobe was mature (lol, 20-21) enought to be a starter for the Lakers, and only when Phil arrived to L.A.,

I believe it was mainly Phil.  Phil helped BOTH shaq and kobe to mature.  but towards the end both players started acting like little kids.  Even Rodman has said when he got there in 1999 he left because millionaires were bitching too much.  Hmm wonder what two players

[Smoke]

Only when Kobe was mature (lol, 20-21) enought to be a starter for the Lakers, and only when Phil arrived to L.A.,

I believe it was mainly Phil.  Phil helped BOTH shaq and kobe to mature.  but towards the end both players started acting like little kids.  Even Rodman has said when he got there in 1999 he left because millionaires were bitching too much.  Hmm wonder what two players

Yeah, it was Phil. I mean Kobe and Shaq were two superstars with no rings, Phil was possibly the best coach ever with 6 rings and with Jordan loving him. They ducked down till they've won enought rings to think they can do it again alone.

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

If the Spurs just lost Tony Parker, I doubt you'd lose hope...Kobe Bryant has been the leader ever since Shaq got old & lazy...I'm not blind, Lakers winning the Championship isn't an unreasonable prediction...PeACe

Kobe wasnt the leader man. He was just the one looking for all the attention. That doesnt make him the leader, just a spoiled little brat that cant handle playing his ROLE.

I always hear you talking about how Kobe looks for attention, and how he's not a leader...You're most definitely a hater...Show me proof of Kobe looking for attention... And how is he not a leader when all his teamates have praised him and said they've learned from him one time or another?...Shaq is the one who left, right? It looks like Shaq's the one who wanted the attention...He couldn't handle Kobe getting all the spotlight and attention from Jerry Buss & Mitch Kupchak...Kobe is one of the greatest players to ever play the game...You're just a hater on a message board who can't get his facts straight...End of story.

Yeah, and Shaq's teammates praised him too. Duncans Teammates praise him. Garnetts praise him. Its called knowing your position on the team. If a role player doesnt get along with a star...the role player goes. You ride Kobe's dick so unbelievably. I would have to say you are BY FAR the biggest dick rider in the world. You should definetely put on a kobe jersey, a skirt, and get some pom poms. Like i said, Kobe has never been MVP...and id be surprised if he ever is lol. MAYBE he has a shot this year cus he can shoot EVERY SINGLE time down the floor like he wants, and try to score his 30-35 points a game that he wants. Meanwhile, his team will lose. Thats a leader huh? Youre so blind its ridiculous. Your team is OBVIOUSLY (to any person who doesnt have Kobe's dick down their throat) worse then last year. Considerably worse. And the worst part is, they are leaving the team in Kobe's hands. He's the only veteran in the game, that isnt mature enough to run a team.  If you cant see that taking Shaq OFF the team, makes them weaker...then you know even less about basketball then i thought you did.

As for Kobe bein one of the best of all time....yeah, he's definetely one of the top 50 of all time...or so. He hasnt proved anything yet.

You can say I'm a Kobe dickrider, and I can say you're a Kobe hater...I mean, look how much you hate on the guy, it's unbelievable...Even people who hate Kobe admit he's the best in the league right now...And Kobe is anything but inconsistent...You better check yourself man, because you sound stupid...PeACe