The Poetry of It All

by

The best thing written after the Finals was by Bill Simmons. He’s earned a long quote, but you can find the full piece here.

I’m all for appreciating Kobe’s greatness; it’s just that my colleagues sold the wrong angle. Since he squashed the Chicago deal, Kobe has won MVP, All-Star MVP and Finals MVP awards; he played in two straight Finals and won a title; he starred on an Olympic gold medal team, took over as its alpha dog down the stretch and handled business in what was shaping up to be Spain’s version of the 1980 USA-USSR hockey game; and most amazingly, he played in the maximum 164 regular-season games and 44 playoff games without getting a summer break because of the Olympics. And he did it despite turning 30 in August 2008 and passing the usually dangerous 1,000-game mark last season.

You know what? We just witnessed one of the great two-year stretches in the history of professional basketball if the determining factors were durability, consistency, individual success, team success, statistical excellence and degree of difficulty. Kobe’s 2007-2009 stretch ranks alongside these post-shot-clock efforts (in no particular order): Bill Russell (1961-63), Jerry West (1964-66), Wilt Chamberlain (1966-68), Bill Russell (1967-69), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1970-72), Larry Bird (1985-87), Magic Johnson (1986-88), Michael Jordan (1990-92), Hakeem Olajuwon (1993-95), Michael Jordan (1996-98) and Tim Duncan (2001-03). Not a fraud on the list…

What Kobe Bryant accomplished over the past 20 months ranks up there with anything that ever happened in the National Basketball Association. He walks among the NBA gods now. Like it or not.

Simmons is spot-0n, and he provides a nice window through which to view this historic moment. I’m not talking about the Finals. I’m talking about this offseason.

This is what I took from the Simmons piece: even though all the young dudes are sitting on the sidelines yelling “next”, the old guys haven’t left the court. They keep glancing over with a look that says, “We play make it, take it on this court. You’ll have to wait.”

When the dust settles, Kobe Bryant will have played the majority of his career between two definitive eras. Between Michael Jordan and LeBron James. I suspect Kobe Bryant will be remembered as the best player of his era, but careful historians with caution against a quick response to the question. Kobe is not alone. Tim Duncan and Shaquille O’Neal stand alongside him as the defining players of the post-Jordan/pre-Lebron parenthetical. All three players have won 4 championships. Their accomplishments surpass Hall of Fame talk. They walk where Kobe walks.

But here’s where it gets fun. LeBron James and Dwight Howard are pounding on the gate, but they’ve not yet stormed the castle. There is still time for Kobe, Duncan and Shaq to break the tie that exists between them.

It’s early to say this, but the 2009-10 season will feature 5 legitimate contenders: the Lakers, Spurs, Cavs, Magic, and Celtics. The Nuggets and Blazers could get there, but are still wait and see. Three of the five surefire contenders feature Shaq, Duncan or Kobe. The stage is set for a proper send off. It’s not too late to arrive at a definitive answer to the question of who claimed majority ownership of this decade.

If Shaquille O’Neal gets to five first, it will come with the important consideration of having been second best to Dwayne Wade and LeBron James for two of his rings. That’s not a knock. My favorite version of Shaq is Old Shaq. His willingness to be a team’s second or third star for the opportunity to play when it counts is honorable. He’s a charming guy with a big personality. There’s no doubt he likes the limelight. But that’s all secondary to his desire to win. All that doesn’t change the fact that his 4th and, potentially, 5th rings will come by joining the new guard rather than successfully holding the line for the last one.

But if Bryant or Duncan get to five, historians will spin their accomplishments in a different direction. Not only will they have one-upped the other, but, in their winter years, they will have successfully beat back Dwight Howard, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. Rather than joining the new guard, they will have punched it in the mouth. In that way, crowning achievements lie ahead.

From where I sit, we’re not reading from the new book just yet. We’re still reading the final chapters of the old one.

  • zack

    beautiful, something i have thought about, but well said my friend this is a beautiful thing, im just glad san antonio is a part of this history

  • Crimson

    Good read, and I agree with the overall point of the piece but I take exception to the statement that Kobe will be remembered as greater than Duncan or Shaq. Kobe still has a long way to go before he matches either of their legacies.

  • Aaron

    The LeBron era?

    Maybe.

    Maybe there will come a day when we look at professional basketball and say “yes, we are in the LeBron era.”

    Today is not that day.

    Let me shout what nobody else even seems inclined to whisper: LEBRON HASN’T DONE ANYTHING YET.

    Actually, that’s not true; he’s led his team to two lottery seasons, two conference semifinals bounces, and a conference final bounce. Of course, let’s not forget: we also ‘witnessed’ the King Without a Ring on the biggest stage of all, against our own beloved Spurs.

    He lost … every … game. Sweep. LeBroom.

    Maybe we will one day see LeBron James put together a resume that rivals Michael Jordan’s. Maybe we will one day see LeBron James put together a resume that rivals Kobe Bryant’s. Maybe we will one day see LeBron James put together a resume that rivals Dwyane frickin’ Wade’s - but that day is not this day. Today, we have seen Lebron James do two things: sell shoes, and lose.

    When that changes, we’ll talk about giving him his own era. Not before.

  • Bryan

    I’m with zack… this is a beautiful piece. All in all, I don’t think a championship by either of the 3 will affect how they will be remembered by the general public. Regardless, I loved this story. Great work, Tim.

  • Bryan

    Geez, tell us how you really feel, Aaron.

  • Area Man

    There’s no denying what Kobe Bryant has accomplished over that stretch is remarkable.

    Unfortunately, it an accomplishment that’s truly difficult for me to embrace because I’m not fond of Kobe Bryant as a player. I’m hesitant to use “person” because, hell, I don’t know the man personally. But the way Bryant “whined/blubbered” his way into nearly being traded and having Pau Gasol fall into his lap still doesn’t sit well with me. And, yes, I’m going to ignore the other, LARGER elephant in the room.

    As for the unofficial “Race for the Thumb”? Wow. That could be one helluva a story for the next year or so. It’s one I hope ends with TD, Manu and Tony hoisting the O’Brien again next June.

  • duaneofly

    Tim, please don’t even put the Blazers on the long list of contenders, because they aren’t. Roy is a heck of a player, but is he a superstar? No. His teammates are young and good, but are any all stars or even above average? Yes Lamarcus Aldridge is, but one “average all star quality player” and one “above average quality player” does not make a team a contender.
    As Aaron says: What has Lebron done? Answer: Nothing. I ask: What have the Blazers done? Answer: Passed up Kevin Durant for a slightly better Kwame Brown, than stock piled a bunch of assets which they have yet to turn into anything, than lost in the first round to Houston. Now who in their right mind considers them a contender?

    If rosters stay the same and considering every one is healthy I’d put the contenders as:

    1. Lakers
    2. Spurs
    3. Celtics
    4. Magic
    5. Cavaliars

    Than maybe a distant sixth would be the Nuggets.

  • SpursfanSteve

    great piece. Lets hope Duncan gets number 5 and maybe another MVP (or a first Dpoy) to go with it.

    I’d list the contenders like this.
    Lakers
    Spurs
    Cavs
    Magic
    Nuggets

  • Joe

    Great thoughts, Tim. It’s impossible to know how time will shape what we remember about this decade, but here’s another take on how it might shake out.

    In my view, this period has been much more like what we saw in the 80s — 2 all-time greats battling it out for most of a decade. Who was the dominant player from that era, Bird or Magic? When we talk about individual performers, you can make a good case to pick either of those over the other. I doubt that there is an agreed upon consensus, even if Magic does hold a 5 to 3 edge over Bird in number of rings won.

    What seems to more strongly define that era is the rivalry itself among all-time greats — Celtics vs. Lakers, Bird vs. Magic. Much like the 80s, I tend to think of this decade as being best defined by the rivalries among the Shaq/Kobe/Duncan triumvirate, including the Shaq/Kobe feud.

  • therealkman

    I’ve given much thougth to this particular point to. 3 HOFers, 4 titles apiece, Shaq - 37, Duncan - 32, Kobe -31 (when the season kicks off), who will break the tie? It should be a heck of a season!

  • rick

    “The stage is set for a proper send off. It’s not too late to arrive at a definitive answer to the question of who claimed majority ownership of this decade.”

    Sure it’s too late. This decade will be over by the time the next champion is crowned.

  • shakes

    kobe’s legacy is secured. people outside of LA may not like him too much, but he will be forever remembered for his insane drive and desire to dominate. he may very well be contrived and disingenous; but he will bust his ass to win. what more can a fan ask from a player than to lay down his own soul for the pursuit of greatness? what more can a spectator hope for, than to put all their desires and pent up emotions on the shoulders on one player for 48 minutes to the point where they yell at the screen to get the F#@! out of his way and give him the damn ball. thats what kobe will forever be known for. there’s no statistic for that.

  • um

    48 minutes of hell? More like 48 seconds of pure drivel. You can’t put Kobe Bryant anywhere near Tim Duncan or Shaquille O’Neal. Those two were the number one players on their team for four (Duncan) and three(O’Neal) titles. The only title Bryant won as the go to man was this year, and he got a free ride after the semis. I’d damn near say his title was as useless as the Spurs one in 1999.

    Further, he had a pretty damn good supporting cast. To even imply that he won the title single-handidly is just stupid. He’s a class A figment of people’s imagination and a media creation. The man is a dud on a historical level. Nevermind the fact that he’s a patently unlikeable jerk, a prima donna and an alleged criminal. I can’t wait till he disappears into the same useless ether as other frauds like Isahaha Thomas. Go away.

    And, might I add the inconvenient fact that Lebron James has played for six seasons and he has yet to win anything. Therefore, he most certainly isn’t a freaking era. All he is is Karl Malone playing out of position.

    So, go ahead and romanticize some mythos all you want, but its straight bull.

  • mattmo28

    No doubt Kobe is an all-time player but I’d have to rank him below Shaq and Tim D. The Lakers and Celtics did not change their teams from last year (except for the supposed “Bynum” effect that never came to fruition) and I’m of the school that your not the champ until you knock the champ out. I think the Celtics or the Spurs for that matter would of had a lot to say in this year’s playoffs if not for devastating injuries. Kobe still does not affect all aspects of the game like Tim and Shaq in his prime did. Lebron has better numbers than Kobe for several years now and arguably has done more with less. Kobe did not average 40+ against the Magic

  • Tijani

    Umm mattmo28 neither did LeBron.

    He averaged 38.5 but the only relevant statistic is 2-4 vs 4-1

  • .

    mattmo28

    more with less? Lebron has pretty good teammates. During the regular season when they won 66 games no one was talking about his supporting cast not being good enough. He loses in the playoffs and all of a sudden his team isn’t good enough? He has bad players all of a sudden?

    And please. Lebron has NEVER played with the likes of Smush Parker, Kwame Brown, and Luke Walton all starting on the same team.

    Lebron’s teammates after joining the Cavs most of their FG% have actually dropped, while a lot of Kobe’s teammates have risen.

    Please don’t pull the “has done more with less” card. Say anything you want about his stats being better than Kobes, his leadership being better (even though that’s debatable), or even about him being able to dominate a game, but DONT pull the “teammates” card.

    Delonte West, Mo Williams, Zydrunas are all good in their own right. Maybe if the Cavs had a more offense oriented game instead of a “let Lebron dominate the ball” and make decisions they would be put in a position to be more successful. The fact that Lebron has the ball in his hand almost EVERY offensive position makes everyone else useless. All they do is stand around and wait for Lebron’s pass, then they’re forced to shoot. They’re not allowed to make decisions or set up the offense for themselves. It’s all “okay Lebron gives me the ball, then I shoot” for his teammates.

    Just because you have more assists doesn’t mean you’re a better passer.
    Just because you have more rebounds doesn’t mean you’re a better rebounder.
    Just because you have more rings doesn’t mean you are a better player.
    Just because you have more steals or blocks doesn’t mean you are a better defensive player.

  • Alex

    I think calling the last decade the pre-Lebron era is a little perfunctory and brash.

  • tsk

    its a race for thumb ring for everyone.. for kobe its pinkie ring(see chinese tshirts of kobe 4 rings) and that finger is injured. I havent seen MJ play. but can you honestly say anyone from 2000 till now that can play like or better than Kobe? As a teammate there are lots of them better agreed. but as Simmons said, nobody (including duncan and shaq) havent put together this 2 years of great (amazing and consistent) basketball like Kobe has and that alone is enough to push him above the other 4 ring guys.

  • Mark

    Shouldn’t the Utah Jazz be included in the Nuggets/Blazers category as “maybe they’re good enough to be a contender?”. They have essentially the same team that made the Western Conference Finals a few back, and maybe better. If Millsap returns, which at the time I write its looking like the Jazz are willing to spend a luxury tax to keep him, this is a team that is quite good. Injuries are always a concern, but isn’t that the case for any team?

    I don’t want to distract from the main point of the article, however. Kobe Bryant will probably get more publicity and more people naming an “era” after him, but Kobe, Duncan, and Shaq probably all stand beside each other as equals. Unless, of course, that 5th ring rolls around. If Shaq wins a ring this year, it will mean less to his prestige than, say, a 5th for Duncan and Kobe. Why? It’s because people are just so willing to open the “LeBron era” book that Shaq will not get credit beyond “he was the role player LeBron needed!”.

    Just a few thoughts.

  • TC

    If you ding Shaq for playing second-fiddle to Wade for his last championship, you have to do the same for Kobe’s first 3; he clearly was NOT the best player on LA’s 3-peat, Shaq was. TD is the only one who was the best player on each of his 4 championship teams.

  • http://www.48minutesofhell.com Graydon Gordian

    Mark,

    No, the Utah Jazz should not be included alongside the Blazers and Nuggets in the “could be contenders” category. The Jazz only made it to the WCFs because they had the good fortune of playing the Warriors in the second round. The only other team they have beaten in a postseason series during the last 3 years is Houston (a feat that, before this season, was nothing to write home about).

    Tack on the fact that the Jazz finished 8th in the West this season, a spot they slid down into after returning to full health, and I think it is safe to assume they will not be contending for a title.

  • ChillFAN

    Great read. Kobe, Duncan & Shaq: only one of these players was reliable in back to backs last season. Right now, Kobe just led his team to a championship. No player’s ever, not even Jordan, has won the championship without great teammates. It’s time right now for the Spurs to go get Duncan legitimate help.

  • LA_SPURS fan

    As it stands right now, the Spurs already have legitimate help. If everyone is healthy, I think we could get by the Lakers, even if Gasol is a beast.

    I thought in 05 that Ginobili was as good if not better than Duncan in the finals. I could be wrong though.

  • BP

    Kobe will probably be remembered but only because of the hype. 6 trips to the finals 1 finals MVP. 1. 1 in 6? Why because for four of them he wasn’t the best player on his team.

    Now the team mate argument is always difficult to judge, who had more or less help etc. But when counting championships for all the marbles as the “eras” defining player surely you can only sue ones where that player was the best player on his team. Otherwise doesn’t Scottie have equal claim to the era as Michael.

    If you want to go pure quantitative go % of MVP votes (I’d thrown in atleast 75% of games but it doesn t matter for the results). Do this and you actually find out how short the Kobe “era” has been and what an absolute chasm there is between TD and Kobe.

  • duaneofly

    I don’t consider the Jazz to be contenders either, unless they can stay healthy and maybe find a great trade for Boozer. I’d say they are more of a contender than the Blazers though. The Jazz dealt with injuries (to DWill and Boozer) all season which could be why they slipped to the eight seed and lost to the eventual champions LA Lakers. The Blazers however, stayed healthy, other than Oden (no surprise), and still lost in the first round.
    Point being: Neither of them are contenders. If Yao is out for the year than count Houston out too.

  • mattmo28

    Duncan is still the only one of the 3 that won a title while being the only all-star on the team. (’03) Parker was still very unreliable Gino was a rook. Kobe won his first 3 with shaq and then didnt win again until he got Gasol. Conversely, Shaq had mamba for his first 3 and played 2nd fiddle to Wade for the fourth.

  • Jay

    If we’re going off of Finals performance/Finals MVPs as true definitions of who was the best player on the team, then Duncan really only has 2 “on his own”. Parker got his much deserved MVP for the last championship. And let’s not forget that Duncan played the first 6 games of the 05 Finals with both hands around his neck. If Robert Horry didn’t bail him out in Game 5 (assist going to Rasheed Wallace and his abysmal defense on the big dagger), history would remember Duncan and the Spurs as choking that one away. I remember being upset that Duncan was named Finals MVP that year and I thought that Manu/Horry deserved it more.

    Besides, as far as Kobe/Shaq’s Finals MVP count goes, that’s skewed due to the fact that the East had no real centers for years. In 2000, Shaq ate Rik Smits for breakfast; Kobe had to deal with Reggie Miller and Jalen Rose. In 2001, Shaq made it a personal mission of his to show the world that Mutumbo was a fraud. Kobe was kept occupied with Iverson (MVP that year). 2002 I don’t even remember who was supposed to be guarding Shaq, I just remember they weren’t doing it (was Martin technically guarding Shaq that series? I can’t even remember, that series was unwatchable). Kobe had to work on Kidd the whole series.

    Kobe was arguably the best player for the Lakers in 01 and 02 (and as Spurs fans we should all remember Kobe’s 2001 season) but didn’t get the Finals MVPs because matchups dictated that the Lakers should go through Shaq at all times.

  • ChillFAN

    People who argue that “Shaq won the titles for Kobe” are letting their Kobe-hate get the best of them, something I try to stay away from. Kobe is a great player, especially if you like selfishness, being quick to blame others, whining and making faces like a three year old at the refs, barking at teammates for not passing fast enough, demanding that stars are traded then demanding help. Great player, not someone his teammates want to be around.

  • ruth bader ginobili

    Good post. I agree: my favorite part of the last couple seasons has been the intersection between the greats of tomorrow and the greats of yesterday.
    I also consider KG as another member of the old guard, and its been great having him on a contending team. Wish we could say the same about Dirk, Dwade, and Paul.
    Guess we’ll have to content outselves with Tim, Kobe, Shaq, KG, LeBron, Dwight, and Carmelo.