Then there is Kobe Bryant. If you haven’t heard, Kobe scored 81 points last night against the Toronto Raptors. This is an amazing feat in an era of unprecendented talent and parity that exists in the NBA today. Then again it was Toronto. Not really a defensive powerhouse unless it is against a power play.
I live in LA. I love basketball. But I can’t get behind Kobe. I won’t deny it was an individual performance that is amazing. He personally outscored Toronto in the third period. But I don’t see a lot of leadership from Mr. Bryant. I don’t see him making his teammates better like Michael Jordan made Scotty Pippen better. I don’t see him playing inspiring defense and tallying triple doubles like Magic or Bird. I do see him brooding, solitary, demanding Shaq be traded and not leading on any level.
From what I read in the blogoshere, despite the performance, I am not alone. The word “rapist” and “ball hog” seem to show up as often as all-star or greatest player. In fairness, read LakersBlog for the “Kobe for MVP” side of the story.
