So I've been meaning to write an article about Kobe for some time now. To be completely honest I've actually written this article, not once, but twice, only to have my computer freeze in the middle and lose everything. This left my wondering two things. Why God hates me, and why after having it freeze on me once, did I not learn to save every so often. While I'm still contemplating the first one, I have changed my ways and will be a constant saver from now on. But that's neither here nor there. Back to the topic at hand.

Let me just start off by saying that I'm not exactly on speaking terms with Shane Battier right now. Come to think of it I guess I've never really been on speaking terms with him but after that shot he hit against the Lakers last Thursday I am definitely harboring a bit of a grudge. However, regardless of the outcome, that game was just typical Kobe being Kobe. When his team needed him the most he put them on his back and carried them. The fact that they didn't win makes the story anticlimactic but his play itself is worthy of discussion and proved, once again, that he is the best player in the NBA.

Over the years I have met much resistance whenever I make that statement. So before you roll your eyes and click on a different article or immediately write me off as someone that you are going to disagree with, let me clarify my meaning of the term "best."

In basketball I believe there are three different categories by which excellence should be appreciated.

1. Most Valuable Player: This is the most common classification as it is seemingly given to the games "best player." However, as is often debated, the award is given to a player who's teams success is seemingly most dependent upon him. This is how I classify the award. For years, Michael Jordan was the league MVP and it's best player. In this case the two overlap. However, in recent years the Most Valuable Player award has been given to Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash (twice). Does anyone actually think either of these players are the best basketball player in the league? The answer has to be no. Steve Nash is probably the best point guard in the league and Dirk is definitely an all-star but as far as overall talent goes, neither of these players rank in the top five (Wade, Kobe, Garnett, Duncan, Iverson to name a few). When you talk about the MVP you have to think about how "valuable" that player is to his team, which, by definition, means how much better this team is with this player or, almost more importantly, how much worse they would be without him. If you interpret it that way then several names instantly come to mind. For one, LeBron James. With him, the Cavs were a 50 win team that made it all the way to the Finals. Without him I doubt they win 15 games. Kobe Bryant is another. Kobe has led the Lakers to back to back playoff births with an extremely mediocre supporting cast. Without him, the Lakers are an NBA bottom feeder. Yet both of these players have yet to win MVP's while Nash and Nowitzki, who's teams, even without them, would be playoff teams, have won the last three. Now, I live in Phoenix and understand fully Nash's impact. However, I am not questioning his ability or his complete transformation of the Suns. I am merely saying that his "value" is not quite as high as some of the other players in the league.

2. Most Dominant Player: I had never considered this category until the Lakers three-peat at the turn of the century. While Shaquille O'Neal was dominating and leading the Lakers to Championships did anyone actually think he was the best player in the league? Granted he was extremely talented and for a man his size to be able to move the way he could was phenomenal but can you really label someone who shot-puts the ball from the free throw line as the league's "best" player. I don't think that you can. However, there is no questioning that he was the league's most dominant and unstoppable player. This also holds true for Michael Jordan in his heyday. He was the most dominant player in the NBA and could take over a game at will. I don't believe there is a player in the league now who qualifies under this designation however, if Yao Ming can stay healthy he might be able to. Usually the title will belong to a big man but, as Jordan proved, this is not always the case

3. Best Player: This is the designation that I would give to the league's most talented overall player. The player who's game is most complete and as close to flawless as can be. This is a player who kids can watch on TV and try and model themselves after on the court. Someone who's talent allows them to excel at both ends of the court and in all areas. Someone who takes pride in being not just multi-dimensional, but excelling at both. Being, as the name suggests, the best. 

I believe that Kobe Bryant exemplifies this. Kobe is a 9 time all-star, led the league in scoring twice, been named All-NBA 1st Team 5 times as well as All-Defensive 1st Team 5 times. For those of us who watched the FIBA tournament this past summer, we got to see Kobe be the unquestioned leader and unselfish captain of Team USA. He proved that given capable players around him, Kobe is more than willing to share the ball and create for his teammates. Then again it's a little different giving the ball to LeBron James and Dwight Howard than Luke Walton and Kwame Brown. This has been the major knock on Kobe. All Laker/Kobe haters love to bring up the fact that Kobe is a selfish player. To me this just means they don't understand the game of basketball. Granted, when he was younger, Kobe would tend to force shots and try and make too much happen. This is not the case anymore. In recent years Kobe has led the league in scoring and taken a lot of shots because if he didn't the Lakers wouldn't have a chance of winning. This is not selfish, it's competitive. I also haven't heard any Laker fans complaining about Kobe's shot selection, only those who wish to find fault in his game. Just for fun I decided to compare Kobe's assist and shot attempt stats to some other high profile players who don't get nearly the negative press as Kobe for being a selfish player. All stats are from the '06-'07 season.

Kobe Bryant: 5.4 assists per game, 22.8 field goals attempted (per game) Joe Johnson: 4.4 apg, 20 fga Ray Allen: 4.1 apg, 21 fga Paul Pierce: 4.1 apg, 18.1 fga Carmello Anthony: 3.8 apg, 22.4 fga Michael Redd: 2.3 apg, 19.3 fga Vince Carter: 4.8 apg, 19.5 fga Rashard Lewis: 2.4 apg, 16.8 fga

(Rashard is my favorite. Just for fun, check the box score every time Orlando plays. You will never see Rashard with more than 3 assists. It just doesn't happen. Me and my roommate used to play this game. His career high assists is 8. He's played in 620 career games. Think about it.)

As this season gets underway I would encourage all of you readers to watch the Lakers play when you have the opportunity. Watch Kobe Bryant carefully. Watch how he moves, how he cuts, how he runs the court, how he looks for his teammates, just focus on his overall play and at the end ask yourself if there is anyone else in this league who can put it all together in one package better than him. For some reason Kobe is the superstar that people love to hate. Of course there was that whole incident in Colorado but after listening to the case and just using a little common sense I think we can all conclude that Kobe is only guilty of "A" and not "R." While that is not condoned by this writer at all and is something that should be frowned upon, other athletes have done far worse things. Even Michael Jordan, who I have referred to throughout this article, it turns out wasn't quite the squeaky clean character I saw in Space Jam when I was 11 years old. But one thing we've had to learn how to do in sports is leave character at the door when we watch these games and just enjoy the sport itself. I played basketball all my life. From the time I was seven all through high school. I spent countless hours in my driveway shooting as a kid. Countless hours at practices, games, tournaments etc. I love the game of basketball and watching Kobe Bryant play it is a treat.

Of course I have one other reason to cheer for Kobe. I grew up in Honolulu, Hawaii and when I was 10 years old my buddy called me up and said that his brother had gone to camp and he had an extra courtside seat for the Lakers-Nuggets exhibition game that night. I was about as pumped as a 10 year old can get. We were literally courtside. This was 1996 and was Shaq and Kobe's first season in LA. By the way, if you've never seen Shaq in person, he is truly a massive individual. After about five minutes of daring each other to do it we finally yelled at the same time, "Mr. O'Neal!!" Shaq turned around and gave a half smile and said, "Hey kids" in probably the deepest voice I'd ever heard at that point in my life. That was highlight number one. Highlight number two, and the one that sticks with me the most, came next. Keep in mind that this is the summer of '96 and Kobe is 18 years old and never played in an NBA game. Well before the game, during warm-ups, Kobe decided to run wind-sprints from sideline to sideline...right in front of us. After about the second time, my buddy Luke, stuck out his hand and waited for Kobe to reach us. When Kobe got there, Kobe slapped his hand and headed back to the other side. When he started back towards us, I put out my hand. Again, Kobe slapped it and literally made a ten year old ballers month. From then on I have been a Kobe fan and enjoyed all the success that he has achieved in his career. Although I have tried not to be biased, I'm sure a little seeps through the cracks but keep in mind what I have said. And if any of you want to make a case for who you think the "best" player in the league is, please post it on the message boards.

Sorry it took so long for me to get another article up but I've had these things called school and work that have been occupying my time. Crazy right? Anyways, I'll try not to let it happen again. I hope all you readers are enjoying the season so far, I know I am. Then again, anything is better than baseball. The new power rankings will be up later this week so stay tuned for that. Until next time everyone, long live hoop.

-Vip