Kobe Bryant: Best Player of the Decade

Of course this argument was going to come up but that other than Shaquille O'Neal no one can agrue that Kobe Bryant isnt the best player of the last decade. He has done things that have seemed to amaze us time in and time out again. Now people would deny that he is the best because of the adultery that Bryant committed on his wife although his actions off the court shouldnt be taken away from what he does on the court.

Only in the 2003-04 season, Kobe didnt average over twenty-five points a game where he missed seventeen games with injury and when his team needed to be carried by only Bryant he was averaging over thirty points a game. To think that Kobe made the playoffs with his top five scorers in 2005-06 being Smush Parker and Chris Mihm is simply phenomenal. I compare Kobe to when the Packers had Brett Favre in the 90s. Favre didnt always have the best players to work with but somehow they made their way into the playoffs. I would agrue that Favre accomplishments were much better because only six teams get into the playoffs in a given year. Many people have do not see him as a leader but I personally think he is your typical hard-ass captain that doesnt take anyone's crap expecting the most out of everyone even if your name is Slava Medvadenko. He takes care of the all little things that his teammates fail to see.

To throw out some more stats that would give Kobe the title as the best in the past decade would be his stellar free-throw shooting that never went under eighty percent. The three point shooting went under 30% only once in (2001-02). People make a big deal about how Kobe never passes the ball but the stats would show that he only has slipped below five per game in two seasons being this year and 2005-06. In addition even though he was down this year, only in game five Kobe didnt have eight assists in the NBA Finals.

The final big thing about Kobe is his big-game clutch moments. I wish when the fourth quarter began, Enter Sandman by Metalica would come on because Kobe reminds me of a closer in MLB ready to shut down any team he is playing. Carry on the Favre comparison when the fourt quarter happens that was when we had our vintage Favre highlights and I think we get that with Kobe Bryant as well. No one in the game is better in the fourth quarter than Kobe.

I know there are alot you reading this who cannot stand Kobe and wished he would go away for a long time. I just hope that you all respect what he has done in the past ten years and has made the NBA much stronger by his play in the regular/post season.

-Charlie.