Before the season began, I was one of those Laker-fans who believed that this would be a very special season. As I went through their schedule predicting each game one-by-one, I concluded that they would go 70-12 while going 38-3 at home and 32-9 on the road. Before you skip the rest of my article and go straight to the comments to express how ridiculous that may sound, hear me out: last season, Lakers had the best home-record in the West (36-5) and second-best overall; on the road, the Lakers went 29-12 — good enough for best road-record in the NBA.
I watched every single game last season, and off the top of my head, I can think of about six games that were decided either at the buzzer or within the last few minutes of the game (for those who do not remember, @MIA, @ORL, @SA, vs. ORL, vs. CHA, and vs. PHI). Although 65-17 is a very impressive record, it could have been better. And yes, I acknowledge that this could happen this year as well as any – because there are always games that are that close — but that doesn’t take away the fact that it is still very possible for this squad, especially after the Artest-upgrade. In fact, some analysts, including Reggie Miller, believe that this squad can even surpass the ‘95-’96 Bulls as having the best regular-season record in NBA history.
HOWEVER, my prediction (and everybody else’s, for that matter) also included a disclaimer: barring significant injuries.
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Since Kobe Bryant’s career will be winding down here pretty soon, as a huge Kobe fan, I cannot help but begin to wonder what Laker-land will be like once # 24 decides to call it quits. I mean, the last time that the Los Angeles Lakers were without Kobe was when Bill Clinton was still in office, Nintendo 64’s graphics were considered to be amazing, and the Lakers’ franchise had (only) 11 NBA Championships.
As of now, I personally cannot fathom what it is going to be like when the Lakers do not have Kobe Bryant, and I’m sure many other Laker-fans concur. As we prepare ourselves to grasp, accept, and embrace this harsh reality, a few questions are still up-in-the-air.
One question that is lingering amongst Laker-fans is: when will Kobe retire? Will he play until the NBA has to practically shove him into retirement, even when his greatest contributions might be coming off the bench? Or, as Michael Jordan should have done, will he hang the jersey up while in his mid-30’s, when he is still good for 25-5-5 and (hopefully) has a few more rings? Where will he finally settle in the list of most points accumulated throughout one’s career? How many more (if any) MVP trophies will he win?
It’s kind of strange to think we will have these answers within this upcoming decade. However, this has to be one of the most intriguing questions of them all: where will Kobe Bryant – after his jersey is retired – finally rank among the Greatest Players of All Time?
In light of the recent 2009 inductees of the Basketball Hall of Fame (mainly Michael Jordan), let’s evaluate what criteria basketball fans and critics consider when assessing a player’s greatness. One obvious aspect of the game that the player must have is great statistics. Even though a player’s statistics does not entirely represent their production on the court, they still give us a good idea of what they’re doing out there and how they are contributing to the team. Also, we must take into account the player’s championships, MVP awards, other accolades (I.E. Defensive Player of the Year, All-NBA selections, etc), and, of course, the legacy they leave behind. Needless to say, players who meet and/or exceed these criteria are extremely rare. Fortunately for us as Laker-fans, we were able to witness a 17-year-old kid fresh from high school grow and develop into one of these players; the beauty of it is that Kobe’s legacy is completely self-made, a la Michael Jordan.
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