Kobe still holds on to the crown, but the advanced statistics are harder and harder to argue with every day.
PER, Roland Ratings, Efficiency, Value Added, and Win Shares all suggest that Lebron is superior to Kobe Bryant.
With Lebron making a strong case for best player in the league and Kobe on the sidelines because of injury, some commentators have taken the opportunity to once again question Kobe Bryant.
Just about every reputable publication from Foxsports to ESPN to SportsIllustrated to SportingNews has named Kobe as the NBA Player of the Decade. There's a good reason why. Kobe Bryant has been a top three player for the entire decade. He's been the consensus best player for half the decade. Nobody—not Shaq, not Duncan—can say the same.
That still didn't stop Charles Barkley from essentially calling the fans stupid when they voted Kobe Bryant last week as player of the decade. Barkley and Kenny Smith thought that Shaq's three years in LA earlier in the decade were enough to carry him for the other seven years.
It is not enough that Kobe's made the All NBA team every year this decade. It isn't enough that he's made the defensive team nine out of 10 years, or that he's been to the finals six times winning four rings. It isn't enough that he's scored more points this decade than any other player both in the regular season and the playoffs or that he's been the leading assist man on four championship squads.
It still isn't enough for a seven letter word: R-E-S-P-E-C-T.
Kobe heard Charles and Kenny. He...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
