Pickem - Which roster would you choose? Championship or Bust!!!
Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Which roster would YOU choose?
Kevin Love has been getting a lot of flack. And rightfully so. The NBA is driven by a transcendent player more than any other Team Sport. Peyton Manning only plays half the snaps, Wayne Gretzky isn't blocking shots on goal, Lionel Messi is a 4 time player of the year yet never reached any World Cup glory, Barry Bonds can't pitch the ball, yet Michael Jordan can win MVP, Defensive POY, All NBA, All Def, Scoring Champion, and Finals MVP all in the same season. Kevin Love is phenomenal, and has maximized any potential his athletic shortfalls have limited him to. He is one of my favorite players, however he is not (and SHOULD NOT) be compared to the Kobe's, the Lebron's, the Dirk's of the NBA.
How much do teammates matter? A lot, but with a single transcendent player, should at least make the playoffs? right?
Kevin Love gets the flack, but there is another player that has eluded this same criticism. Usually this other player gets a pass because his teammates were considered horrible, but were they? does he deserve a pass?
I have selected 3 different seasons (within a 10 year window so its not comparing different eras) and am comparing the stats of these 3 example's other starting 4 players. Take a look and decide for yourself which roster would you want?
Player A Starting 4 - is best at FG% & BLK and is worst at AST and STL
Player B Starting 4 is best at RB, AST, PTS and is worst at None of the categories
Player C Starting 4 is best at STLS and is worst in FG%, RB, BLK, PTS
Below is the totals of each players starting 4 (Red = Worst, Green = Best, Yellow = Middle)
Did you choose?
Does the player in questions stats matter.
Here is Player A, B, and C's individual stats to help.
All the stats are pretty close.
Here is the punch line.
Player A is Kobe Bryant in 2001-2002 CHAMPIONSHIP
Player B is Kobe Bryant in 2004-2005 DIDN'T MAKE THE PLAYOFFS
Player C is Lebron James in 2006-2007 NBA FINALS
I am not implying that all 3 teams had the same talent, but my point is that the talent gap is that huge. There are other circumstances like coaches, chemistry, conference strength, etc.
Maybe Kobe's 2004-05 teammates weren't that bad. Maybe he should get some of Love's flack. But Kobe remains untouchable. Kobe had Caron Butler that year (who was a 2x all star once he left Kobe) and Lamar Odom who was part of Kobe's 2nd dynasty. Who did Lebron have in 2006 that could have compared?
