Kobe the new Jordan? He's not even the best Laker

OK, so you want to assemble the greatest Los Angeles Laker team of all time and you don't want to play the game of putting Kareem Abdul-Jabbar at center and Wilt Chamberlain at power forward. You want honesty here -- one point guard, one shooting guard, a small forward, a power forward and someone in the pivot.

Well, guess what. Kobe Bryant ain't part of that group.

No one is saying the man can't play. No one is saying he's not the guy to go to with the game on the line. No one is saying he's nowhere near as good as Michael Jordan.

All we're saying here is that if you are ranking all-time Laker shooting guards, it's:

1. Jerry West

2. Kobe Bryant

Hourglass sands have buried West, who is known to most NBA followers not as the best shooter in the league in the 1960s and early 1970s but more as the an NBA executive and the man who traded Pau Gasol to the Lakers (and Celtics haters didn't like Kevin McHale dealing Kevin Garnett to the Celtics).

West was an NBA all-star 14 times and 12 times was named to either the all-NBA first or second teams. Four times he was on the league first defensive team, and that's playing most of his career without a decent center behind him. Playoffs? West was frustrated by the Celtics more times than he can remember, but in 1965 the man averaged 40.5 points in playoff games (God only knows what that number would be if there was a 3-point line then), and in 1969 he was named the Finals MVP even though he played for the losing team.

Most NBA fans know more about dinosaurs than they do about West, but those who are entering their 6th decade know that he was probably the best 2-guard ever to play the game -- Kobe included.

As for the rest of the all-time Laker team, Abdul-Jabbar (C) and Magic Johnson (PG) are obvious, and Elgin Baylor was the best small forward. Power forward? James Worthy.

You want just the best five? Fine, then Kobe is on board. Put him at small forward ahead of Baylor. But for a true starting 5, West was better.

C - Shaq, F - Magic, Worthy, G - Bryant, West

I hope he's not saying West was better than Jordan or did I misread it?

I'm not a huge Kobe fan, but I'm somewhat of a Lakers historian.

And I've got to say, you're wrong here. Jerry West would be the first to tell you that too.

Jerry only won one ring, as well, and came up short time and time again against the Celtics..

i definitely agree with these two things:

time has faded West's status as a legend, as always happens...

for the level of play that was happening in his era, he was every bit as dominant as Kobe Bryant

however... i am of the belief that athletes simply will always improve from one era to the next... the best guy in the 40s can't beat the best guy from the 60s, who can't beat the best guy from the 80s, who can't beat the best guy from the 00s...

if it were theoretically possible to assemble teams with guys in their prime, on a level playing field... i doubt that Jerry West would be able to perform at Kobe or Jordan's level... however, i do think he would be right there on that next level of guys...

it's argumentative, because we can only speculate... i think you make great points, regardless... West was a freak, and most people today just think he's a GM...

i remember awhile back i was messing with one NBA live game or some such, trying to make all-time greats rosters for all of the NBA teams... trying to make the Lakers starting 5 gave me a serious headache...

although i have to admit it wasn't as hard as trying to make an all-time greats team for the Clippers...

jeez... i just tried to do it again to remember what i came up with and couldn't get past SF without getting a headache again...

you definitely make a good point...

The first Laker will always be Chick. Magic Second

Magic fit at any position and fits my greatest Laker team.

Shaq, Magic, Worthy, Kobe, West

Jerry West would tell you the truth, but you could not handle the truth.

ouch!  can't agree with that line of argument... not saying West is better, but there is no way he should be judged on that... West was so through the roof ridiculous in some of those series against the Cs... doesn't he still hold the record for scoring average in a finals series?  and he was the first ever Finals MVP, playing on a team that didn't win the Finals...

he was up against so many legends... does that mean that nobody other than Bill Russell can be considered a great player during the 1960s...

see, this is the problem... you have 7 guys and only 5 slots... how can you not have Kareem and Baylor on the team?  and understand, i am just making a point... put Kareem and Baylor on that team, and you will say, how can you not have Shaq and Worthy on the team?

not even worth trying... the Lakers should have to trade the rights to two of their all-time greats to the Clippers, so that the rest of us can resolve this debate more easily...

Quote Originally Posted by hustle_man:



Somewhat of a Lakers historian but you don't think West is better than Bryant?

West went against Bill Russell.  How many teams won rings during that amazing run?

I'd be happy if Bryant actually shot a decent percentage and came to play in the Finals this year, instead of quitting on the team like the last two Finals

Jerry West even says Kobe is better.

this coming from the man who said Odom was better than Bryant (and still believes it), Kwame Brown for Gasol was an even trade, and that Barbosa would give Kobe hell prior to the last series.

And you're credible because??????