CP:
Remember though, his point was the chucking, not the skillset. Ska knows TMac, and even Vince Carter would be similar switches on position/body types, what his point was was the AI shot selections and Kobe shot selections. I'm the one that brought up the position issue between the two.
TMac and Vince aren't necessarily considered chuckers. Soft, weak minded, soaked wet spots maybe, but not chuckers.
That's why he went with AI.
Three reasons I went with AI, actually.
– both volume shooter
– similar "You can't tell me nothing" attitudes
– year drafted
And there is someone else from that draft that I've mentioned before in hypothesizing that we would've been just as successful (if not more) if Kobe and that guy were switched. But you guys get too focused on looking at where a player is at today instead of what could have been. Too abstract of a conversation for you, I guess.
Of all the "switches" we could play with, Ray is my favorite. TMac would have cost us a ton, maybe not even get out of the first round. Vince, is garbage. AI, big change with his size. But Ray, man, that could be fun.
First, Ray means no Glen Rice. Rice was needed for his outside shot (which I will get back too momentarily) Allen would handle that. So maybe we keep Eddie Jones, but one of them wouldn't fit at SF, so a move still has to get done.
Ray off Shaq might have been nice. But title nice? 3 of em? I don't think so. Could Ray go down in the post? Create his own shot? (small lumped together portion I alluded too earlier) Board/pass/defend? He was great long range at that time, what about from 17? Could he finish in traffic? And here is my biggest and best question. Would he rip your heart out? Would he kill you to win? Or would he be the nice guy, deflect to Shaq, and just rain 3's? One last thing, would he improve?
Ray has worked on his shot forever. Love it. Love his shooting. What else has he worked on, improved? I don't see any of those things in his arsenal today, it's 10 years later. He defends better now, I will give him credit for that. What else?
That shooting that we needed for Rice? We later moved Rice (bad fit) and who got better at the 3 ball? Kobe. Kobe went to the 2000 All Star game, know what he was doin? Workin on defense from the glove. The best. In 98 he went to the All Star game, he was askin Mike how he gets the feel of his opponent before he shoots his fadeaway. In 99 they asked him to play SF for the first 6 games, he got double digit rebounds in all 6 playin down closer to the hoop. He was 19. He improved his midrange game, he's refined his post game. He hurt his right hand and started working on a left handed shot. Bank shot. High post, low post, add muscle, lose muscle, he has done EVERYTHING he can think of to add to his game. Breaks a finger, adjusts the way he shoots the ball. Busts up thumb, another adjustment. Hurt his shoulder, gonna be out weeks, misses one game. Messes up ankle, his own personal staff is hired and works 24/7 to get him ready for the next game. The man, is not human.
But you think that nice guy Ray Allen, and his pretty jumper could come in, and do all that stuff?
Remember when Shaq missed tons of games, came back slow, fat and out of shape? What Phil do? He asked, no, ordered Kobe, run the show for a bit. We need you. 13 straight 35's, 9 straight 40's was the response. Ray Ray could do that? After those games, Phil said ok, come back to Earth now, Shaq is ready, Kobe eased off, and they settled in.
The other night, Kobe sucked. Rode back on the plane with Mike Brown, and watched the entire game together, on the plane. Brown says that Lebron never once, not one time, ever did that with him. Bron, played in several hundred games for Mike, including some playoff games, and even Finals. Never watched game footage on the plane. Kobe did it, after working with Mike for a month. 6 games in. Pretty sure that Kobe responded last night, no?
He does WHATEVER it takes. His body, his game, pain, no pain, surgery, offseason, lots of women on the side, whatever. He plays every ounce of what he has, and has for now 16 years. Ray couldn't do what Kobe has done man. I'm sorry. And I like Ray. If I had my choice of guy to trade Kobe for in 96, and do this all over again, it would be Ray. He's better than the other names we went off of. But LA would have 1, maybe 2 titles out of all of it.
He's not perfect. No question. You have every single right to the way you think of him. I agree with most of it. It would be nice if he didn't touch white girls in Colorado. Be real nice if he said Shaq, I'm sorry brother, let's win some @#$%^&* games together. But he doesn't. He's wired the same way MJ was. Good/Bad or whatever. Bottom line, he's turned in a top 10 all time NBA Resume, kept LA relevant for over a decade and a half, and is still playing at a high level, while all his peers fall off one by one. How we all fault him over one bad game, or a bad stretch of games, or bad shots, or whatever is beyond me. Cuz I assure you, we could root for Ray and like him, but he would not have given us what we have been given by Kobe. Ray could not have gotten to the first round in 06-07 with Smush, Luke and Kwame. NO DAMN WAY. Ray would not have demanded a trade, sure, nicer group of guys, sure. Lot less wins too. I know, if Ray is there, Shaq stays, he is on the team in 06-07, no Kwame, etc etc. Shaq woulda been mid 30's, and done. Lazy, no one to push him, 35 games off a year, etc etc. I don't prefer that, at all.
