I've been saying this for quite some time, and I agree with those who say that Bryant is overrated.
With that said, he is very good, but he is simply a one dimensional player, and then downright unwatchable for those of us who love the game. When hot, he can fill it up. When I watch players that I feel are the all time greats, or those who are considered the greatest, I look at players who've carried the league, then made even non fans of the game want to watch them ply their trade. Oscar Robertson did this for the NBA in the early years, as the purists loved his game, then on to Dr. J, who not only carried the ABA, but the NBA for a while as well, as his talent transcended the game itself. Bird and Magic did it after Doc, and Jordan also had this effect, as viewership and attendance for the NBA was at an all time high during his tenure as the best.
Here's a bit on what happened after Jordan retired,
[h3]Post-Jordan decline[/h3]
The retirement of Michael Jordan set in motion the decline in NBA ratings which continues today. Ratings for the
1999 NBA Finals (which in fairness, came after a lockout shortened season) were down significantly from the previous year, from an 18.7 to an 11.3. Primetime regular season games, which had become fairly routine (and highly-rated) during the Jordan years, set record lows for NBC once Jordan retired. With the rise of the
Los Angeles Lakers in the early part of the 2000s (decade), ratings improved, but never to the level of the 1980s or 1990s.The highest NBA Finals ratings on NBC after Jordan left was the 2001 Finals, which featured the dominant and then-defending champion Lakers with Shaq and
Kobe Bryant versus the polarizing
Allen Iverson and the underdog
Philadelphia 76ers. The ratings for that series were a 12.1, still down 35 percent from 1998. NBC's last Finals, in 2002, came after a resurgence in playoff ratings (including a 14.2 rating for Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals). However, the Finals itself registered the lowest ratings the event had seen since 1981, topping out at a 10.2 average.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Basketball_Association_Nielsen_ratings
During Kobe's prime, the NBA viewership has been on a steady decline. He does not make you want to watch him, outside of fans of LA Lakers, due to his not having that IT factor. He's never been that guy in the DR. J, Bird and Magic, or Jordan mold.
He's good as a player, but not very good as someone who transcends the game. You cannot deny the greatness of Doc, Magic and Bird or Jordan on court, but one can certainly say that due to Kobe not transcending the game, that he is most definitely not an all time top ten player.
Mikan
Wilt
Russell
Oscar
Kareem
Erving
Magic
Bird
Jordan
and now we have LeBron James.
Those above LeBron carried the league, and Kobe Bryant has not even come close to doing that. LeBron has a serious chance of doing just that.
While LeBron's offensive repertoire may not be as expansive as that of Kobe Bryant's, he is far more the complete player, one who can make people
ooh and ahhh, without shooting the ball. People who are not fans of the game love watching unselfish players, players that play all sides of the ball, exhibiting a mastery of their trade. To many, what Jordan was able to do defensively, was equally as impressive as his offensive onslaughts, especially when he and Scottie were paired on the defensive end of the ball. Even if you hated Jordan, you had to admit, he was fun to watch.
Kobe Bryant has never been fun to watch. It always seems that he is trying too hard, taking the most difficult of shots, when they are not necessary, while also taking too many OF them.
That said, Kobe Bryant is indeed overrated, but the perspective of him actually being highly rated, only happens on forums such as this.
In reality where there are no REPORT BUTTONS, Kobe Bryant is just a good player.
