I think Dirk is a terrific player, but there’s no way he deserves mention in this debate. Not today. Not even during his 06-07 MVP season (When they were embarrassingly bounced out by Baron Davis’s Warriors). Kobe has Jordan-like 4th quarter assassin abilities, is multiple time 1st team all-defense, and has FOUR championships to Dirk’s zero.

Not even an issue.

Dirk is the biggest choke artist in the NBA since Charles Smith. Dirk is unguardable… until the playoffs.

Not to mention… DIRK CAN’T PLAY ANY DEFENSE. Kobe is all-world defense. In two years, no one will remember this joke. He will be in Danilo Gallinari’s shadow.

I agree Dirk and Kobe would never guard each other, but in that case it’s impossible to pick a BEST player in the NBA. I said Kobe, you said Dirk, and then I stuck with Kobe. Not sure what we’re debating then. Also, you say it’s not fair to compare a speedy guard to a big man. Of course not! But if I had to pick either one of them to start a team with, it’d be Kobe for me!

Also, Kobe is WAYYYY more than just clutch. But to be on the top of your game when it starts and when it matters most (at the end), that is what makes a player the BEST in the game. I’d say this is now a fair assessment of OVERALL greatness.

By the way, Dirk is DEFINITELY more unguardable than Durant. The Ref is the foolish one here….

I compared this article/comments to spattering from ESPN because instead of backing things up with facts, support, and debate, they just crown people as the best until someone does something better 3 weeks later. The only debate on ESPN is usually determined by who screams louder.

Also, I’d love to see Kobe vs. Dirk one on one game, although the idea of it is assinine. Only while playing a zone or executing help defense would these two players ever guard each other during the course of a game. Big men who do not regularly handle the ball are at a complete disadvantage in a one on one game against a speedy guard. Andre Iguodala or another mid-skill level swing man could probably dominate most big men in a one on one game because they could dribble around them or take an open shot if the big man slacks off to cover the drive.

Steve Kerr and Robert Horry to a lesser extent were two of the most clutch players of their era. One won 5 and the other 7 championships. I don’t believe either was ever an all star. Equating clutch with OVERALL greatness is foolish.

I would stand by Dirk as more undguardable than Durant. He is taller and stronger than KD. It’s nearly impossible for any of the best defenders in the league to defend his fadeaway, and once they cheat up to play him tighter, its an easy trip to the free throw line or easy drive to the basket. He also is a much more proficient 3 pt shooter.

If LeBron had 4 championships right now and Kobe had 0, then LeBron in my eyes is the best (I picked LeBron because he is USUALLY the other case as to who is the best in the NBA).

I think Dwight Howard is the best center the NBA has right now and Chris Paul is definitely tops on the PG list but I want to see W’s and Championships and Kobe leads all those guys in that category right now. And yes, I would put Tim Duncan in the top 3 because he knows how to win too and he can dominant the game as a big man. That is tough to do when you need to be fed the ball rather than bring it up yourself.

Here’s a question, who is more unguardable Durant or Dirk? The Ref brought this up in a podcast saying KD is the most unguardable player in the NBA right now.

I like you thoughts though.

Kobe has won 4 titles, and in case you’re planning on mentioning Shaq in this ordeal, you can recall last season, right? Kobe carried the team as he has since Shaq left and he got his due with a championship last season.

Also, you said Dirk is more unguardable, but how is that the case? I would LOVE to see Kobe play Dirk one-on-one.. I’ll give you 100:1 odds that Kobe wins. That’s a slam dunk (pun intended).

You also make it sound like Kobe never passes, which makes his teammates worse. He has more assists now than when he had Shaq. He has the ball in his hands more becuase he’s that talented.

I’m not saying these other players (Dirk, Nash, Paul, Howard, LeBron) aren’t good players, or even that they’re not top 10 in the league. All I’m saying is that if you want the ball in their hands instead of Kobe when it counts – well, then you’re team is going to lose.

Case and point – http://www.nbatoday.net/2009/12/kobe-sinks-bucks-at-buzzer-dirk-silences-thunder/

Here’s all the evidence you should need. Good debate though. Oh, and don’t compare us to ESPN – well, certainly not me.

You could also make arguments for other players depending on how you define basketball player. He is a great scorer and finisher, good at defense, but no one would call him a good rebounder or distributor.

Nash and Paul are the most dominant distributors in the league. Just because assists aren’t as glorified as points, does it make them less dominant? No. They make EVERYONE on the floor on their team better players. Who gets better when 4 players stand still and wait for Kobe to shoot?

Dwight Howard is a dominant rebounder and defender. He also scores a lot, and is one of the top 3 most athleticly dominant players in the league. Right now he is the best big man in the league.

And then there is Lebron. Most athleticly dominant player in the game. Top 5 in scoring. Over 7 assists and rebounds per game. Some call him a top 5 passer in the game.

It’s too easy to call Kobe the best player in the league without any support. Sorry I had to play devil’s advocate, but you were starting to sound like ESPN.